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Curriculum Vitae

Name: GHEORGHE BENGA
Date and Place of Birth: January 26, 1944, Timisoara, Romania
Citizenship and Nationality: Romanian
Married, 2 children

Education, Degrees, Titles

M.D. University of Medicine and Pharmacy (UMP) Cluj 1967
B.Sc. (Chemistry) 1972, M.Sc. (Chemistry of Macromolecules and Surfaces), 1973, "Babes-Bolyai" University Cluj-Napoca
1974: accredited as Principal Specialist Physician (Clinical Laboratory)
1974 - 1975: One year postdoctoral work with Dennis Chapman, University of Sheffield and Chelsea College, University of London, UK
1993: Full Member of the Academy of Medical Sciences of Romania
1997: accredited as Medic Primar (the highest professional qualification of physicians in Romania) in Medical Genetics and Genetic Pathology
2001: Elected as Member of the Romanian Academy
2003: Doctor honoris causa "Vasile Goldis" West University, Arad, Romania
2004: Doctor honoris causa "Carol Davila" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Bucharest, Romania (the first Romanian awarded with the title)
2004: Doctor honoris causa "Grigore T. Popa" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Iassy, Romania
2004: Doctor honoris causa "Victor Babes" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Timisoara, Romania
2004: Honorary Professor University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Tg. Mures, Romania

Professional Positions

1966 - 1969: Rotating Intern in Laboratory Specialties (one year in each of Clinical Laboratory, Microbiology, Biochemistry)
1969 - 1972: Ph.D. Student in Medical Biochemistry (Professor Ion Manta, Dept. Biochem., UMP Cluj); 1973: Ph.D. (Medical Biochemistry), UMP Cluj
1972 - 1978: Lecturer, Department of Biochemistry, UMP Cluj-Napoca
1978 - 1991: Senior Lecturer, then Reader and Chairman of the new Department of Cell & Molecular Biology, UMP Cluj-Napoca and of the Laboratory of Human Genetics, Cluj County Hospital (integrated in the Department)
1991 - present: Professor and Chairman, Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, "Iuliu Hatieganu" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, and Chief of the Laboratory of Human Genetics, Cluj County University Hospital, Romania

Special Scientific Activities

1977; 1984: Visiting Scientist to the University of London (3 months), and respectively (1 month)
1981 (2 weeks): Visiting Scientist, Lab. Biochem. Genetics, Childrens Hospital, Utrecht, The Netherlands
1983: Visiting Professor of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Campaign
1991 (3 months): Visiting Scientist at the Department of Biochemistry, University of Sydney, Australia
1992, 1993 (3 months each year): Visiting Research Professor, King's College London U.K.
1994 (3 months): Visiting Research Professor, Royal Free Hospital School Med.,Univ. of London, U.K.
1995 (2 months): Visiting Researcher, Dept. of Biochem., Univ. of Sydney, Australia
1996 (2 months): Visiting Scientist, Lab. of Molecular Genetics, Fac. de Medecine Paris, Hospital Henri Mondor, Creteil, France
1999 - 2000 (7 months): Visiting Researcher (Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Senior Fellow), Institute of Applied Biochemistry, Mitake, Gifu, Japan
1998, 2001, 2002: Visiting Researcher and Professor, Dept. of Biochem., Univ. of Sydney, Australia
Since 2003 - 2006: Honorary Associate, School of Molecular and Microbial BioSciences, University of Sydney, Australia
January - June 2005: Visiting Professor, Dept. of Biochemistry, Graduate School of Medicine, University of Osaka, Japan

