Cell Biology Hosted the Marion Hines Memorial Lecture With Speaker Dr. Susan Ackerman and Women in STEM Career Development Panel
In November 2022, the Department of Cell Biology hosted the Marion Hines Memorial Lecture with a talk by Susan Ackerman, PhD, titled, "Transfer RNAs as Genetic Modifiers of Neurological Disease," as part of the Steven T. Warren Memorial Symposium in Neurogenetics. The Marion Hines lectureship began again after a 25-year hiatus with Dr. Ackerman as the first female speaker in this series. The program also included a, "Women in STEM Career Development Panel," with discussions by a panel of women in science from Emory University.
Dr. Ackerman is the Steven W. Kuffler Chair of Biology and a professor in the neurobiology section of the division of biological sciences at University of California, San Diego. She is also a professor of cell and molecular medicine and a member of the Institute of Genomic Medicine at UCSD Medical School.
Dr. Ackerman received her BA in Biology and Chemistry from California State University and her PhD from UCLA followed by a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Illinois Medical School, and the Wistar Institute. Dr. Ackerman joined the faculty of the Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor, Maine in 1997 and rose to the rank of Professor. Dr. Ackerman’s research has highlighted genetic and biochemical factors involved in the development of the central nervous system and in age-related neurodegeneration. She utilizes forward genetics in the mouse to identify mutations associated with the loss of neurons in the aging mouse brain as well as variants that enhance or suppress neural phenotypes. In this way, her group has identified molecules critical for neuron homeostasis and survival, as well as novel pathways not previously associated with loss of neuronal function. A particular focus is the role of RNA metabolism in neuronal function.
Following Dr. Ackerman's lecture the program included a career panel discussion with Amy Y. Chen, MD, Emory Department of Otolaryngology, Gina Northington, MD, PhD, Emory Urogynecology, Leila Rieder, PhD, Emory Department of Biology, and Joanna Wardwell-Ozgo, PhD, Emory Department of Cell Biology. The panel focused on women in science with discussions related to career development, mentorship in academia, and diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Dr. Hines' family started the Marion Hines lecture to celebrate her memory and achievements. The Cell Biology department celebrates the achievements of Dr. Marion Hines at a time when women were extremely rare on the faculty of medical schools.
