Six Vanderbilt University faculty members have been elected 2020 fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, an honor bestowed upon AAAS members by their peers.
“Coming from multiple departments in the University and Medical Center, this year’s newly elected fellows should be very proud of their recognition,” Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Susan R. Wente said. “Their election to the AAAS marks significant contributions to scientific inquiry and speaks to the importance of intellectual curiosity and bold innovation in our present moment. Vanderbilt is fortunate to have these leaders amongst our faculty.”
The 2020 Vanderbilt fellows are:
Antonis Rokas, PhD, Cornelius Vanderbilt Chair and professor of Biological Sciences: For distinguished contributions to the field of evolutionary biology, particularly combining phylogenetic and molecular approaches to study the evolution of fungal and animal genomes.
Raymond Harris, MD, Ann and Roscoe R. Robinson Professor of Nephrology and professor of Medicine: For distinguished contributions to the field of nephrology particularly in elucidating hormonal regulation of renal function.
Richard Peek, MD, Mina Cobb Wallace Professor of Immunology and professor of Medicine: For distinguished contributions to the field of microbial-induced carcinogenesis, particularly for development of innovative ex vivo and tractable in vivo models to define bacterial oncoproteins.
Kimryn Rathmell, MD, PhD, Hugh J. Morgan Chair and professor of Medicine: For distinguished contributions elucidating molecular mechanisms and translational approaches in renal and other hypoxia- driven cancers.
John Jeffrey Reese, MD, Mildred Thornton Stahlman Chair in Perinatology and professor of Pediatrics: For distinguished contributions to the field of reproductive biology and fetal vascular development, particularly for insights into prostaglandin signaling and fetal-maternal communication during pregnancy.
Matthew Bret Weinger, MD, MS, Norman Ty Smith Professor of Patient Safety and Medical Simulation, professor of Anesthesiology: For distinguished contributions to the fields of human factors, clinician performance, and patient safety.
This year 489 members have been awarded this honor by AAAS because of their scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications. Vanderbilt has 141 AAAS fellows among its current and emeriti faculty in departments across the University and Medical Center.