Myles Brown, Jules Dienstag, Jeff Drazen, Alan Engelman, Rakesh Jain, Jay Loeffler, Joe Loscalzo and Barrett Rollins of Harvard Medical School have been elected fellows to the section on medical sciences of the American Association for the Advancement of Sciences (AAAS). Lynn Eleanor DeLisi of HMS was elected an AAAS fellow to the section on biological sciences.
Election as an AAAS Fellow is an honor bestowed upon AAAS members by their peers. This year 401 members have been awarded this honor for their contributions to innovation, education and scientific leadership.
New Fellows will be presented with an official certificate and a gold and blue (representing science and engineering, respectively) rosette pin on Saturday, Feb. 14 at the AAAS Fellows Forum during the 2015 AAAS Annual Meeting in San Jose, California.
- Myles Brown, HMS professor of medicine at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, was elected as an AAAS Fellow for seminal work that focuses on elucidating the epigenetic factors underlying the action of steroid hormones; this work has important implications both for normal physiology and for the treatment of hormone-dependent malignancies including breast and prostate cancer.
- Lynn Eleanor DeLisi, HMS professor of psychiatry at Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System, was elected as an AAAS Fellow for outstanding contributions to the evaluation, treatment and study of schizophrenia and recently returning veterans with serious mental illness.
- Jules Dienstag, Carl W. Walter Professor of Medicine at HMS and Massachusetts General Hospital, was elected as an AAAS Fellow for distinguished contributions to the field of virology, particularly in the understanding, prevention and management of viral hepatitis, and for distinguished contributions to medical education.
- Jeffrey Drazen, Parker B. Francis Distinguished Professor of Medicine at HMS and Brigham and Women’s Hospital and editor-in-chief of New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), was elected as an AAAS Fellow for his distinguished research in the field of pulmonary medicine defining the role of novel endogenous chemical agents in asthma and for his contributions to medical science as editor-in-chief of NEJM.
- Alan Engelman, HMS professor of medicine at Dana-Farber, was elected as an AAAS Fellow for leading research in the development of new and more effective therapeutic and less toxic strategies for the treatment of cancer, with a particular emphasis on lung cancer.
- Rakesh Jain, A. Werk Cook Professor of Radiation Oncology (Tumor Biology) at HMS and Mass General, was elected as an AAAS Fellow for unprecedented molecular, cellular, anatomical, and functional insights into the vascular, interstitial and cellular barriers to treatment for solid cancer tumors.
- Jay Loeffler, Herman and Joan Suit Professor of Radiation Oncology and head of the department of radiation oncology at HMS and Mass General, was elected as an AAAS Fellow for innovative radiation techniques using proton therapy for benign, vascular and malignant brain tumors in clinical research.
- Joseph Loscalzo, Hersey Professor of the Theory and Practice of Physic and head of the department of medicine at HMS and Brigham and Women’s, was elected as an AAAS Fellow for foundational work focused on identifying the role of endothelial cells and platelets in atherosclerosis and thrombosis; the studies are relevant to the molecular pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, systemic hypertension, pulmonary hypertension, and thrombotic vascular disorders.
- Barrett Rollins, Linde Family Professor of Medicine at HMS and Dana-Farber, was elected as an AAAS Fellow, for distinguished work in how chemokines direct the movement of leukocytes and cancer cells to specific locations and how chemokines contribute to tumor progression and for contributions to the study of lung cancer.
The tradition of AAAS Fellows began in 1874 to recognize members for their scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications. Currently, members can be considered for the rank of AAAS Fellow if nominated by the steering groups of the association’s 24 sections, by any three fellows who are current AAAS members (as long as two of the three sponsors are not affiliated with the nominee’s institution), or by the AAAS chief executive officer. Fellows must have been continuous members of AAAS for four years by the end of the calendar year in which they are elected.
Each steering group reviews the nominations of individuals within its respective section and a final list is forwarded to the AAAS Council, which votes on the aggregate list.
The council is the policymaking body of the association; it is chaired by the AAAS president and consists of the members of the board of directors, the retiring section chairs, delegates from each electorate and each regional division, and two delegates from the National Association of Academies of Science.
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) seeks to advance science, engineering and innovation throughout the world for the benefit of all people. It publishes Science, Science Translational Medicine, Science Signaling and Science Advances and operates EurekAlert!, an online news service.
AAAS was founded in 1848, and includes 261 affiliated societies and academies of science, serving 10 million individuals. Science has the largest paid circulation of any peer-reviewed general science journal in the world, with an estimated print and online readership of more than 1 million.
R. Bruce Donoff, dean of the Harvard School of Dental Medicine (HSDM), received the 2014 Shils-Meskin Award at a reception on Oct. 29, 2014, in Philadelphia.
The award recognizes Donoff’s more than 45 years of leadership in the dental profession as well as his efforts to showcase the importance of integrating oral health and primary care.
“The Shils Fund annual awards ceremony gives us a chance to spotlight the outstanding innovators and contributors in the field of dentistry,” said Steven W. Kess, President of The Dr. Edward B. Shils Entrepreneurial Fund's Board of Directors.
Donoff received his DMD from HSDM in 1967 and his MD from Harvard Medical School in 1973. His professional career has centered on Harvard’s Faculty of Medicine and the Massachusetts General Hospital’s Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery.
Donoff began as an intern in 1967 and has served in the department since then, becoming chair and chief of service in 1983. In 1991, Donoff was named dean of HSDM, a post that he continues to hold.
In addition to these responsibilities, Donoff has made major contributions in research to the specialty of oral and maxillofacial surgery and is currently president of the Friends of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research.
He is editor of Mass General’s Manual of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and the Massachusetts Dental Society Journal.
The Brinker Award for Scientific Distinction in Basic Science was awarded to Joan S. Brugge, the HMS Louise Foote Pfeiffer Professor of Cell Biology, director of the Ludwig Center at HMS and a Komen Scholar, on Dec. 10, 2014, at the 37th annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium. Brugge also delivered a keynote lecture at the conference.
The Brinker Awards for Scientific Distinction were established in 1992 to recognize the efforts of pioneers in two critically important areas in the fight to end breast cancer: clinical research and basic science.
Brugge was recognized for her significant contributions to breast cancer research, which have been essential in advancing our understanding of the molecular and cell biology of breast cancer. Her work has resulted in critical insights into the cellular processes and pathways involved in the normal development of breast cells, as well as breast cancer initiation, progression and response to therapy.
Susan G. Komen is the world’s largest breast cancer organization, funding more breast cancer research than any other nonprofit while providing real-time help to those facing the disease.
The American Dental Education Association (ADEA) has named Walter C. Guralnick DMD ’41, professor of oral and maxillofacial surgery emeritus at HSDM, a recipient of the 2015 Gies Award for Outstanding Innovation by a Dental Educator.
The Gies Award is named in honor of the dental education pioneer William J. Gies. It debuted in 2008 and honors individuals and organizations that exemplify the highest standards in oral health and dental education, research and leadership.
“The Gies Awards are our chance to honor the women and men who have dedicated their careers to educating students and to celebrate our partners working to create a new health care norm where oral health is inextricably linked to overall health,” said Richard W. Valachovic, president of the ADEAGies Foundation and president and CEO of ADEA.
The Gies Awards will be presented on March 9, 2015, in conjunction with the 2015 ADEA Annual Session and Exhibition in Boston.
