WELCOME TO THE ANNUAL
KUAN-TEH JEANG
MEMORIAL LECTURE AND I AM --
DIRECTOR OF THE RESEARCH
WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, IN THE
ACTING PRINCIPAL DIRECTOR OF
THE NIH OFFICE OF INTRAMURAL
RESEARCH. I'D LIKE TO LEAD OFF
BY THANKING A FEW IMPORTANT
PEOPLE, NOT THAT EVERYBODY
ISN'T IMPORTANT. BUT I LIKE TO
THANK OUR LECTURE NOMINATION
COMMITTEE FOR SELECTING AN
OUTSTANDING SPEAKER FOR TODAY.
AND I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO
RECOGNIZEDR. JEANG'S WIDOW WHO
IS ALSO HERE AND THANK YOU FOR
BEING PART OF THIS.
I WOULD LIKE TO OPEN UP A
PROGRAM WITH A BRIEF SLIDESHOW
REMEMBERING DOCTOR JEANG.
DR. JEANG WAS WITH US NOT LONG
ENOUGH. HE WAS BORN IN 1958. IN
TAIWAN AND SPENT HIS CHILDHOOD
IN LIBYA AND THEN CAME TO THE
UNITED STATES. HE IS TRULY A
CITIZEN OF THE WORLD. HE
ATTENDED MIT AND EARNED HIS PHD
AT JOHNS HOPKINS AT AGE 25
WHERE HE STUDIED GENE
EXPRESSION OF CYTOMEGALOVIRUS.
HE CAME TO NIH IN 1985, THE
SAME YEAR I CAME HERE AND DID A
POST DOCTORA FELLOWSHIP OF THE
LATE DOCTOR GEORGE CORY
(PHONETIC), BY COINCIDENCE THE
REASON WHY I AM HERE. THAT HE
MOVED TO THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE
OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS
DISEASES AND BECAME CHIEF OF
THE MOLECULAR VIROLOGY SECTION
IN THE LABORATORY OF MOLECULAR
BACK HERBOLOGY WHERE HE STUDIED
T-CELL LYMPHOTROPIC VIRUS TYPE
AND HUMAN IMMUNODEFICIENCY
VIRUS.
HE WAS ALSO A LEADER IN THE
UROLOGIST INTEREST GROUP AND A
READER IN THE SOCIETY OF
MICROBIOTICS RESERACHERS AND HE
WAS A STRONG ADVOCATE FOR
RACIAL MINORITY GROUPS. AND
GROUPS WITH DISABILITY AND WE
CELEBRATE HIS LEGACY CONSTANTLY.
WE OBVIOUSLY HAVE A MEMORIAL
OVER BY BUILDING 31 TO
RECOGNIZE HIM. A LITTLE
ACTUALLY WONDERFUL LITTLE SITE
OVERLOOKING BUILDING 31. YOU
SHOULD VISIT IT SOMETIME.
I LIKE TO INTRODUCE A
COSPONSOR OF OUR EVENT, MR.
KEVIN WILLIAMS DIRECTOR OF THE
NIH OFFICE OF EQUITY, DIVERSITY
AND INCLUSION TO SAY A FEW
WORDS. MR. WILLIAMS?
>>MR. WILLIAMS: GOOD AFTERNOON
EVERYONE. THANK YOU SO MUCH
FOR THAT INTRODUCTION DOCTOR
OWENS. FIRST I WANT TO THANK
DOCTOR OWENS FOR PARTNERING
WITH THE OFFICE OF EQUITY,
DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION. I'VE
LONG ENOUGH TO RECOGNIZE THAT
IF YOU WANTED TO DO ANYTHING,
YOU HAVE TO HAVE A PARTNERSHIP,
AND THE OFFICE OF INTRAMURAL
RESEARCH HAS BEEN A WONDERFUL
PARTNER TO THE OFFICE OF
EQUITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION
AT THE NIH.
THE OFFICE OF EQUITY,
DIVERSITY, INCLUSION IS PLEASED
TO BE PARTNERING ONCE AGAIN
WITH OAR WITH THE 2023
OBITUARIES: KUAN-TEH JEANG
LECTURE. AN OPPORTUNITY TO
LEARN FROM ONE ANOTHER AND
REFLECT ON WHAT IS GOING ON
FROM THE PRIOR YEAR AND IS THE
FIRST TIME IN SEVERAL YEARS
THAT THIS LECTURE IS IN PERSON
WHICH IS PHENOMENAL, WITHOUT
MASKS.
>>[APPLAUSE]
>>AS MANY OF YOU WE JUST
WRAPPED UP SUCCESSFUL NATIVE
AMERICAN, NATIVE HAWAIIAN AND
PACIFIC ISLANDER CELEBRATION
HOSTED MY OFFICE DURING THE
MONTH OF MAY AND THIS YEAR'S
THEME FOCUSED ON UPLIFTING OUR
COLLEAGUES FROM THE AA, AND
NHPI COMMITTEE BY HIGHLIGHTING
THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS AND
APPEARANCES AS AN INTEGRAL PART
OF THE NIH WORKFORCE.
WHILE WE CELEBRATE THE
INVALUABLE DEDICATION FROM THIS
SEGMENT OF THE WORKFORCE WILL
REMAIN COGNIZANT THAT OUR
COMMITMENT IN ADDRESSING THE
BARRIERS AND CHALLENGES THAT
THE AA AND NHPI'S EXPERIENCE IS
BOTH ONGOING AND REAL.
