2016 Alumni Medalist Paul J. Maddon ’81CC, ’88PS, ’88GSAS
Channel: Columbia Alumni
Date: 2016-10-31

Paul is a biotechnology entrepreneur and investor who serves as vice chairman of Progenics Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a publicly traded biopharmaceutical company that develops and commercializes new medicines in the areas of gastroenterology, oncology and infectious diseases. He founded Progenics in 1986 while an MD-Ph.D. student at Columbia and served as chairman, CEO, and chief science officer until retiring in June 2012. Maddon is a molecular virologist and immunologist who has made seminal contributions to our understanding of HIV. He has also received several honors, including Columbia College’s John Jay Award. He is the chairman of the College’s Science Advisory Committee and founded its Summer Research Fellowship at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC). He is a member of the advisory committee of Columbia’s Science Honors Program and the CUMC Board of Advisors. He is a director of the CAA and College of Physicians and Surgeons (P&S) Alumni Association, and a member of the Wu Family China Center for Health Initiatives Board of Overseers. Maddon is an advisor to the Global Health Program at P&S and Columbia’s varsity squash program, and is a mentor to numerous Columbia students. He graduated summa cum laude from the College and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He received an MD from P&S and a Ph.D. from the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Maddon was elected a Senate-consulted Trustee of the University in 2008. He resides with his children in Scarsdale, NY.