Frederick S. Southwick, Ph.D.

Professor and Chief of Infectious Diseases

College of Medicine

2001 Awardee

A pioneer in the field of infectious diseases, Frederick S. Southwick is professor and chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases and vice chair of the Department of Medicine at the UF College of Medicine. He also serves on the Board of Scientific Directors of the National Institutes of Health Warren Magnuson Clinical Center.

Southwick has conducted groundbreaking research in the discovery of proteins that regulate white blood cells’ ability to move and fight infection in the body. He has shown that the actin protein assembles into filaments, enabling cells to change shape and move. Listeria – a common and sometimes deadly bacteria that causes infections in newborns and transplant and AIDS patients – has been used as a model in this research. Southwick, whose research currently is funded with two NIH grants, hopes his work will help stop the spread of this bacterium.

Southwick’s highly productive research on infectious diseases has earned him national and international acclaim. He was awarded the University of Florida College of Medicine Clinical Science Research Award for 1998. His research efforts have attracted close to $2 million in grant support from the NIH.

Southwick is recognized for his extensive publications on infectious diseases. He has co?authored a book, Key References in Infectious Diseases: An Annotated Guide, as well as 112 scientific papers and abstracts for such prestigious publications as the Journal of Cell Biology and the New England Journal of Medicine.