Romanian Awards

1950 - 61: First prize in each grade of School, with Diploma for Special Merits
1959 - 61: Prizes in the Mathematics Olympics for School Students at the local, regional and national level
1961: Special Diploma for Outstanding School Students at Graduation of Lycee; First in the class
1964: Special Fellowship for Outstanding Students during medical studies
1964 - 1967: Several prizes at local and national Scientific Sessions of Student Research
1984: "Emil Racovita" Prize of the Academy of Romania for the work in the field of "Membrane Molecular Biology with Medical Applications"
1994: "Iuliu Moldovan" Prize of The "Iuliu Hatieganu" Univ. of Medicine and Pharmacy Cluj-Napoca for special merits in teaching and research
1994: Diploma of The "Iuliu Hatieganu" Univ. of Medicine and Pharmacy Cluj-Napoca for special contributions to the development of the Cluj school of medicine and pharmacy
1994: Medal of The "Iuliu Hatieganu" Univ. of Medicine and Pharmacy Cluj-Napoca "75 years of Romanian Medical and Pharmaceutical Higher Education in Transylvania"
1999: Diploma "80 years of Romanian Medical and Pharmaceutical Higher Education in Transylvania" of The "Iuliu Hatieganu" Univ. of Medicine and Pharmacy Cluj-Napoca for special merits in the development of the Romanian school of medicine and pharmacy
2002: Lions Club of Cluj-Napoca "Certificate of Appreciation for Invaluable Services Rendered for Medicine"
2002: "Grigore T. Popa" Medal of the University of Medicine and Pharmacy Iassy, Romania
2003: OPERA OMNIA Prize of the National Council for Higher Education Scientific Research ("for excellence in scientific research")
2003: Prize for Science of Cluj Prefecture and County Council
2003: Great Prize "Iuliu Hatieganu" of the "Iuliu Hatieganu" University of Medicine and Pharmacy Cluj-Napoca "for contributions to the discovery of aquaporins"
2003: Diploma of Honor "Man of the Year 2003" of the daily newspaper "Adevãrul de Cluj" for the world priority in the discovery of the first water channel protein in the human red blood cell membrane
2003: Prize "Laurels of Sciences" of Radio Romania
2003: Prize for science of Cluj mass-media
2004: Citizen of Honor of Cluj-Napoca Municipium "to recognize the remarkable activity in higher education and for the outstanding contribution in cell and molecular biology research lead that has to the increase in the prestige of Cluj scientific school at the national and international level"
2004: Diploma of Honor of the Romanian Association of Algaesiology
2004: Diploma of Honor of the Senate of the "Iuliu Hatieganu" University of Medicine and Pharmacy Cluj-Napoca "in appreciation and gratitude, on 60th birthday, for the whole activity dedicated to the glory of Romanian Science"
2004: Diploma of Excellency of The Academy of Scientists from Romania "for the discovery of the first water channel protein (aquaporin 1) in the human red blood cell"
2004: Great Prize "Iuliu Hatieganu" of the "Iuliu Hatieganu" University of Medicine and Pharmacy Cluj-Napoca "for the whole activity (research and teaching)"
2005: Diploma of excelency for 2004 awarded by the Romanian medical press

Romanian Recognitionn

1971 - 1982: Secretary of the Cluj-Napoca Biochemistry Section of The Union of Medical Sciences
1979 - 1984: Secretary of the Series of Lectures "Modern Methods and Techniques in Medical Research" resented every month by Faculty Members of "Iuliu Haþieganu" UMP Cluj-Napoca
1972 - 1989: Member in the Subcommission of Biochemistry, Cluj Section of Romanian Academy
1981 - present: President of Cluj-Napoca Section of the Romanian Society for Cell and Molecular Biology
1990 - present; Member in the Council of the Faculty of Medicine, UMP Cluj-Napoca
1995 - present: Founding Member and Vice-President of the Romanian Society for Medical Genetics
1995 - present: Expert Member of the Commission of Medicine, National Council for Higher Education Scientific Research, Ministry of Education and Research of Romania
1999 - present: Founding Editor and Director: "Bulletin of Molecular Medicine"
2001 - present: Director of the Sub-Program on Molecular and Cellular Medicine of the Romanian National Program of Medical Research VIASAN (Viata si Sanatatea - Life and Health)
1982 - 2004: Invited lecturer at several national congresses, symposia, lecture courses, invited professor at "Vasile Goldis" West University, Arad
2004 - present: Member in the Bureau of the Cluj Section of Romanian Academy
2004 - present: President, Romanian Society of Laboratory Medicine
2005 - present: Co-president, Commission of Laboratory Medicine of the Ministry of Health of Romania

