Roger Newton '74 M.S.

Distinguished Alumni Award 2008

Esperion Therapeutics, Founder, President & CEO
Nominated by: Mary McGrane

Roger Newton ’74 M.S. is the recipient of the UConn Alumni Association’s Distinguished Alumni Award for his extensive contributions to the medical field as a research scientist, pharmaceutical developer, entrepreneur, and professor. After receiving his M.S. in nutritional sciences and a Ph.D. in nutrition, Newton worked at Warner-Lambert/Parke-Davis (now Pfizer). As a distinguished scientist and Chairman of the Atherosclerosis Drug Discovery Team, he co-discovered and was the product champion of the cholesterol-reducing drug Lipitor. He then co-founded his company Esperion Therapeutics Inc., to continue research in the prevention and treatment of heart disease. Newton is also an Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Pharmacology and serves as Director of Rubicon Genomics at the University of Michigan.

Updated: July 2008