Molecular Physiology & Biophysics

During his more than 3 decades of leadership in the Department of Physiology, Dr. Park’s research efforts with the group of investigators he recruited to Vanderbilt yielded tremendous advancements in the understanding of a variety of metabolic processes.  These include the regulation of glucose entry into cells by insulin, hormonal control of gluconeogenesis and glycolysis, and intracellular actions of hormones acting via cyclic AMP and its protein kinase.  Two of his many honors include the Banting Award of the American Diabetes Association in 1979 and election to the National Academy of Sciences in 1980.