ACROSS THE UNITED STATES AND
INDEED ACROSS THE WORLD,
MEMBERS OF THE AA AND NHPI FACE
AND CONTINUE TO FACE ACTS OF
INTOLERANCE DUE TO THE COVID-19
PANDEMIC AND WE HAVE WITNESSED
HOW ANTIASIAN RHETORIC AND MISS
INFORMATION ABOUT THE
CORONAVIRUS MANIFEST AGAINST
RACIST ACTS AGAINST THE
COMMUNITY AND WE ENCOURAGE THE
COMMUNITY TO DO OUR ELECTION TO
DO BETTER IN OUR EFFORTS IN
EQUITY, DIVERSITY, INCLUSION TO
ENSURE ALL OF THE COMMUNITY
DOES AND WOULD BE PARTNERING
WITH THE OFFICE OF HUMAN
RESOURCES AND THE CONTINUED
IMPLEMENTATION OF THE RACIAL
AND ETHNIC EQUITY PLANS, AND IN
PARTICULAR EDI WILL BE
REBRANDING THE MANAGEMENT
DIRECTIVE 715 PROCESS AND
WORKING DIRECTLY WITH EACH OF
THE 27 INSTITUTES AND CENTERS,
AND THE OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR
TO MOVE THE NIH CLOSER TO ITS
GOAL OF BECOMING A MODEL EEO
EMPLOYER AND AGAIN THANKS TO
EVERYONE IN THE OAR IN PERSON
ORIGINALLY AND I'M HAPPY YOU
ARE HERE. I WILL PASS THE
MOTORHOME BACK TO DOCTOR OWENS
TO INTRODUCE OUR SPECIAL GUEST
SPEAKER, DR. SANTO ONO,
PRESIDENT OF THE UNIVERSITY OF
MICHIGAN. THANK YOU.
>>[APPLAUSE]
>>I MUCH HONOR TO INTRODUCE
OUR SPEAKER THIS YEAR DOCTOR
SANTA ONO 15 PRESIDENT OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN. I WOULD
LIKE TO WELCOME OUR VIEWERS BY
VIDEOCAST, AND I REMIND YOU
THAT YOU CAN ASK QUESTIONS OF
DR. ONO AT THE END OF HIS
LECTURE. LOOK AT THE SAND LIVE
FEEDBACK BUTTON ON THE
VIDEOCAST SCREEN AND SEMITIC
QUESTION, WE WILL RELAY THIS TO
DOCTOR ONO AS TIME PERMITS
AFTER HIS TALK. YOU CAN SUBMIT
YOUR QUESTIONS AFTER THE
LECTURE AND PEOPLE IN THE ROOM
CAN GO TO THE MICROPHONES.
I SHOULD NOTE THAT WE
TYPICALLY HOLD THESE LECTURES
IN MAY DURING ASIAN-AMERICAN,
AND PACIFIC ISLANDER HERITAGE
MONTH. BUT THE MONTH OF MAY IS
NOT LONG ENOUGH TO SING THE
PRAISES OF OUR COLLEAGUES OF
ASIAN AND PACIFIC ISLANDER
DESCENT. AND NOW ABOUT HER
SPEAKER TODAY. DR. ONO IS A
LEADER IN HIGHER EDUCATION IN
THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA.
AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
HE IS PROFESSOR OF
OPHTHALMOLOGY AND VISUAL
SCIENCES, AND OF MICROBIOLOGY
AND IMMUNOLOGY IN THE MEDICAL
SCHOOL. AS WELL AS A PROFESSOR
OF MOLECULAR, CELLULAR AND
DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY IN THE
COLLEGE OF LITERATURE, SCIENCES
AND ARTS.
HE IS A VISION RESEARCHER
WHOSE PIONEERING WORK IN
EXTREME MENTAL MEDICINE FOCUSES
ON IMMUNE SYSTEM AND EYE
DISEASE. DR. ONO HAS HELD
SEVERAL MAJOR POSITIONS OF
LEADERSHIP, SOMETHING WHICH
DOCTOR JENG WAS REALLY
ENCOURAGING. IN 2012 HE WAS
NAMED THE 28TH PRESIDENT OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI, IN
2016 HE WAS NAMED 15TH
PRESIDENT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF
TORONTO IN CANADA AND IN 2022
HE WAS NAMED PRESIDENT AT THE
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN.
DR. ONO WAS BORN IN VANCOUVER.
GREW UP IN PHILADELPHIA, JUST
NORTH OF BALTIMORE, AND HAS
LIVED IN NUMEROUS CITIES, IN
BOTH COUNTRIES. SO AGAIN WE
HAVE ANOTHER PERSON WHO IS A
CITIZEN OF THE WORLD PRETTY
MUCH.
HE RECEIVED HIS UNDERGRADUATE
DEGREE FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF
CHICAGO. HIS PHD FROM MCGILL
UNIVERSITY, AND HIS
POSTDOCTORAL TRAINING AT
HARVARD. HIS AWARDS ARE MANY.
BUT INCLUDE MOST RECENTLY
ELECTION TO THE AMERICAN
ACADEMY OF ARTS AND SCIENCES IN
2022. TO SAY ANYTHING MORE WE
WOULD EAT TOO MUCH TIME OUT OF
HIS LECTURE. PLEASE JOIN ME IN
WELCOMING DOCTOR SANTO ONO.
>>[APPLAUSE]
>>DR. ONO: THANK YOU VERY MUCH
FOR THIS GREAT HONOR TO SPEAKER
AT THE NIH, THE PLACE THAT I
HAVE BEEN VISITED SINCE THE
LATE EIGHTIES WHEN I WAS A
GRADUATE STUDENT IN POSTDOC,
THE PLACE THAT I HOLD IN GREAT
REVERENCE FOR ALL THE
TREMENDOUS DISCOVERIES THAT
HAVE TAKEN PLACE HERE. WHAT A
GREAT HONOR AND THANK YOU
DOCTOR OWENS FOR THAT
INTRODUCTION, AND WHAT A GREAT
HONOR TO BE A SPEAKER FOLLOWING
A NUMBER OF REMARKABLE
INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE GIVEN THIS
LECTURE AND HONOR, THE TENTH
YEAR ANNIVERSARY TO REMEMBER
THE LEGACY OF KUAN-TEH JEANG
FOR HIS LEADERSHIP, FOR HIS
RESEARCH EXCELLENCE IN THE
FIELD OF RETROVIROLOGY. AND
ALSO BEING A CHAMPION OF
AMERICANS IN LEADERSHIP
POSITIONS IN BIOMEDICAL SCIENCE
AND BEYOND.
