The Trustees and Staff of the Linda Hall Library extend their congratulations to Board of Trustees member, Alejandro Sánchez Alvarado, as a recipient of the 2023 Vilcek Prize in Biomedical Science for his contributions to the field of regeneration. The Vilcek Prizes are awarded annually by the Vilcek Foundation to immigrants with a legacy of major accomplishment to American society in the biomedical sciences and the arts and humanities fields.

A native of Venezuela, Dr. Sánchez Alvarado immigrated to the United States to study molecular biology and chemistry at Vanderbilt University, and Pharmacology and cell biophysics at the University of Cincinnati School of Medicine where he received his PhD. Dr. Sánchez Alvarado is now the executive director and chief scientific officer of the Stowers Institute for Medical Research and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator.

The Vilcek Prize recognizes his work in the identification of crucial genes that control regeneration in living organisms and the potential for regenerative medicine to address how we treat disease in humans. By identifying and characterizing molecular and cellular agents of regeneration, Dr. Sánchez Alvarado’s work has the potential to lead to a better understanding of how the adult forms of higher organisms, including humans, carry out their biological functions. His research also has led to insights into the molecular and genetic drivers of both regenerative and degenerative cellular processes that contribute to disease.

Congratulations, Dr. Sánchez Alvarado!