Barry J. Marshall, MBBS, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2005.
The Department of Medicine’s Gastroenterology Division is thrilled to host Nobel Laureate and former UVA faculty member Barry J. Marshall, MBBS, as the guest speaker for the inaugural “David A. Peura, MD Endowed Lecture” on Friday, May 12 in the Educational Resource Center Auditorium. The 12 p.m. lecture at Internal Medicine Grand Rounds follows the H. Pylori and Gastric Cancer Symposium, which will feature presentations by other gastroenterology experts from around the world.
In Dr. Marshall’s lecture “H. pylori and the Journey to the Nobel Prize,” he will share how he and his colleague, J. Robin Warren, MBBS, were studying the stomach biopsies of patients with ulcers when they noticed the presence of the H. pylori bacteria. At that time, it was believed that ulcers were caused by stress or diet, and not by a bacterial infection. The discovery of the link between H. pylori bacteria and stomach ulcers earned Dr. Marshall and Dr. Warren the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2005. Dr. Marshall will describe his scientific journey, from the initial skepticism of his peers to the rigorous testing and eventual acceptance of his findings. Despite facing resistance from the medical community, he persevered and eventually demonstrated the effectiveness of antibiotics in treating H. pylori infections and ulcers. Dr. Marshall’s groundbreaking work, which was partially completed at UVA, changed the future of gastroenterology and ulcer diseases.
Dr. Marshall is from Kalgoorlie, Western Australia and received his Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) at the University of Western Australia (UWA) School of Medicine in Perth. His career in internal medicine and research led him to the University of Virginia School of Medicine as a research fellow, gastroenterologist and professor of medicine from 1986-1996. He returned to UWA in 1996 where he is currently a clinical professor and brand ambassador and director of the Marshall Centre for Infectious Diseases Research and Training.
All faculty, staff, trainees, and students are invited to attend the symposium and Dr. Marshall’s lecture. The schedule of events provides details. If you have further questions, please contact the hosts for Dr. Marshall’s visit – Andrew Wang, MD or Neeral Shah, MD.