IN SPEAKING TO A NUMBER OF
PEOPLE WHO HAVE TOLD ME ABOUT
HIS TIME HERE, AND REVIEWING
HIS BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH, I NOW
REALIZED THAT I CAME BACK CLOSE
TO PROBABLY BEING IN THE SAME
LAB AS TEH. I WAS A GRADUATE
STUDENT AT MCGILL UNIVERSITY IN
MONTRÉAL. THERE WAS ANOTHER
MEMBER OF THE CORY LAB WHO
RECRUITED ME, WHO WANTED ME TO
BE PART OF THE SECTION, PART OF
THAT LABORATORY. HIS NAME WAS
GILBERT JAY (PHONETIC) HEAD OF
THE SECTION THERE IN MOLECULAR
CARCINOGENESIS. I MET HIM
BRIEFLY AND I CAME CLOSE TO
BEING IN SAME SPACE. I'M SORRY
THAT I DID NOT HAVE A CHANCE TO
INTERACT WITH HIM BECAUSE I AM
SURE HE WOULD'VE HAD A PROFOUND
IMPACT ON ME AS IT IS CLEAR HE
HAD ON SO MANY HERE AT THE NIH
AND GLOBALLY. SOMEONE WHO WAS
AN EDITOR OF THE JOURNAL, WHO
WAS ALSO ON THE -- BOARD -- AND
WHO IS CLEARLY SO LOVED BY
PEOPLE WHO REMEMBER HIM HERE AT
THE NIH. IT IS AN HONOR AND
PRIVILEGE TO BE PART OF THE
SERIES THAT RECOGNIZES HIM.
BEFORE I GET INTO SOME
CONVERSATION I WAS TOLD TO TALK
LITTLE BIT ABOUT MY JOURNEY TO
BEING THE PRESIDENT OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN, A
POSITION THAT I AM VERY HONORED
TO HOLD, UNIVERSITY THAT I AM
VERY PROUD OF.
I WANTED TO START AND TELL YOU
LITTLE BIT ABOUT, BEFORE FORGET
MY WIFE IF THAT IS OKAY, THIS
IS SUPPOSED TO BE ABOUT WHAT WE
ARE DOING AT MICHIGAN, AND A
LITTLE BIT ABOUT MY JOURNEY
HERE. MY WIFE IS REALLY MY
INSPIRATION. AND BECAUSE OF THE
FOCUS OF THIS LECTURE, THIS
MEMORIAL LECTURE ON ELEVATING
ASIANS HERE IN THIS CONTEXT, MY
WIFE WHO IS GWENDOLYN YIP, JUST
YESTERDAY CHAIRED A PANEL OF
INDIVIDUALS IN VANCOUVER. AND
SHE IS THE PAST PRESIDENT OF
THE PACIFIC, CANADIAN HERITAGE
MUSEUM OF MIGRATION. AND I
HOPE YOU WILL DO A GOOGLE
SEARCH ON GWENDOLYN YIP, SHE
GOES BY WENDY, BECAUSE OF WHAT
SHE HAS DEDICATED HER LIFE TO.
IT RESONATES WITH WHAT WE ARE
TALKING ABOUT TODAY, ELEVATING
ASIANS WHO HAVE MIGRATED TO
NORTH AMERICA AND TAKEN A
LEADERSHIP POSITIONS. I AM
INCREDIBLY PROUD OF HER.
AND BASICALLY THIS EXHIBITION
THAT IS TRAVEL FROM THE EAST
COAST OF CANADA ALL THE WAY
OVER TO VANCOUVER-- RIGHT NOW
IT IS IN VANCOUVER-- REALLY
TELLS THE STORIES OF ASIANS,
ASIAN CANADIANS, ASIAN
AMERICANS, IN EVERY SPHERE OF
HUMAN ENDEAVOR, AND THE
LEADERSHIP ROLE AND IMPACT THEY
HAVE PLAYED IN REALLY BUILDING
CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES
BEING WHAT THEY ARE TODAY. IT
IS KIND OF THE STORY OF NIH AS
WELL AS SO MANY ASIAN SCIENCES
HERE AT THE NIH REALLY BEING
PIVOTAL IN MANY OF THE
OUTSTANDING FINDINGS. FOR
EXAMPLE IN THE FIELD OF
RETROVIROLOGY, BUT ACROSS ALL
THE INSTITUTIONS OF THE NIH.
SHE CHOSE THOSE STORIES TO THIS
VIRTUAL MUSEUM.
I HOPE THAT YOU WILL TAKE SOME
TIME AND LOOK INTO WHAT SHE IS
DOING IN THAT CASE, THE PACIFIC
CANADA HERITAGE MUSEUM OF
MIGRATION.
SO I WANT TO KNOW JUMP INTO A
LITTLE BIT OF MY JOURNEY, MY
LITTLE STORY BECAUSE I WAS
ENCOURAGED TO TAKE SOME TIME TO%
TELL YOU LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE
STORY. I THINK I WILL PUSH
THIS BUTTON HERE.
I'M GOING TO WALK THROUGH
THIS. INSTEAD OF SHOWING LOTS
OF PICTURES I'M GOING TO TALK
TO YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT--
ESPECIALLY THOSE WHO ARE
TRAINEES-- ABOUT HOW IT ENDED
UP BECOMING THE PRESIDENT OF
THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN. I
AM A BIOMEDICAL RESEARCHER AS
YOU KNOW. THIS WILL TELL YOU A
LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE JOURNEY,
WHICH IS NOT A DIRECT LINE FROM
POINT A TO POINT B. BUT LIKE
THE STORIES OF MANY BIOMEDICAL
SCIENTISTS IN EVERY SPHERE OF
HUMAN LIFE, IT WAS A MEANDERING
PATH THAT GOT ME TO AN
UNEXPECTED RESULT IN BECOMING
THE PRESIDENT OF A MAJOR
UNIVERSITY HERE IN THE UNITED
STATES.
I WENT TO THE UNIVERSITY OF
CHICAGO. I DON'T KNOW IF
ANYBODY HERE WENT TO THE
UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO. IT IS A
WONDERFUL SCHOOL AND I WENT
THERE, REASON IS THAT I READ A
BOOK CALLED THE DOUBLE HELIX.
