Twenty-two of America's most promising scientists have been named Pew Scholars in the Biomedical Sciences by The Pew Charitable Trusts. The 2011 Pew Scholars will join a select community that includes MacArthur Fellows, recipients of the Albert Lasker Medical Research Award and three Nobel Prize winners. Research by the new class of Scholars is related to many human diseases ranging from Alzheimer's to diabetes to ocular degeneration. The program encourages early-career scientists to advance research that leads to important medical breakthroughs and treatments.
"Pew is pleased to provide this country's most ambitious and dedicated scientists with timely funding that enables them to explore novel areas of investigation early in their careers, at what may be the most inventive and creative period in their research," said Rebecca W. Rimel, president and CEO of The Pew Charitable Trusts.
To date, the program has invested more than $125 million to fund over 500 scholars. It is a rigorously competitive program where recipients receive $240,000 over four years to pursue their research without restriction. Applicants who work in all areas of physical and life sciences related to biomedical study must be nominated by an invited institution and demonstrate both excellence and innovation in their research. This year, 175 institutions were requested to nominate a candidate and 136 eligible nominations were received.
"Early recognition of young scientists with ideas that challenge their fields is essential for the vitality of the biomedical sciences," said Craig C. Mello, Ph.D., a 1995 Pew Scholar, a 2006 Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine and the chair of the national advisory committee for the program. "From my own experience as a Pew Scholar and member of the advisory board, this program gives young scientists the confidence to pursue risky projects, and to push the boundaries of their fields, planting the seeds for major scientific advancements. I welcome these promising scientists into the Pew Biomedical Scholars family and look forward to watching as their research unfolds in the years ahead."
The new 2011 Pew Scholars are:
- Christine M. Dunham, Ph.D.
Emory University School of Medicine
Structural Biology and Pathogenesis - Thomas G. Fazzio, Ph.D.
University of Massachusetts Medical School
Stem Cell Biology - Max L. Fletcher, Ph.D.
University of Tennessee Health Science Center
Neuroscience - Hunter B. Fraser, Ph.D.
Stanford University
Gene Regulation - Melissa K. Gardner, Ph.D.
University of Minnesota
Cell Biology and Biophysics - Mary Gehring, Ph.D.
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research
Gene Regulation and Epigenetics - Jeff Gore, Ph.D.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Biophysics and Systems Biology - Takaki Komiyama, Ph.D.
University of California, San Diego
Neuroscience - Mei Kong, Ph.D.
Beckman Institute, City of Hope
Cancer Cell Biology - Michael S. Kuhns, Ph.D.
University of Arizona
Immunology - Erica Larschan, Ph.D.
Brown University
Epigenetics - Eros Lazzerini Denchi, Ph.D.
Scripps Research Institute
Aging and Stem Cell Biology - Ann C. Morris, Ph.D.
University of Kentucky
Developmental Neurobiology and Genetics - James B. Moseley, Ph.D.
Dartmouth Medical School
Cell Biology - Suzanne M. Nobel, M.D., Ph.D.
University of California, San Francisco
Fungal Pathogenesis - Brad J. Nolen, Ph.D.
University of Oregon
Structural Biology - Chad G. Pearson, Ph.D.
University of Colorado, Denver
Cell Biology - Sharad Ramanathan, Ph.D.
Harvard University
Neuroscience and Systems Biology - Anthony R. Richardson, Ph.D.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Microbiology and Immunology - Niels Ringstad, Ph.D.
New York University School of Medicine
Neuroscience - Georgios Skiniotis, Ph.D.
University of Michigan
Structural Biology and Membrane Biology - Liang Zhou, M.D., Ph.D.
Northwestern University
Immunology and Gene Regulation
For full biographies and information regarding the scholars' research, please visit www.pewscholars.org.
The Pew Charitable Trusts (www.pewtrusts.org) is driven by the power of knowledge to solve today's most challenging problems. Pew applies a rigorous, analytical approach to improve public policy, inform the public and stimulate civic life. We partner with a diverse range of donors, public and private organizations and concerned citizens who share our commitment to fact-based solutions and goal-driven investments to improve society.