James D. Jamieson
Encyclopedia
James D. Jamieson is a cell biologist
Cell biology
Cell biology is a scientific discipline that studies cells – their physiological properties, their structure, the organelles they contain, interactions with their environment, their life cycle, division and death. This is done both on a microscopic and molecular level...

 and professor at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...

. His early research in cell biology of pancreatic acinar cells in the lab of George Palade established the function of the Golgi apparatus
Golgi apparatus
The Golgi apparatus is an organelle found in most eukaryotic cells. It was identified in 1898 by the Italian physician Camillo Golgi, after whom the Golgi apparatus is named....

 in secretory protein trafficking.

Early life and education

Jamieson was born in the small rural town of Armstrong, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...

 on 1/22/1934. He attended the University of British Columbia
University of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia is a public research university. UBC’s two main campuses are situated in Vancouver and in Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley...

 for his undergraduate and medical education
Doctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools...

s. During medical school, Jamieson took a year off to conduct research, a novel idea for medical students at the time. He owes his interest in research and teaching to this experience with his first mentors, Sydney Friedman MD-PhD and Constance Friedman, PhD, who came to UBC in 1950 to found the Department of Anatomy at the new medical school. The Friedman's approach to recruiting MDs into teaching and research careers by providing summer research experiences is echoed today at Yale University School of Medicine. The focus of the Friedman's research was on hypertension and the role of the kidney and electrolyte balance in the maintenance of blood pressure. Jamieson continued his education at the Rockefeller University after receiving his MD (1960), earning his PhD in 1966 and completing his post-doctoral work with Nobel Laureate
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine administered by the Nobel Foundation, is awarded once a year for outstanding discoveries in the field of life science and medicine. It is one of five Nobel Prizes established in 1895 by Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, in his will...

 (1974) George Palade. Within six years of receiving his Ph.D., Jamieson was an Associate Professor of cell biology at the Rockefeller University. This was a scientifically prolific time at the Rockefeller; in addition to George Palade, Jamieson was associated with Keith Porter, Phil Siekevitz, Christian DeDuve, and many other distinguished scientists. In 1973, Jamieson left the Rockefeller with Dr. Palade to assist in founding the Section of Cell Biology at the Yale University School of Medicine. Jamieson was promoted from Associate to full Professor in 1975. The Section of Cell Biology became the Department of Cell Biology with Jamieson as its first chair (1983–1992). In March 2007, Dr. Jamieson assumed the Interim Chair of the Department, a position he held until June 2008, when Dr. James Rothman became Chair.

Research

As a post-doctoral fellow, Jamieson established the role of the Golgi complex
Golgi apparatus
The Golgi apparatus is an organelle found in most eukaryotic cells. It was identified in 1898 by the Italian physician Camillo Golgi, after whom the Golgi apparatus is named....

 in the protein secretory pathway of pancreatic acinar cells, a seminal discovery of cell biology (Jamieson JD, Palade GE. Intracellular transport of secretory proteins in the pancreatic exocrine cell (I and II). J. Cell Biol. 1967:34:577-615).

Jamieson’s laboratory at Yale further explored the regulation of exocytosis
Exocytosis
Exocytosis , also known as 'The peni-cytosis', is the durable process by which a cell directs the contents of secretory vesicles out of the cell membrane...

of secretory proteins, membrane biogenesis and polarity, and the interactions between the cell membrane and the basement membrane. His laboratory was also involved in the identification of the actin cytoskeleton as essential in the formation of endocytic vesicles in membrane retrieval after exocytosis. After more than 25 years of landmark research in cell biology, Jamieson closed his lab in 2001.

Career

Jamieson has been a tenured professor of Cell Biology at Yale University since 1975. In 1994, he became the Director of Medical Studies in the Department of Cell Biology. He has also served as the Director of the Medical Scientist Training Program at Yale University School of Medicine for greater than twenty years. He has served as the president of the American Society for Cell Biology (1982–1983) and the president of the American Pancreatic Association (1989–1990). Jamieson has received many awards for his contributions to cell biology including a Distinguished Achievement Award from the American Gastroenterological Association and the William Go Award by American Pancreatic Association.

Jamieson is still an active professor at the Yale School of Medicine in cell biology and histology. For his contributions to medical education, he received the Bohmfalk Prize for teaching excellence in basic sciences in 1999 and the teacher of the year award at the Yale University School of Medicine in 2005.

Personal

Jamieson and his wife Cynthia have two daughters, Anne and Laura and five grandchildren. He can be found most summer weekends on his sailboat, the CYLAN II. He can often be spotted eating lunch with medical students of Yale and is always a favorite professor.
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