Rakesh Jain, Ph.D.

Andrew Werk Cook Professor of Tumor Biology, Harvard Medical School
Director of the Edwin L. Steele Laboratory for Tumor Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital Recipient, 2013 National Medal of Science

Dr. Jain is widely known for uncovering physical and physiological barriers to the delivery and efficacy of molecular, nano, and immuno-therapeutics; developing innovative strategies; and then translating these strategies from bench to bedside. He has mentored more than 200 doctoral and postdoctoral students; authored more than 700 publications that have been cited more than 100,000 times – making him among the top one percent of cited researchers in clinical medicine. Today, he is the Cook Professor of Tumor Biology at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Jain is the recipient of more than 90 awards, including the 2013 National Medal of Science from President Barack Obama for developing new ways to manipulate tumors. He holds the rare distinction of being a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, AND the National Academy of Medicine.

Leland Hartwell, Ph.D.

2001 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

Dr. Hartwell led a research team at the Department of Genetics, University of Washington, using cell biology and genetics to investigate how yeast cells divide. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discoveries of protein molecules that control the division of cells. Other honors include the Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research, the Gairdner Foundation International Award, the Alfred P. Sloan Award, and the Genetics Society Medal of Honor.

George M. Whitesides, Ph.D.

Recipient, 1998 National Medal of Science
Harvard University Professor of Chemistry

A giant in the field of chemistry and a prolific author of more than 950 scientific articles, Dr. Whitesides is best known for his work in the areas of NMR spectroscopy, organometallic chemistry, molecular self-assembly, soft lithography, microfabrication, microfluidics, and nanotechnology. He has received dozens of awards, including the Dreyfus Prize in the Chemical Sciences for his creation of new materials and the Priestley Medal, which is the highest honor bestowed by the American Chemical Society.

Jaime Hope, M.D.

Emergency Medicine Physician, Beaumont Hospital
Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine, Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine

In the Emergency Department of one of the nation’s busiest Level 1 trauma tertiary care centers, Dr. Hope, often sees patients on the worst days of their lives. Always passionate about preventive medicine, she inspires others to improve their habits and avoid needing to come to the emergency department. Dr. Hope is an Assistant Professor at the Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine and teaches Behavior Change and Motivational Interviewing courses to future physicians. She speaks regularly on a broad variety of medical and health-related topics, the most popular of which have been Healthy Habits, Confidence and Overcoming Imposter Syndrome, and Resilience.

Robert J. Lefkowitz, M.D.

2012 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
2007 National Medal of Science

Dr. Lefkowitz studied and trained to become a physician at Columbia University, and upon completing his medical residency, research, and clinical training he was appointed Associate Professor of Medicine and Assistant Professor of Biochemistry at the Duke University Medical Center. Dr. Lefkowitz studies receptor biology and signal transduction. Acknowledging that each cell has a small receiver known as a receptor, which is able to receive hormones, Dr. Lefkowitz attached a radioactive isotope of iodine to the hormone adrenaline in 1968. By tracking the radiation emitted by the isotope, he succeeded in finding a receptor for adrenaline and studied how it functions. Approximately half of all medications used today make use of this kind of receptor.  He is currently an Investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute as well as a James B. Duke Professor of Medicine and Professor of Biochemistry and Chemistry at Duke University.

Mary E. Klotman, M.D.

Dean, Duke University School of Medicine
Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs, Duke University

Dr. Klotman became dean of the Duke School of Medicine in June 2017. An accomplished clinician and scientist, Dr. Klotman’s research interests are focused on the molecular pathogenesis of Human Immunodeficiency Virus 1 (HIV-1) infection. Among many important contributions to this field, Dr. Klotman and her team demonstrated that HIV resides in and evolves separately in kidney cells, a critical step in HIV-associated kidney disease. Her research group also has determined the role of soluble host factors involved in an innate immune response to HIV in an effort to improve prevention strategies, topical microbicides that could be used to block sexual transmission of HIV. Most recently, her group has been defining the role of integrase-defective lentiviral vectors for the delivery of an HIV vaccine.

Sir Richard Roberts, Ph.D.

Winner, 1993 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

Dr. Roberts was educated in chemistry at the University of Sheffield, and in molecular biology at Harvard University. He worked for 20 years at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, where his group discovered RNA splicing, for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1993. He has had a long-standing interest in bioinformatics and has been applied to his research on restriction enzymes and DNA methylases. He now dedicates his research to GMO crops and food sources and demonstrating the effect they have on humanity.

Jack Szostak, Ph.D.

Winner, 2009 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
Winner, 2006 Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research

Dr. Szostak is one of the great pioneers in genetic research. A Harvard University professor of Genetics and the Alexander Rich Distinguished Investigator at Massachusetts General Hospital, he is credited with the construction of the world’s first artificial yeast chromosome. Currently, Dr. Szostak’s lab focuses on the challenges of understanding the origin of life on Earth, and the construction of artificial cellular life in the laboratory.

Francoise A. Marvel, M.D.

Cardiology Fellow, Johns Hopkins University
Cardiology Fellow, Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease
Co-Founder, Corrie Health

As a cardiology fellow at Johns Hopkins University, Dr. Marvel collaborated with Apple on an app, Corrie Health, designed to empower heart attack patients in their recovery. Corrie Health works with the Apple Watch and is the first cardiology app in CareKit, Apple’s new framework for medical applications. Corrie Health helps patients manage medications, schedule follow-up appointments, and contact healthcare providers. It also shows heart rate and steps walked each day, which are tracked by an Apple Watch, while blood pressure is monitored through another Bluetooth-enabled sensor. The American Heart Association presented Dr.Marvel and her team with a $25,000 Urban Health Accelerator grant. Dr. Marvel aims to expand our understanding of the roles of health technology, machine learning, and big data through ongoing testing and scaling of the Corrie Health platform for cardiovascular disease prevention.

Bohdan Pomahac, M.D.

Chief, Division of Plastic Surgery at Yale New Haven Hospital

Bohdan Pomahac, M.D., joined the Yale Surgery and Smilow Cancer Hospital community from Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, where he was the Roberta and Stephen R. Weiner Distinguished Chair in Surgery and Director of Vascular Composite Allograft Transplantation program.

A pioneer in his field, Dr. Pomahac’s team performed the first three full-face transplant procedures in the United States and the first successful bilateral upper extremity transplantation in the Northeast. Dr. Pomahac made Brigham and Women’s Hospital the world leader in vascularized composite transplantation, completing 10 face and three bilateral hand transplants.