International Awards and Recognition

1984: Active Member of the New York Academy of Science (awarded without payment, in recognition of the volume 414 of Annals of N.Y Acad. Sci., "Biomembranes and Cell Function", F.A. Kummerow, Gh. Benga, R.P. Holmes (Eds.), the most successful of all volumes published in 1983).
1987: Laureate of the Annual Prize for scientific research awarded by The Balkan Medical Union
1987: Medal 50^th Anniversary of the Balkan Medical Union Bucharest, Romania
1987: Life Member of The American Association for the Promotion of Science
1996 - 1999: Member of the Steering Committee "European Union Action for Cystic Fibrosis Research and Therapy", invited to all Int. Symposia on Cystic Fibrosis
2000 - present: Member of the European Union Network on Cystic Fibrosis
2000: Founding Member and Vice-President of The Romanian - American Laboratory Medicine Association
2000: "Professor K. Miras Award" of The Balkan Clinical Laboratory Association
2002 (July): Member of the UNESCO Expert Panel in Medical Genetics assembled in Rome Association
2004: OUTNOBEL Laureate (2003 in Chemistry "for the discovery of water channels") of The OUTNOBEL Foundation

1980; 1983; 1985; 1988; 1990; 1991; 1992; 1995; 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004: Invited Visiting Lecturer at several laboratories in Europe, USA, Australasia: Univ. of London - UK, Univ. of Edinburgh - UK, Univ. of New Castle - UK, Univ. of Koln-Germany, Univ. of Leipzig - Germany, Univ. of Namur - Belgium, Univ. of Bruxelles - Belgium, Univ. of Bologna - Italy, Univ. of Chicago, Univ. of Illinois Urbana, Univ. of Farmington-Conn., Univ. Ohio - Columbus, Michigan Molecular Inst., Univ. Wisconsin - Madison, ETH Zurich, New York Univ. Medical Center, The Rockefeller University-New York, Columbia University-New York, Albert Einstein University New-York, Medical College of Pennsylvania-Philadephia, Univ. of Atlanta-GA, Univ. of Minnesota-Mineapolis, Yale Univ.-New Haven, Harvard Medical School-Boston, Research Triangle Park-North Carolina, Univ. of Utah-Salt Lake City, Univ. of California-Berkeley, Baylor College of Medicine-Houston, Purdue Univ.-Lafayette IN, Univ. of Virginia-Charlottesville, Wright State Univ.-Dayton, OH, Bowman Gray School of Medicine at Winston-Salem-NC, Univ. of California-San Francisco, Louisiana School of Medicine-Shreveport, Mount Sinai School of Medicine-New York, Univ. of Sydney - Australia, Univ. of Melbourne - Australia, National Univ. of Seoul - Korea, Institute of Applied Biochemistry, Mitake, Gifu - Japan, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Keio Medical Univ. Tokyo and many others.

1977 - present: reviewer of manuscripts for international journals (Cell and Molecular Biology, Biochimica et Biophysica Acta, J. of Cellular and Molecular Medicine Eur. J. Biophysics), of grant proposals for National Science Foundation, for Gordon Conferences, for NATO grants etc.

