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 "excerpt": "George Fink is an Austrian-born Australian neuroendocrinologist at the Florey Institute who discovered GnRH self-priming, directed the MRC Brain Metabolism Unit in Edinburgh, and founded the Encyclopedia of Stress.",
 "snippet": "George Fink is an Austrian-born Australian neuroendocrinologist at the Florey Institute who discovered GnRH self-priming, directed the MRC Brain Metabolism Unit in Edinburgh, and founded the Encyclopedia of Stress.",
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 "markdown": "# George Fink\n\n**George Fink** (G. Fink; born 13 November 1936) is an Austrian-born Australian neuroendocrinologist, neuropharmacologist, and psychopharmacologist, an Hon Professorial Research Fellow at the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health and an honorary professor at the [University of Melbourne](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-melbourne).<sup>[1](https://rse.org.uk/fellowship/fellow/professor-george-fink-30225/)</sup> He is known for research in reproductive neuroendocrinology, in particular the central nervous control of ovulation and the discovery of the unique priming effect of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), and he was founding editor of the *Encyclopedia of Stress*.<sup>[1](https://rse.org.uk/fellowship/fellow/professor-george-fink-30225/)</sup> From 1980 to 1999 he was Director and CEO of the [Medical Research Council](https://www.edgepedia.org/medical-research-council)'s Brain Metabolism Unit in Edinburgh.<sup>[2](https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0713-527X)</sup> According to the Royal Society of Edinburgh, his research contributions amount to more than 350 scientific publications.<sup>[1](https://rse.org.uk/fellowship/fellow/professor-george-fink-30225/)</sup> \n\n| Fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Born | 13 November 1936, Vienna, Austria<sup>[3](https://doi.org/10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.15758)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[4](http://encyclopedia-loadbalancer-1-1782916326.us-west-2.elb.amazonaws.com/arts/educational-magazines/fink-george)</sup> |\n| Training | MD, University of Melbourne, and DPhil, Oxford, 1967, under Geoffrey Harris<sup>[1](https://rse.org.uk/fellowship/fellow/professor-george-fink-30225/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[2](https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0713-527X)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[5](https://joe.bioscientifica.com/view/journals/joe/226/2/T13.xml)</sup> |\n| Director, MRC Brain Metabolism Unit | Edinburgh, 31 March 1980 to 31 October 1999<sup>[2](https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0713-527X)</sup> |\n| Signature work | The GnRH self-priming effect<sup>[5](https://joe.bioscientifica.com/view/journals/joe/226/2/T13.xml)</sup> |\n| Encyclopedia of Stress | Founding editor; three-volume first edition (2000), four-volume second edition (2007)<sup>[1](https://rse.org.uk/fellowship/fellow/professor-george-fink-30225/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[6](https://shop.elsevier.com/books/encyclopedia-of-stress/fink/978-0-08-056977-2)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[7](https://shop.elsevier.com/books/stress-psychopathology-and-psychiatry/fink/978-0-12-818710-4)</sup> |\n| Current position | Hon Professorial Research Fellow, Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, since 1 January 2010<sup>[2](https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0713-527X)</sup> |\n| Honours | Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh<sup>[4](http://encyclopedia-loadbalancer-1-1782916326.us-west-2.elb.amazonaws.com/arts/educational-magazines/fink-george)</sup> |\n\n## Early life and training\n\nFink was born in Vienna, the son of an industrial chemist and a cosmetician.<sup>[4](http://encyclopedia-loadbalancer-1-1782916326.us-west-2.elb.amazonaws.com/arts/educational-magazines/fink-george)</sup> He holds an MD from the University of Melbourne.