Oral Histories

Interview of Ralph C. Budd

Subtitle:
Pew Scholar in the Biomedical Sciences: Ralph C. Budd
Series:
Pew Scholars Program in the Biomedical Sciences
Topic:
Science, Medicine, and Technology
Interviewer:
Novak, Steven J.
Interviewee:
Budd, Ralph C.
Supporting Documents:
Records relating to the interview are located in the office of the UCLA Library's Center for Oral History Research.
Language:
English
Copyright:
Regents of the University of California, UCLA Library.
Series Statement:
Interviews in this series, sponsored by the Pew Charitable Trusts, document the research of "outstanding scientists from quality institutions" chosen by the Pew Scholars Program to receive four-year stipends.
Abstract:
Attends Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Cornell University; meeting and marrying Lenore Fritz Budd; Edward D. Harris introduces Budd to rheumatology during residency at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center; instances of Budd's medical research and practice influencing each other; conducting interleukin 2 antibody research in Kendall A. Smith's lab; the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research in Lausanne, Switzerland; H. Robson MacDonald and Jean-Charles Cerottini; using lymphoproliferative (lpr) mice to study T lymphocyte development; C. Garrison Fathman's innovative approaches to immunology research; past and present collaborations; brief tenure at Genentech and reasons for leaving; securing tenure at University of Vermont (UVM); teaching responsibilities, lab conditions, and funding at UVM; Budd's research on Fas molecule signaling; potential therapeutic applications of fas gene studies; research on the regulatory role of cells; the difficulties of being a physician-scientist; the importance of physiology in molecular biology; using T cell receptors as probes to screen peptide libraries; Budd's lab management style and his philosophy of conducting research; the peer review system; the importance of basic research; reviewing for scientific journals; possible approaches to increasing funding for scientific research.