Daniel Federman, Carl W. Walter Distinguished Professor of Medicine, has been awarded the 2013 John Stearns Medal for Distinguished Contributions in Clinical Practice from The New York Academy of Medicine.
Federman was honored for his work regarding the role of doctor-patient communication and the social contract in the clinical practice of medicine.
Federman, a former dean of medical education at HMS, emphasizes the consideration of each person as an individual to counter the risks of “group think.”
The John Stearns Medal for Distinguished Contributions in Clinical Practice was named after The New York Academy of Medicine’s first president, John Stearns. The medal is awarded to individuals with distinguished accomplishments in health policy, public health, medicine and scientific research.
Three members of the Harvard Medical School faculty have been named Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). They are:
Ole Isacson, HMS professor of neurology at Massachusetts General Hospital, was elected as an AAAS fellow for his distinguished contributions to neuroscience and neurology, particularly for helping to elucidate the neurobiology of Parkinson’s disease and for innovations in applications of stem cells.
Ali Khademhosseini, HMS associate professor of medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, was elected as an AAAS fellow for his outstanding contributions at the interface of engineering, materials sciences, and biology, and in particular for the application of micro- and nanoengineered materials for regenerative medicine.
Timothy Alan Springer, HMS Latham Family Professor of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, was elected as an AAAS fellow for establishing the paradigm that the immune and vascular systems use adhesion molecules, and for discovering the first examples and how they regulate immune responses and diapedesis.
New fellows will be presented with an official certificate and a gold and blue (representing science and engineering, respectively) rosette pin on Saturday, Feb. 15 at the AAAS Fellows Forum during the 2014 AAAS Annual Meeting in Chicago.
HMS student Christina Marsica Grassi is the recipient of a $30,000 Research to Prevent Blindness (RPB) Medical Student Research Fellowship.
Grassi will participate in a yearlong sabbatical from medical school to pursue research that may lead to the refinement of medical technology and improved outcomes of patients who undergo Keratoprosthesis (Kpro) implantation. Grassi will work with HMS faculty member James Chodosh, David Glendenning Cogan Professor of Ophthalmology in the field of Cornea and External Disease at Massachusetts Eye and Ear.
RPB is the world’s leading voluntary organization supporting eye research and has funded research into blinding eye diseases at medical institutions throughout the United States.
Eric Joyce, HMS research fellow in genetics, is the recipient of a DeLill Nasser Award for Professional Development in Genetics from the Genetics Society of America (GSA). The award is a $1,000 travel grant that Joyce will use to attend GSA 55th Annual Drosophila Research Conference in San Diego.
Joyce’s research is focused on understanding the mechanisms and functions of chromosome interactions with a primary emphasis on interactions between homologous sequences.
Since 2001, the DeLill Nasser Award has funded the opportunity for over 100 graduate students and postdoctoral researchers to travel to enhance their education and further career goals.
Frederick Ausubel, HMS professor of genetics, has been awarded the Thomas Hunt Morgan Medal for lifetime contributions to the field of genetics by the Genetics Society of America (GSA).
Ausubel is recognized for establishing the modern post-recombinant DNA field of host-microbe interactions using simple non-vertebrate hosts. Ausubel’s genetic approaches have inspired research in many related fields.
D. Bradley Welling, has been named the next chief of otolaryngology for the Massachusetts Eye and Ear/Massachusetts General Hospital departments and chairman of otology and laryngology for Harvard Medical School. He will formally take the position on March 1, 2014.
Welling is a director of the American Board of Otolaryngology and is the president-elect of the American Otologic Society. In addition, Welling serves as a member of the Residency Review Committee for the Accreditation Council on Graduate Medical Education.
Welling’s research involves basic and translational studies on Neurofibromatosis type 2-associated tumors, for which he was awarded the Edmund Prince Fowler Award by the Triological Society.
Vamsi Mootha, HMS professor of system biology, is a recipient of the 2014 Padma Shri Award. The Padma Shri Award is one of the highest civilian awards in India.
Mootha is known for his discovery of over one dozen Mendelian mitochondrial disease genes and the discovery that mitochondrial dysfunction is associated with the common form of Type 2 diabetes mellitus. Mootha’s work has led to the use of computational strategies that have now been applied to other human diseases.
Joseph T. Coyle, Eben S. Draper Professor of Psychiatry, has been awarded the $25,000 Julius Axelrod Prize. The Julius Axelrod Prize recognizes exceptional achievements in neuropharmacology and in mentoring young scientists.
Coyle’s current research focuses on the negative symptoms and cognitive deficits associated with schizophrenia. Coyle has contributed to the understanding of the neuronal changes associated with psychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders. In addition, Coyle mentors neuroscientists and clinicians and is dedicated to increasing the opportunities for women and underrepresented minorities in the sciences.
Frederick Bieber, HMS associate professor of pathology, has been appointed to the National Commission on Forensic Science by the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology.
The commission was formed to improve the practice of forensic science by developing regulations concerning the intersections between forensic science and the criminal justice system, in addition to making policy recommendations for the U.S. Attorney General.
Members of the National Commission on Forensic Science come from various professional backgrounds including; federal, state and local forensic science service providers, research scientists and academics, law enforcement officials, prosecutors, defense attorneys and judges.
