Wade Harper, the Bert and Natalie Vallee Professor of Molecular Pathology at HMS, has been elected an associate member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO). The lifelong membership recognizes outstanding achievements in the life sciences.
The 67 newly elected members come from 22 countries and were nominated and elected by current EMBO members.
“The new EMBO Members and Associate Members are exceptional scientists, who carry out leading research across a variety of fields, ranging from cell biology and cancer to vaccine development and machine learning,” said EMBO Director Fiona Watt.
“I know that they will enrich the life of the organization immensely,” Watt said.
Harper will be formally welcomed to EMBO at the annual Members’ Meeting in Heidelberg, Germany, in October.
Ryan Flynn, HMS assistant professor of stem cell and regenerative biology and assistant professor of pediatrics at Boston Children’s Hospital, has been named to the 2022 class of Rita Allen Scholars by the Rita Allen Foundation. The program provides funding for up to five years for research on critical topics in cancer, immunology, and neuroscience.
Flynn’s laboratory is focused on the exploration and discovery of how biopolymers like RNA and glycans work together to control cellular processes such as cell-cell communication, host-pathogen interactions, or cell signaling in the context of human disease.
Jorge Diego Martin-Rufino, a PhD candidate in the Division of Medical Sciences, has been awarded a Graduate Hematology Award from the American Society of Hematologists. The award seeks to encourage graduate students in the United States and Canada to pursue a career in academic hematology
Martin-Rufino is researching the impact of newly identified genetic variants during normal development of the blood and disease, which he hopes will lead to safer and more effective gene and cell therapies.
Two individuals from HMS are among six winners of the Lasker Foundation’s Essay Contest. The essay contest invites young scientists from around the world to discuss big questions in biomedical research and policy.
This year’s contest asked applicants to consider how multidisciplinary collaborations and approaches can impact their training, research, or career.
The two winners from HMS are:
Hussain Lalani, an HMS research fellow in medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, whose essay “I Would Be Scared if I Heard That Too“ shares a personal experience working with a multidisciplinary team to tackle vaccine hesitancy.
Kirti Nath, an MD-PhD student in the Harvard-MIT Program in Health Sciences and Technology, whose essay “Puzzles” considers how optimism is breaking down research silos to explore “moonshots” in medical studies.
