Lukey selected as school's 2005 Alumni Fellow
Brian J. Lukey, Ph.D.
Kentucky native Brian J. Lukey, Ph.D., has been named the 2005 School of Medicine Alumni Fellow by the University of Louisville Alumni Association.
The award is given annually to alumni who have made significant contributions to the field of medicine.
Lukey, director of the Military Operational Medicine Research Program for the U. S. Army Medical Research Materiel Command in Fort Detrick, Maryland, holds master's and doctoral degrees in pharmacology and toxicology from UofL.
Lukey is an international authority in nuclear, chemical and biological warfare research, specializing in sustaining and enhancing the performance and long-term health of soldiers.
His graduate work in the area of pharmacokinetics and toxicology launched his military career in 1985 at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense, where he assisted in developing antidotes for chemical warfare agents.
Since 2003, Lukey has managed a $100 million annual budget allocated to research that involves methods to better handle stressors in warfare, including excessive heat, extreme cold, high altitude and fatigue.
Now a colonel, Lukey oversees 20 Congressional Special Interest medical research programs, some of which involve the study of advances in neurodegenerative diseases, musculoskeletal injury and the reduction of stress-fracture injuries in basic training.
Soldiers may be at risk for neurodegenerative diseases from occupational exposures to psychological stress, toxic industrial and agricultural chemicals, chemical threat agents, head injuries and even radio frequency radiation.
Parkinson's Disease, a particularly relevant disorder induced by a variety of environmental exposures, is a central focus of one of the CSI research programs. Lukey's research team focuses on the mechanisms of neurodegeneration in hopes of improving diagnosis, treatment and prevention.
Lukey's work has proven vital to the health and safety of soldiers world-wide, officials said.
