WORCESTER, MA — Four University of Massachusetts Medical School faculty members have been elected by their peers as Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the world's largest general scientific society, and publisher of the journal, Science. They include:
- Stuart Levitz, MD, professor of medicine and microbiology & physiological systems, who was elected to the section on medical schools for distinguished contributions to the research field of pathogenic mycology in general, and immunology of fungal diseases in particular;
- Arlene Ash, PhD, professor of quantitative health sciences, who was elected to the section on statistics for developing and disseminating applications of statistical science to public policy, especially for innovative and influential work in modeling to predict health care costs;
- Roger Davis, PhD, Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator, H. Arthur Smith Chair in Cancer Research and professor of molecular medicine and biochemistry & molecular pharmacology, who was elected to the section on biological sciences for discovering the Jun N-terminal kinase-signaling pathway and his instrumental contributions in elucidating the biological role of this essential cell-signaling cascade; and
- George Witman, PhD, the George F. Booth Chair in the Basic Sciences and professor of cell & developmental biology, who was elected to the section on biological sciences for major contributions to the functional organization of cilia and flagella, including advances in our understanding of intraflagellar transport and its relevance to human disease.
The AAAS is an international non-profit organization dedicated to advancing science through leadership in science policy, international programs and science education. In addition to organizing membership activities, AAAS publishes the premiere science journal Science, as well as many scientific newsletters, books and reports, and initiates programs that elevate understanding of science worldwide.
Fellows are nominated and selected by their peers for their meritorious efforts to advance science and its applications. The 702 fellows elected in 2012 will be recognized at the AAAS annual meeting in Boston in February.
They join previous UMMS fellows: Trudy G. Morrison, PhD, professor of microbiology & physiological systems; Raymond M. Welsh, PhD, professor of pathology and molecular genetics & microbiology; Thoru Pederson, PhD, the Vitold Arnett Professor of Cell Biology and professor of biochemistry & molecular pharmacology; C. Robert Matthews, PhD, the Arthur F. and Helen P. Koskinas Professor of Biochemistry & Molecular Pharmacology and chair and professor of biochemistry & molecular pharmacology
About the University of Massachusetts Medical School
The University of Massachusetts Medical School has built a reputation as a world-class research institution, consistently producing noteworthy advances in clinical and basic research. The Medical School attracts more than $250 million in research funding annually, 80 percent of which comes from federal funding sources. The work of UMMS researcher Craig Mello, PhD, an investigator of the prestigious Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), and his colleague Andrew Fire, PhD, then of the Carnegie Institution of Washington, toward the discovery of RNA interference was awarded the 2006 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine and has spawned a new and promising field of research, the global impact of which may prove astounding. UMMS is the academic partner of UMass Memorial Health Care, the largest health care provider in Central Massachusetts. For more information, visit www.umassmed.edu.