Noteworthy

Leadership changes in neurobiology department

On August 1, David Ginty (fig. 1), the Edward R. and Anne G. Lefler Professor of Neurobiology, became chair of the Department of Neurobiology in the Blavatnik Institute at HMS. He succeeds Michael Greenberg, the Nathan Marsh Pusey Professor of Neurobiology, who announced last November that he would step down after 14 years as chair.

“The department stands for excellence and inclusion in neuroscience research, training, and education,” said HMS Dean George Q. Daley, MD ’91, in his announcement of Ginty’s appointment, “and I am confident that David will further strengthen and evolve what is arguably the nation’s, if not the world’s, preeminent neurobiology department.”

Ginty is the seventh chair to lead the department. Founded in 1966, it is considered to be the first neurobiology department established in the world. Today, the department includes thirty research laboratories in which scientists study neuroscience at the molecular, cellular, circuit, and systems levels.

“It is an honor and privilege to have this opportunity to lead the department during this period of extraordinary discovery,” said Ginty.

Ginty did postdoctoral work in neurobiology at HMS in the early 1990s. In 2013, he returned to the department as a member of its faculty and has served as associate director of the Harvard Program in Neuroscience and as a primary mentor to numerous graduate students and postdoctoral fellows who have gone on to posts in academia and industry. Ginty also is a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator, a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

In his announcement, Daley thanked Greenberg “for his incredible vision and leadership of the department, and for being a thoughtful and trusted advisor to countless colleagues, including me.” Greenberg will remain a faculty member in the neurobiology department.

Members of the Class of 2026 welcomed to campus

In August, HMS and the Harvard School of Dental Medicine celebrated a defining tradition: a week of welcome for new students together with the presentation of the white coats that signify their entrance into the professions of medicine and dentistry (fig. 2).

In his greeting to the students, George Q. Daley, MD ’91, dean of HMS, told the students that despite challenges they may face, each of them possesses what they need to achieve their goals.

“Let me assure you that if you remain focused on what you came here to do — to discover what it means to be a good doctor, to absorb the latest in biomedical science, and to cultivate effective leadership skills — you will go far,” Daley said.

The 164 students who make up the incoming MD class include 92 women, 69 men, and 3 people with different gender identities. The total number of entering dental students is 35, with 21 women and 14 men.

Twenty percent of the entering MD class are members of groups underrepresented in medicine. Twenty-one students identify themselves as LGBTQ. The entering students hail from Brazil, Canada, Mexico, New Zealand, and thirty-six U.S. states.

Within the MD class, 135 students are enrolled in the Pathways curriculum, which incorporates early clinical experience and advanced clinical and student-tailored science courses, as well as collaborative, case-based pedagogy. Twenty-eight students are enrolled in the Health Sciences and Technology program, a Harvard University, HMS, and MIT collaboration focused on translational medical science and engineering. Fourteen students are enrolled in the Harvard/MIT MD-PhD Program, indicating that they plan to earn an additional advanced degree while completing their medical studies.

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Coursework for the students’ first week was designed to give them a shared fundamental understanding of key concepts that will be important in their future careers, while first clinical experiences provided them an introduction to the doctor-patient relationship.

HMS surgeon tapped to lead National Cancer Institute

The Biden administration announced in early August that Monica Bertagnolli (fig. 3), an HMS faculty member who has dedicated her career to improving the lives of patients with cancer, will be the next director of the National Cancer Institute, the nation’s lead agency for cancer research.

Bertagnolli is the HMS Richard E. Wilson Professor of Surgery in the Field of Surgical Oncology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. She also serves as a clinical researcher and a surgical oncologist at the Dana-Farber Brigham Cancer Center and as a member of the Gastrointestinal and Sarcoma Treatment Centers at DanaFarber Cancer Institute.

In an interview following her appointment, Bertagnolli reflected on this new opportunity. “I hope to do everything possible to get the very best tools in the hands of colleagues. That’s what our patients need. The exciting thing about the NCI is that it truly reaches every part of our society. It enables new discoveries in basic science laboratories and it works to translate them into findings that transform patient care for everyone in America, including those in the most underserved communities. It’s the thrill of a lifetime to be able to join the team at NCI.”

Although Bertagnolli thinks there is much promise in oncology now, from basic science research to work by the biotech industry, she does see challenges. The most critical, she said during her interview, is getting research results translated directly into benefits for all patients, not just those who have advantages.

“There is both incredible excitement and promise, but it’s also a huge challenge.”