COLUMBUS, OH, June 02, 2021 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Marquis Who's Who, the world's premier publisher of biographical profiles, is proud to present George Edward Billman, PhD, with the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award. An accomplished listee, Dr. Billman celebrates many years' experience in his professional network, and has been noted for achievements, leadership qualities, and the credentials and successes he has accrued in his field. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
Designated as a professor of physiology and cell biology emeritus, Dr. Billman taught at The Ohio State University for more than 30 years. Recruited from the University of Oklahoma in 1984, he advanced from the rank of assistant professor to professor by 1996 before his retirement in 2016. Dr. Billman notably worked at the University of Oklahoma as a research associate and assistant professor in the department of physiology and biophysics between 1980 and 1984.
Outside the classroom, Dr. Billman served as an expert consultant for several pharmaceutical companies both on a national and international basis including Merck & Co. Inc. in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Glaxo Inc. in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, CV Therapeutics (later became Gilead Sciences, Inc.) in Foster City, California, F. Hoffmann-LaRoche & Co., LTD, in Basel Switzerland, Sanofi-Aventis Deutschland GmbH in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Elected by his peers, he is a fellow of the American Heart Association, the Heart Rhythm Society, the cardiovascular section of the American Physiological Society and the Physiological Society in London. Dr. Billman is also an active member of Sigma Xi, the Scientific Research Honor Society.
As a researcher, Dr. Billman's most significant discovery was the relationship between changes in the autonomic nervous system and an increased risk for life-threatening cardiac arrhythmia and sudden cardiac death due to ventricular fibrillation. Specifically, he devised a way to identify individuals that were at a greater risk for arrhythmias by looking at the heart rate response to changes in the blood pressure (activation of the baroreceptor reflex); individuals with the smallest heart rate reductions induced by increases in blood pressure were found to be at the greatest risk for ventricular fibrillation. Subsequently, individuals with the smallest beat-to-beat changes in heart rate (heart rate variability) were also shown to be at a greater risk for adverse cardiac events. Dr. Billman's years of study resulted in numerous published articles.
Dr. Billman has also edited, co-edited, and authored several scientific books, including "Novel Therapeutic Targets for Antiarrhythmic Drugs" in 2010 and "Effect of Omega-3 Fatty Acids on Cardiac Rhythm: Anti-arrhythmic, Pro-arrhythmic, Both or Neither?" in 2013, and "Heart Rate Variability and Other Autonomic Markers in Children and Adolescents" in 2019. He is currently anticipating the release of his next publication, "Future of Physiology: 2020 and Beyond." With respect to scholarly journals, he has found success in various editorial positions with such renowned publications as the Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology, Pharmacology and Therapeutics, American Journal of Physiology, Experimental Physiology, Journal of Applied Physiology, and Cardiovascular Research. Most notably, Dr. Billman spearheaded a new professional journal, Frontiers in Physiology, as the chief editor when he was approached by the Frontiers Research Foundation in Switzerland in 2009.
Dr. Billman was always interested in science, particularly because his father was a part of the Apollo Space program as an engineer for General Electric. As years went on, he developed a passion for nature and biology, with a particular interest in understanding the function of living systems that led him to a career in physiology. He graduated from Xavier University with a Bachelor of Science in natural science, cum laude, in 1975. Soon thereafter, Dr. Billman earned a Doctor of Philosophy in physiology and biophysics from the University of Kentucky in 1980.
During his career as a researcher, Dr. Billman secured grants from the American Heart Association, the National Institutes of Health, and the National Institute on Drug Abuse between 1982 and 2014. Notably in 1983, he received a New Investigator Award from the National Institutes of Health that provided 3 years of support that helped launch his career in science. Additionally, he was one of the few physiologists to become a Fellow of the Heart Rhythm Society, as most of the recipients were typically cardiologists. A celebrated Marquis listee, Dr. Billman has been showcased in the 64th through 70th editions of Who's Who in America, the seventh and eighth editions of Who's Who in American Education, the eighth edition of Who's Who in Medicine and Healthcare, the 11th and 12 editions of Who's Who in Science and Engineering and the 28th through 33rd editions of Who's Who in the World.
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Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who's Who in America®, Marquis Who's Who® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Today, Who's Who in America® remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the world. Marquis® now publishes many Who's Who titles, including Who's Who in America®, Who's Who in the World®, Who's Who in American Law®, Who's Who in Medicine and Healthcare®, Who's Who in Science and Engineering®, and Who's Who in Asia®. Marquis® publications may be visited at the official Marquis Who's Who® website at www.marquiswhoswho.com.
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