1986: Invited speaker at the 2^nd European Congress of Cell Biology (Budapest) and lecturer at the Biological Research Center Szeged (Hungary)
1988: Invited speaker at the International Congress of Biochemistry and the Satellite Symposium on "Biomembranes and Diseases" (Prague - Czechoslovakia)
1989: Invited speaker at 4 International Symposia: Turku - Finland, Berlin - Germany, Bucharest and Targu-Mures, Romania
1991: Overseas invited speaker and representative of the American Association for the Advancement of Science at the Annual Meeting of the Australian Biophysics Society, Sydney, Australia
1994: Invited speaker, Symposium of Membrane Transport European Cell Biol. Congress, Prague, The Czech Republic
1995: Invited speaker, Symposium "Looking in cells with NMR" 7^th Int. Congress of the Federation of Asian and Oceanian Biochemists and Molecular Biologists, Sydney, 25-29 sep.
2001: Invited speaker, 13^th Meeting of the Eur. Assoc. for Red Cell Res., Barcelona, Spain
2002: Oral communication, 15^th International Congress on Electron Microscopy, Durban, South Africa
2002: Invited speaker, Symposium on Aquaporins in the COMBIO 2002 Meeting, Sydney, Australia
2002: Invited speaker in the 6^th Int. Cystic Fibrosis Symposium, Dubrovnik, Croatia (November 1)
2002: Special Seminar "The Birth of Aquaporin" at Wayne State University, School of Medicine, Detroit
2003: Invited speaker 7^th Int. Cystic Fibrosis Symposium, Bratislava, Slovakia
2003: Invited seminars: The Rockefeller University (NY) and Farmington (CT) "From the discovery of the first red blood cells water channel protein in Cluj-Napoca, Romania in 1995 to the 2003 Nobel Prize in Chemistry"
2004: The 3rd Congress of The Academy of Scientists from Romania (Constantza, Romania, June 1-4)
2004: The 9th National Congress of The Romanian Society of Physiological Sciences (Timisoara, Romania, June 3-5)
2004: The 5th Congress of The National Therapeutical Farmacology and Clinical Toxicology (Calimanesti-Caciulata, Romania, June 9-12)
2004: Minisymposium: "Discovery of aquapoprins", at The 22nd Annual Scientific Session of The Romanian Society of Cell Biology (Sighisoara, Romania, June 10-13)
2004: Days of Cluj Branch of Romanian Academy (Cluj-Napoca, Romania, May 24 - June 12)
2004: Bioinformatics and Genome Based Medicine (Cluj-Napoca, Romania, June 27 - July 7)
2004: The 12th Meeting of Balkan Clinical Laboratory Federation (Neptun, Romania, September 15 - 17)
2004: 28eme Semaine de l'Union Medicale Balkanique et 7eme Congres de l'Entente Medicale Mediteranne (Oradea, Romania, September 16 - 19)
2004: Advanced Spectroscopies on Biomedical and Nanostructured Systems (Cluj-Napoca, Romania, September 19-22)
2004: The 14th National Conference of Hematology (Bucharest, Romania, September 23 - 24)
2004: Symposium of the Romanian Society of Laboratory Medicine (Cluj -Napoca, Romania, November, 18 - 21)
2004: The 1st OUTNOBEL SYMPOSIUM (Cluj-Napoca, Romania, December 10)
2005: Honorary President at The 9th World Multi-Conference on Systemics, Cybernetics and Informatics (Orlando, Florida, USA, July 10-13).

