Quasar Award recipient UTMB President Dr. John D. Stobo (center) with UHCL President Dr. William A. Staples (left) and Barrios Technology President Sandy Johnson, outgoing and incoming chairmen of the Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership, respectively.

The Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership is proud to honor University of Texas Medical Branch President, Dr. John D. Stobo, with the prestigious 2005 Quasar Award for Economic Development Excellence, presented during the annual Banquet on Friday, January 28, 2005, at the South Shore Harbour Resort and Conference Center.

The Quasar Award is presented to individuals who have demonstrated a strong and continual effort to support the business foundations of the greater Bay Area Houston communities.  The Quasar Award committee, which consists of fifteen Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership members, selected Dr. Stobo for his outstanding accomplishments regarding the economic well-being and vitality of the greater Bay Area Houston region.

“Dr. John Stobo’s leadership of UTMB-Galveston since 1997 is truly exemplary in that he has increased the national and international profile of UTMB, while simultaneously building partnerships which have enhanced the economic development of the Bay Area region,” said outgoing BAHEP Chairman and UHCL President Dr. William A. Staples.

Incoming BAHEP Chairman and Barrios Technology President Sandy Johnson said, "Dr. John Stobo has led the evolution of UTMB - Galveston from a local institution to a major regional economic force.  Through his leadership, UTMB is now recognized by the "mainland" as a true asset to Bay Area Houston.  I am proud that BAHEP recognized and rewarded his accomplishments with the Quasar award."

Dr. Stobo’s vast background in the medical arena stems from his medical degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo .  Throughout his career, Dr. Stobo has conducted medical research, has taught in universities and led departmental units.  In 1997, Dr. Stobo’s professional development excelled when he accepted the position of President of the University of Texas Medical Branch . Under his direction, UTMB employees more than 13,000 individuals. As UTMB expands, with the Galveston National Laboratory - one of only two proposed biocontainment laboratories in the nation - the Galveston area is a promising region to drive the nation’s biomedical field.

Dr. Stobo said, “I am pleased and honored to be named the recipient of this year’s Quasar Award. Helping to make our community a better place to work and live is one of UTMB’s core values.  I have said on many occasions that UTMB’s future and the future of the Galveston community are inextricably linked.  Indeed, any success UTMB has enjoyed would not have happened without the tremendous support of our community and organizations such as the Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership and the Galveston Economic Development Partnership.  For that support, I thank you and accept the award on behalf of all those I work with at UTMB and in the Houston/Galveston area.”

“Economists have predicted that over the next ten years, UTMB will have an economic impact on the Bay Area Houston region equal to that of NASA Johnson Space Center ,” said Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership President Jim Reinhartsen .  “That phenomenal economic shift is to be credited to the leadership of Dr. John Stobo.  We are partnering with UTMB and the Galveston Economic Development Partnership to maximize our opportunities for the bio corridor that will extend from Galveston , through Bay Area Houston, to the Texas Medical Center .”

The former Quasar Award winners are: 1994 – Former Texas Governor Ann Richards; 1995 – U. S. Representative Tom DeLay; 1996 – U. S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson; 1997 – U. S. Representative Nick Lampson; 1998 – NASA/JSC Director George W. S. Abbey; 1999 – Mr. Robert L. Moody, Sr.; 2001 – Mayor Lee Brown; 2002 – Commissioner Jim Fonteno; 2003 – U.S. House Majority Leader, Tom DeLay, and Harris County Commissioner Sylvia Garcia in 2004.

Dr. Stobo earned his medical degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo and completed his residency training in internal medicine on the Osler Medical Service at the Johns Hopkins Hospital , where he was chief medical resident. He continued his research in immunology as a research associate at the National Institutes of Health. In 1983, he joined the department of immunology faculty at the Mayo Clinic in 1973 and, two years later, became chief of the rheumatology and clinical immunology section and Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator at the University of California at San Francisco .   

In 1986, he returned to Johns Hopkins as a William Osler Professor of Medicine and physician-in-chief for the Johns Hopkins Hospital . 

In 1997, Dr. Stobo became president of the state’s first medical school, the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston .  Over 13,000 dedicated faculty and staff work to improve the health of people in Texas and beyond through medical education, research and patient care.  Under Dr. Stobo’s direction, for three years in a row, the Houston Business Journal has ranked UTMB one of the 10 best places in the region to work.

In 2003, UTMB was chosen as the site for one of two national biocontainment laboratories to be built in the nation, chosen by National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).  The lab, to be called the Galveston National Laboratory, will allow scientists to safely study epidemics ranging from naturally emerging diseases to terrorist employed agents; to develop treatments and vaccines for diseases such as SARS and West Nile virus.  These labs will enable UTMB to better the health of America and increase the nation’s safety.

Construction on the 174,000 square foot GNL is planned to begin June 2005.  The Perryman Group estimates that this addition to our community will contribute $1.1 billion and almost 1,000 new jobs to the Houston-Galveston economy over 20 years. The GNL will be a reflection of the high standards UTMB, Dr. Stobo and our growing community instills.

Dr. Stobo has been recognized for his distinguished contributions to internal medicine, receiving a mastership from the American College of Physicians.  He has also received the SELAM award for Excellence in Promotion of Women in Academic Health Centers.  Dr. Stobo has been chosen to serve a current three-year term on the Institute of Medicine Council .  Dr. Stobo holds leadership roles in numerous national organizations and has written well over 100 published works in the medical field.

He and his wife Mary Ann have three children and five grandchildren.