Co-director of Transfusion Medicine, UCLA Medical Center, and Assistant Professor, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Born in Grand Rapids, Mich., but raised in Little Rock, Ark., Blackall is proud to call himself a Southerner. He taught at the University of Tennessee College of Medicine before joining UCLA in 1998.

What is your greatest extravagance?
Running shoes. I took up distance running after moving to California, and I spare no expense on behalf of my feet.

If you weren't working in your current field, what would you do?
Play guitar in an alternative rock 'n' roll band (a dream, not reality).

Who are your heroes in real life?
Jimmy Carter, who was a good president, but a great human being. Charles Drew, an important African-American physician, when transfusion medicine was in its infancy.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Keeping the many facets of life in perspective; not getting too carried away with success or too devastated by failure.