Date of Birth: December 18, 1939
Zodiac Sign: Sagittarius
Biography
Harold Eliot Varmus is an American Nobel Prize-winning scientist renowned for his groundbreaking research in the field of oncology and virology. Born in Oceanside, New York, Varmus initially pursued a career in English literature, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree from Amherst College. However, his interests shifted towards medicine, leading him to earn an MD from Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons. Varmus’s significant contributions to science include his co-discovery of the cellular origin of retroviral oncogenes, work which earned him the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1989 alongside J. Michael Bishop. This discovery was pivotal in understanding how normal cellular genes can be converted into cancer-causing genes. Throughout his illustrious career, Varmus has held several prestigious positions, including Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) from 1993 to 1999, President of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and Director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) from 2010 to 2015. He has been a vocal advocate for science education and policy, contributing significantly to the shaping of modern biomedical research.
5 Interesting Facts about Harold E. Varmus
1. Harold Varmus was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1989 for his work on the genetic basis of cancer.
2. He served as the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) from 1993 to 1999.
3. Varmus is an accomplished author, having published a memoir titled “The Art and Politics of Science” in 2009.
4. He co-founded the Public Library of Science (PLOS), a nonprofit open-access science, technology, and medicine publisher.
5. Varmus has been a strong advocate for open-access publishing and has worked to make scientific research more accessible to the public.
5 Most Interesting Quotes from Harold E. Varmus
1. “Science is a way of thinking much more than it is a body of knowledge.”
2. “The pursuit of science leads to a sense of unity and purpose.”
3. “Cancer research demands an understanding of the complexity of life itself.”
4. “The joy of discovery is certainly the liveliest that the mind of man can ever feel.”
5. “Science is a collaborative enterprise spanning the generations.”
Highest Net Worth Achieved
The highest net worth achieved by Harold E. Varmus is estimated to be around $1 million.
Children
Harold Varmus has two sons, Jacob Varmus, a jazz trumpeter and composer, and Christopher Varmus, a physician.
Relevant Links
1. [Wikipedia: Harold E. Varmus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_E._Varmus
2. [Nobel Prize Biography](https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/1989/varmus/biographical/
3. [NIH History](https://history.nih.gov/display/history/Varmus%2C+Harold+E.
4. [Public Library of Science (PLOS](https://plos.org
5. [NY Times Article on Harold Varmus](https://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/21/science/21conv.html
