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| Beth McCormick, PhD | |
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| Oliver Rando, MD, PhD | |
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| Celia Schiffer, PhD |
UMass Medical School scientists Beth McCormick, PhD; Oliver Rando, MD, PhD; and Celia Schiffer, PhD, have been elected fellows of the American Academy of Microbiology for their scientific achievement and original contributions to the field of microbiology.
Elected in a highly selective peer-reviewed process, Drs. McCormick, Rando and Schiffer join more than 2,400 fellows of the academy, which is the honorific leadership group of the American Society for Microbiology, the world’s oldest and largest life sciences organization.
McCormick’s research is focused on mucosal inflammation, host-pathogen interactions and cancer biology. Her lab employs enteric pathogens to understand the disease pathophysiology underlying both acute and chronic diseases of the intestinal tract known as inflammatory bowel disease. McCormick is vice chair and professor of microbiology & physiological systems and founder and director of the UMass Center for Microbiome Research.
Rando’s research focuses on epigenetic inheritance, with a specific focus on the study of the nucleoprotein complex known as chromatin. Work from Rando’s lab coupled with epidemiologic studies have linked paternal diet to diseases such as diabetes and heart disease in the next generation. He is professor of biochemistry & molecular pharmacology. In 2014, Rando was the recipient of a 2014 NIH Director’s Pioneer Award to explore how a father’s diet can influence the metabolism of his children.
Schiffer’s research is focused on understanding the molecular basis for drug resistance and the potential for developing very powerful anti-virals by addressing drug resistance during the drug design process. In 2014, she received an NIH program grant to better understand the complex processes by which diseases rapidly develop resistance to drugs. Schiffer is professor of biochemistry & molecular pharmacology and co-director of the UMass Institute for Drug Resistance. She is also director of the NIH-funded Center for AIDS Research at UMMS.
McCormick, Rando and Schiffer join these other UMMS faculty as AAM fellows:
- Roger J. Davis, PhD, Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator, H. Arthur Smith Chair in Cancer Research and professor of molecular medicine and biochemistry & molecular pharmacology
- James Reid Gilmore, PhD, professor of biochemistry & molecular pharmacology
- Douglas T. Golenbock, MD, professor of medicine and microbiology & physiological systems
- Allan S. Jacobson, PhD, Gerald L. Haidak, MD, and Zelda S. Haidak Professor in Cell Biology and chair and professor of microbiology & physiological systems
- Jeremy Luban, MD, the David L. Freelander Memorial Professor in HIV/AIDS Research and professor of molecular medicine
- Stuart M. Levitz, MD, professor of medicine
- Martin G. Marinus, PhD, professor emeritus of biochemistry & molecular pharmacology
- Trudy Morrison, PhD, professor of microbiology & physiological systems
- Thoru Pederson, PhD, the Vitold Arnett Professor in Cell Biology and professor of biochemistry & molecular pharmacology
- Peter A. Rice, MD, professor of medicine
- Raymond Welsh, PhD, professor of pathology and microbiology & physiological systems
- George B. Witman, PhD, the George F. Booth Chair in the Basic Sciences and professor of cell & developmental biology
Related stories on UMassMedNow:
UMass Cancer Avatar Institute, Center for Microbiome Research backed by UMass president
NIH awards Schiffer $7.9 million to attack drug resistance
Rando receives NIH Director’s Pioneer Award for epigenetic inheritance research