SOME OF YOU MAY HAVE READ THE
BOOK WRITTEN BY JIM WATSON. AND
IT TOLD A STORY FROM HIS POINT
OF VIEW-- THERE ARE OTHER
POINTS OF VIEW-- ABOUT THE
DISCOVERY OF THE STRUCTURE OF
THE DNA DOUBLE HELIX. AT THAT
TIME I WAS JUST-- EVERYBODY WAS
TALKING ABOUT THE NEW BIOLOGY.
EVERYBODY WAS TALKING ABOUT THE
STUFF OF LIFE. THAT IT WAS
DEOXYRIBONUCLEIC ACID, NOT
PROTEIN THAT WAS EVERYTHING
BEHIND SELF REPLICATING, THE
SECRET OF LIFE IF YOU WILL.
HE WENT TO THE UNIVERSITY OF
CHICAGO AND I READ SOMETHING
ABOUT HIM BEING ON THE
QUADRANGLE LOOKING AT
BUTTERFLIES ON THE QUADRANGLE.
AND I HAD THIS VIEW THAT
CHICAGO WAS ALWAYS WARM AND
BEAUTIFUL AND IT WOULD BE AN
IDYLLIC PLACE FOR ME TO GO TO
COLLEGE SO I WENT THERE AND
SOON AFTER I ARRIVED, I
REALIZED IT GOT COLD VERY
QUICKLY AND IT STAYED COLD
PRETTY MUCH THE ENTIRE
SEMESTER. I WENT TO THE
UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO. IT WAS A
WONDERFUL PLACE TO GO TO
COLLEGE AND BECAUSE I WAS
ENCOURAGED TO TELL YOU LITTLE
ABOUT MY STORY.
I WAS FORTUNATE TO RUN INTO
INCREDIBLE PROFESSORS AT THE
UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO WHO
INSPIRED ME. THEY WERE THE
MOSCONE AS THE DEVELOP MENTAL
BIOLOGISTS, MALCA MOSCONA
(PHONETIC) WAS MY TEACHER, AND
SHE BROUGHT TO LIFE THE AMAZING
STORY OF HOW ORGANISMS
DEVELOPED AND HOW THERE WERE
SWITCHES THAT TURN ON AND OFF
AS CELLS DIFFERENTIATED INTO
MULTICELLULAR COMPLEX
ORGANISMS. WHETHER IT IS A FROG
OR A MAMMAL. I WAS DRAWN TO THE
NEW BIOLOGY BECAUSE OF WATSON
UNDERSTORY. THE PROFESSORS WERE
EXTRAORDINARY.
I HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO WORK
IN LAB WITH -- IT WAS THE
CENTER FOR HERPES VIROLOGY AND
THERE WAS -- WOULD BUILD THE
NEUROLOGY STUDY LAB THE GREAT
PLACE FOR THE STUDY OF THE
HERPESVIRUS AND AND NUMBER OF
STUDENT WENT ON TO BEING
LEADING FIGURES. MY MENTOR
ELLIOTT KEITH (PHONETIC), WHO
WAS ALSO A MEMBER OF THE
ACADEMY WHO ISOLATED THE GENOME
OF EPSTEIN-BARR VIRUS, AND
MEMBER OF THE HERPES FAMILY AND
USE THE NEW RESTRICTION ENZYMES
TO CLONE DIFFERENT GENES OF
EVV, SEQUENCE THEM AND
IDENTIFIED A NUMBER OF
IMPORTANT PROTEINS LIKE EBNAS
(PHONETIC) THE NUCLEAR PROTEINS
AND REPLICATION OF THE EPISOME.
I WAS ABLE TO WORK ON THE
EPSTEIN-BARR VIRUS AND HE HAS
FOREVER BEEN AN INFLUENCE ON MY
LIFE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF
CHICAGO. AND I GUESS THE OTHER
NEAT STUFF WHEN I WAS AN
UNDERGRADUATE WAS WHEN I WENT
TO NEW YORK CITY. ACTUALLY
BEFORE THAT I CAME TO THE NIH
BUT NOT IN BETHESDA, BUT AT
FREDERICK. THERE IS A CANCER
INSTITUTE, NCI CANCER RESEARCH
CENTER BACK THEN AT FREDERICK.
I WANT TO FOCUS ON MENTORS
BECAUSE THEY MAKE A DIFFERENCE
IN THE TRAINEES'S LIFE. THERE
WAS A GENTLEMAN CALLED HARVEY
RAVEN (PHONETIC) WHO WAS
WORKING ON PRIMATE VERSIONS OF
HERPES VIRUSES. THE ANALOGS.
SIMILAR VIRUSES TO EPSTEIN-BARR
VIRUS AND AT THAT TIME BECAUSE
OF THE ROLE IN MONONUCLEOSIS
BUT ALSO IN CARCINOMA AND
BURKITT'S LYMPHOMA.
AND SO I SPENT THE SUMMER AT
THE FREDERICK RESEARCH CENTER.
HE ALSO PLAYED A VERY IMPORTANT
ROLE IN GETTING ME EXCITED
ABOUT MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AT THE
TIME WHEN YOU HAD TO BUY THE
VERY FEW RESTRICTION ENZYMES
AVAILABLE THROUGH BETHESDA
RESEARCH LABORATORIES NOTHING
WAS HARD. YOU HAVE TO MAKE YOUR
OWN SEQUENCING GEL, YOU CANNOT
SEND SOMETHING OUT AND YOU HAVE
TO MAKE YOUR OWN PROTEIN GELS
AND ROUTINELY RUIN ALL YOUR
CLOTHES BECAUSE YOU WILL BE
DEVELOPING AUTO RADIOGRAPHS IN
THE DARKROOM, AND DEVELOPER
WOULD RUIN YOUR NEW JEANS. IT
WAS PART OF BEING A TRAINEE AT
THE TIME AND THAT WAS
UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO. I ALWAYS
ABSOLUTELY SURE THE TIME THAT I
WANTED TO GO INTO BIOMEDICAL
RESEARCH. I WENT TO MCGILL
UNIVERSITY IN MONTRÉAL. I WAS
IN THE ROUND BUILDING ON THE
HILL WHERE A NEW CANCER CENTER
HAD BEEN DEVELOPED BY SOMEONE
WHO HAD DISCOVERED SOMETHING
CALLED CEA CARCINOMA EMBRYONIC
ANTIGEN AND I'M STILL IN TOUCH
WITH THAT MENTOR PHIL GOLD, WHO
WENT ON TO DISCOVER ONE OF THE
TUMOR ANTIGENS, A RELATIVELY
GOOD MARKER FOR HOW THINGS ARE
GOING IN TERMS OF COLON CANCER.
