Avram Goldstein
Stanford University
July 3, 1919 - June 1, 2012
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Scientific Discipline: Physiology and Pharmacology Membership Type:
Emeritus
(elected 1980)
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Avram Goldstein advanced the field of pharmacology by developing methodologies to observe specific molecules and how they bind within the brain. In the 1970s he worked to identify and isolate endorphin and its corresponding receptor. He established the presence of opiate receptors in the brain and, while searching for their natural ligand, found endorphins in the pituitary. Goldstein’s fascination with opiates prompted him to found and direct California’s first methadone clinic so he could study the realities of heroin addiction and observe how methadone aids in opiate addiction recovery.
Goldstein graduate from Harvard with his A.B. in 1940 and his M.D. in 1943. After interning at Mt. Sinai Hospital he joined the Army Medical Corps from 1944 to 1946. The following year he became a research associate in pharmacology at Harvard University. He served on the Harvard faculty for eight years. In 1955 he was made a professor of pharmacology at Stanford University and chair of the pharmacology department while helping to create the new Stanford Medical School. He founded and directed California’s first methadone clinic, the Addiction Research Foundation of Palo Alto, from 1974 to 1987. Goldstein was awarded the Franklin Medal of Life Science in 1980. He retired from active University service in 1989.
