Texas A&M animal science researcher earns global recognition with Marshall Medal
Bazer honored for groundbreaking contributions to livestock reproduction research
Fuller Bazer, Ph.D., a professor in the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Department of Animal Science, received the Marshall Medal, the highest honor awarded by the Society for Reproduction and Fertility. This prestigious accolade recognizes a career with a significant impact on fertility and reproduction.
Bazer received the medal during the 18th annual Fertility Conference in Liverpool, hosted by leading reproductive science organizations, including the Association of Reproductive and Clinical Scientists, the British Fertility Society and the Society for Reproduction and Fertility.
Established in 1963, the Marshall Medal commemorates the legacy of agricultural physiologist F. H. A. Marshall, Ph.D., and honors those whose lifetime achievements have advanced reproductive sciences.
Clay Mathis, Ph.D., head of the Department of Animal Science, underscored the significance of this recognition and praised Bazer’s work for how it has transformed our understanding of livestock production efficiency worldwide.
“We are proud of Dr. Bazer’s recognition for the advancement of animal science,” Mathis said. “He has built an enduring legacy as one of the foremost reproductive scientists in the world. His innovative work has transformed our understanding of pregnancy establishment in livestock, cementing Texas A&M’s leadership in animal science research.”
A global leader in reproductive science
Bazer, recently recognized as the top researcher in the world in the “Animal Science and Veterinary” category by Research.com, is a Regents Fellow, Distinguished Professor and the O.D. Butler Chair of Physiology and Reproduction.
He is credited with discovering uteroferrin, a phosphatase produced in response to progesterone that transfers iron to the developing embryo and stimulates red blood cell development. He also identified estradiol as the pregnancy recognition signal in swine and interferon tau as the signal in ruminants — findings that have reshaped animal management practices to improve pregnancy outcomes.
Bazer is a past recipient of the Morrison Award from the American Society of Animal Science, the Hartman Award from the Society for the Study of Reproduction and the Wolf Prize in Agriculture for his Interferon tau discovery as well as his discovery of other pregnancy-associated proteins.
He is also a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and a recipient of the L.E. Casida Award for Graduate Education, and the Animal Physiology and Endocrinology Award, both from the American Society of Animal Science, and awards for research, graduate education and service from the Society for the Study of Reproduction.