SO I WENT THERE AND APPROACHED
MY VERY FIRST PROBLEM. THAT WAS
TO TRY TO UNDERSTAND AT THE
TIME WHY TYPE I DIABETES RUNS
IN FAMILIES.
THERE WERE THREE GROUPS
GLOBALLY THAT WERE OF THE
CUTTING AGE OF TRYING TO
IDENTIFY DIABETES
SUSCEPTIBILITY AND RESISTANCE
GENES. THERE WAS THE ONE AT
STANFORD WITH -- WHOM YOU MAY
KNOW. AND THERE WAS A GROUP
WORKING WITH HUMAN TYPE I OR
JUVENILE INSULIN-DEPENDENT
DIABETES.
THERE WAS A GROUP IN MONTRÉAL
WORKING ON RATS. WE WORKED ON
A KIND OF RAT THAT WAS CALLED
THE BB RAT, THE B STANDING FOR
BANTING AND BEST (PHONETIC).
THE DESTRUCTION OF BETA CELLS
IN PANCREAS WAS A REASON WHY
PEOPLE BECAME INSULIN-DEPENDENT
DIABETICS. SO WORKING ON THE
MICE AND HUMANS, I WAS
FORTUNATE TO WORK AT SOME
REMARKABLE INDIVIDUALS AN
ENDOCRINOLOGIST CALLED ELINOR
COLE (PHONETIC) WHO WAS TEEMING
WITH HUMAN IMMUNOLOGIST BY THE
NAME OF RON GOTTMAN. IF YOU
LOOK HIM UP YOU WILL SEE
SOMETHING ABOUT THE PASSENGER
LEUKOCYTE CONCEPT. RON WAS
THERE WITH ELINOR COLE. I WAS
WORKING WITH THE PROTÉGÉ OF
PHIL GOLD'S WHO WILL BECOME
DEAN OF THE MCGILL MEDICAL
SCHOOL, ABRAHAM FIX (PHONETIC).
WE TRY TO IDENTIFY DIABETES
SETTABLE GENES OR BB AFTER
BANTING AND BEST WHO DEVELOPED
SPONTANEOUS INSULIN-DEPENDENT
DIABETES. IF YOU LOOK AT THE
PANCREAS OF THE BB RAT, THE
PATHOLOGY WAS ALMOST
INSTINCTUAL FOR WHAT HAPPENED
TO HUMAN TYPE I DIABETICS OR IN
THE NOD MOUSE, (PHONETIC) WILL
ALSO DEVELOP A SIMILAR
INSULIN-DEPENDENT DIABETES.
MY THESIS USE CONGENIC ANIMALS
THAT HAD THE BB BACKGROUND WITH
THE ONLY DIFFERENCE BEING
SELECTION FOR RECOMBINANT,
MAJOR HISTOCOMPATIBILITY
COMPLEX IS THAT TOOK A
TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF BREEDING
AND LIKELY GENOTYPING, AT A
TIME WHEN THE MAJOR -- WERE
BEING ISOLATED.
BASICALLY WHAT HAPPENED WAS
THAT THERE WAS A CONVERGENCE IN
THESE THREE MODELS AND HUMANS,
AND THE TWO MODELS, THE NOD
MOUSE AND THE BB RAT. USING
CONGENIC ANIMALS WE WERE ABLE
TO MAP THE DISEASE
SUSCEPTIBILITY GENES TO
SOMETHING CALLED RT 1D, "D" FOR
DIABETES. IF YOU LOOK AT H2 OR
THE RAT, THEY ORGANIZE
SIMILARLY AROUND 3.5 CENTI
MORGANS OF DNA> WE WERE ABLE
TO MAP THE IMMUNE RESPONSE
REGIONS, RE-COMBINATIONS
BETWEEN SUSCEPTIBLE AND
RESISTANT STRAIN OF RAT, WERE
ABLE TO MAP IT TO A SINGLE
LOCUS CALLED RT 1D, AND
ULTIMATELY TO THE BETA CHANGE
THE HEADTERODIMERIC MOLECULE.
THE PHD DISSERTATION THAT WE
WROTE MAPPED IT TO THE SAME
LOCUS WHICH EVENTUALLY WOULD
HAVE THE POSITION 57 MUTATION
THAT IS ASSOCIATED WITH
SUSCEPTIBILITY OF TYPE I
DIABETES. THAT WAS THE NEXT
STOP ON MY JOURNEY, AND THE
FIRST REALLY FOCUSED EFFORT TO
TRY TO UNDERSTAND A PROBLEM
WHERE THERE WAS A BLACK BOX OF
WHAT WAS HAPPENING. THAT WAS MY
PHD DISSERTATION AT MCGILL
UNIVERSITY.
AND MOVED ON UNDERSTANDING
THAT THE -- POSITION 57 WAS
ASSOCIATED WITH TYPE I DIABETES
SUSCEPTIBILITY AND HUMANS. AND
ONE OF THE LABS THAT WAS MADLY
CLONING SEQUENCING, AT THE TIME
THE LARGEST SEQUENCING OF HUMAN
GENOME THAT WAS CLONED AT THE
TIME IN SEQUENCE. ONCE AGAIN
THERE WAS THE MCDEVITT LAB AT
STANFORD AND THE -- LABORATORY
THAT WAS FINDING THIS THROUGH A
NUMBER OF CHROMOSOMAL WALKS WAS
MY POSTDOCTORAL MENTOR, WHO WAS
WORKING UNTIL JUST A COUPLE OF
YEARS AGO. THAT IS AN
INDIVIDUAL TO SOME OF YOU MAY
KNOW, JACK STRMANGER (PHONETIC)
HE HAD TWO LABS, TRYING TO
UNDERSTAND HOW THESE IMMUNO
RESPONSE GENES WERE CONTROLLED
AND AT THE TIME WE WERE ABLE TO
SEQUENCE THE PROMOTERS OF THE
GENES THAT ENCODE THESE
PROTEINS.
