The 2019 Alexander Hamilton Dinner honored Dr. George D. Yancopoulos CC’80, GSAS’86, VPS’87, a biotech leader who built Regeneron Pharmaceuticals. The Alexander Hamilton Medal is the highest honor a member of the Columbia community can earn for distinguished service to the College and accomplishment in any field of endeavor.
Yancopoulos helped turn Regeneron into a leading science-driven biotech company that routinely appears on Forbes’ list of the most innovative companies in the world. He was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 2004 and was inducted into the Biotech Hall of Fame in 2014.
A former member of the varsity crew, he graduated from Columbia College Phi Beta Kappa, as valedictorian. In 2013, he established the Yancopoulos Family Science Fellowship for Columbia College students.