UB's highest honor to go to Jacobs
UB faculty member, renowned researcher to receive Norton Medal posthumously

By SUZANNE CHAMBERLAIN
Reporter Contributor

The late Lawrence D. Jacobs, who was professor and chair of the Department of Neurology and a world-renowned researcher in the treatment of multiple sclerosis, has been chosen to receive posthumously UB's highest award, the Chancellor Charles P. Norton Medal.

	JACOBS

The Norton Medal is given annually at the university's general commencement ceremony to recognize someone who has, in Norton's words, "performed some great thing which is identified with Buffalo…a civic or political act, a great book, a great work of art, a great scientific achievement, or any other thing which, in itself, is truly great and enabling and which dignifies the performer and Buffalo in the eyes of the world."

UB's 156th general commencement ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. May 12 in Alumni Arena, North Campus.

"Larry Jacobs was one of our most distinguished faculty members, and a great Buffalonian—a scholar, researcher and teacher whose groundbreaking research discoveries were exceeded only by his compassion and his desire to serve our university, our region and all of humanity," said President William R. Greiner. "Throughout his career, Larry brought national and international acclaim to our Department of Neurology and the UB medical school, as well as to Buffalo-Niagara.

"We were very fortunate to count him among our faculty, and are very pleased to honor his memory with the Chancellor Charles P. Norton Medal, a fitting tribute to his outstanding legacy," Greiner said. "The Jacobs family has long played a leadership role in the community, and in all that he did, Larry exemplified that very fine tradition of public service."

Jacobs, who also was director of the Jacobs Neurological Institute and the William C. Baird Multiple Sclerosis Research Center at Buffalo General Hospital, died of cancer in November at the age of 63. Colleagues said that he was an exceptional and compassionate man whose work helping those who suffered from MS, strokes and other neurological ailments had a great impact worldwide. Truly, Jacobs exemplified UB's commitment to research, education and public service, and in a very meaningful way helped to promote these tenets at the UB medical school.

His ground-breaking research, geared toward developing better treatment for relapsing multiple sclerosis—a form of MS that affects 350,000 people in the United States—led to the development of Avonex™, the most widely prescribed drug to treat this debilitating form of MS.

As early as 1981, Jacobs' research showed that early treatment of MS with interferon beta-1a significantly reduced the rate of progression and impact of the disease, which often includes brain and nerve damage.

Jacobs funded his initial work privately, eventually attracting multi-million dollar grants from the National Institutes of Health.

In 2000, the New England Journal of Medicine published the results of a large-scale study, led by Jacobs, on the benefits of beta-1a interferon in treating MS, which led to the Harvard Health Letter naming his research as one of the 10 leading health advances for 2000.

Among his other numerous awards were the Stockton Kimball Award from the UB School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, the Stephen B. Kelley Award from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society's Western New York/Northwestern Pennsylvania Chapter, the George F. Koepf M.D. Award for the Advancement of Biomedical Research from the Hauptman-Woodward Medical Research Institute and the Alumni Merit Award from St. Louis University.

Jacobs served on the board of the International Federation of Multiple Sclerosis Societies, was a founding member and former officer of the American Academy of Neurology Education and Research Foundation, and was past president of the American Society of Neuroimaging.

He lectured widely, authored more than 200 publications on neurology and served as a member of the editorial board of several medical journals.

A native of Buffalo, Jacobs graduated from Niagara University and earned his medical degree from St. Louis University in 1965. After a residency at Mount Sinai Hospital and School of Medicine in New York City, he returned to Buffalo, beginning his career in medicine as an attending physician at Millard Fillmore Hospital in 1973. He joined the UB faculty the same year as a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Neurology. He served as chief of research at the Dent Neurological Institute from 1985-89.

In 1987, Jacobs became chief of the Baird MS research center, which was devoted to developing better treatments for the disease and excellence in patient education, clinical programs and support services. He became head of the neurology department at Buffalo General Hospital in 1989. A year later, the Jacobs Neurological Institute was dedicated in memory of Jacobs' parents, Genevieve and Louis.

He held the Irvin and Rosemary Smith Chair in Neurology in the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, established with a $1.5 million endowment from Biogen, manufacturer of Avonex™.

Jacobs was a member of the distinguished Jacobs family, civic leaders in Western New York and historically supportive of higher education and the University at Buffalo. He served on the UB Foundation, Inc. from 1991-01. His wife, Pamela R. Jacobs, is a member of the SUNY Board of Trustees. His brother, Jeremy Jacobs, chairman of Delaware North Cos., chairs the UB Council, and serves as honorary chair of The Campaign for UB: Generation to Generation.