Christopher T.
Walsh
Christopher T. Walsh (February 16, 1944 – January
10, 2023) was a Hamilton Kuhn professor of biological Christopher T. Walsh
chemistry and pharmacology at Harvard Medical Born February 16, 1944
School.[1] His research focused on enzymes and Boston, Massachusetts,
enzyme inhibition, and most recently focused on the U.S.
problem of antibiotic resistance.[2] He was elected to Died January 10, 2023
the National Academy of Sciences in 1989.[2] (aged 78)
Education Harvard University (A.B.)
Rockefeller University
Education (Ph.D.)
Known for Enzyme kinetics, antibiotic
He earned his A.B. degree in biology from Harvard
resistance, Enzymatic
University in 1965. As an undergraduate, he worked
Reaction Mechanisms
with E. O. Wilson and published a first author paper in
the journal Nature, where he and his colleagues Spouse Diana Chapman Walsh
described the composition of the fire ant trail Children Allison Kurian
substance.[3] He went on to graduate school at Awards Eli Lilly Award in Biological
Rockefeller University, where he earned his Ph.D. in Chemistry (1979)
life science in 1970.[2][4][5] Arthur C. Cope Scholar
Award (1998)
Repligen Corporation
Career Award in Chemistry of
Biological Processes (1999)
Walsh completed a postdoctoral fellowship with Alfred Bader Award in
Robert Abeles at Brandeis University in 1972, and later
Bioinorganic or Bioorganic
that year joined the faculty at Massachusetts Institute
Chemistry (2003)
of Technology as a professor of chemistry and biology.
Promega Biotechnology
In 1987, he joined the faculty at Harvard Medical
Research Award (2004)
School to serve as the chair of the newly created
Welch Award in Chemistry
Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular
(2010)
Pharmacology. He served as the president and CEO of
Benjamin Franklin Medal
the Dana–Farber Cancer Institute from 1992 to
(2014)
1995.[5] Walsh authored more than 650 publications in
scholarly journals and trained several graduate students Scientific career
and postdoctoral researchers.[2][4] Among his Fields Biochemistry
professional activities, Walsh was a member of the Institutions Brandeis University
Board of Scientific Governors of The Scripps Research Massachusetts Institute of
Institute,[6] the American Philosophical Society,[7] The Technology
Harvard Medical School
Dana Farber Cancer
Institute
National Academy of Sciences,[8] Institute of Thesis The Mechanism of Action
Medicine, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, of the Citrate Cleavage
and the American Academy of Microbiology. Enzyme (1970)
Doctoral advisor Leonard B. Spector
Other academic E. O. Wilson, Robert H.
Personal life advisors Abeles
Walsh was born in Boston and went to Roxbury Latin Notable students Michael Marletta
School. Walsh died following a fall on January 10, Peter G. Schultz
2023, at the age of 78. He was married to Diana Yian Shi
Chapman Walsh who was the president of Wellesley Gregory L. Verdine
College from 1993 to 2007. They have one daughter,
Allison Kurian, a professor of medicine and epidemiology at Stanford University.[5][9]
Notable publications
Books
Enzymatic Reaction Mechanisms (1978). Published by Freeman Inc (ISBN 978-0-7167-
0070-8).
Antibiotics: Actions, Origins, Resistance (2003), by Christopher Walsh. Published by ASM
Press (ISBN 978-1-55581-254-6).
Post-translation Modification of Proteins: Expanding Nature's Inventory (2006), by C.T.
Walsh. Published by Roberts and Company (ISBN 0-9747077-3-2).[10]
References
1. "Walsh Laboratory" (https://web.archive.org/web/20091005085232/http://walsh.med.harvar
d.edu/frame_chris.htm). Harvard Medical School. Archived from the original (http://walsh.me
d.harvard.edu/frame_chris.htm) on 5 October 2009. Retrieved 18 January 2010.
2. "Speakers: Christopher T. Walsh, Ph.D." (https://web.archive.org/web/20060909043024/htt
p://science.medschool.duke.edu/modules/75ann_spks/index.php?id=14) Duke University
Health System. 2006. Archived from the original (http://science.medschool.duke.edu/module
s/75ann_spks/index.php?id=14) on 9 September 2006. Retrieved 18 January 2010.
3. Walsh, Christopher T.; J.H. Law; E.O. Wilson (1965). "Purification of the Fire Ant Trail
Substance". Nature. 207 (4994). Nature Publishing Group: 320–321.
Bibcode:1965Natur.207..320W (https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1965Natur.207..320W).
doi:10.1038/207320b0 (https://doi.org/10.1038%2F207320b0). S2CID 4265580 (https://api.s
emanticscholar.org/CorpusID:4265580).
4. Beeson, Teresa D. "The Career of Christopher T. Walsh" (http://www.princeton.edu/chemistr
y/macmillan/group-meetings/TDB-walsh.pdf) (PDF). Retrieved 18 January 2010.
5. "Christopher T. Walsh Dies" (https://hms.harvard.edu/news/christopher-t-walsh-dies).
Harvard Medical School. 2023-01-11. Retrieved 2023-01-12.
6. "Leadership | Scripps Research" (https://www.scripps.edu/about/leadership/?tab-2-text-cont
ent=1). www.scripps.edu. Retrieved 2021-08-31.
7. "APS Member History" (https://search.amphilsoc.org/memhist/search?creator=Christopher+
Walsh&title=&subject=&subdiv=&mem=&year=&year-max=&dead=&keyword=&smode=adv
anced). search.amphilsoc.org. Retrieved 2021-08-31.
8. "Member Directory" (http://www.nasonline.org/member-directory/members/49412.html).
National Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 17 October 2022.
9. Oldach, Laurel (January 13, 2023). "Biochemist Christopher T. Walsh dies at 79" (https://ce
n.acs.org/people/obituaries/Biochemist-Christopher-T-Walsh-dies-at-79/101/web/2023/01).
cen.acs.org. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
10. van der Donk, Wilfred A (2005). "The protein modification repertoire". Nature Chemical
Biology. 1 (5). Springer Science and Business Media LLC: 243. doi:10.1038/nchembio1005-
243 (https://doi.org/10.1038%2Fnchembio1005-243). ISSN 1552-4450 (https://search.world
cat.org/issn/1552-4450). S2CID 195304301 (https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:1953
04301).
External links
Walsh et al publications on Pubmed (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Search
&db=pubmed&term=walsh%20ct)
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