1943: Robert Lefkowitz born in New York City on April 15.

1962: Received bachelor of arts from Columbia College.

1966: Graduated from Columbia University with an M.D.

1968-1970: Served as a clinical and research associate at the National Institutes of Health.

1970-1973: Completed medical residence and research and clinical training in cardiovascular disease at Massachusetts General Hospital.

1973: Appointed associate professor of medicine and assistant professor of biochemistry at Duke University Medical Center.

1973-1976: Served as an Established Investigator of the American Heart Association.

1976: Became an investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute at Duke.

1977: Promoted to professor of medicine at Duke.

1982: Named James B. Duke professor of medicine at Duke.

1988: Received the Gairdner Foundation International Award.

1992: Received the Bristol-Myers Squibb Award for Distinguished Achievement in Cardiovascular Research.

2001: Received the Jessie Stevenson Kovalenko Medal of the USA – The National Academy of Sciences.

2003: Received the Fondation Lefoulon – Delalande Grand Prix for Science – Institut of France.

2007: Received the Albany Medical Center Prize in Medicine and Biomedical Research, the Shaw Prize in Life Science and Medicine, and the National Medal of Science.

2008: Co-founded Trevena Inc., based in King of Prussia, Pa., a drug-discovery company using technology licensed from Duke.

2009: Received the Research Achievement Award from the American Heart Association and the BBVA Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Biomedicine.

2012: Received the Nobel Prize for chemistry.