November 7, 2003
Dana-Farber president elected AAAS fellow in recognition of his contributions to blood cell research
Edward J. Benz Jr., MD
Edward J. Benz, Jr. M.D., president of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and an internationally recognized hematologist, has been elected a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
AAAS fellows are chosen for their efforts to advance science or applications that are deemed scientifically or socially distinguished. New fellows will be presented with an official certificate and a gold and blue rosette pin Saturday, Feb. 14, 2004, at the Fellows Forum during the AAAS Annual Meeting in Seattle, Wash.
Benz was elected AAAS fellow for his fundamental studies unraveling the genetic mechanisms of blood cell differentiation and diversity. As a medical student working collaboratively with Prof. Bernard Forget, Benz was the first to show that analysis of gene DNA and its messenger RNA products could be used to study a human disease, beta-thalassemia. More recently, Benz and his laboratory colleagues have shown that a key red cell membrane protein, protein 4.1, has novel and unexpected roles in cell division and control of cell growth in other tissues, and may be involved in tumor suppression.
"I am honored and very pleasantly surprised to have been elected to this distinguished body of scientists," says Benz, who is also the Richard and Susan Smith Professor of Medicine, a professor of pediatrics, and a professor of pathology at Harvard Medical School. "This is really as much a tribute to the people in my lab as it is to me."
The tradition of AAAS Fellows began in 1874. Currently, members can be considered for the rank of fellow if nominated by the Steering Groups from the Association's 24 sections, any three fellows who are current AAAS members (so long as two of the three sponsors are not affiliated with the nominee's institution), or the Chief Executive Officer. AAAS elected 348 fellows this year.
Each Steering Group then reviews the nominations of individuals within its respective section and a final list is forwarded to the AAAS Council, which votes on the aggregate list.
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is a principal teaching affiliate of the Harvard Medical School and is among the leading cancer research and care centers in the United States. It is a founding member of the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center (DF/HCC), designated a comprehensive cancer center by the National Cancer Institute.
Founded in 1848, the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) has worked to advance science for human well-being through its projects, programs, and publications, in the areas of science policy, science education and international scientific cooperation. AAAS and its journal, Science, report nearly 140,000 individual and institutional subscribers, plus 272 affiliated organizations in more than 130 countries, serving a total of 10 million individuals. Thus, AAAS is the world's largest general federation of scientists. Science is an editorially independent, multidisciplinary, peer-reviewed weekly that ranks among the world's most prestigious scientific journals.
