Dr. Nana-Sinkam interviewed lung transplantation researcher and 2023 ASCI inductee Sean Agbor-Enoh, MD, PhD (view profile). Dr. Agbor-Enoh is Laboratory Chief, NIH Lasker Clinical Tenure Track Investigator, and NIH Distinguished Scholar, Laboratory of Applied Precision Omics (APO) Division of Intramural Research, NHLBI-NIH; Lead Investigator and Director, Genomic Research Alliance for Transplantation; and Adjunct Associate Professor of Medicine, Lung Transplant Program, Johns Hopkins Hospital. His team has developed cell-free DNA (cfDNA) approaches that reliably detect transplant rejection at an earlier stage than biopsy. Dr. Agbor-Enoh relates the influences of his early background on his current work, surprises and discoveries in his research on lung transplantation, and how these findings can be applied for other medical conditions — while offering advice and encouragement to young physician-scientists and colleagues. — Posted March 2023
Maya Hoptman
Recipient of the 2023 Marian W. Ropes, MD, Award: Wendy S. Garrett, MD, PhD

The American Society for Clinical Investigation is pleased to recognize Wendy S. Garrett, MD, PhD, as the recipient of the inaugural ASCI/Marian W. Ropes, MD, Award, for her scientific contributions to the understanding of diseases related to perturbations in the balance between the immune system and microbiome. Dr. Garrett, who will be recognized at the 2023 AAP/ASCI/APSA Joint Meeting, receives an honorarium of $10,000, and delivers a scientific talk at the 2024 meeting.
Dr. Garrett’s work has provided insight into how gut microbes instigate and propagate inflammation, and how host and microbial factors work in concert to exacerbate inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Her laboratory discovered that intestinal tuft cells orchestrate antiparasite immunity, with taste receptors playing key roles. Dr. Garrett established that oral microbes promote the development of colorectal cancer. Her work on short-chain fatty acids and regulatory T cells identified a diet-derived microbial metabolite that regulates a lymphocyte population of critical importance for human health. Dr. Garrett’s study of chronic kidney disease in patients with colon cancer spurred preclinical studies indicating that changes in dietary amino acid consumption can have a marked effect on microbial enzyme activities.
Dr. Garrett founded the Harvard Chan Microbiome in Public Health Center and co-leads a Cancer Research UK Grand Challenges Award — including more than 100 North American and European researchers — to study colon cancer and the gut microbiome. As associate director of the immunology graduate program at Harvard Medical School, she has taken on leadership roles for diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging — as a mentor for women and postdoctoral fellows underrepresented in biomedical sciences.
I am enormously grateful to my mentors and to trailblazers like Dr. Ropes who made my career path possible, inspire me to emulate their scientific rigor, clinic acumen, and their outstanding mentorship and to pay it forward.
— Dr. Garrett
She was nominated for this recognition by Dr. Laurie H. Glimcher, who wrote, “The breadth and depth of her lab’s works is phenomenal, and she has made many fundamental contributions to the fields of microbiology and immunology of import for inflammatory bowel diseases, cancer, immunity against parasitic infections, and chronic kidney disease.”
Dr. Garrett received her BS, MS, MD, and PhD from Yale University. She completed her clinical residency at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and fellowship at Harvard Medical School and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute; her research fellowship was at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (HSPH). She is Irene Heinz Given Professor of Immunology and Infectious Diseases at HSPH and professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Garrett was elected to the ASCI in 2020.
Recipient of the 2023 Louis W. Sullivan, MD, Award: Duane A. Mitchell, MD, PhD
Dr. Mitchell’s research focuses on the development of immunotherapy treatments for adults and children with malignant brain tumors. In studying glioblastoma, an aggressive and therapy-resistant aggressive type of cancer, his laboratory found that preconditioning the vaccine site with a potent recall antigen such as tetanus/diphtheria toxoid significantly improved lymph node homing and efficacy of tumor antigen–specific dendritic cells in both patients and a mouse model. His team discovered that certain hematopoietic stem cells could overcome complete resistance to PD-1 checkpoint blockade treatment through mechanisms that alter the tumor microenvironment in glioblastoma. In evaluation of personalized adoptive cellular therapy for refractory pediatric medulloblastoma, Dr. Mitchell demonstrated the safety and profound clonal T cell expansion of tumor-reactive lymphocytes; tumor-reactive T cells persisted in circulation for months after treatment in preclinical models and in children with relapsed medulloblastoma. Dr. Mitchell’s many discoveries have formed the basis of FDA-approved investigational new drug applications and first-in-human phase I and phase II clinical trials.
