In July 2023, we changed our name from AACC (short for the American Association for Clinical Chemistry) to the Association for Diagnostics & Laboratory Medicine (ADLM). The following page was written prior to this rebranding and contains mentions of the association’s old name. It may contain other out-of-date information as well.
The Wallace H. Coulter Lectureship Award
Endowed by the Wallace H. Coulter Foundation
Eric J. Topol, MD
Dr. Topol is director of the Scripps Translational Science Institute, chief academic officer of Scripps Health, professor of genomics at the Scripps Research Institute, and co-founder of the West Wireless Health Institute in La Jolla, Calif. A practicing cardiologist, he has led the flagship, National Institutes of Health-supported Scripps Translational Science Institute since 2006, where he works on innovative genomic and wireless digital technologies aimed at reshaping the future of medicine. Prior to his work at Scripps, Dr. Topol's efforts are widely credited with leading the Cleveland Clinic to become the foremost center for heart care. While at the Cleveland Clinic, he started a new medical school, led many worldwide clinical trials to advance care for heart disease, and spearheaded the discovery of several genes that increase susceptibility for heart attacks. Dr. Topol pioneered the development of many medications that are routinely used in medical practice, including tissue plasminogen activator, Plavix, Angiomax, and ReoPro. He was the first physician to raise safety concerns about Vioxx. He has published 1100 peer-reviewed articles and more than 30 medical textbooks. He recently became editor-in-chief of the website Medscape. The University of Michigan, where he served on the faculty, established the Eric Topol Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine to recognize his contributions. The University of Rochester, where he attended medical school, awarded him its highest honor, the Hutchinson Medal. In 2012, a poll by Modern Healthcare singled him out as the most influential physician executive in the United States. He was elected to the Institute of Medicine and is one of the top 10 most-cited healthcare researchers. His book, The Creative Destruction of Medicine, was published in 2012.