Celebrating the Scientific Vision of Roy Vagelos

Hundreds of scientists, physicians, employees, and neighbors packed the United Palace theater on Oct. 8 to celebrate the scientific accomplishments of Roy Vagelos, MD’54, and he and wife Diana’s decades of support for Columbia University and the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons.

The special evening, marking Roy Vagelos’ birthday, also featured a live performance from the upcoming new Broadway musical "Buena Vista Social Club," introduced by one of show’s producers,  Luis Miranda, Jr.

“Roy’s eminence and stature in science and industry is unmatched. In his professional career, Roy used biochemistry to revolutionize drug discovery and demonstrated that corporations could be compassionate while being productive,” said Katrina Armstrong, interim president of Columbia University, at the event.

“I know I speak on behalf of everyone gathered here when I say how proud we are that our medical school bears your name and how honored we are to be a part of the extended Vagelos family.”

Scientific and medical accomplishments

Roy Vagelos’ accomplishments as a scientist, physician, and leader in the pharmaceutical industry are widely celebrated.

After completing his medical degree at Columbia and his residency at Massachusetts General Hospital, Dr. Vagelos worked first at the National Institutes of Health, eventually rising to lead the Section of Comparative Biochemistry. His work on lipid metabolism led to the discovery of the acyl carrier protein—which was key to understanding how fatty acids are made in all biological systems. In 1966, Dr. Vagelos joined Washington University School of Medicine as chair of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics and founded the University’s Division of Biology and Biomedical Sciences. In so doing, he established an unprecedented model for the fusion of a medical school with an undergraduate biology department, a model that many other universities would soon emulate.

Beginning in 1975, he spent 19 years at Merck & Co., Inc., where as board chair and CEO, he led the effort to ensure that an anti-parasitic medication that prevents and treats river blindness would be provided free around the world—saving the sight of hundreds of millions of people. Roy Vagelos was elected to the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Medicine, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He is currently chair of the Board of Advisors at VP&S.

Tribute video

In a tribute video played for the audience, scientists, students, and administrators at Columbia praised the couple’s commitment and vision to biomedical science and education.

“The ‘Vagelos Effect’ is contagious,” said Wilson Quezada, assistant professor of medicine. “When you spend three minutes talking to either of them, you want to start giving, you want to contribute.”

The generosity of Roy and Diana Vagelos has transformed medical education and biomedical research at Columbia University and the medical center campus.

Roy Vagelos was a founding supporter of the Columbia program in precision medicine, helped lead the effort to address affordability in medical education for Columbia medical students and build state-of-the-art space for medical education with the Vagelos Education Center. Most recently, they funded the creation of the Roy and Diana Vagelos Institute for Basic Biomedical Science to build the world’s foremost ecosystem for biomedical research.

The latest gift of $400 million—the single largest ever made to Columbia’s medical school—will significantly expand the mission of the Vagelos Institute and help attract the next generation of exceptionally creative and collaborative scientists.

“He has this deep understanding of how science pushes discovery and how discovery is essential for state-of-the-art patient care,” said Christine Kim Garcia, director of the Columbia Precision Medicine Initiative.

Inspiring students

Both Roy and Diana Vagelos were scholarship students, “and we have appreciated that forever,” said Diana Vagelos in the video. Hundreds of students at Columbia have been supported by financial aid funded by the couple.

“It is extraordinary to see him with a group of first generation and low-income students, who seek his counsel,” said Monica Lypson, vice dean for education and the Rolf H. Scholdager Professor of Medicine at VP&S. “The students ask, ‘Do I deserve to be here?’ and he says, ‘Of course!’”

“My hope for the future is that students from Columbia and everywhere else continue using their intellect to solve problems of society,” Dr. Vagelos said. “I’m enormously optimistic if we allow these students to achieve their maximal capacity… that will change the world.”