PhRMA Foundation Presents Award in Excellence to Leading University of Washington Researcher

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Contact: Mollymae Metheny, 202-835-3479, mmetheny@phrma.org 

PhRMA Foundation Presents Award in Excellence to 
Leading University of Washington Researcher

Boston (March 28, 2015) — Today, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) Foundation awarded David L. Eaton, Ph.D., the PhRMA Foundation Award in Excellence in Pharmacology/Toxicology at the American Society of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics Annual Meeting in Boston. The award honors outstanding previous award recipients who have gone on to distinguish themselves through their scientific or academic achievements. Dr. Eaton is currently Professor of Toxicology in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences and Adjunct Professor of Medicinal Chemistry at the University of Washington (UW).

In 1980, Dr. Eaton received a PhRMA Foundation Faculty Award in Pharmacology/Toxicology, through which he established a successful research program and secured his first National Institutes of Health Research Project Grant in 1981. For the past 36 years, Dr. Eaton has taught and conducted research at UW, where he built the Environmental Health Toxicology program in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences to include 10 faculty with research focused in molecular toxicology. Today, he serves as Dean of the UW Graduate School and Vice Provost for Graduate and Post-doctoral Education for all three campuses (Seattle, Bothell and Tacoma).

“It is a privilege to present the Award in Excellence to such a deserving honoree,” said Eileen Cannon, executive director of the Foundation. “Dr. Eaton embodies the spirit of the PhRMA Foundation and our commitment to investing in people, programs and partnerships to advance scientific research to improve patient care and treatment options.”

The annual PhRMA Foundation Awards in Excellence are awarded for Pharmacology/Toxicology and Clinical Pharmacology and Pharmaceutics. The awards honor scientists who received PhRMA Foundation grants at the outset of their careers in a discipline important to the research-based biopharmaceutical industry.

“I am proud to be the recipient of this prestigious award from the PhRMA Foundation,” Dr. Eaton said. “The original award I received in 1980 enabled me to begin my career in toxicology, and 35 years later, I am still grateful for the initial support the PhRMA Foundation provided to my career.”

The PhRMA Foundation awards more than $3.3 million per year in annual grants to emerging researchers as part of its work to fill a critical need in their career development and improve their ability to succeed. Many of these grants are provided to young scientists in the most challenging areas of drug discovery.

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About the PhRMA Foundation
The PhRMA Foundation has supported the field of drug discovery and the careers of scientific investigators, faculty members, and physicians for 50 years. Funding the research of more than 2,200 young scientists, the Foundation continues to pave the way for the future of patient care.

The mission of the Foundation is to support young scientists in disciplines important to the pharmaceutical industry by awarding them competitive research fellowships and grants at a critical decision point at the outset of their careers. The aim is to encourage young scientists who will be the leaders of tomorrow to pursue careers in research and education related to drug discovery.

For more information, visit www.phrmafoundation.org