Vern L. Schramm (born November 9, 1941) is a Professor & Ruth Merns Chair in Biochemistry at the
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Albert Einstein College of Medicine is a research-intensive medical school located in the Morris Park neighborhood of the Bronx in New York City. Founded in 1953, Einstein operates as an independent degree-granting institution as part of t ...
of
Yeshiva University
Yeshiva University is a private Orthodox Jewish university with four campuses in New York City.["About YU]
on the Yeshiva Universi ...
.
Schramm was elected to the
National Academy of Sciences in 2007.
His laboratory's research focuses on the elucidation of
enzymatic mechanisms and
transition state
In chemistry, the transition state of a chemical reaction is a particular configuration along the reaction coordinate. It is defined as the state corresponding to the highest potential energy along this reaction coordinate. It is often marked ...
structure.
[
This information is then used for the logical design of transition-state inhibitors which have the potential to be new biologically active agents. Some of these are in development to be drugs. Schramm's work has translated basic chemical understanding at the quantum mechanical level to a new approach to drug development.][
]
Education
Schramm earned his bachelor's degree from South Dakota State College, now South Dakota State University
South Dakota State University is a public land-grant research university in Brookings, South Dakota. Founded in 1881, it is the state's largest and most comprehensive university and the oldest continually-operating university in South Dakota. The ...
. He earned his master's degree in nutrition from Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...
and his Ph.D. in the mechanism of enzyme action from the Australian National University
The Australian National University (ANU) is a public research university located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton encompasses seven teaching and research colleges, in addition to several national academies an ...
.
Career
Schramm secured a postdoctoral position at the NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil List of government space agencies, space program ...
Ames Research Center
The Ames Research Center (ARC), also known as NASA Ames, is a major NASA research center at Moffett Federal Airfield in California's Silicon Valley. It was founded in 1939 as the second National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) labo ...
after graduation. Later he joined the Temple University School of Medicine
The Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University (LKSOM), located on the Health Science Campus of Temple University in Philadelphia, PA, is one of 7 schools of medicine in Pennsylvania conferring the M.D. (Doctor of Medicine) degree. It also ...
as a faculty member. In 1987 he joined the faculty at Albert Einstein College of Medicine as professor and chair of the biochemistry department.
Awards and distinctions
* 1999 - Rudi Lemberg Award from the Australian Academy of Science
The Australian Academy of Science was founded in 1954 by a group of distinguished Australians, including Australian Fellows of the Royal Society of London. The first president was Sir Mark Oliphant. The academy is modelled after the Royal Soc ...
* 2006 - Repligen Corporation Award in Chemistry of Biological Processes from the Biological Chemistry Division of the American Chemical Society
* Harry Eagle Award for Outstanding Basic Science Teaching from Albert Einstein College of Medicine
* George A. Sowell Award for Excellence in Teaching from Temple University School of Medicine
References
External links
Schramm's profile on Biomed Experts
Schramm ''et al'' publications on PubMed
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schramm, Vern L
Living people
American biochemists
South Dakota State University alumni
Harvard University alumni
Australian National University alumni
Temple University faculty
Yeshiva University faculty
Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences
1941 births
People from Howard, South Dakota