Smith appointed Professor Emeritus of Pharmacology
Dean P. Smith, M.D., Ph.D., an expert in the field of odorant sensing, has been named Professor Emeritus of Pharmacology after 31 years as a UT Southwestern faculty member. He is best known for research that has led to a greater understanding of how the brain processes chemical information.
Dr. Smith, a Distinguished Teaching Professor, developed a fascination with science after taking classes in genetics and recombinant DNA as an undergraduate at the University of Utah. After receiving his medical degree from Utah’s School of Medicine, he earned a Ph.D. in biology and neuroscience and completed a Howard Hughes Medical Institute postdoctoral fellowship at the University of California at San Diego. At UCSD, he became intrigued with signal transduction – how cells convert environmental stimuli like light and odors into neuronal signals – using Drosophila (fruit flies) as a model organism.
While finishing his Ph.D., he had already secured his next fellowship when he noticed an advertisement from UT Southwestern for a postdoc position. On a whim, he applied.
“I was invited to present my proposal to the search committee that included four of my heroes – Mike Brown, Joe Goldstein, Al Gilman, and Joe Sambrook. When I was offered a position, I was elated. This opportunity made me an independent research faculty member with three years of funding to get my own program started. Two years later, Andrew Zinn and Bill Landschulz were accepted into the program, and we have all been friends ever since. This has morphed into UT Southwestern’s current Endowed Scholars Program, which has launched the research careers of at least 130 investigators,” he said.
All are current or former UT Southwestern faculty members, including three Nobel Laureates: Joseph Goldstein, M.D., Chair of Molecular Genetics; Michael Brown, M.D., Director of the Erik Jonsson Center for Research in Molecular Genetics and Human Disease; and the late Alfred G. Gilman, M.D., Ph.D. Andrew Zinn, M.D., Ph.D., is Dean of the UT Southwestern Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. Joseph Sambrook, Ph.D., died in 2019, and William Landschulz, M.D., Ph.D., works at Eli Lilly and Co.
Dr. Smith studied a chemical substance produced in fruit flies – called a pheromone – which is a special odorant that triggers behavior change in other fruit flies. His work to evaluate disease mechanisms of pheromone detection at the molecular level defined the function of several proteins with previously unknown functions.
“Dean’s work in Drosophila revealed a novel mechanism for odorant sensing by his discovery of an odorant binding protein, called Lush, that activates the odorant’s receptor,” said David Mangelsdorf, Ph.D., Chair and Professor of Pharmacology. “Along the way, it is notable that Dean pioneered one of the first uses of RNAi to knock out genes in Drosophila. Aside from his laboratory science, Dean has been a model educator at UTSW for which he has won numerous awards, including election in 2009 to the Southwestern Academy of Teachers (SWAT).”
SWAT is a group of elite UTSW educators who strive to foster excellence in teaching at all levels, award small grants to enhance UTSW’s educational mission, and coach faculty. Dr. Smith considers his role as an educator and mentor his most impactful contribution to UTSW.
“Getting nominated to join SWAT was a great honor,” Dr. Smith said. “I really enjoyed mentoring young scientists in the lab, and several have gone on to faculty positions. There are wonderful moments when you see the thrill of a new discovery in their eyes.”
As Professor Emeritus, he will remain engaged with the Pharmacology and Neuroscience Departments. Dr. Smith said he looks forward to spending more time with family, as well as hiking, biking, and skiing.