2004-2008
2008: David Ginsburg, M.D.
James V. Neel Distinguished University Professor of Internal Medicine and Human Genetics
Warner-Lambert/Parke-Davis Professor of Medicine
Member of the Life Sciences Institute at the University of Michigan Medical School
"Disorder of hemostasis due to genes outside of the coagulation system."
Dr. David Ginsburg obtained his B.A. degree in molecular biophysics and biochemistry from Yale University. He went on to earn his M.D. at Duke University, becoming board certified in internal medicine, oncology, hematology, and, later, in genetics. He completed post-doctoral work as a hematology fellow at Harvard University, where he cloned the gene for von Willebrand factor, one of the proteins that is critical to the cascade of reactions causing blood to clot. He continued investigations of the blood-clotting system and disturbances of it in a lab that he launched at University of Michigan, where he remains to this day. He is a member of the National Institute of Medicine and was recently elected to the National Academy of Science for his outstanding contributions to the area of blood coagulation and thrombosis.
Upon starting his research at his University of Michigan lab, Dr. Ginsburg identified subtypes of von Willebrand disease and other clotting conditions, in pursuit of the different mutations in causative genes that could explain variations in the severity of the disorders. He discovered those genes (LMAN1, MCFD2, and ADAMTS13), but realized that those single genes alone could not explain the clinical course of the illnesses. This has led him to look for other genes, called modifiers, which might account for disparities in these clotting factor diseases, in part by performing genome-wide studies to search for common clotting factor gene variations. His most recent work, being conducted as an NIH-funded Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator, examines the role of plasminogen activators, proteins that turn on the fibrinolytic system, the body’s mechanism for breaking down blood clots. Dr. Ginsburg’s ongoing research, performed over the last 25 years and counting, has contributed significantly to our understanding of the clotting system and the characterization of coagulation diseases that afflict millions of people.
2007: Stephen J. Weiss, M.D.
Upjohn Professor of Internal Medicine and Oncology and Chief of Molecular Medicine and Genetics
Department of Internal Medicine
University of Michigan.
“Extracellular matrix remodeling and tumor cell metastases: Chance favors the prepared mind”.
Dr. Steven Weiss obtained his B.A. degree and his M.D. degree from Ohio State University. He completed his residency in Pathology at Washington University and Barnes Hospital. He was a research fellow in the Division of Hematology/Oncology at the University of Michigan Medical Center. Following his fellowship, he joined the faculty where he is now the E. Gifford and Love Barnett Upjohn Professor of Internal Medicine and Oncology. He also serves as Chief of Molecular Medicine and Genetics.
Dr. Weiss’ research examines the mechanisms used by normal and neoplastic cells to remodel the extracellular matrix during many pathological events, ranging from cell differentiation and tissue morphogenesis to tumor cell metastasis. His current interests include the regulation of epithelial-mesenchymal cell transformation and the function of membrane-type matrix metalloproteinases during development and neoplasia. His contributions have been published in many outstanding journals, including Science, Nature, Cell, the New England Journal of Medicine, the Journal of Clinical Investigation, the Journal of Experimental Medicine, and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science USA. Dr. Weiss serves on the editorial boards for many journals, including a five-year term as the editor-in-chief of the Journal of Clinical Investigation. He has been funded by the NIH to pursue his research interests for over 20 years and has received an NIH MERIT Award. He is a member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation and the American Association of Physicians. In 2001, he was elected to membership in the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies.
2006: David Altshuler, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor of Genetics and Medicine
Harvard Medical School
Director, Program in Medical and Population Genetics
The Broad Institute, MIT
“Human Genome Sequence Variation and the Inherited Basis of Disease”.
David Altshuler obtained his B.S. degree from MIT and his M.D. and Ph.D. in Genetics from Harvard Medical School. He completed his internship and residency in Medicine at Massachusetts General
Hospital, as well as his clinical fellowship in endocrinology. He was a post-doctoral fellow at the Whitehead Institute at MIT. He is a founding member of the Broad Institute
at MIT, where he presently directs the Program in Medical and Population Genetics. He is also an attending physician in the Diabetes Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital. His research
interests are in the study of human genetic variation and its application to disease, using tools and information from the Human Genome Project. He is particularly interested in diabetes
mellitus, and has identified a common genetic variant that increased the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. These studies provide an approach for analyzing the role of common
genetic variations in disease.
2005: Helen H. Hobbs, M.D.
Professor of Internal Medicine and Molecular Genetics
Director of the Eugene McDermott Center for Human Growth and Development
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
“Genetic Protection against Cholesterol Accumulation and Atherosclerosis”
Helen H. Hobbs obtained her M.D. degree from Case Western Reserve School of Medicine. She completed her internship in Internal Medicine at Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital in New York and her
residency at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas. She was Chief Resident in the Department of Internal Medicine at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. She was a Post-doctoral
Fellow and Endocrinology Fellow in the Department of Molecular Genetics at the University of Texas Southwestern and subsequently joined the faculty. She is presently Professor of Internal Medicine
and Molecular Genetics and Director of the Eugene McDermott Center for Human Growth and Development at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. She also directs the Donald W. Reynolds
Cardiovascular Clinical Research Center. She is a Howard Hughes Investigator.
Dr. Hobbs’ research interests are in defining the genetic determinants of plasma cholesterol levels, with an emphasis on the atherogenic lipoproteins and lipid transport. The central theme of
her work is how dysregulation in the uptake and trafficking of dietary lipids contribute to human diseases, particularly coronary atherosclerosis and the metabolic syndrome. Her contributions
work has been published in many outstanding journals, including Science, Proceedings of the National Academy of Science USA, the Journal of Clinical Investigation, the Journal of Biological Chemistry,
the American Journal of Physiology: Endocrinology and Metabolism, and the American Journal of Cardiology. Dr. Hobbs is a member of the Institute of Medicine. She is also an elected member of the
Association of American Physicians and the American Society of Clinical Investigation.
2004: David T. Scadden, M.D.
Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Director, Center for Regenerative Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital
Boston, MA.
“What Bone Does for Bone Marrow”
David T. Scadden received his M.D. degree from Case Western Reserve School of Medicine. Following his internship and residency at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, he completed a Clinical Fellowship in Medicine and in Hematology/Oncology at the Harvard Medical School, the Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Subsequently, he was a Research Fellow at these institutions working with James M. Cunningham and later at the New England Medical Center working with Robert S. Schwartz and John M. Coffin. He joined the faculty at Harvard University as an Instructor and is presently Professor of Medicine at the Harvard Medical School and Director of the Center of Regenerative Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital.
Dr. Scadden’s research interests are focused on the bone marrow and stem cell biology. He is particularly interested in the regulation of entry and exit from the cell cycle, as this has important implications
for expansion of stem cells and gene transduction. He is also interested in the regulation of stem cell localization to and within specific microenvironments and the interactions of stem cells with elements
of the microenvironmental niche. These studies are critically important in understanding how stem cells develop and how they may function in regenerative processes in many organs. His work has been published
in many outstanding journals including Nature, Nature Medicine, Science, Nature Biotechnology, Proceedings of the National Academy of Science USA, the Journal of Clinical Investigation, the Journal of
Immunology and Blood. He has received many honors, including elected membership in the American Society for Clinical Investigation and the Association of American Physicians. He serves on the editorial
boards for many journals including Blood, Stem Cells, and Experimental Hematology, and he is an Associate Editor for Blood.  |
