04/28/2026
Learn more about the leader behind Cleveland Clinic’s landmark serotonin research
In 1948, researchers at Cleveland Clinic isolated and named serotonin, a molecule that transformed how we understand the brain, behavior and disease. The American Chemical Society recognized that milestone by designating Cleveland Clinic as a National Historic Chemical Landmark in April 2026.
Serotonin’s isolation and discovery was one result of a broader scientific philosophy shaped by lead investigator Irvine Page, MD. Dr. Page challenged status quos across basic science, brain chemistry, cardiovascular research, institutional leadership and national health policy. He was a strong advocate for science, biomedical research and medicine – not just at Cleveland Clinic, but across the world.
“Dr. Page coupled scientific rigor with a future-focused vision. His leadership elevated Cleveland Clinic into a research powerhouse because he insisted on meticulous chemistry in service of patient care,” says Serpil Erzurum, MD, Cleveland Clinic Executive Vice President and Chief Research and Academic Officer.
Take a look at some of the career accomplishments that highlight the impact of Dr. Page and his team, and how they shaped modern medicine.
Dr. Page led the way in thinking seriously about brain chemistry
Dr. Page himself referred to his career as a “series of connected pieces.” He began his career in the 1920s with an interest in brain chemistry. Back then, most other scientists didn’t think chemistry affected brain function at all. Dr. Page argued that the brain was an organ like any other and should therefore be affected by chemical changes. By that logic, Dr. Page explained, brain chemistry should play a central role in regulating our bodies and moods. Understanding these processes would fundamentally change how doctors treat disease.
In 1928, Dr. Page accepted an invitation to help establish a Department of Brain Chemistry at the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute in Munich. At the time, only one book about brain chemistry had ever been published. Dr. Page ended up writing the second book himself.
Dr. Page framed Cleveland Clinic’s research enterprise
In 1945, Dr. Page founded Cleveland Clinic’s first formal Research Division, the roots of what is now a global research enterprise. He viewed research as essential to advancing healthcare, not as a separate or secondary activity. His work on hypertension, cardiovascular disease and serotonin unfolded primarily at Cleveland Clinic, shaping how research and patient care were integrated.
Through this leadership, Page helped establish Cleveland Clinic as a place where discovery, clinical insight and innovation informed one another, laying groundwork that extended well beyond his own laboratory.
“We’re applying Page’s formula to today’s scientific frontiers: bold questions, deeply collaborative teams and an infrastructure intentionally designed to deliver discoveries that will define the next era of medicine,” says Dr. Erzurum, who also serves as Chief of Cleveland Clinic Research. “His influence is still felt in our guiding principles today: We’re asking bold questions, building the tools to answer them and ensuring the answers make a difference for our patients.”
Dr. Page’s lab discovered serotonin while studying hypertension
Dr. Page challenged the field of hypertension just as much as he challenged what “everyone knew” about brain chemistry research.
“In 1931, nobody considered hypertension to be important,” he said in a 1980 interview. “Lots of people thought that you should not lower the patient's blood pressure because if you did, the body wouldn't get enough blood. So much for what we thought we knew!”
Dr. Page consistently challenged the status quo in hypertension, driving forward patient care. Other researchers said all hypertension cases must have the same cause. Dr. Page knew that hypertension could be caused by multiple interacting factors, meaning there was no one cause or solution that would work for everyone.
Dr. Page had his lab members isolate serotonin from blood as part of his quest to prove his theory. He quickly shifted direction when lab member Betty Twarog, PhD, showed serotonin’s fundamental role in the brain.
Along with continuing to define serotonin’s role in human health, Dr. Page’s team’s further hypertension research helped show that atherosclerosis was not simply an inevitable part of aging and strengthened the connection between diet and heart disease. He also showed that hypertension could be treated and reversed.
Dr. Page believed science had an obligation to speak publicly
By the 1960s, Dr. Page called attention to what he described as the growing link between medicine and government. At the time, Congress was debating Medicare, physician shortages linked to the Vietnam War and growing awareness of healthcare gaps highlighted by the Civil Rights Movement.
Dr. Page argued that the medical field had an obligation to speak clearly and publicly to help guide policy decisions. He launched what he called a “full court press,” writing editorials and gathering experts to advocate for a National Academy of Medicine.
These efforts led to the creation of the National Academy of Sciences’ Board on Medicine and Public Health, which issued nationally visible guidance on emerging issues such as heart transplantation.
When tensions with the National Academy of Sciences underscored the need for a more independent body, Dr. Page and others pushed for an organization with its own mandate and staff. In 1970, those efforts culminated in the founding of the Institute of Medicine (now the National Academy of Medicine).
If you want to learn more, follow up on our sources here:
"Irvine H. Page, 1901-1991. The Celebration of a Leader"
"The Discovery of Serotonin and its Role in Neuroscience"
"Tribute to Irvine Heinly Page"
"Oral History Interview with Maurice Rapport"
"A History of the National Academy of Medicine: 50 Years of Transformational Leadership (2022)"