obert L. Phillips Jr., MD ’95, MSPH, and Richard “Jude” Samulski, PhD ’82, were recently inducted into the UF College of Medicine Wall of Fame and honored during the 2016 Alumni Weekend celebrating classes dinner Oct. 14.

Samulski is renowned for pioneering the development of gene therapy approaches. While he was a UF student, he became the first researcher to clone the adeno-associated virus, which is used extensively in gene therapy. He currently serves as a professor of pharmacology and the director of the Gene Therapy Center at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine.

“He has been instrumental in translating basic science discoveries into clinical trials, with the ultimate aim of influencing the standard of care and curing disease,” said UF College of Medicine Dean Michael L. Good, MD, during the class dinner.

Phillips practices family medicine part time in a community-based residency program in Fairfax, Virginia, and holds faculty appointments at Georgetown University, George Washington University and Virginia Commonwealth University. He was elected to the prestigious Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Science in 2010 and currently serves as the vice president for research and policy on the American Board of Family Medicine.

“Dr. Phillips is a nationally recognized leader in primary care policy and health care reform,” Good said.

The Wall of Fame award was started in 1988 to recognize alumni who have made outstanding contributions to medicine, government, education and the community. Nominations may be made by any student, faculty member, alumnus or housestaff alumnus. Pictures of those honored are displayed in the Founders Gallery of the Academic Research Building at the UF College of Medicine.

This story originally ran in the Winter 2017 issue of the Doctor Gator newsletter.