Florida Inventors Hall of Fame comes calling for area duo

The Florida Inventors Hall of Fame named another round of inductees, and among them are two innovators with strong ties to the Tampa Bay region: University of South Florida alum Joanna Fowler and Moffitt Cancer Center President and CEO Alan List.

Fowler, who earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from USF in 1964 and holds six patents, developed molecular imaging that helped doctors better identify and treat maladies ranging from drug addiction to cancer. According to a news release, her pioneering research demonstrated how circuits in the brain are disrupted by drug use.

Fowler’s contributions to medicine earned her a National Medal of Science, awarded by President Barack Obama in 2009.

List, meanwhile, holds eight patents and has been a pioneer in the area of personalized and precision medicine —treatment methods that target cancer and other genetic diseases at the molecular or cellular level. He's developed therapies that have been particularly effective at fighting cancers of the blood, the release states.

In addition to leading Moffitt, List holds faculty positions in USF’s cancer biology program and the Morsani College of Medicine’s internal medicine and oncology program.

 “We are delighted to announce this outstanding class of inventors whose work has had enormous impact on the state of Florida and our nation,” states Paul Sanberg, chairman of the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame advisory board, in the release. “Collectively, the 2019 inductees hold more than 340 U.S. patents.”

The Florida Inventors Hall of Fame was established in 2014 and is headquartered at USF’s Tampa campus. Fowler, List and six other honorees will be formally inducted during a Sept. 20 ceremony in Tampa.