Newswise — BOSTON (Sept. 12, 2017)—The Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences at Tufts University has named Daniel Jay, Ph.D., as the school’s fifth dean. Jay, a noted researcher in cancer biology as well as an established artist, will oversee graduate education for the school’s 13 biomedical degree programs, including its M.D./Ph.D. program.
The Sackler School was established in 1980 by Jean Mayer, then president of Tufts University, who saw the integration of disciplines across medical and scientific fields as crucial for the advancement of health. As such, the Sackler School’s 200 program faculty are drawn from across the four campuses of Tufts University as well as from the School of Medicine’s clinical affiliates, including Tufts Medical Center and Maine Medical Center.
The Sackler School is located on the Tufts University Health Sciences campus in Boston, with the School of Medicine, the School of Dental Medicine, and the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, but students have opportunities all over Tufts, and beyond: Sackler students work in labs at the School of Medicine, the School of Arts & Sciences, the School of Dental Medicine, the School of Engineering, Tufts Medical Center, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, and, as well as Maine Medical Center and Jackson Laboratories in Maine.
The Sackler School has more than 200 students in 10 Ph.D. programs and two M.S. programs. Sackler was the first graduate biomedical sciences school in the U.S. to embrace a clinical research Ph.D. training program and is also renowned for its programs to increase diversity in biomedical sciences. The school’s more than 800 Ph.D. and 225 M.S. graduates have gone on to excel in careers in academia, biotechnology, pharmaceutical research, and related fields.
“As the landscape of science continues to rapidly change, my focus will be on helping students prepare for an expanded array of career opportunities in the biomedical workforce,” said Jay. “The interdisciplinary approach fostered at the school helps to prepare our students to thrive in the current era of translational research, whether those careers are in academic labs or at biomedical companies.”
“Dan has established himself as a significant and innovative contributor and brings a new perspective on how to best equip students to enter academia or the biomedical workforce,” said Harris Berman, M.D., dean of Tufts University School of Medicine. “We’re looking forward to his contributions to multidisciplinary education and experiential learning.”
Jay has been a faculty member at Tufts University School of Medicine since 1998 and a member of the Sackler School’s program faculty in three disciplines: Cell, Molecular & Developmental Biology; Cellular & Molecular Physiology; and Neuroscience. He most recently directed the postdoctoral affairs office and postdoctoral association at the School of Medicine.
Jay will continue his funded research efforts in his lab, where he has mentored more than 60 graduate students, postdoctoral scholars, and undergraduates. His research work focuses on the identification of proteins on cancer cells that are important to both metastasis and drug resistance; the work could produce potential targets for developing drugs to counteract both processes. Jay received his Ph.D. from Harvard University.
Also an accomplished artist, Jay has been working at the interface between art and science with 12 solo shows within the past four years. His current work is focused on creating multi-media pieces through the use of chemical reactions. As an artist for more than 30 years, dedicated to desegregating science and art, Jay holds a position as adjunct professor of Drawing and Painting at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University.
Jay succeeds Naomi Rosenberg, Ph.D., who served as dean from 2004 until her retirement this year. Rosenberg was one of the first faculty members at the Sackler School, where she researched mechanisms of leukemia development, produced the first good model for studying leukemia development in tissue culture, and guided 29 students in completing their Ph.D.
The Sackler School has also named Daniel Volchok, Ed.D., as associate dean. Volchok joins Tufts from Northeastern University, where he served as the dissertation chair of the doctoral research committee and as the assistant dean of graduate student life and global connections.
About Tufts University School of Medicine and the Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences
The Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences brings together basic science faculty from Tufts University School of Medicine, clinical faculty from affiliated hospitals, along with faculty from the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts University School of Dental Medicine, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine and the College of Arts & Sciences and the College of Engineering. Tufts University School of Medicine and the Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences at Tufts University are international leaders in innovative medical education and advanced research. The School of Medicine and the Sackler School are renowned for excellence in education in general medicine, biomedical sciences, special combined degree programs in business, health management, public health, bioengineering and international relations, as well as basic and clinical research at the cellular and molecular level. Ranked among the top in the nation, the School of Medicine is affiliated with six major teaching hospitals and more than 30 health care facilities. Tufts University School of Medicine and the Sackler School undertake research that is consistently rated among the highest in the nation for its effect on the advancement of medical science.
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