ScienceMakers Toolkit Manual - The History Makers

ScienceMakers
Spotlight: Cecil Pickett
Full Name: Cecil Pickett
Born: October 5, 1945
Place: Canton, IL
Parents: Florence Pickett
Charles Pickett
Spouse: Shirley Pickett
Education: Canton High School - Canton, IL (1967)
University of California, Berkley - Berkeley, CA
(B.S. Biology, 1976)
University of California, Los Angeles - Los Angeles, CA
(Ph.D. Biology, 1976)
Type of Science: Biology, Pharmacology
Achievements: Led discovery efforts for important and pioneering drugs for asthma,
aarthritis and high cholesterol including Sinulair and Vioxx
Named one of the 50 Most Powerful Black Executives by
Fortune Magazine (2002)
Biography
Pharmaceutical researcher Cecil Pickett was born on October 5, 1945, in Canton, Illinois,
to Charles Pickett, a farmer, and Florence Pickett, a homemaker. In high school, Pickett’s
favorite subjects were math, chemistry, and biology, which led him to major in biology at the
University of California, Berkeley, where he received his B.S. degree in 1971. After completing
his undergraduate studies, Pickett took on a teaching fellowship at the University of California Los
Angeles, where he was a student of Dr. Joseph Cascarano and earned his Ph.D. in biology in 1976.
Upon graduating with his doctorate, Pickett became a visiting lecturer in biology at the Howard
University College of Medicine before joining the staff of Merck Research Laboratories as head of
research in 1978. At Merck, Pickett led the discovery efforts for important and pioneering drugs for
asthma, arthritis, and high cholesterol, including Singulair and Vioxx. With Merck, Pickett transferred
to Montreal, Canada, in 1988, where he headed drug discovery at the Merck Frosst Center
for Therapeutic Research. In 1993, Pickett was hired to be the Executive Vice President of Discovery
Research at Schering-Plough Research Institute, where he continued his reputation for innovative
research and expanded the company’s drug discovery program, which produced AIDS and
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