AT THE TIME THINKING THAT
PERHAPS IF WE UNDERSTAND HOW
THEY ARE REGULATED WE MIGHT
UNDERSTAND TWO PHENOMENA: ONE
FOR THE EXPRESSION MIGHT BE
APPARENT, AND MIGHT TRIGGER
INFORMATION AND WHERE THE
ESPECIALLY BE LOST IN THE
SYNDROME CALLED -- CENTER WE
LOSE EXPRESSION OF THE CLASS 2
HLA MOLECULES.
WE LOOKED AT THE PROXIMAL
PROMOTERS WE FOUND AND IF YOU
LOOK AT THE THREE CLASS II
ISOTYPES, OR HLA MARKETS
PRIMARILY IN IMMUNE CELLS OF
THE THREE ISOTYPES, DR, DQ AND
DP WERE DIFFERENTIALLY
GRADUATED AND WE MAP THE
DIFFERENTIAL EXPRESSION BETWEEN
DR AND DP AND DQ TO A VARIATION
IN SSL AND CALLED THE X2 BOX.
WE WERE ABLE TO FIND THE
HETERODIMERS OF -- PROTEINS OF
HPP1 AND FOSS, WAS PART OF THE
REASON WHY THEY WAS
DIFFERENTIAL EXPRESSION IN THE
DIFFERENT CLASS OF ISOTYPES IN
THE IMMUNO RESPONSE REGION OF
THE HLA.
THAT IS I WORKED ON AS A
POSTDOCTORAL FELLOW. I WILL
SPEED UP NOW TO FOCUS ON MY
FIRST LINE OF RESEARCH THE AS
AN INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATOR AT
JON'S HOPKINS UNIVERSITY I WAS
RECRUITED THERE TO BE ASSISTANT
PROFESSOR OF MEDICINE IN THE
DEPARTMENT OF MEDICINE. I
CONTINUE TO WORK ON CLASS II
REGULATION, BUT WAS INTERESTED
IN MOLECULAR AND CELLULAR BASIS
OF INFLAMMATION. AND I STARTED
TO GET VERY INTERESTED IN THE
EYE. I STARTED TO TRY TO
UNDERSTAND HOW GRANULOCYTES
MASKED CELLS, BASOPHILS AND
OTHER CELLS MIGHT BE CONTROLLED
AND HOW THEY MAY BE OVERACTIVE
INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE
HYPERSENSITIVE AND STARTED
FOCUSING ON MASKED CELLS IN THE
CONJUNCTIVA, THE SURFACE
MUCOSAL LAYER, THE OCULAR
SURFACE, TRYING TO UNDERSTAND
HOW THEY ARE REGULATED AND
WHETHER THEY ARE ACTIVATED NOT
ONLY THROUGH THE IGE RECEPTORS
ARE CROSS LINKING BUT WHETHER
OR NOT THERE MIGHT BE A
COSTIMULATORY SIGNAL REQUIRED
FOR THE ACTIVATION AS IS THE
CASE WITH MANY OTHER CELLS IN
THE IMMUNE SYSTEM SO I WORK
WITH THAT AT SKAPINS EYE
INSTITUE, PART OF THE INSTITUTE
OF OPHTHALMOLOGY AT HARVARD.
WE WORKED ON HOW THESE CELLS
THAT ARE PRO-INFLAMMATORY A
REGULAR IT AND HOW THEY ARE
CONSTITUTIVELYY ACTED IN
CHRONIC ALLERGIC INFORMATION.
THAT WAS MY JOURNEY THERE AND
THEN I JOINED THE "DARK SIDE"
AS THEY SAY WHICH IS ACADEMIC
ADMINISTRATION.
LET ME TELL YOU A LITTLE ABOUT
THAT. THE LAST PART OF THIS
TALK IS WHAT I AM DOING AT
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN. BUT I
WANTED TO FULFILL THE REQUEST
TO LITTLE BIT ABOUT MY LIFE
STORY.
I JOINED THE DARK SIDE BECAUSE
WHEN I WAS IN LONDON, AND I WAS
HEAD OF A DEPARTMENT THAT HAD
GROWN PRETTY QUICKLY I WAS
APPROACHED BY AN INDIVIDUAL WHO
SOME OF YOU MAY KNOW. THERE
INDIVIDUALS THAT CAN TRANSFORM
YOUR LIVES THIS INDIVIDUAL WAS
EARL LEWIS, THE PROVOST OF
EMORY UNIVERSITY. HE REACHED
OUT TO ME IN LONDON AND HE HAD
BEEN DEAN OF THE GRADUATE
SCHOOL AT THE UNIVERSITY
MICHIGAN, CALL THE RACUM
(PHONETIC) SCHOOL.
HE TOOK A GAMBLE ON ME. HE
SAID I SEE SOMETHING IN YOU BUT
DON'T YOU JOIN THE OFFICE OF
THE PROVOST AT EMORY UNIVERSITY?
EARL LEWIS JUST WON THE
NATIONAL METAL AMENITIES, A
RENOWNED HISTORIAN OF
AFRICAN-AMERICAN HISTORY. HE
WROTE THE ENCYCLOPEDIA, I THINK
PUBLISHED BY OXFORD UNIVERSITY
PRESS. HE IS ONE OF THE
CO-AUTHORS AND EDITORS OF THAT.
HE WAS THE PAST PRESIDENT OF
THE MELLON FOUNDATION, ONE OF
THE LARGEST SUPPORTERS OF
HUMANITIES RESEARCH IN THE
WORLD.
AND SO, I JOINED
ADMINISTRATION BECAUSE HE
THOUGHT THAT I COULD HELP OUT.
HE WAS A NEW PROVOST AT EMORY
UNIVERSITY. HI CONTINUE TO DO
WORK, CONTINUE TO GET NEI
GRANTS VERY GRATEFUL FOR THOSE.
BUT I ALSO STARTED TO THINK
ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF
UNIVERSITIES IN EDUCATION OF
THE NEXT GENERATION OF
RESEARCHERS AND PROFESSORS.
