ANN ARBOR—John C. Drach, professor of dentistry in the School of Dentistry and professor of medicinal chemistry in the College of Pharmacy at the University of Michigan, has been elected as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Every year since 1874, the organization’s council elects members “whose efforts on behalf of the advancement of science or its applications are scientifically or socially distinguished.” Drach was lauded “for research that has identified new antiviral compounds that act by unique mechanisms” that provide “new fundamental knowledge on viral replication.”

Drach will receive the award during the AAAS annual meeting in Boston next February. He was nominated for the award by Leroy Townsend, professor of medicinal chemistry at the College of Pharmacy. Together, since 1983, the two have collaborated and earned 37 new patents and published more than 70 original research articles on drug discovery, medicinal chemistry, and virology in various scientific journals.

The AAAS is the world’s largest general science organization and publisher of the peer-reviewed journal, Science.

The U-M School of Dentistry is one of the nation’s leading dental schools engaged in oral health care education, research, patient care, and community service. General dental care clinics and specialty clinics providing advanced treatment enable the School to offer dental services and programs to patients throughout Michigan. Classroom and clinic instruction train future dentists, dental specialists, and dental hygienists for practice in private offices, hospitals, academia, and public agencies. Research seeks to discover and apply new knowledge that can help patients worldwide. More information is available on the Web at http://www.dent.umich.edu.

John C. DrachLeroy TownsendSciencehttp://www.dent.umich.edu