University of Iowa Physician–Scientist Awarded Nation’s Top Biomedical Research Honor
Michael J. Welsh, MD
Michael J. Welsh, MD, a UI professor and proud Iowa native, has received America’s preeminent biomedical research prize—the 2025 Lasker-DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award—for his pioneering discoveries in cystic fibrosis (CF) research, which paved the way for life-saving therapies for people with CF.
The Lasker Awards, sometimes called “America’s Nobels,” recognize individuals behind fundamental biological discoveries and clinical advances that improve human health.
“I am incredibly honored to receive this award, but for me it is truly a celebration of our entire scientific enterprise. It’s a celebration of what we do and an acknowledgement of the importance of our collective endeavor to understand how things work and how to use that knowledge to improve people’s lives,” Welsh says. “I set out hoping to have an impact and help people with CF. Where we are now exceeds my hopes.
“But we are not done yet. There are still around 10% of people with CF who can’t benefit from these treatments. We need to continue our work to find solutions that help those people.”
Welsh shares the award with Jesús (Tito) González (formerly, Vertex Pharmaceuticals) and Paul A. Negulescu (Vertex Pharmaceuticals) for their key roles in developing a novel treatment for CF – a triple-drug combination that saves the lives of people with this lethal genetic disease.
Today, around 90% of people with CF are candidates for these therapies, and the changes in patients’ outcomes are remarkable: For patients born between 1999-2003 — before these therapies existed — their average life span was mid 30s. For babies born now, life expectancy may be into their 80s.
“To win the Lasker-DeBakey Award is an extraordinary achievement, and Mike Welsh is fully deserving of this honor. He is a consummate physician-scientist who has devoted his career to improving patients’ lives through the pursuit of discoveries that make life-saving medicines possible,” says Denise Jamieson, MD, MPH, UI vice president for medical affairs and the Tyrone D. Artz Dean of the UI Carver College of Medicine. “Mike Welsh’s work exemplifies how fundamental science - driven by curiosity, collaboration, and purpose - can lead to transformative innovations and therapies.”
Research paves the road to transformational medicine
When Welsh was starting his career at the UI over 40 years ago, CF, which is an inherited disease that damages the lungs and other organs, was fatal, with most patients dying of lung disease before they reached adulthood.
This harsh reality was embodied by one young patient Welsh encountered early in his career. Her unrelenting cough, difficult breathing, and the “sweet grape” smell of an insidious lung infection that was destined to shorten her life, left an indelible impression on Welsh. It set him on the path to uncover the root causes of the disease and change the odds in favor of patients like that little girl.
Read more about the science and inspiration behind Welsh’s work
About Welsh
An Iowa native, Welsh received his undergraduate and medical degrees and did his medical residency at the UI. He joined the faculty in the UI Department of Internal Medicine in 1981. He is the Roy J. Carver Professor of Internal Medicine and Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, and director of the Pappajohn Biomedical Institute at the Carver College of Medicine. He also holds faculty appointments in the neurology and neurosurgery departments at the Carver College of Medicine. He was an investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute from 1989 to 2024.
Over his career, Welsh has received numerous honors for his work on CF, including the Steven C. Beering Award (2017), the Warren Alpert Foundation Prize (2018), the George M. Kober Medal (2020), the Shaw Prize in Life Sciences & Medicine (2022), the Wiley prize (2023), and Switzer Prize (2023 and the Canada Gairdner International Award (2025). He was president of the American Society for Clinical Investigation from 1996-to 1997 and has served as president of the Association of American Physicians. He also is a member of the National Academy of Medicine, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the National Academy of Sciences.
About the Lasker Awards
Established in 1945 by pioneering biomedical research advocates, Albert and Mary Lasker, the Lasker Awards are now widely regarded as America’s preeminent biomedical research prize. The awards carry an honorarium of $250,000 for each category. They will be presented at a gala ceremony in New York City on Friday, September 19, 2025.
More information – including detailed scientific back stories and videos documenting laureates’ achievements – is available at laskerfoundation.org.
The Lasker Foundation video about the Lasker-DeBakey Clinical Research Award Video is available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UM-8LBybDbc