AND SO HE DREW ME INTO
ADMINISTRATION. AND WHAT IS
WONDERFUL NOW IS ABOUT 15, 16
YEARS LATER I'M STILL IN TOUCH
WITH HIM. HE RETURN AFTER
FINISHING HIS JOB AT MELLON TO
THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN,
WHERE HE IS THE HEAD OF THE
CENTER OF SOCIAL SOLUTIONS AT
THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN.
EARL AND I STILL KEEP IN TOUCH.
AND AFTER THAT I BECAME
PROVOST IN MY OWN RIGHT AT THE
UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI. I
STILL HAD A GRANT AT THE TIME,
AND NIH GRANT; MOVED TO THE
CINCINNATI CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL
WHICH HAS A WONDERFUL
INFLAMMATION DEPARTMENT, WITHIN
THE DEPARTMENT OF PEDIATRICS.
YOU MIGHT KNOW MARK ROTHENBERG
(PHONETIC) WHO HAS DONE SOME
PEOPLE WORK IN ES AND APHILIA.
I BECAME THE PROVOST OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI AND
THEN ELEVATED TO THE PRESIDENT,
THE FIRST PRESIDENT OF COLOR
THERE AND THE FIRST
ASIAN-AMERICAN. AND THEN I WAS
RECRUITED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF
BRITISH COLUMBIA.
I WILL BRIEFLY SAY IT MEANT SO
MUCH TO ME BECAUSE I WAS BORN
ON THAT CAMPUS. MY FATHER WAS A
PROFESSOR OF MATHEMATICS AT
UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA.
AND SO FOR THEM TO REACH OUT
TO ME AND SAY WE WANTED TO
BECOMEG UBC WAS PRETTY
REMARKABLE AND IS A PRETTY DARN
GOOD SCHOOL. IF YOU WALK
THROUGH THE HALLS AND LOOK AT
SOME OF THE GIANTS THAT I
WORKED AT THE NIH, YOU WILL
KNOW THAT GOBIN KARANA
(PHONETIC) WORK WITH NUREMBERG
AND WORK OUT SOME OF THE CODONS
AND LAWS OF WHAT HAPPENS WITH
RIBOSOME TO TRANSLAT THE
GENETIC CODE INTO A PROTEIN.
AND THEN MICHAEL SMITH AT UBC
WAS THE FIRST TO ACHIEVE ACETO
GENESIS BEFORE ALL THE
NUCLEOTIDES.
I WAS APPROACHED BY THE
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN WHEN
THEY WOULDN'T DOING A SEARCH
FOR PRESIDENT WHICH IN MY YOUNG
BUYS I THOUGHT IT WAS ONE OF
THE REPUBLIC UNIVERSITIES AND I
WAS INCREDIBLY HONORED TO BE
CHOSEN TO BE THE FIFTEENTH
PRESIDENT OF UNIVERSITY OF
MICHIGAN. THAT WAS THE STORY
OF MY JOURNEY. HOPEFULLY THAT
WAS OF INTEREST. AND CERTAINLY
IT WAS MEANDERING AS YOU CAN
SEE. BUT I HAVE TO TELL YOU I
FEEL VERY BLESSED TO HAVE BEEN
AT EACH OF THESE INCREDIBLE
INSTITUTIONS. EACH STOP HAS
SHAPED ME AS A PERSON. AND I
HAVE MET SOME INCREDIBLE PEOPLE
THAT HAVE REALLY SHAPED WHO I
AM ALONG THE WAY.
SO LET ME TELL YOU LITTLE BIT
ABOUT MY RESEARCH INTERESTS;
AND WILL TALK ABOUT THAT MORE
BECAUSE I TALKED LONGER THAN I
THOUGHT ABOUT HOW WAS
INTERESTED IN BIOLOGY? HOW ARE
WERE TRYING TO IDENTIFY
DIABETES SUSCEPTIBILITY GENES
THAT WAS MY THESIS. NOW I
STARTED TO FOCUS MORE MORE ON
THE MOLECULAR AND CELLULAR
BASIS OF INFLAMMATION IN THE
EYE.
AND I GUESS THE LATEST STUFF
THAT I DID BEYOND
POST-STIMULATION REQUIRED FOR
THE ACTIVATION OF MAST CELLS, I
STARTED FOCUSING ON MACULAR
DEGENERATION, A SLOW
PROGRESSIVE DISEASE AND I WAS
ABLE TO IDENTIFY A NUMBER
BIOMARKERS TO PREDICT WHAT WILL
HAPPEN, AND WHETHER ONE IS
GOING TO GO ON TO WET FORM OR
REMAIN A DRY DEGENERATION. SO
THOSE ARE THE THINGS WE
CONTINUE TO WORK ON AS I SET UP
MY LAB.
LIMIT SWITCH TO THE UNIVERSITY
OF MICHIGAN. AS PRESIDENT OF
THE UNIVERSITY HAVE TO TALK
ABOUT YOUR UNIVERSITY. SOME OF
YOU I CAN SEE WITH YOUR
SWEATSHIRTS AND T-SHIRTS ARE
REALLY INTERESTED IN THE
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN. I
HESITATED THERE'S A LOT OF
PEOPLE WHO WERE TRAINED AT THE
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN WHO
MIGHT CURRENTLY BE AT THE
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN. IT IS
AN EXTRAORDINARY PLACE AND AS
YOU KNOW IT IS OVER TWO
CENTURIES OLD; IT HAS A PROUD
HISTORY IN BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH,
BUT ALSO ACROSS REMARKABLE
BREADTH OF DISCIPLINES.
I JUST LOOK AT SOME DATA THE
OTHER DAY. SOME OF YOU MAY OR
MAY NOT BE SURPRISED THAT IF
YOU LOOK AT THE UNIVERSITIES
THAT HAVE THE MOST HIGHLY CITED
SCIENTISTS IN THE MOST TOP 10
DEPARTMENT ACROSS NOT ONLY
BIOMEDICINE BUT ENGINEERING?
