FORT LAUDERDALE/DAVIE, Fla. – At the Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance’s Mid-Year Luncheon on Monday, May 15, 2017, Bob Speth, Ph.D., was presented with the Alliance’s 2017 World Class Faculty award.

Bill White, Bob Speth, Ph.D., Bob Swindell

Dr. Speth is a professor at Nova Southeastern University’s (NSU) Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences of the College of Pharmacy.  His research in areas such as hypertension (high blood pressure) has the ability to impact thousands of South Floridians and millions of people around the world who are battling this disorder, which can lead to heart attacks and other illnesses that can take people out of the workforce.

Additionally, Dr. Speth is encouraging the next generation of researchers in an effort to maintain the STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) career pursuits, particularly among female and minority populations. He has mentored and trained undergraduate and professional students at NSU, as well as high school students from Northeast High School, Cooper City High School, Pinecrest Preparatory, NSU’s University School and Somerset Academy High Schools as volunteers and research fellows. These students gain skills in bench research, literature reviews, critical thinking and biomedical ethics under his guidance.

“I am extremely humbled and honored to receive this award,” says Speth. “I am dedicated to advancing the field of pharmaceutical research and mentoring student researchers in the hope of developing drugs that can save lives. That’s the end result I strive for each and every day.”

Dr. Speth’s research team includes six NSU undergraduates, a recent NSU graduate, a College of Pharmacy student, a doctor of osteopathic medicine resident, a laboratory manager and two high school students. He is particularly proud of his work with high school students, as he believes inspiring young people to pursue careers in research is essential for the advancement of science.

His research projects have received more than $1 million in grant funding by organizations including the National Institutes of Health, American Heart Association and Howard Hughes Medical Institute. He has published more than 200 scholarly works during his more than 40-year career in academia including one study which could eventually reduce the incidence of heart disease.

Dr. Speth was also named the recipient of the 2016 NSU Provost’s Research and Scholarship Award which honors a faculty member who has demonstrated significant achievement in support of the university’s mission to foster scholarship, intellectual inquiry, and academic excellence.

To view the video on Dr. Speth from the Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance please click HERE.

For more information on the Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance, please visit http://www.gflalliance.org/