My sincerest hope is that through my research I can contribute to the body of knowledge that ultimately leads to more effective treatments for cancer, that through my mentorship I can turn my mistakes into others’ wisdom to be applied toward even greater goals, and that through my example, I can inspire the minds of other young people, particularly young black men, to pursue the remarkable journey and rewarding life of the physician-scientist.
— Dr. Mitchell

Dr. Jonathan D. Licht nominated Dr. Mitchell for the Award in recognition of his “pioneering work, outstanding leadership, and dedicated service … In addition to being an accomplished scientist and excellent mentor, Dr. Mitchell is an impactful leader at our institution and on the national stage.”
Dr. Mitchell received his BA from Rutgers College and his MD and PhD from Duke University, where he also completed his residency and postdoctoral work. Along with his role as director of the University of Florida Clinical and Translational Science Institute, he is Assistant Vice President for Research; Associate Dean for Clinical and Translational Sciences in the College of Medicine codirector of the Preston A. Wells, Jr., Center for Brain Tumor Therapy at UF Health; and Phyllis Kottler Friedman Professor in the Lillian S. Wells Department of Neurosurgery. Dr. Mitchell was elected to the ASCI in 2020.
Charles S. Dela Cruz, MD, PhD—video clip
Dr. Nana-Sinkam interviewed 2022 ASCI inductee Charles S. Dela Cruz, MD, PhD (view profile) at the end of the year. Dr. Dela Cruz is Associate Professor of Medicine (Pulmonary Critical Care and Sleep Medicine) and Microbial Pathogenesis; Director, Center for Pulmonary Infection Research and Treatment (CPIRT); Vice Chief, Clinical and Basic Research; and Director, Physician Scientist Training Program in the Department of Internal Medicine at Yale School of Medicine. His laboratory studies the role of respiratory infection in the pathogenesis of acute and chronic lung diseases, specifically how lung infection/pneumonia contribute to inflammation, injury, and tissue repair in the lung. Dr. Dela Cruz discusses his history as a researcher and clinician, offers advice about finding a niche in both areas, and reflects on how the experience with COVID is influencing how the physician-scientist works. — Posted December 2022
Valerie A. Arboleda, MD, PhD—video clip
Our second Perspectives video features Dr. Nana-Sinkam’s interview with 2022 ASCI inductee Valerie A. Arboleda, MD, PhD (view profile), Assistant Professor of Pathology, Laboratory Medicine, and Human Genetics at the University of California, Los Angeles. Dr. Arboleda’s research focuses on the application of next-generation sequencing to understand the basis of genetic syndromes. She talks about her scientific background; her contribution to developing an FDA-approved scalable COVID-19 test; and the need to improve equity in genetic testing.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion update — July 2022
The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee is pleased to announce a new video series, ASCI Perspectives.
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Led by Committee Member Patrick Nana-Sinkam, MD (Virginia Commonwealth University; elected 2019), the interviews are a forum to highlight physician-scientists in the ASCI community who are members of populations underrepresented in medicine or science (UiMS). We invite you to watch for first-person insights into the guest’s career path, scientific work, and mentoring and collaborative relationships.
We are proud to initiate the series with new ASCI member Consuelo H. Wilkins, MD, MSCI (view profile), who is Chief Equity Officer and Senior Associate Dean for Health Equity and Inclusive Excellence; Associate Director of the Vanderbilt Institute for Translational Science; and Professor of Medicine, Division of Geriatric Medicine, Vanderbilt University. Dr. Wilkins, a leading health equity researcher, discusses the origins of her research path and shares lessons learned.