Main Organizer of International Scientific Events

1980: Chairman of a session on membrane transport at the Frankfurt/Main Membrane Symposium (satellite to the 2^nd International Congress of Cell Biology, Berlin, Fed. Rep. Germany)
1980, October 2-4: Romanian-British Workshop "Membrane processes: molecular biological aspects and medical applications", Cluj-Napoca
1981, May 19-24: Romanian-American Workshop (Cluj-Napoca), continued in 1982, August 4-6 (New York) "The role of biomembranes in the integrity and function of cells"
1986 (June): FEBS Course "Biomembranes and Diseases" (Cluj-Napoca)
1986 (June): Co-chairman of the IUB Symposium "Membrane Lipids and Proteins an Transport and Assembly Phenomena"
1988: Co-Chairman of a Symposium on Membranes and Transport in the International Congress of Cell Biology (Montreal - Canada)
1999 (July 19 - 30): organizer of the ICRO (International Cell Research Organization)/UNESCO Training Course on "Biomembranes and Molecular Medicine"
2001: 1^st Cluj-Napoca International Symposium of Molecular Medicine, Society and Public Health on: "Air Pollution at Low Altitude and Cystic Fibrosis" (November 17-18)
2002: 2^nd Cluj-Napoca International Symposium of Molecular Medicine, Society and Public Health on: "Health Effects of Combustion Products from Natural Gas with Reference to "Appartment" Heating Appliances Installed in Building Blocks from Romania" (February 9)
2002: 3^rd Cluj-Napoca International Symposium of Molecular Medicine, Society and Public Health on: "Molecular Genetics" (March 16)
2002: 4^th Cluj-Napoca International Symposium of Molecular Medicine, Society and Public Health on: "Recent Progress In Pancreatology" (December 5)
2003: 5^th Cluj-Napoca International Symposium of Molecular Medicine, Society and Public Health on: "NMR Spectroscopy: Principles and Biomedical Applications" (March 11)
2003: 6^th Cluj-Napoca International Symposium of Molecular Medicine, Society and Public Health on: "Glycobiology: from Basic Aspects to Clinical Applications" (April 8)
2003: 7^th Cluj-Napoca International Symposium of Molecular Medicine, Society and Public Health on: "Landmarks in transport across cell membrane: a Symposium in the honor of Nobel Laureates George Emil Palade and Günter Blobel" (May 27)
2003: 8^th Cluj-Napoca International Symposium of Molecular Medicine, Society and Public Health on: "Neuroimmunomodulation - a Symposium dedicated to the pioneers of the field: Ion Baciu and Novera Herbert Spector" (August 4)
2004: 9^th Cluj-Napoca International Symposium of Molecular Medicine, Society and Public Health, Celebrating the 150th anniversary of the birth of Victor Babes, the 25^th anniversary of the Department of Cell and Molecular Biology of the "I. Hatieganu" University of Medicine and Pharmacy and of the Laboratory of Human Genetics of Cluj County Hospital and the 60^th birthday of Professor Gheorghe Benga (April 23 - 24)
2004: 10^th Cluj-Napoca International Symposium of Molecular Medicine, Society and Public Health, Celebrating Professor Claude Matasa, DCE, DSc, DHC, (SUA) (May 24)
2004: Minisymposium: "Discovery of aquapoprins", at The 22^nd Annual Scientific Session of The Romanian Society of Cell Biology (Sighisoara, Romania, June 10-13)
2004: The 1^st OUTNOBEL SYMPOSIUM (Cluj-Napoca, Romania, December 10)
2005: 12^th Cluj-Napoca International Symposium of Molecular Medicine, Society and Public Health on: Structure Physiology, a Symposium dedicated to Professor Yoshinori Fujiyoshi (Kyoto, Japan) (October 5).

Grants obtained as Principal Investigator

1978 - present: Several grants from the Academy of Medical Sciences and the National Council for Science and Technology of Romania
1981; 1984; 1987: Grants from The Wellcome Trust (U.K.) for a co-operative Research Programme with Chelsea (King's) College, University of London on "Membrane Studies with Medical Applications"
1983 - 1986: Grant from the National Science Foundation (USA) for a Co-operative Research Programme with Burnsides Research Laboratory, Urbana, Illinois
1992 - 1993: Grant from The Wellcome Trust (U.K.) to perform a research programme at King's College, Univ. of London, U.K.
1994: Grant from The Wellcome Trust (U.K.) to perform a research programme at Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine, Univ. of London, U.K.
1995: Grant of the Academy of Romania
1995 - 1996: Grant of the Ministry of Teaching of Romania
1998 - 2000: Grant of The National Council for Education Scientific Research (NCHES) for a Major Research Programme on "Molecular Basis, Physiological Significance and Pathologic Implications of Water Permeability of Red Blood Cell Membrane"
2000 - 2002: Grant of The National Council for Higher Education Scientific Research (NCHES) for a "Post-Graduate Programme in the Field of Molecular Medicine and Neurosciences"
2004: Grant of The National Council for Higher Education Scientific Research (NCHES) for equipment

Publications

21 Books, monographs and laboratory guides
21 Reviews
450 Papers in volumes and journals

A detailed CV and the list of publications is available in PDF.