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J O S E P H C . P A L A M O U N T A I N A W A R D F O R

Y O U N G A L U M N I A C H I E V E M E N T

Barbara and her husband, Karsten, are relocating to Connecticut after 23 years of living abroad. Wherever her home, she remains committed to her efforts for the College. And she says she is fattered to be receiving this award.

Just fve years out of college,

Jonathan Brestoff Parker ’08 has already garnered an impressive roster of achievements. A joint M.D.- Ph.D. candidate at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, he holds a master’s in public health, has co-written a textbook on clinical research and published 31 scientifc articles and book chapters, and discovered a patent-pending anti-obesity compound.

A recipient of the national Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship, he double-majored in chemistry and exercise science and received a number of academic accolades at Skidmore such as the Margaret Paulding Award in Exercise Science for excellence in research. The work leading to this award involved the discovery of an anti-obesity compound in collaboration with Professor T. H. Reynolds. “We treated obese, diabetic mice with or without an antioxidant to test whether antioxidants improve diabetes,” says Jon about the discovery. “Not only did the mice receiving the antioxidant have less severe diabetes, but also they had 40% less fat! That’s the equivalent of a 400-pound person losing 160 pounds.”

If the patent is approved, Jon says that it would be a “game changer,” for him and Reynolds and perhaps for millions of obese people. The duo aims to raise

enough capital for their own biotech start-up to develop the potential drug or to team up with a pharmaceutical company to the same end. “There is real potential here,” he asserts, “and I am hopeful that we will fnd a path to bring this drug further along the development pipeline.”

Jon realized during his studies at Skidmore that taking any discovery like this from the lab bench to the patient’s bedside required training in epidemiology, the basis of all clinical research. In 2009, he was awarded a prestigious George J. Mitchell Scholarship to study epidemiology at the School of Medicine at University College Cork, Ireland, where he earned a master’s in public health concentrating in advanced epidemiology and biostatistics. During his year on the emerald isle, Jon met Professor Jan Van den Broeck, with whom he recently published Epidemiology: Principles and Practical Guidelines. Their textbook comprehensively describes in one place the practical steps needed to develop, implement, analyze, and publish studies on human health. It was released worldwide in May, 2013, by Springer Science+Business Media.

Jon’s academic interests stem from his struggle with obesity as a child and high-school athlete. This experience sparked a strong interest in nutrition and a desire to help others learn about and practice proper dietary habits. He arrived at Skidmore driven, motivated, and ready to take full advantage of its resources. While at Skidmore, he founded the Skidmore Nutrition Action Council (SNAC) and served as the Student Government Association president. He had instrumental roles in changing the College’s writing curriculum and

Honors one alumna/us graduated one to 10 years who has utilized his or her Skidmore education in a quest for excellence demonstrated by personal achievement. The recipient must have a continuing concern for the Skidmore community.

“Explore your interests as much as possible and use that exploration to identify what you are most passionate about and interested in.”