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 It may contain other out-of-date information as well.
1994 Outstanding Contributions in Education
Jiro J. Kaneko will receive the 24th annual award, sponsored by SmithKline Beecham Clinical Laboratories.
“Jerry” Kaneko came from a small family in the central valley of California, where, working with the local veterinarian, he first developed his love of animals. Kaneko earned a B.S. in chemistry, a D.V.M., and later a Ph.D., all at the Davis campus of the University of California. For his Ph.D. dissertation, he studied the biosynthesis of milk protein in cows, using a14C-labeled amino acid that he synthesized from14CO2. This training provided a logical background for a young veterinarian to develop and teach a course called Clinical Biochemistry.
At the University of California, Davis, Kaneko rose to full professorship, serving the university in teaching, research, and administrative capacities. He became a charter Diplomate in Clinical Pathology of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists in 1974. He recently retired, after teaching clinical biochemistry in the School of Veterinary Medicine for 37 years. His research activities have resulted in more than 175 publications, and his internationally known book, Clinical Biochemistry of Domestic Animals, is now undergoing its fifth major revision.
Kaneko is an active member of his local section of AACC and of the AACC Division of Animal Clinical Chemistry. He has been instrumental in organizing symposia, developing programs, and giving presentations under the auspices of both of these organizations. He is a charter member of the International Society of Animal Clinical Biochemistry (ISACB), of which he is vice president. He has been a member of the organizing committees for each of the ISACB’s biennial congresses and is currently helping to organize the sixth congress to be held in Guelph, Canada, in August 1994. He is also organizing a symposium for the 25th World Veterinary Congress to be held in Yokohama, Japan, in September 1995. Kaneko continues to serve the scientific community in an advisory capacity and as a reviewer for many publications.
Despite all these activities, Kaneko misses the daily interactions with students, in and out of the classroom. He believes that teaching, in all its ramifications, is the lifeblood of all professionals and has been the single most satisfying professional activity of his life. Having also been active in his community, Kaneko recently announced his candidacy for a seat on the Davis City Council.