Russ Altman

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Russ B. Altman

Russ Biagio Altman is an American bioengineer and geneticist known for his work in biomedical informatics, pharmacogenomics, and computational biology. He is a professor at Stanford University and has made significant contributions to the understanding of how genetic variations affect drug responses.

Early Life and Education

Russ Altman was born in New York City. He completed his undergraduate studies at Harvard University, where he earned a degree in biochemistry. He then pursued a M.D. and a Ph.D. in medical information sciences from Stanford University.

Career

After completing his education, Altman joined the faculty at Stanford University, where he is currently a professor of bioengineering, genetics, medicine, and biomedical data science. He is also the founding chair of the Department of Bioengineering at Stanford.

Altman's research focuses on the application of computational techniques to problems in biology and medicine. He has worked extensively on pharmacogenomics, the study of how genes affect a person's response to drugs. His work aims to personalize medicine by tailoring drug treatments to individual genetic profiles.

Research Contributions

Altman has published numerous papers on topics such as protein structure prediction, drug discovery, and systems biology. He has developed several computational tools and databases that are widely used in the field of bioinformatics.

One of his notable contributions is the development of the PharmGKB database, which collects, curates, and disseminates information about the impact of human genetic variation on drug responses. This resource is used by researchers and clinicians worldwide to improve drug safety and efficacy.

Awards and Honors

Throughout his career, Altman has received several prestigious awards, including the Stanford Medical School Teaching Award, the American Medical Informatics Association's Donald A.B. Lindberg Award for Innovation in Informatics, and election to the National Academy of Medicine.

Personal Life

Russ Altman resides in Palo Alto, California, with his family. He is an avid supporter of science education and frequently engages in outreach activities to promote the importance of biomedical research.

See Also

• Bioinformatics
• Pharmacogenomics
• Computational biology
• Stanford University
• Genetics