4 BRANFORD PRICE MILLAR AWARD FOR FACULTY EXCELLENCE FACULTY AND STAFF EXCELLENCE AND ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS David H. Peyton, Ph.D. DAVID H. PEYTON, PH.D., is a professor in the Department of Chemistry in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. He is the author of more than 70 publications on structural biology, malaria drug discovery and development, and the toxicity of tobacco-related products. He is known at the national and international levels as a leading expert in the application of nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy to problems relating to public health. Peyton received his doctorate from the University of California at Santa Barbara in 1983, then held postdoctoral research positions at the Cornell University Medical College (now called Weill Cornell Medicine) and at the University of California at Davis before coming to Portland State University in 1987. He is a regular reviewer of submitted journal articles in the fields of biochemistry, analytical chemistry, environmental chemistry, physical chemistry, parasitology, inorganic chemistry and pharmaceutical chemistry; a member of the joint Scientific Advisory Committee for the NIH South Asia and India International Centers of Excellence for Malaria Research; and was the recipient of the Sigma Xi Columbia-Willamette Chapter “Outstanding Scientific Researcher Award (Chemistry)” in 2011. A major research program in the Peyton lab has been drug development leading to overcoming the effects of drug resistance, particularly in malaria. This was a shift in research direction from developing NMR methods and application to biomolecular interactions, to medicinal chemistry. In 2008, Peyton co-founded DesignMedix, Inc., in 2008 to help discover and develop the drugs to overcome resistance, bringing even more focus to his medicinal chemistry research. In another major project, collaboratively carried out with the Strongin and Pankow laboratories at PSU, Peyton studied aerosols from electronic cigarettes, as well as smoke from cigarettes and other tobacco products. This work brings together aspects of the physiology of nicotine addiction with its physical state, as well as the larger aspects of public health priorities and impact on policy. Thus, public health has become the overarching theme of the Peyton laboratory. The Branford Price Millar Award is given annually to a faculty member in a tenure-track or tenured appointment who has demonstrated excellence in the areas of scholarship, instruction, university service and public service, and whose performance in the area of scholarship and research is judged to be exceptional. The PSU Faculty and Staff Excellence and Achievement Awards acknowledge individuals who have achieved outstanding scholarship and accomplishments at Portland State University, and are one example of how we honor, recognize and incentivize the ongoing excellence of PSU faculty and staff, both through scholarship and dedication to PSU students.
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