Harvard medical school Prof. Stuart Orkin was named as a winner of the 2018 Mechthild Esser Nemmers Prize in Medical Science at Northwestern, the University announced Wednesday.

NU awards five Nemmers Prizes annually to scientists whose work exhibits outstanding achievement in their respective fields.

In a news release, Orkin said he was honored to earn the award.

“I am very gratified, thrilled, honored and humbled by this special recognition,” he said. “My research is not mine alone, but rather a group endeavor that has benefited from the dedication of many extraordinary trainees and colleagues and from unwavering institutional support.”

Orkin’s research has focused on hematology, the study of blood. He discovered mutations for an inherited blood disorder called beta-thalassemia and has also worked to understand normal blood cell development.

Orkin is the fifth and final Nemmers Prize winner announced for 2018. Other winners have been announced for the earth sciences, music composition, economics and mathematics. He will deliver a lecture at Feinberg later this year.

He’s also a member of the National Academy of Medicine, the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts & Sciences. Orkin has authored more than 450 peer-reviewed publications, according to the release.

In the release, Eric Neilson, vice president for medical affairs at Feinberg, said the University was excited to present the award to Orkin.

“Stuart is a pioneering physician-scientist whose discoveries have fundamentally transformed our understanding of hematology and blood diseases,” he said. “We are honored to award him the Nemmers Prize in Medical Science, which rightly recognizes his deep and lasting contributions to improving the health of humankind.”

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