Quentin Pittman (BASc (BA) '72)

In 1989, The University of Lethbridge Alumni Association established their Alumnus of the Year Award to recognize those individuals who have demonstrated outstanding academic achievement in their chosen field or achieved international reputation in their field

This year the award goes to an alumnus who has certainly done both: Dr. Quentin J. Pittman, Professor, Department of Medical Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Calgary.

Dr. Pittman graduated from The University of Lethbridge in 1972 with a Bachelor of Arts and Science degree in biology. He completed his doctoral degree at The University of Calgary in the Department of Medical Physiology, Faculty of Medicine. He then completed postdoctoral work at McGill University in the Division of Neurology at the Montreal General Hospital. In the years 1978 to 1980 he was a Centennial Fellow of the Medical Research Council of Canada, working at the Salk Institute in La Jolla, California.

In 1980, Dr. Pittman was recruited to The University of Calgary in the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics and the Neuroscience Research Group in the Faculty of Medicine. He became an Associate Professor in 1984 and a Full Professor in 1988. In 1989 he became Assistant Dean in the U of C’s Faculty of Medicine.

Dr. Pittman is a leader in his area of scientific work and is recognized internationally for his contributions. He has contributed to the gains being made in neuroendocrinology and neurophysiology. His research focuses on the study of chemicals in the brain that control the internal state of the body, such as the cardiovascular system and them temperature-regulations system and their associated pathologies. His contribution is unique because his work ranges from whole animal biology to the cellular level of biology.

His sustained, exceptional level of innovative research activity has benefited students, fellows, and visiting scientists. It has also benefited his colleagues, particularly in the Neuroscience Research Group, in which he is a key member. In recognition of his research, he holds two major awards: he is an Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research Scientist and a Medical Research Council Scientist.

Dr. Pittman continues to be on the advancing edge of his research field and is perceived as a leader of influence by his colleagues around the world. He is continually sought after as a speaker at major national and international scientific symposia. He is a member of editorial boards and grant review panels, both nationally and internationally.

He is active in his community as a soccer coach, and is past member of the Board of Theatre Calgary. He also gives much of his time in support of the Heart and Stroke Foundation and other agencies.

The Alumni Association is pleased to present this year’s Alumnus of the Year Award to this scientist of vision.