View the video: full interview (15.5 min); shorter clip (4.5 min).
Click here to read the transcript.
ASCI Resources
- Current DEIC members
- ASCI statement on diversity, inclusion, and equity
- Voters approve Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity Committee for addition to bylaws
- ASCI definitions of diversity, equity, inclusion, and underrepresented in medicine and science
Consuelo H. Wilkins, MD, MSCI—video clip
The DEIC is proud to initiate the ASCI Perspectives series with DEIC Member Dr. Patrick Nana-Sinkam’s (elected 2019; view profile) interview with Consuelo H. Wilkins, MD, MSCI (elected 2022; view profile). Dr. Wilkins is Chief Equity Officer and Senior Associate Dean for Health Equity and Inclusive Excellence; Associate Director of the Vanderbilt Institute for Translational Science; and Professor of Medicine, Division of Geriatric Medicine, Vanderbilt University. She was elected to the National Academy of Medicine in 2020. In the interview, Dr. Wilkins, a leading health equity researcher, discusses the origins of her research path and shares lessons learned.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion update – March 2021
Message from the Chair
March 2021

I am pleased to share with you the the accomplishments of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee (DEIC) since it was established in 2020. The ASCI bylaws state that the DEIC “ensures that the organization, its programs, and its mentoring mechanisms promote and recognize diversity, inclusion, and equity.” With these goals in mind, the Committee has developed two foundational documents.
The first intended to establish a common understanding of key terms. This Definitions document outlines the considerations underlying diversity, equity, and inclusion, as well as presenting the term “underrepresented in medicine and science (UiMS)” in reference to populations that are underrepresented relative to their numbers in the general US population.
The second is a mechanism to collect detailed demographic information, which was initiated with the 2022 member nomination process and will be applied in all areas of the Society. We ask that members provide demographic details through their ASCI account. The data will allow us to determine the current makeup of the Society’s populations, areas needing attention, and changes over time. Information will be kept confidential, and data deidentified for any reporting.
I look forward to bringing you news of further steps the Committee and the ASCI undertake in the areas of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and invite you to return to this page for periodic updates and additional resources.
Sincerely, on behalf of the Committee,
Sophie Paczesny, MD, PhD
Chair, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee
Past messages of note
- June 2020 – From the ASCI President. In view of the events of 2020 that brought US systemic racism and inequality into sharp focus, President Lorraine Ware described in a message to the membership a plan to establish a Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity Committee in the ASCI bylaws. The Committee’s would aim to ensure that all ASCI programs emphasize diversity, inclusion, and equity; establish mentoring opportunities for underrepresented physician-scientists; and consider how the ASCI can better recognize and promote health equity research.
- August 2020 – JCI Viewpoint. The leadership of the Society, the Journal of Clinical Investigation, and JCI Insight expanded on the Statement with a publication in the JCI, providing greater detail – including planned evaluation of the current status of diversity, inclusion, and equity — as well as historical and present-day context for the ASCI and its publications.
Resources
ASCI pages and posts
- Current DEIC members
- ASCI statement on diversity, inclusion, and equity
- Voters approve Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity Committee for addition to bylaws
- ASCI definitions of diversity, equity, inclusion, and underrepresented in medicine and science
Publications in the JCI Family of Journals
JCI Viewpoints
- The US biological sciences faculty gap in Asian representation
- The quagmire of race, genetic ancestry, and health disparities
- Innovations in MD-only physician-scientist training: experiences from the Burroughs Wellcome Fund physician-scientist institutional award initiative
- An immigrant’s experience: science is a discipline without borders
- Contributions of immigrants to biomedical research in the US: a personal reflection
- Getting into good trouble: Black lives matter and Black professors matter
- Promoting the success of women and minority physician-scientists in academic medicine: a dean’s perspective
- Toward realizing diversity in academic medicine
- Reflections of a Black woman physician-scientist
- A deliberate path toward diversity, equity, and inclusion within the ASCI
- COVID-19, racism, and thepursuit of health care and research worthy of trust
- Toward an equitable society: building a culture of antiracism in health care
- Controversies surrounding female athletes with differences in sexual development
- Using admission statistics to encourage diverse applicants to MD-PhD programs
- Equity and diversity in academic medicine: a perspective from the JCI editors
- The perils of intersectionality: racial and sexual harassment in medicine
- Diving beneath the surface: addressing gender inequities among clinical investigators
JCI Editorial
Presidential addresses
- 2021 ASCI: Physician-scientists in the pandemic era: tidal wave or rising tide?