<sup>[1](https://rse.org.uk/fellowship/fellow/professor-george-fink-30225/)</sup> He was Demonstrator/Lecturer in Anatomy at [Monash University](https://www.edgepedia.org/monash-university) from 1963 to December 1964, then a Nuffield Dominions Scholar in Human Anatomy at the [University of Oxford](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-oxford) from 1965 to 1967, taking his DPhil there in 1967.<sup>[2](https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0713-527X)</sup> His doctoral research was carried out under the supervision of Geoffrey Harris.<sup>[5](https://joe.bioscientifica.com/view/journals/joe/226/2/T13.xml)</sup>\n\n## Career\n\nAfter the DPhil he moved to Oxford as a university lecturer in physiology and medicine from 1971 to 1980.<sup>[4](http://encyclopedia-loadbalancer-1-1782916326.us-west-2.elb.amazonaws.com/arts/educational-magazines/fink-george)</sup> In 1980 he became Director and CEO of the MRC Brain Metabolism Unit in Edinburgh, holding the post until October 1999, and was Honorary Professor in [Pharmacology](https://www.edgepedia.org/pharmacology) and [Psychiatry](https://www.edgepedia.org/psychiatry) at the [University of Edinburgh](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-edinburgh) from 1984 to 1999.<sup>[2](https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0713-527X)</sup>\n\nHe then moved into industry and back to Australia: Vice President Research at Pharmos Corp in Iselin, New Jersey, from April 1999 to June 2003<sup>[2](https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0713-527X)</sup>; Scientific Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Mental Health Research Institute, Melbourne, from 2004 to 2006; and Professorial Research Fellow at the University of Melbourne and the Mental Health Research Institute of [Victoria](https://www.edgepedia.org/victoria-state) from 2007 to 2013.<sup>[3](https://doi.org/10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.15758)</sup> He has been Hon Professorial Research Fellow at the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health in Parkville since 1 January 2010, and an honorary professor at the University of Melbourne.<sup>[2](https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0713-527X)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[1](https://rse.org.uk/fellowship/fellow/professor-george-fink-30225/)</sup> The University of Melbourne lists him in the Florey Department of Neuroscience and Mental Health with research area endocrinology and metabolism.<sup>[8](https://findanexpert.unimelb.edu.au/profile/49433-george-fink)</sup>\n\n## Research\n\nFink's reproductive neuroendocrinology began with his graduate work under Harris and continued at Monash and Oxford.<sup>[5](https://joe.bioscientifica.com/view/journals/joe/226/2/T13.xml)</sup> With Harris he demonstrated significant GnRH activity in hypophysial portal vessel blood of rats, assessed by three bioassays including induction of ovulation in the rabbit, in a 1970 study.<sup>[5](https://joe.bioscientifica.com/view/journals/joe/226/2/T13.xml)</sup> It built on a 1950 finding by other researchers that in the rat a recurring daily hypothalamic signal elicits ovulation on the day of proestrus.<sup>[9](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25901041/)</sup>\n\nGnRH self-priming is the unique capacity of the GnRH decapeptide to increase pituitary responsiveness to itself. In estrogen-primed rats, LH secretion in response to GnRH increases with successive exposures, a phenomenon Fink named \"self-priming\".<sup>[10](https://doi.org/10.1530/joe-15-0087)</sup> Measured as mean maximal LH increments, pituitary responsiveness to GnRH rises 20- to 50-fold over about 28 hours between dioestrus and the afternoon of pro-oestrus in female rats.<sup>[5](https://joe.bioscientifica.com/view/journals/joe/226/2/T13.xml)</sup> The effect explains how low-amplitude GnRH pulses, too small by themselves to evoke LH release, can trigger a massive increase in pituitary responsiveness and hence an LH surge.<sup>[5](https://joe.bioscientifica.com/view/journals/joe/226/2/T13.xml)</sup> Between exposures to GnRH, his group showed a \"margination\" of secretory granules in gonadotrophs: how much LH is secreted depends on how many granules lie close to the plasma membrane.