Henry Bourne (pharmacologist)
American pharmacologist and cell biologist
Henry Reid Bourne (1 March 1940 – 15 April 2023) was a distinguished American pharmacologist and cell biologist known for his pioneering work in elucidating heterotrimeric G-protein signalling pathways and for his advocacy concerning reforms in biomedical graduate education. He held the position of chair of the UCSF Department of Pharmacology from 1984 to 1992 and was a co-founder of the university's interdisciplinary Program in Biological Sciences.
Early life and education
Bourne was born in Danville, Virginia, where he grew up as the son of a surgeon and a civil-rights advocate.
He attended Phillips Academy Andover, serving as editor of the school newspaper, before earning an A.B. in history and literature from Harvard University in 1960.
Following a brief period in journalism, he pursued medical studies and received his M.D. from Johns Hopkins University in 1964, graduating at the top of his class.
His post-graduate training included an internship at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center and research conducted at the National Institutes of Health as part of the Vietnam-era "Yellow Beret" program.
Career and research
Bourne joined the faculty at UCSF in 1969 and was promoted to full professor in 1971.
His seminal research focused on G-proteins. His laboratory demonstrated the fundamental mechanism by which G-proteins cycle between active (GTP-bound) and inactive (GDP-bound) states. This work also established links between mutant G-proteins and human diseases, including acromegaly and fibrous dysplasia.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Henry Bourne (pharmacologist)” as american pharmacologist and cell biologist. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the general reference register because the source frames it as american pharmacologist and cell biologist. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
The citation trail is more important than the brevity of the summary: it shows where individual claims can be examined in context. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 30, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q110281935. VIAF identifies the subject as 49584773. The Library of Congress control number is nr88006149. 2 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1940, 2023, 1984 and 1992.
A concise general-reference account can conceal disagreements about scope, terminology or the weight assigned to individual sources. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Henry Bourne (pharmacologist)”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Henry Bourne (pharmacologist) primary sources, Henry Bourne (pharmacologist) archive and Henry research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Henry Bourne (pharmacologist)”?
- Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
- What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Henry Bourne (pharmacologist)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.