Roy Curtiss, III of ASU's Biodesign Institute has been selected as the recipient of the 2014 AZBio Pioneer Award for Lifetime Achievement by the Arizona BioIndustry Association. Curtiss, who was initially drawn to ASU by the vision of a New American University and state-of-the-art research enterprise put forth by President Michael Crow, focuses his efforts on alleviating worldwide suffering from infectious diseases. Shortly after arriving, he received the largest support of his career, more than $15.4 million from the Grand Challenges in Global Health initiative, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

“Roy’s lifelong dedication and achievements in bioscience research, education and innovation are really quite remarkable, and his efforts have inspired countless life science careers,” said Biodesign Institute Executive Director Raymond DuBois, M.D., Ph.D. “His passion and commitment in taking on the challenges of combating infectious diseases and the impact he is having on urgent societal problems make him a stellar example of the translational research spirit of the Biodesign Institute.”