<sup>[10](https://doi.org/10.1530/joe-15-0087)</sup> His 1976 *Nature* paper \"Gonadotropin-releasing hormone surge in pro-oestrous rats\" reported a GnRH surge in pro-oestrous rats.<sup>[11](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7058251/)</sup>\n\n## Encyclopedia of Stress and edited works\n\nFink was founding editor of the *Encyclopedia of Stress*, a three-volume first edition published in 2000 with nearly 400 articles covering the entire spectrum of topics.<sup>[1](https://rse.org.uk/fellowship/fellow/professor-george-fink-30225/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[6](https://shop.elsevier.com/books/encyclopedia-of-stress/fink/978-0-08-056977-2)</sup> The first edition received the 2001 [British Medical Association](https://www.edgepedia.org/british-medical-association) commendation for its contribution to Mental Health, and he edited the four-volume second edition in 2007.<sup>[7](https://shop.elsevier.com/books/stress-psychopathology-and-psychiatry/fink/978-0-12-818710-4)</sup> His other edited Elsevier volumes include *Stress Science: Neuroendocrinology* (2009), *Stress Consequences: Mental, Neuropsychological and Socioeconomic* (2009), *Stress of War, Conflict and Disaster* (2010), and the *Handbook of Neuroendocrinology* (2011), and he edits the ongoing *Handbook of Stress* series, which has advanced to volume 5.<sup>[7](https://shop.elsevier.com/books/stress-psychopathology-and-psychiatry/fink/978-0-12-818710-4)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[1](https://rse.org.uk/fellowship/fellow/professor-george-fink-30225/)</sup>\n\n## Representative work\n\n- **\"Gonadotrophin-releasing hormone deficiency in a mutant mouse with hypogonadism\"**, *Nature* (1977), [doi:10.1038/269338a0](https://doi.org/10.1038/269338a0).\n\n## Honours and recognition\n\nFink is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.<sup>[4](http://encyclopedia-loadbalancer-1-1782916326.us-west-2.elb.amazonaws.com/arts/educational-magazines/fink-george)</sup> He served as President of the European Neuroendocrine Association<sup>[7](https://shop.elsevier.com/books/stress-psychopathology-and-psychiatry/fink/978-0-12-818710-4)</sup> and as president of the Neuroendocrine Society from 1991 to 1995.<sup>[4](http://encyclopedia-loadbalancer-1-1782916326.us-west-2.elb.amazonaws.com/arts/educational-magazines/fink-george)</sup>\n\n## References\n\n\n1. Professor George Fink FRSE, Royal Society of Edinburgh. https://rse.org.uk/fellowship/fellow/professor-george-fink-30225/\n2. George Fink (0000-0002-0713-527X), ORCID. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0713-527X\n3. Fink, Prof. George, Who's Who (Oxford University Press). https://doi.org/10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.15758\n4. Fink, George, Encyclopedia.com. http://encyclopedia-loadbalancer-1-1782916326.us-west-2.elb.amazonaws.com/arts/educational-magazines/fink-george\n5. Harris' neuroendocrine revolution: of portal vessels and self-priming, *Journal of Endocrinology* (2015). https://joe.bioscientifica.com/view/journals/joe/226/2/T13.xml\n6. Encyclopedia of Stress, 1st Edition, Elsevier Shop. https://shop.elsevier.com/books/encyclopedia-of-stress/fink/978-0-08-056977-2\n7. Stress: Psychopathology and Psychiatry, Elsevier Shop. https://shop.elsevier.com/books/stress-psychopathology-and-psychiatry/fink/978-0-12-818710-4\n8. Prof George Fink, Find an Expert, University of Melbourne. https://findanexpert.unimelb.edu.au/profile/49433-george-fink\n9. 60 Years of Neuroendocrinology: The hypothalamo-pituitary-gonadal axis, PubMed. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25901041/\n10. The posterior pituitary, from Geoffrey Harris to our present understanding, *Journal of Endocrinology*. https://doi.org/10.1530/joe-15-0087\n11. Fifty Years of Advances in Neuroendocrinology, PMC. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7058251/\n\n\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Life and health › Life and health scientists › Medical and health researchers › Researchers in clinical neuroscience, neurology, and psychiatry research*\n\n*Initially written Sep 21, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 25, 2026 · Last review: Sep 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n",
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