# Bryan Roth delivers Frank H. Westheimer Prize Lecture October 10, 2024 - [ News ](/news-categories/news) On Thursday, October 10 UNC Professor Bryan Roth delivered his Frank H. Westheimer Prize Lecture entitled "Synthethic and Chemical Neurobiology." Professor Roth was awarded the 2024 Westheimer Prize. Bryan L. Roth, the Michael J. Hooker Distinguished Professor of Pharmacology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, is also a professor in the departments of pharmacology, medicinal chemistry and natural products. His work in pharmacology and drug discovery has earned him numerous patents and he has published nearly 300 articles in, among many other publications, *Science, Nature, Cell* and the *New England Journal of Medicine*. He has also trained dozens of doctoral and post-doctoral students who have also become leaders in their field. Much of Roth's research focuses on trying to understand how central nervous system drugs affect the brain's neurons. The goal is to investigate existing treatments in order to find new treatments and mitigate side effects, particularly for such problems as schizophrenia, depression, bipolar disorder and eating disorders. The Frank H. Westheimer Prize Lecture was established in 2002 by the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Harvard University in recognition of Professor Westheimer’s major contributions to organic chemistry. Widely published, Professor Westheimer’s research centered on the derivation (with J.G. Kirkwood) of equations for the calculation of electrostatic effects in organic chemistry, the invention (with J.E. Mayer) of molecular mechanics, the determination of mechanisms of chromic acid oxidations, the determination of the mechanisms of metal ion catalyzed and enzymic decarboxylation of β-ketoacids, the demonstration (with B. Vennesland) of the direct and stereospecifc transfer of hydrogen in the biochemical oxidation-reduction reactions that require NAD as coenzyme, a demonstration of the need for pseudorotation in the hydrolysis of phosphate esters, and the invention of photoaffinity labeling. Photos available via [2024 Westheimer Prize Lecture Media Gallery](/galleries/bryan-roth-deliver-2024-frank-h-westheimer-prize-lecture). See also:- [ Prizes & Awards ](/news-type/prizes-awards) Share on:- [ Facebook ](#) - [ Twitter ](#) - [ Linkedin ](#)