Michael J. Welsh, MD is the Carver Professor of Internal Medicine and Molecular Physiology and Biophysics and an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute at the University of Iowa. He is Director of the Pappajohn Biomedical Institute.

Dr. Welsh and his colleagues discovered that the protein affected in cystic fibrosis is an anion channel, elucidated its functional mechanisms, discovered ways that mutations disrupt function, and showed that mutations can be rescued. This work led to development of highly effective medicines that target CFTR. To understand disease pathogenesis, he and collaborators developed cystic fibrosis pigs, the first mammal, other than mice, in which a gene was targeted to generate a disease model.

Dr. Welsh received the Distinguished Mentor Award of the Carver College of Medicine. He served as ASCI and AAP president and was elected to the National Academy of Medicine, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and National Academy of Sciences. Recent honors are the Steven C. Beering Award, Walter B. Cannon Award, Warren Alpert Foundation Prize, George M. Kober Medal, and Shaw Prize in Life Science and Medicine.