Fourteen medical school faculty members are among a national-best 20 from U-M elected as 2021 fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

The U-M researchers are among 564 scientists, engineers and innovators, spanning 24 scientific disciplines, recognized for their scientifically and socially distinguished achievements, AAAS announced Jan. 26.

AAAS is the worlds largest general scientific society and publisher of theSciencefamily of journals. Selection as an AAAS fellow is among the most distinct honors within the scientific community.

The new AAAS fellows from the medical school are:

Veera Baladandayuthapani, Ph.D.,professor of biostatistics, School of Public Health; professor of computational medicine and bioinformatics, Medical School; director of the Cancer Data Science Shared Resource at the Rogel Cancer Center, for distinguished contributions to the field of biostatistics and data science, particularly for Bayesian modeling of high-dimensional biomedical data, integrative genomics and applied cancer research.

Charles Burant, M.D., Ph.D., Dr. Robert C. and Veronica Atkins Professor of Metabolism, professor of internal medicine, and of molecular and integrative physiology and director of the A. Alfred Taubman Medical Research Institute, Medical School; and professor of nutritional sciences, School of Public Health, for distinctive molecular and metabolomic research on insulin resistance, therapy for diabetes and management of obesity combined with stimulation of physical activity.

Mats Ljungman, Ph.D.,professor of radiation oncology, Medical School; and professor of environmental health sciences, School of Public Health, for distinguished contributions to the field of computational medicine and bioinformation through scientific and leadership achievements through contributions and dedication to the RNA community of research.

George Mashour, M.D., Ph.D.,Robert B. Sweet Professor of Anesthesiology, professor of anesthesiology, of neurosurgery and of pharmacology, Medical School; adjunct professor of psychology, LSA, for distinguished contributions to the fields of academic anesthesiology and neuroscience, particularly for studies across the translational spectrum identifying network-level mechanisms of how general anesthetics disrupt consciousness.

Sofia Merajver, M.D., Ph.D.,GreaterGood Breast Cancer Research Professor and professor of internal medicine, Medical School; professor of epidemiology, School of Public Health, for landmark studies of mechanisms, novel therapies and biomarkers, and management of patients with inflammatory breast cancers and women at increased risk for cancers in the United States and Africa.

David Musch, Ph.D., MPH,professor of ophthalmology and visual sciences, Medical School; professor of epidemiology, School of Public Health, for distinguished contributions to the field of clinical epidemiology, particularly by using innovative design principles and analytical techniques to provide evidence-based guidance for the prevention and treatment of ophthalmic disease.

Melanie Diane Ohi, Ph.D.,Rowena G. Matthews Collegiate Professor in the Life Sciences, Life Sciences Institute; professor of cell and developmental biology, Medical School, for distinguished contributions to the field of structural biology, particularly structure/function discoveries about secretion systems of pathogenic bacteria, and for expanding access to cryo-electron microscopy through education.

Ling Qi, Ph.D.,professor of molecular and integrative physiology, and of internal medicine, Medical School, for distinguished contributions to the field of medicine by producing new insights into the importance of ER-associated protein degradation in disease pathogenesis.

Patrick Schloss, Ph.D.,Frederick G. Novy Collegiate Professor of Microbiome Research, professor of microbiology and immunology, Medical School, for distinguished contributions to computational biology, particularly for development of computational programs for analysis of DNA sequence of mixed bacterial populations.

Susan Shore, Ph.D.,Merle Lawrence Collegiate Professor of Otolaryngology Research, professor of otolaryngology-head and neck surgery, Kresge Hearing Research Institute; professor of molecular and integrative physiology, Medical School; and professor of biomedical engineering, College of Engineering, for distinguished contributions to the field of sensory neuroscience, particularly in the roles and mechanisms brainstem circuitry for audition and mechanisms underlying tinnitus and hyperacusis.

Katherine Spindler, Ph.D.,professor of microbiology and immunology, Medical School, for distinguished contributions to the field of viral pathogenesis and virus-host interactions and for outstanding contributions in mentoring, professional service and scientific communication.

Stephan Taylor, M.D.,professor of psychiatry, Medical School; adjunct professor of psychology, LSA, for distinguished contributions in research for developing and improving treatments for psychiatric disorders.

John Voorhees, M.D.,Duncan O. and Ella M. Poth Distinguished Professor of Dermatology and professor of dermatology, Medical School, for extraordinary contributions to skin biology and dermatology, in particular psoriasis, the skin response to ultraviolet radiation, and skin aging, and an exemplary and sustained record of leadership in dermatology.

Bing Ye, Ph.D.,Burton L. Baker Collegiate Professor of the Life Sciences, Life Sciences Institute; and professor of cell and developmental biology, Medical School, for distinguished contributions to the field of developmental neuroscience, particularly for the molecular basis of the specification of axonal and dendritic morphology, and for their functional characteristics.

The new fellows will be celebrated later this year during an in-person gathering when it is feasible from a public health and safety perspective. The new class also will be featured in the AAAS News & Notes section ofSciencein January.

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14 U-M Medical School faculty named fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science - Michigan Medicine Headlines