- 2020 American Physician Scientist Association: “Stop scaring the children”: a call for resilient and tenacious optimism
- 2019 Association of American Physicians: Diversification in the medical sciences fuels growth of physician-scientists
JCI Insight Perspectives
JCI Editor’s update, January 2021
Dear Colleague,
As the year 2021 begins, I would like to take the opportunity to update you on recent JCI activity. The Journal continues to build on its history of publishing outstanding biomedical research that garners wide attention (highlighted below my signature).
The COVID-19 pandemic affected the JCI’s operations in many ways:
- Due to the pandemic’s disruption of research activities, the editorial board instituted new policies to streamline the review and decision processes, and to allow authors enough time to complete additional experiments requested by reviewers (see the related editorial).
- The number of research submissions increased by almost 25% in 2020 compared with 2019.
- Among a total of 424 research articles, the JCI published 19 on COVID-19.
In the Clinical Medicine (CMED) category, now in its eighth year, the JCI continues to welcome submissions reporting diagnostic advances, new medical therapies and interventions, and observational studies that have the potential to improve medical practice and health outcomes. In 2020, the JCI published 57 CMED articles, including:
- Clinical and immunological features of severe and moderate coronavirus disease 2019 (times viewed: 48,645)
- Early safety indicators of COVID-19 convalescent plasma in 5000 patients (times viewed: 8,344)
JCI Viewpoint articles have showcased experts and thought leaders in medicine, academia, nonprofit organizations, and industry, and representatives of the JCI and the ASCI on subjects of topical and long-term interest to scientists and society at large. In January, the Journal published a series of Viewpoints on the effects of climate change on human health. A July Viewpoint, Preventing cytokine storm syndrome in COVID-19 using α-1 adrenergic receptor antagonists, attracted nearly 16,000 views. Other Viewpoint articles have dealt with COVID-19; translational medicine; the effects of vaping; marijuana use in pregnancy; alternative medicine; and racism, diversity, and health equity. Watch for a Viewpoint series on team science to be published early this year.
The Journal published four Review Series, edited by members of our board:
- Big Data’s Future in Medicine
- Immunotherapy in Hematological Cancers
- Latency in Infectious Diseases
- Hypoxia-Inducible Factors in Disease Pathophysiology and Therapeutics
Individual Reviews covered a range of subjects, from COVID-19 to gene therapy to metabolism.
Reminders:
- ASCI members who are the corresponding author of a first-round submission to the JCI, and whose dues are current, may designate one submission per calendar year to be guaranteed for external peer review. For details, visit the JCI Information for Authors page.
- Authors may transfer manuscripts from the preprint server bioRxiv and medRxiv for submission to the JCI.
I wish you a happy and productive New Year, and look forward to reading your best work.
Sincerely,
Rexford S. Ahima, MD, PhD
Editor, The Journal of Clinical Investigation
Corresponding authors who are ASCI members are indicated in bold.
