AAAS elevates Dartmouth professors to rank of Fellow

Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical CenterJan 13 2011

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) has elevated four Dartmouth professors to the rank of Fellow, including three members of the faculty of Dartmouth Medical School.

Medical School faculty members Charles K. Barlowe, PhD, Ta-Yuan Chang, PhD, and William T. Wickner, MD, join Dartmouth biologist C. Robertson McClung among the 504 new Fellows named in December, 2010, joining a field of eight other Dartmouth researchers to have earned the distinction.

Barlowe, professor of biochemistry, was recognized for "distinguished contributions to the field of protein and lipid trafficking, particularly for elucidating molecular mechanisms of vesicular transport between endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi complexes."

Chang, professor and chair of biochemistry, was recognized for "distinguished contributions to our understanding of cholesterol metabolism and its role in human disease."

Wickner, professor of biochemistry, was recognized for his "singular efforts in the isolation and characterization of the bacterial secretory protein translocation complex and the complete machinery for yeast vacuole fusion."

"Dartmouth has long been a place where important research occurs," noted Dartmouth Medical School Dean Wiley "Chip" Souba, MD. "Having the quality and breadth of our distinguished scientists' work honored in this way is especially gratifying and recognizes the individual and interdisciplinary achievements that distinguish Dartmouth science and medicine."

Dartmouth's McClung was recognized "for distinguished contributions to the field of plant circadian rhythms, and for academic leadership at Dartmouth College and the American Society of Plant Biologists."

"It's wonderful to see so many colleagues recognized as AAAS Fellows," said Dartmouth Provost Carol L. Folt. "It is a remarkable achievement for them as scholars and researchers - and reflects the high caliber of scientific study under way throughout the College."

Other Dartmouth Medical School faculty who are AAAS Fellows include Ambrose Cheung, MD, professor of microbiology and immunology; Jay C. Dunlap, PhD, professor of biochemistry; and Jennifer J. Loros, PhD, professor of biochemistry and genetics.

Dartmouth Medical School, the fourth-oldest medical school in the country, was founded in 1797. The School's mission today is to improve health locally, nationally, and globally by educating the leading physicians and scientists of tomorrow, generating new knowledge through research, and empowering all members of our community.

The tradition of AAAS Fellows began in 1874. AAAS is the world's largest general scientific society, and publisher of the journal Science. AAAS was founded in 1848 and includes some 262 affiliated societies and academies of science, serving 10 million individuals.