January 5, 2012
CONTACT: Karen Kreeger
karen.kreeger@uphs.upenn.edu
This release is available online at
http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2012/01/aaas-fellows-2012/
Four Penn Professors Named AAAS Fellows
PHILADELPHIA - Four faculty members at the University of Pennsylvania have been named Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), three from the Perelman School of Medicine. This year 539 members have been awarded this honor by AAAS because of their scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications.
- David Boettiger, PhD, Emeritus Professor of Microbiology, Perelman School of Medicine, for distinguished contributions to tumor virology and to integrin-mediated cell adhesion, particularly for the identification of adhesion signaling and its regulation by mechanical forces.
- Nancy Bonini, PhD, Professor of Biology, School of Arts and Sciences, Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, for distinguished contributions in the fields of basic and translational neuroscience, particularly as applied to understanding neurodegenerative disorders.
- Nigel Fraser, PhD, Professor of Microbiology, Perelman School of Medicine, for outstanding discoveries about the mechanisms of herpes virus biology, particularly in the area of herpes simplex virus latency and reactivation.
- David Weiner, PhD, Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine for pioneering and enabling discoveries in the area of DNA vaccines: bench to bedside, and promoting the field and scientists interested in DNA vaccines.
New Fellows will be presented with an official certificate and a gold and blue (representing science and engineering, respectively) rosette pin on Saturday, 18 February at the AAAS Fellows Forum during the 2012 AAAS Annual Meeting in Vancouver, B.C., Canada.
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Penn Medicine is one of the world's leading academic medical centers, dedicated to the related missions of medical education, biomedical research, and excellence in patient care. Penn Medicine consists of the Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania (founded in 1765 as the nation's first medical school) and the University of Pennsylvania Health System, which together form a $4.3 billion enterprise.
The Perelman School of Medicine has been ranked among the top five medical schools in the United States for the past 16 years, according to U.S. News & World Report's survey of research-oriented medical schools. The School is consistently among the nation's top recipients of funding from the National Institutes of Health, with $398 million awarded in the 2012 fiscal year.
The University of Pennsylvania Health System's patient care facilities include: The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania -- recognized as one of the nation's top "Honor Roll" hospitals by U.S. News & World Report; Penn Presbyterian Medical Center; and Pennsylvania Hospital -- the nation's first hospital, founded in 1751. Penn Medicine also includes additional patient care facilities and services throughout the Philadelphia region.
Penn Medicine is committed to improving lives and health through a variety of community-based programs and activities. In fiscal year 2012, Penn Medicine provided $827 million to benefit our community.