Alumni Career Award Recipient
Prof. D. Allan Butterfield is the Alumni Association Endowed Professor of Biological Chemistry at the University of Kentucky. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in chemistry with high distinction from the University of Maine in 1968, and then earned his Ph.D. in chemistry from Duke University in 1974.
Prof. Butterfield has made pioneering discoveries that have contributed to a greater understanding of the molecular processes associated with the pathogenesis and progression
of Alzheimer’s disease. His research has resulted in more than 650 publications covering major discoveries in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and its earlier stage, amnestic mild cognitive impairment (MCI).
Prof. Butterfield is well known as one of, if not the, first scientists to describe oxidative stress in AD brain that accounts for synapse and neuronal loss in this dementing disorder. His groundbreaking studies on oxidative stress resulted in a new paradigm in the pathobiology of AD and MCI and identified key molecular pathways that yield promising therapeutic targets to retard or possibly stop AD.
Prof. Butterfield has the prestigious distinction of being the sixth most-cited author in the field of Alzheimer’s disease in the world, and the most-cited author worldwide in papers dealing with oxidative stress in AD. The Society for Redox Biology and Medicine (SfRBM) awarded him the Discovery Award in 2013 for his discoveries related to oxidative stress and pioneering the techniques of redox proteomics. In 2012, SfRBM honored him with his election to Fellow status, making him one of only 28 Fellows worldwide at the time.
Since 2015, Butterfield has additionally held the position of associate vice president for research at the University of Kentucky. His service to the university and outstanding scholarship was recognized by UK’s President, Board of Trustees, and expert panel of full
professors with his appointment as the Alumni Association Endowed Professor of Biological Chemistry. Since taking his position as faculty member at UK, he has trained more than 65 PhD and MS students and oversaw the research of more than 180 undergraduates.
Prof. Butterfield’s wife Marcia is also a member of the Class of 1968 at the University of Maine, and they look forward to spending more time in their central Maine home in the years to come.
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