Daniel E. Goldberg, MD, PhD

Daniel E. Goldberg, MD, PhD ’85, HS ’88, professor of molecular microbiology and of medicine, is known as an international authority on malaria and an exceptional mentor for trainees.

Goldberg — also co-director of the Division of Infectious Diseases in the Department of Medicine and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator — studies the biology of the malaria parasite, employing a combination of genetics, cell biology and biochemistry to understand the role its proteins play in allowing the parasite to survive and cause disease. An overall goal is to identify targets for drug therapy. In 2010 his laboratory found such a target when they defined the role of a protein called plasmepsin V as being essential to the parasite’s ability to take over control of red blood cells. He has published more than 140 peer-reviewed papers in leading journals.

His commitment to teaching as well as research is well recognized among his peers. He has served as course master for several courses at the medical school and has served on more than 120 thesis committees for PhD candidates. He excels in guiding young scientists through every aspect of establishing a successful biomedical research career, providing guidance on experiment design, technical challenges, data interpretation, employee management, grant writing, and short- and long-term career planning. His trainees have gone on to excel in diverse arenas.

Goldberg is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, holds editorial responsibilities with several major scientific journals and has served on numerous NIH panels and boards. In 2013, he received the CC and Alice Wang Award from The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, the premier award in the molecular parasitology field.

He earned his medical and doctoral degrees from Washington University in 1985; he then completed residency training at Harvard, an infectious diseases fellowship at Washington University and a postdoctoral fellowship at Rockefeller University. He joined the Washington University faculty in 1990.

The Washington University Medical Center Alumni Association is pleased to present its Faculty Achievement Award to Dr. Goldberg.