January Recognitions

Attardi has been named a fellow of the American Association for Cancer Research Academy. The Catharine and Howard Avery Professor in the School of Medicine and professor of genetics and of radiation oncology is being honored for her research dedicated to delineating p53 transcriptional networks, identifying novel p53 target genes critical for tumor suppression, and characterizing mechanisms by which p53 governs cell fate.

The research intern in the pathology and genetics department and high school senior has placed as a finalist in the Regeneron Science Talent Search, one of the nation’s most prestigious research competitions. Finalists in the competition were selected based on the originality and creativity of their scientific research as well as their achievement and leadership. Chakravarthy’s research is focused on leveraging mitochondrial DNA mutations for macrophage lineage tracing in primary human tissues. The award includes a $27,000 grant. He will present his research in Washington, DC, this spring for the opportunity to win up to an additional $250,000.

The Virginia and D.K. Ludwig Professor in Cancer Research and professor of dermatology and of genetics has received Saudi Arabia’s King Faisal Prize for Science in biology. The prize is in recognition of Chang’s work in uncovering the significance of long non-coding RNAs in gene regulation and his collaborative efforts in advancing genome-wide methodologies to identify DNA regulatory regions. The prize includes a certificate written in Arabic Diwani calligraphy and signed by the chairman of the prize board, Prince Khalid Al-Faisal Bin Abd Al-Aziz, along with a 24-carat, 200-gram gold medal and a $200,000 grant.

Gray has been named a fellow of the American Association for Cancer Research Academy. The Krishnan-Shah Family Professor and professor of chemical and systems biology is recognized for his innovative, structure-based chemical biology approaches to designing and developing protein inhibitors and degraders that have transformed the future of cancer therapeutics, and for spearheading novel combinatorial chemistry and genomic approaches that have resulted in the development of several cancer therapies.

Nusse has been named a fellow of the American Association for Cancer Research Academy. The Virginia and Daniel K. Ludwig Professor in Cancer Research and professor of developmental biology is honored for his research on the Wnt signaling pathway, including the initial discovery and purification of Wnt family proteins, and for subsequently unraveling their significance in physiological development, stem cell biology, tissue regeneration and carcinogenesis.

The postdoctoral scholar in neurology has been named a fellow of the ChadTough Defeat DIPG Foundation. One of the primary goals of the foundation is to attract more brilliant minds to childhood brain cancer research. Su will receive a grant of $289,125 in support of her research focused on targeting voltage-sensitive mechanisms of DIPG growth, specifically how membrane depolarization regulates glioma growth in the tumor microenvironment.

The professor of cardiovascular medicine and associate chief of staff for precision health at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System had been named a recipient of the American Heart Association’s Merit Award. The award is one of the highest honors given by the association and supports highly promising, novel research that has the potential to move cardiovascular science forward quickly, with high impact. As one of three awardees, Tsao will receive a $1 million grant in support of his research, which focuses on how vaping may impact the risk of developing an abdominal aortic aneurysm, which is a weakening of the major artery in the abdominal area.