Faculty & Staff Spotlights
Four faculty researchers named 2014 Showalter Scholars
July 3, 2014
The IU School of Medicine recently announced the new class of Showalter Scholars, which honors four outstanding young scientists each year for their strong records of research and external awards.
This year’s Showalter Scholars, who exemplify excellence at the IU School of Medicine, are:
The 2014 Showalter Scholars are Rebecca Chan, M.D., Ph.D.; and Melissa Kacena, Ph.D., left to right, first row, and William Sullivan, Ph.D., and Mingjiang Xu, M.D., Ph.D., bottom row.
- Rebecca Chan, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of pediatrics and of medical and molecular genetics, who joined the school in 2002. An investigator with the Herman B Wells Center for Pediatric Research, Dr. Chan’s research centers on the etiology of phenotypic abnormalities found in Noonan syndrome and the childhood leukemia known as juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia.
- Melissa Kacena, Ph.D., associate professor of orthopaedic surgery, who joined the school in 2007. Dr. Kacena specializes in research into the regulation of bone mass and bone healing by megakaryocytes.
- William Sullivan, Ph.D., professor of pharmacology and toxicology and of microbiology and immunology. Dr. Sullivan, who joined the school in 2000, focuses his work on the parasite Toxoplasma gondii, which both poses health threats to humans and serves as a model for malaria parasite research.
- Mingjiang Xu, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of pediatrics and of medical and molecular genetics. Dr. Xu, an investigator with the Wells Center for Pediatric Research who joined the school in 2011, focuses on the molecular mechanism of myeloid malignancies.
Each Showalter Scholar will receive $75,000 over three years to support their research programs, with $25,000 the first year from the Showalter Trust, $25,000 the second year from the nominating department or center and the third year’s installment from the School of Medicine.
This is the second class of Showalter Scholars. The inaugural class of scholars last year Aaron Carroll, M.D., associate dean for research mentoring and professor of pediatrics; Alex Robling, Ph.D., associate professor of anatomy and cell biology; Robert Stahelin, Ph.D., associate professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at IUSM-South Bend; and Kenneth White, Ph.D., David D. Weaver Professor of Genetics and professor of medical and molecular genetics.
There will eventually be 12 Showalter Scholars at any given time, as each year one group comes to the end of its three-year term and another group begins.
The Showalter Scholars Program is made possible by the Ralph W. and Grace M. Showalter Research Trust Fund.
The deadline for the next round of nominations is the first business day of February 2015. Department chairs and center directors are encouraged to submit their nominations via the Showalter Scholars submissions site (IU login required).