Top-viewed JCI articles, 2020
Source: Google Analytics, December 29, 2020
Times viewed: 172,437
Clinical Medicine
Times viewed: 48,645
Times viewed: 45,365
Commentary
Times viewed: 44,426
Times viewed: 15,768
Concise Communication
Times viewed: 14,447
Times viewed: 10,647
Times viewed: 9,887
Times viewed: 8,344
Times viewed: 7,771
Clinical Medicine
Times viewed: 6,962
The JCI in selected news outlets, 2020
Source: Altmetric, December 29, 2020
Mentioned in Popular Science
Clinical Medicine
Mentioned in National Geographic; by National Public Radio (NPR)
Clinical Medicine
Mentioned in National Geographic, Popular Science
Mentioned by CNN
Mentioned in Psychology Today
Mentioned in the Daily Mail (United Kingdom)
Clinical Medicine
Mentioned in La Repubblica (Italy)
Mentioned in Scientific American, Newsweek
Social media activity: Twitter
Source: Altmetric, December 29, 2020
Clinical Medicine
Twitter mentions: 3,826
Twitter mentions: 2,643
Commentary
Twitter mentions: 2,564
Concise Communication
Twitter mentions: 1,088
Concise Communication
Twitter mentions: 569
Twitter mentions: 464
Clinical Medicine
Twitter mentions: 349
Articles with ASCI members as corresponding authors in 2020
Concise Communication
Concise Communication
Concise Communication
Concise Communication
Clinical Medicine
Concise Communication
JCI Editor’s update, December 2019
Dear Colleague,
As the year draws to a close, I wanted to take the opportunity to update you on recent JCI activity. The Journal continues to build on its history of publishing outstanding biomedical research, garnering wide attention in the scientific literature, the press, and social media (highlighted below). In particular, the Clinical Medicine category, now in its seventh year, continues to flourish, with 25 articles published in 2019. Among these were two of the highest-cited JCI papers of the year, on the role of androgen receptor splice variant-7 in castration-resistant prostate cancer; and the use of B cell maturation antigen–targeted CAR T cells in multiple myeloma. We welcome submissions from ASCI members reporting new medical therapies, interventions, diagnostic advances, or observational studies in humans that have the potential to change medical practice.
Viewpoint articles have given voice to experts and thought leaders in medicine, academia, nonprofit organizations, industry, and representatives of the JCI and ASCI on subjects of topical and long-term interest. In one recent Viewpoint (available here), the women on the JCI Editorial Board share their perspective on achieving equity for women and underrepresented minorities in academic medicine leadership, including in societies and journals. In another, Kieren Marr (2018-19 ASCI President) et al. discuss the Society’s strategic support of physician-scientists. In early January, look for a series of Viewpoints on the effects of climate change on human health.
The Journal published four Review Series this year, on mechanisms underlying the metabolic syndrome, reparative immunology, allergy, and familial cancer predisposition syndromes, the latter three with series editors who are ASCI members. Individual Reviews covered a range of subjects, from vaccines to endocrinology to neurology, including a highly cited article on the functional significance of platelet immune receptors.
Reminders:
- ASCI members who are the corresponding author of a first-round submission to the JCI, and whose dues are current, may designate one submission per calendar year to be guaranteed for external peer review. For details, visit the For Authors page.
- Authors may transfer manuscripts from the preprint server bioRxiv for submission to the JCI.
I wish you all the best for the New Year, and look forward to reading your best work.
Sincerely,
Rexford S. Ahima, MD, PhD
Editor, The Journal of Clinical Investigation
The JCI in selected news outlets, 2019
Source: Altmetric. Corresponding authors who are ASCI members are indicated in bold.
Research
Mentioned in BBC News
Research
Mentioned in Japan Times; Haaretz (Israel); US News and World Report; WIRED
Mentioned in Newsweek
Clinical Medicine
Mentioned in Newsweek
Clinical Medicine
Mentioned in Discover Magazine and Der Spiegel
Concise Communication
Mentioned in Wiener-Zeitung (Austria); Daily Mail (United Kingdom)
Social media activity: Twitter
Source: Altmetric, November 2019. Corresponding authors who are ASCI members are indicated in bold.
Twitter mentions: 395
Research
Twitter mentions: 322
Concise Communication
Twitter mentions: 218
Highest-cited research published in 2019
Source: Web of Science as of November 25, 2019. Corresponding authors who are ASCI members are indicated in bold.
Clinical Medicine
Times cited: 23
Times cited: 22
Research
Times cited: 14
Clinical Medicine
Times cited: 13
Times cited: 12
Times cited: 12
Times cited: 12
Times cited: 10