The Daniel Gorenstein Memorial Award Goes to Reynold A. Panettieri, Jr.

May 26, 2026

Dear Colleagues,

I am pleased to announce that Reynold A. Panettieri, Jr., M.D., Vice Chancellor for Translational Medicine and Science at Rutgers Health, has been named the 2025-2026 recipient of the university’s Daniel Gorenstein Memorial Award, one of Rutgers’ most prestigious honors conferred on its faculty.

Dr. Panettieri, who is a professor of medicine at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and director of the Rutgers Institute for Translational Medicine and Science, will be recognized at a special award ceremony and lecture this fall with details to follow at a later time.

The Daniel Gorenstein Memorial Award was established in 1993 by family, friends, and colleagues to commemorate Professor Gorenstein’s innovative mathematical research, his skillful and enthusiastic exposition of his field, and his wise and devoted service to Rutgers University. The award was first presented in 1994 and is given each year to a Rutgers faculty member noted for both outstanding scholarly achievement and exceptional service to the university. Dr. Panettieri will be the 32nd recipient of this award, whose previous recipients are both impressive and disciplinarily diverse.

An internationally renowned physician-scientist, Dr. Panettieri was selected for his landmark scientific accomplishments, innovative training and mentoring acumen, and steadfast service to Rutgers. As a translational researcher, Dr. Panettieri has significantly advanced the understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. His novel discoveries have catalyzed multiple Rutgers TechAdvance-sponsored patents and led to more than 80 clinical trials, many of them international in scope.

Dr. Panettieri’s work at Rutgers led to the development of an unprecedented administrative clinical trials unit that supports investigators across the university and has transformed the institution’s clinical research enterprise. In 2019, he secured an initial NIH Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) totaling approximately $29 million, which established the New Jersey Alliance for Clinical and Translational Science (NJ ACTS). Foundational to the CTSA, Dr. Panettieri formed a coalition of academic partners with colleagues at Princeton University and New Jersey Institute of Technology, ensuring that NJ ACTS provides institutions and investigators throughout the state with shared cores, facilities, and training programs to improve health outcomes and prepare the next generation of translational scientists. In 2024, NJ ACTS successfully competed for a CTSA renewal, receiving $39.6 million for the project period 2024–2031.

Dr. Panettieri’s leadership and expertise have played a critical role in advancing high-quality training for learners across the clinical science continuum. He developed innovative, NIH‑funded training and mentoring programs that support career development across the pipeline, reaching more than 350 students and early-career investigators. These efforts have produced leaders now serving as deans, department chairs, division chiefs, pharmaceutical executives, and established independent investigators.

In his extraordinary scientific impact, visionary leadership, and commitment to creating a collaborative and transformative research enterprise, Dr. Panettieri exemplifies the ideals of the Gorenstein Award.

Please join President Tate and me in congratulating Dr. Rey Panettieri.

Sincerely,

Keena Arbuthnot, Ph.D. 
Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs
Chief Academic Officer
Distinguished Professor