Hao Wu, professor of biological chemistry and molecular pharmacology at Harvard Medical School and senior investigator in the Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine at Boston Children’s Hospital, has been named the inaugural incumbent of the Asa and Patricia Springer Professorship in Structural Biology.
“Accepting this professorship means a great deal. It is such an honor from the University and provides real financial support to my lab. These acts of generous donations are a major conduit of support to the scientific community,” Wu said.
Wu was honored with the professorship at a Gordon Hall ceremony June 6 in recognition of the important contributions her research has made toward elucidating the molecular mechanism of immune receptor signal transduction. Wu’s lab uses the core approaches of structural biology to determine how macromolecular interactions affect innate immune responses.
“What she has done, no one else can do. She is fearless in her approach to science,” said Frederick Alt, director of the Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine at Boston Children’s Hospital and the Charles A. Janeway Professor of Pediatrics at HMS.
This professorship was established with a gift from Timothy Springer, the Latham Family Professor of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology at HMS, in honor of his parents, Asa and Patricia Springer. Springer, who is also a senior investigator at the Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine, is an exemplary and prolific researcher whose work has resulted in numerous awards and honors, including the Crafoord Prize and a Guggenheim Fellowship. Additionally, he is an alumnus of this University and a mentor to so many investigators who have benefited greatly from his guidance over the years.
“That [Springer] has chosen to strengthen both the study of structural biology and our partnership with Boston Children’s Hospital, in addition to his contributions as a member of our faculty, is truly remarkable,” said Jeffrey S. Flier, dean of Harvard Medical School, thanking Springer for his generosity.
Wu has received a number of previous honors, including the Howard Hughes Medical Institute pre-doctoral fellowship, the Aaron Diamond postdoctoral fellowship, the Pew Scholar award, the Rita Allen Scholar award, New York Mayor’s Award for Excellence in Science and Technology, the Margaret Dayhoff Memorial Award from the Biophysical Society, the Purdue University Distinguished Science Alumni Award, and election as a Fellow of American Association for the Advancement of Science.
