Dr. Rodan graduated from the Hebrew University Medical School (Jerusalem) in 1965, had two years residency in oncology and obtained a Ph.D. in chemistry in 1970 from the Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel. In 1970, he joined the University of Connecticut, where he became chairman of the Department of Oral Biology in 1978. In 1985, he was recruited by Merck to head the Department of Bone Biology and Osteoporosis Research and, since 1986, holds a joint appointment at the University of Pennsylvania as Adjunct Professor of Pathology.The scientific contributions of Dr. Rodan and his colleagues include: establishment and characterization of osteoblastic cell lines in culture, which helped define the osteoblastic phenotype, the sequential expression of phenotypic genes, the interaction between osteoblasts and osteoclasts, and the development of a sensitive parathyroid hormone bioassay, which eventually led to the purification of parathyroid hormone-related peptide; other contributions include bone cell responses to mechanical stimuli and the role of prostaglandin E in that process. At Merck, Dr. Rodan initiated the effort which led to the development of the osteoporosis drug Fosamax and contributed to the understanding of the mode of action of bisphosphonates.Dr. Rodan has served on NIH study sections, council and other advisory panels; he has been an Associate Editor of the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, is currently Associate Editor of Bone, and member of several editorial boards. Dr. Rodan has been council member, program chairman and president of ASBMR; member of the Board of Directors of the National Osteoporosis Foundation and is currently president elect of the International Bone and Mineral Society. Dr. Rodan is the recipient of the Kennedy prize from the Weizmann Institute of science, the Neuman prize from the ASBMR, the Pioneer Award of the National Osteoporosis Foundation and the Goldhaber award of Harvard School of Dental Medicine.