Immunologist who won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1980. His research has led to advances in the understanding of diseases like multiple sclerosis.
He emigrated to the United States from Venezuela in 1940 and earned his doctorate from the Medical College of Virginia.
He received honorary degrees from ten different universities, including Colombia and Harvard University.
His wife, Annette, died shortly before him on June 3, 2011. His brother is philosopher Paul Benacerraf.
He and German physician Robert Koch are both recipients of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
