Month: April 2021

Physician-scientist leaders recognize Dr. Anthony S. Fauci with a Public Service & Courage Award

Posted on by John Hawley
Dr. Fauci

The Association of American Physicians (AAP) and the American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI) recognize Anthony S. Fauci, MD, with a Public Service & Courage Award.  The foremost purpose of this award is to draw attention to Dr. Fauci’s exemplary contributions and dedication to public health. The award also recognizes Dr. Fauci’s courage in raising his voice for a science-driven approach to public health and safety despite the risk to his personal security.

During his decades-long career as Director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), Dr. Fauci has overseen a multitude of programs to advance the science and treatment of infections and immune disorders. Of particular note has been his commitment to transparency and honesty in communicating with the public during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Fauci has strenuously advocated for the health of the nation based on science and data-driven information even as detractors have attempted to impugn his character.

The AAP, founded in 1885, and the ASCI, founded in 1908, represent thousands of physician-scientist leaders across the United States and internationally. Dr. Fauci was elected to the ASCI in 1976 and to the AAP in 1979; served as President of the AAP; and has previously received the AAP’s George M. Kober Medal for his enormous impact in the field of internal medicine and on the many outstanding scientists he has trained.

Additional reading on Dr. Fauci:

  • Gallin JI. 2007 Association of American Physicians George M. Kober Medal: Introduction of Anthony S. Fauci, MD. J Clin Invest. 2007;117(10):3131–3135. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI33692.
  • Fauci AS. A view from Washington through the eyes of an AAP physician-scientist: 2007 Association of American Physicians George M. Kober Medal. J Clin Invest. 2007;117(10):3136–3139. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI33691.
  • Neill US. A conversation with Tony Fauci. J Clin Invest. 2014;124(7):2814–2815. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI77277. [Part of the JCI series “Conversations with Giants in Medicine.”]

New Council members elected, 2021

Posted on by John Hawley

The ASCI is pleased to announce the results of a recent ballot to fill Council vacancies. Dr. Priscilla Hsue, Secretary-Treasurer Elect, oversaw the ballot; Drs. Sara E. Cosgrove and Ralph J. DeBerardinis volunteered as auditors.

The following members will join the Council at the conclusion of the upcoming AAP/ASCI/APSA Joint Meeting, April 8-10.

Vice President: Benjamin D. Humphreys, MD, PhD

Benjamin D. Humphreys, MD, PhD

Dr. Humphreys is Chief of the Division of Nephrology at Washington University in St. Louis and the Joseph P. Friedman Professor of Renal Diseases in Medicine. His research focuses on the cellular and molecular mechanisms of kidney injury and repair. Elected to the ASCI in 2013, he served as the ASCI’s 2019-2021 Secretary-Treasurer.


Councilor: Julie Anne Bastarache, MD

Julie Anne Bastarache, MD

Dr. Bastarache is a Pulmonary and Critical Care translational physician-scientist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and the Department of Veterans Affairs. Her research focuses on mechanisms that drive acute lung, brain and kidney injury in sepsis and critical illness. Dr. Bastarache was elected to the ASCI in 2020.


Councilor: Goutham Narla, MD, PhD

Goutham Narla, MD, PhD

Dr. Narla is the Division Chief of Genetic Medicine at the University of Michigan and an Associate Professor of Internal Medicine at Michigan Medicine. His research focuses on the study of the structural and molecular basis for tumor suppressor gene inactivation in cancer initiation, development and progression. Dr. Narla was elected to the ASCI in 2016.


Councilor: Elizabeth K. Speliotes, MD, PhD, MPH

Elizabeth K. Speliotes, MD, PhD, MPH

Dr. Speliotes is the Keith Henley Endowed Professor of Gastroenterology and Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics at the University of Michigan. She conducts large-scale genomic studies of obesity and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease to identify genetic variants that predispose to disease and define disease subtypes. Dr. Speliotes was elected to the ASCI in 2013.

Recipient of the 2021 Seldin~Smith Award for Pioneering Research: Rajan Jain, MD

Posted on by John Hawley
Dr. Jain

The American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI) is pleased to announce Rajan Jain, MD, as the recipient of the 2021 Donald Seldin~Holly Smith Award for Pioneering Research. Dr. Jain will receive an unrestricted award of $30,000 to advance his academic efforts and will deliver a scientific talk at the 2022 AAP/ASCI/APSA Joint Meeting.

Dr. Jain’s work has revolved around understanding and deciphering how cells decide their fate and remember their identity over their lifetime. His program strives to understand the rules governing how DNA is packaged in three-dimensions in the nucleus and the importance of this organization for cellular function in health and disease. Dr. Jain’s work along with that of collaborators has shown that genome interactions with the nuclear periphery via the lamina protein network regulates differentiation of stem cells into cardiac myocytes. As a practicing cardiologist, Dr. Jain has extended his work to understanding cardiomyopathies with genetic etiologies, specifically those with mutations in LAMIN A/C (LMNA). He and colleagues recently showed that pathogenic LMNA variants disrupt three-dimensional genome organization in a tissue-specific fashion. Their work demonstrated that LMNA mutations target specific regions of the genome associated with the nuclear periphery preferentially in cardiac myocytes and result in misexpression of non-muscle genes in mutant cardiac tissues. Taken together, his work underscores a critical role for peripheral genome organization in guarding cellular identity. Dr. Jain has expanded his program’s focus into the mechanisms underlying genome-genome interactions and the implications for understanding progressive lineage restriction. Dr. Jain’s long-term goal is to use this knowledge to develop and/or improve targeted therapies for inherited as well as more common cardiac disorders.

Jonathan A. Epstein, MD, Senior Vice President, Executive Vice Dean, and Chief Scientific Officer, Penn Medicine, who supported Dr. Jain’s nomination, noted that he “is a brilliant and collaborative star who spans disciplines and acts as a connector. I am confident that his ongoing work will reshape our understanding of how gene programs are coordinated to regulate lineage restriction and cellular plasticity.”

Dr. Jain earned his BA from the University of California, Berkeley and his MD from New York University. He subsequently completed his internship and residency in internal medicine at Penn Medicine, where he continued with his clinical fellowship in cardiovascular medicine and research training. He is currently an Assistant Professor of Medicine and Cell and Developmental Biology at the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Jain’s research has been supported in part by the American Heart Association, Allen Foundation, Burroughs Wellcome Foundation, the National Institutes of Health (NHLBI, NIGMS, NIDA, and NIH Director’s High-Risk, High-Reward Program).

Nominations were evaluated by the Seldin~Smith Award Selection Committee: Mukesh K. Jain (Chair), Vivian G. Cheung, Charles L. Sawyers, Elizabeth M. McNally, and W. Kimryn Rathmell. Finalists were evaluated by an Advisory Committee comprising five physician-scientist luminaries: Joseph L. Goldstein (Chair), Michael S. Brown, Robert J. Lefkowitz, Christine Seidman, and Arthur Weiss.