Robert Harvey, Ph.D., professor and chair of pharmacology at the Â鶹´«Ã½AV School of Medicine (UNR Med), has been named a recipient of the 2026 Foundation Professor Award — one of the University’s highest faculty honors. Selected by the Foundation Professor Award Committee, the distinction recognizes his outstanding contributions to teaching, research and service, and places him among an elite group of faculty whose impact is felt across the institution.
“I have had the good fortune to meet and work with many Foundation Professors during my time at the University,” Harvey said. “Knowing what those individuals have accomplished and contributed to this institution, it is humbling to now be included among them.”
Harvey’s journey in science began as a graduate student at Northwestern University in Illinois, where he trained as a cellular cardiac electrophysiologist studying the electrical properties of the heart’s muscle cells. In his early research, Harvey relied on a technique known as “patch-clamping,” which required highly specialized electronic equipment that was not commercially available at the time.
“As a result, I had to build the amplifier and other components I used to conduct experiments for my thesis,” Harvey said. “That suited me perfectly because I enjoy tinkering and building things. It was also special because it gave me confidence in my ability to do whatever I set my mind to and successfully pursue an academic career in science.”
After earning his Ph.D., Harvey moved to Reno, Nevada in 1987 to begin his postdoctoral and work with Joseph Hume in the Department of Physiology at the School of Medicine.
“Dr. Hume was a world-renowned leader in the field of cardiac electrophysiology, so it was a great opportunity for me professionally,” Harvey said. “However, when I first interviewed for a position with Joe, he was actually at Michigan State University. Then, immediately after I accepted the offer to join his lab, Joe decided to move to the Â鶹´«Ã½AV.”
Having spent his entire life up to that point in the Midwest, Harvey said the move initially felt uncertain. “But I knew I wanted to work with Joe, so I looked at it as an adventure,” he said.
“And it turned out to be one of the best moves of my life," he said. "Not only did I have a great training experience, but I also got to know and love the Â鶹´«Ã½AV.”
During his postdoc training at the University, Harvey expanded his research into how the autonomic nervous system (ANS) affects cardiac electrical activity. That work led to a landmark discovery identifying a previously unknown chloride current in the heart.
“That unexpected finding resulted in a paper published in ‘Science,’ one of the preeminent scientific journals, which generated a lot of attention and helped establish my scientific reputation,” he said.
That discovery helped shape the trajectory of his research program, which now focuses on understanding why ANS signaling can be beneficial in healthy hearts but trigger life-threatening arrhythmias that lead to sudden cardiac death (SCD) in diseased hearts.
“SCD is responsible for nearly half of all deaths due to cardiovascular disease, killing over 350,000 people a year in the United States alone,” Harvey said. “Our work has helped identify specific changes that may contribute to abnormal responses that trigger cardiac arrhythmias in patients with heart disease. The challenge now, and the fun, is figuring out how to test those predictions.”
After his early success at the Â鶹´«Ã½AV, Harvey went on to accept an independent faculty position at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, where he initially thought he would remain for the rest of his career. But in 2008, an opportunity brought him back to Reno — this time as a faculty member in the Department of Pharmacology.
“I knew how special this place is,” Harvey said. “I am so happy to be back and to know that I will be able to finish my career at the University and ultimately retire in the Reno area.”
Since returning, Harvey has continued to advance his research while also taking on major leadership roles. Today, he serves as professor and chair of the Department of Pharmacology and director of the Nevada Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) in Molecular and Cellular Signal Transduction in the Cardiovascular System.
“Research is still an important part of what I do, but I have also taken on new leadership roles,” he said. “While it can be a challenge balancing these administrative duties while staying involved in what is going on in the laboratory, it also creates exciting new opportunities for collaboration and growth.”
Throughout every stage of his career, Harvey has emphasized that scientific progress is never achieved alone.
“Everything I have accomplished in my career has been part of a team effort,” he said. “Some of the most exciting work I have been associated with was either conducted by or in collaboration with the very talented students, postdoctoral fellows, colleagues and mentors with whom I have had the good fortune to work.”
He also credits the mentors who shaped his path, particularly Hume.
“I was lucky enough to have worked with mentors who gave me the freedom to pursue those ‘shiny objects’ and move in a new direction,” Harvey said. “Joe was also a great mentor in that he continued to look out for me even after I left the Â鶹´«Ã½AV. He was even responsible for my coming back. I guess it’s not surprising that Joe himself was a Foundation Professor.”
As he reflects on the Foundation Professor Award, Harvey returns to the idea that has guided his entire career: science is built on people, not just discoveries.
"You can accomplish so much more as part of a team,” he said, “and it can be particularly fulfilling when you are able to share the excitement of a new discovery with others.”
Now, as his name joins the University’s Honor Court alongside past honorees, Harvey’s journey comes full circle — from a postdoctoral fellow arriving in Reno unsure of what lay ahead, to a Foundation Professor helping shape the future of UNR Med.
