John C. Reed, MD, PhD, and Stuart A. Lipton, MD, PhD, of Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute (Sanford-Burnham), have been named as Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Election as an AAAS Fellow is an honor bestowed upon AAAS members by their peers.
This year's AAAS Fellows were formally announced today in the AAAS News & Notes section of the journal Science.
As part of the section on Pharmaceutical Sciences, Dr. Reed was elected as an AAAS Fellow for contributions to the field of cell biology, particularly mechanisms of apoptosis and programmed cell death, including the links to cancer, innate immunity, and brain diseases. Dr. Reed serves as Chief Executive Officer, professor and Donald Bren Chief Executive Chair at Sanford-Burnham.
As part of the section on Neuroscience, Dr. Lipton was elected as an AAAS Fellow for studies of ion channels and redox signaling pathways in neurodegeneration and development of pharmacological agents for the treatment of nervous system dysfunctions. Dr. Lipton serves as professor and Scientific Director of Sanford-Burnham's Del E. Webb Neuroscience, Aging and Stem Cell Research Center.
The tradition of AAAS Fellows began in 1874. Currently, members can be considered for the rank of Fellow if nominated by the steering groups of the Association's 24 sections, or by 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 by the AAAS chief executive officer. 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.
The Council is the policymaking body of the Association, chaired by the AAAS president, and consisting of the members of the board of directors, the retiring section chairs, delegates from each electorate and each regional division, and two delegates from the National Association of Academies of Science.
This year 539 members have been awarded this honor by AAAS because of their scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications. New Fellows will be presented with an official certificate and a gold and blue (representing science and engineering, respectively) rosette pin on Saturday, February 18 at the AAAS Fellows Forum during the 2012 AAAS Annual Meeting in Vancouver, B.C., Canada.