Newswise — PHILADELPHIA – Frederic D. Bushman, PhD, a widely recognized leader in the fields of microbiology and gene therapy, has been named the new chair of the department of Microbiology in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.
He has been a faculty member at Penn for over a decade and is currently a professor of Microbiology. He also holds a secondary appointment as a professor of Pediatrics and was instrumental in the formation of the Penn/Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Microbiome Program, which he co-directs.
“Dr. Bushman has a broad vision of the future of microbiology at Penn,” said J. Larry Jameson, MD, PhD, Executive Vice President for the Health System and Dean of the Perelman School of Medicine. “His experience, talent, and collaborative spirit will foster strong ties among investigators within the department, as well as with clinical disciplines and the larger microbiology research community on campus. I am confident that under his leadership Penn will secure its place among the nation’s top microbiology departments and as a center of excellence in microbiome research.”
Overall, the department of Microbiology has expertise in HIV/AIDS, insect- and rodent-borne viruses, herpes viruses, papilloma viruses, airway and gut microbes and the human microbiome. Faculty also study many areas of immunology, particularly as it relates to infection, including T cell biology, the regulation of innate and adaptive immunity, tumor immunology, and vaccine development.
Over nearly three decades of sustained accomplishment, Bushman’s work has advanced the fields of HIV research, microbiology and gene therapy. His early pioneering work in understanding how HIV reproduces by inserting its genetic material into the DNA of a host cell led to key advances in anti-retroviral therapy and gene transfer technology. Today many research projects in his lab utilize deep-sequencing methods to investigate genetic mechanisms and DNA integration in human gene therapy.
Bushman received his PhD in Cell and Developmental Biology from Harvard University in 1988 and completed his postdoctoral training at Harvard and at the National Institutes of Health. He joined the Penn faculty as professor of Microbiology in 2003, having been recruited from The Salk Institute in San Diego.
He is the author of more than 250 scientific papers in the leading journals in his field. He is the recipient of numerous awards and honors in recognition of his scientific achievements and leadership, including election as a fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. In 2014, he was recognized by a blue-ribbon panel as one of 12 pioneers in the field of cell and gene therapy, receiving a Pioneer Award from the journal Human Gene Therapy.
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Penn Medicine is one of the world's leading academic medical centers, dedicated to the related missions of medical education, biomedical research, and excellence in patient care. Penn Medicine consists of the Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania (founded in 1765 as the nation's first medical school) and the University of Pennsylvania Health System, which together form a $4.9 billion enterprise.
The Perelman School of Medicine has been ranked among the top five medical schools in the United States for the past 17 years, according to U.S. News & World Report's survey of research-oriented medical schools. The School is consistently among the nation's top recipients of funding from the National Institutes of Health, with $409 million awarded in the 2014 fiscal year.
The University of Pennsylvania Health System's patient care facilities include: The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania -- recognized as one of the nation's top "Honor Roll" hospitals by U.S. News & World Report; Penn Presbyterian Medical Center; Chester County Hospital; Penn Wissahickon Hospice; and Pennsylvania Hospital -- the nation's first hospital, founded in 1751. Additional affiliated inpatient care facilities and services throughout the Philadelphia region include Chestnut Hill Hospital and Good Shepherd Penn Partners, a partnership between Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network and Penn Medicine.
Penn Medicine is committed to improving lives and health through a variety of community-based programs and activities. In fiscal year 2014, Penn Medicine provided $771 million to benefit our community.
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