LAW? HUMANITY TO BE COMMUNITIES
IN THE TOP THREE ARE HARVARD,
BERKELEY AND THE UNIVERSITY OF
MICHIGAN. SO THE UNIVERSITY HAS
EXTRAORDINARY DEPTH AND
BREADTH, IF YOU'RE FILLING IT
WITH THE UNIVERSITY YOU'RE
INCREDIBLY PROUD.
WE ARE AT AN IMPORTANT POINT
NOW. IS A VERY LARGE UNIVERSITY
WITH TREMENDOUS STRENGTHS BUT
THERE HASN'T BEEN A STRATEGIC
VISION OR PLAN OF WHERE IT
SHOULD GO. SO AS PRESIDENT OF
THE UNIVERSITY, LIKE A DIRECTOR
OF THE NIH, ONE OF THE THINGS
YOU DO IS YOU HAVE
CONVERSATIONS, NOT WITH
INSTITUTE DIRECTORS IN MY CASE
WITH DEANS OF SCHOOLS. WE HAVE
19 OF THEM AND THEN WE HAVE
THREE CAMPUSES TO DEVELOP A
CLEAR VISION OF HOW WE USE THE
RESOURCES THAT WE HAVE, AND OUR
RESOURCES ARE CONSIDERABLE. BUT
IN A VERY FOCUSED WAY TO ENSURE
THAT WE REMAIN BROADLY
EXCELLENT, BUT ALSO WE HAVE
MORE HOPEFULLY PROGRAMS THAT
ARE AMONG THE VERY BEST IN THE
WORLD.
THAT IS WHY I HAVE LAUNCHED
WHAT I CALL VISION 2034; WE
HOPE TO GET THERE OR EVEN
BETTER PLACE IN A DECADE AFTER
WE FINISH PLANNING THIS YEAR
AND WE DO HAVE A CAMPUS PLAN
THAT SUPPORTS THAT MISSION. AND
SO WE CREATED SOMETHING CALLED
CAMPUS PLAN 2050, THESE ARE THE
THINGS THAT WE DO WHEN YOU JOIN
THE DARK SIDE.
SO I FOCUSED ON HER VISION AND
WHERE WE ARE AND THE KIND OF
THING WHERE GOING TO GET READY
FOR THIS, AND WHERE WE HOPE TO
BE AT THE END OF THAT PROCESS.
LIKE I SAID UNIVERSITY IS THEIR
LARGEST A RESEARCH INSTITUTION.
IS NUMBER THREE IN THE UNITED
STATES IN TERMS OF TOTAL
RESEARCH VOLUME. JOHNS HOPKINS
IS NUMBER ONE BECAUSE HAVE A
VERY BIG FEDERAL LAB CALLED
APPLIED PHYSICS LABS; WE DON'T
HAVE A FEDERAL LAB BUT
NEVERTHELESS WE ARE VERY LARGE
AND SO WE ARE SECOND ONLY TO
UCSF IN TOTAL RESEARCH FUNDING.
YOU CAN SEE ALL THE OTHER
MAJOR PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES,
WHETHER IT IS PUBLIC-- IF YOU
LAYER THE PRIVATE UNIVERSITIES
ON TOP WE WOULD STILL BE IN THE
TOP THREE AFTER HOPKINS AND
UCSF IN TOTAL FUNDING. SO WE
ARE VERY, VERY LARGE AND THAT
IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE WE HAVE
TREMENDOUS DEPTH AND BREADTH,
WE HAVE TO HAVE A CRITICAL MASS
TO BE ABLE TO BE A PLAYER IN
THE FIELD AND IT IS NOT
SURPRISING TO YOU THAT WE HAVE
A VERY LARGE AMOUNT OF FUNDING
FROM THE HNS FROM THE NIH, WE
HAVE A CONSIDERABLE MONEY MONEY
FROM THE NSF AS WELL. YOU CAN
SEE THAT WE ARE HAVING A STEEP
UPWARD CLIMB IN THE AMOUNT OF
FUNDING RECEIVED FROM THE NIH
IN THAT A STRATEGIC.
PART OF IT IS DUE TO NEW
BUILDING COMING ONLINE. IF
YOU'RE IN MICHIGAN RIGHT NOW
YOU SEE A WHOLE BUNCH OF
CRANES. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT
WE HAVE, FOR EXAMPLE UCLA AND
BERKELEY DO NOT HAVE, IS LAND.
WE HAVE 248 ACRES OF LAND AND
RESOURCES TO BUILD. SO WE WANT
TO STRENGTHEN AREAS AND
STRENGTHEN OUR POLITICAL MASS
IN OTHER AREAS; YOU CAN SEE A
SIGNIFICANT JUMP FROM ABOUT 600
MILLION TO ABOUT 645 MILLION
THIS YEAR. AND WE ARE
POSITIONING OURSELVES TO BECOME
EVEN LARGER. HOW USF HAS DONE
IN RECENT YEARS.
THIS IS A SNAPSHOT OF 2022; IS
THAT WE JUMPED TO 640 MILLION
IN NIH FUNDING ALONE. WE HAVE
ABOUT 2700 PROJECT SPONSORED BY
THE NIH ALONG SOME VERY LARGE,
AND WILL TALK ABOUT THAT IN THE
SECOND AND THIS IS THE NUMBER
OF FACULTY AND POSTDOC GRAD
STUDENTS FOCUS ON THOSE NIH
GRANTS SO ALL OF YOU NIH WILL
FUND THIS THANK YOU SO MUCH.
I AM VERY PROUD AND HAPPY TO
SAY THAT FRANCIS COLLINS SPENT
A LONG TIME AT UNIVERSITY OF
MICHIGAN A DIRECTOR HERE THE
NIH. I UNDERSTAND HE TOOK BACK
A BUNCH OF YOU WITH HIM,NOT
HAPPY ABOUT THAT.
WHAT ARE WE DOING TO MAKE THIS
EVEN BETTER? I AM PRETTY
AMBITIOUS. WE WANT TO BECOME
BETTER AT TRANSLATIONAL
RESEARCH AND WE RECEIVED WHEN
THE BIGGEST GRANTS TO ENHANCE
TRANSLITERAL RESEARCH; WE ARE
FOCUSING A LOT OF ENERGY ON
TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH. WE ARE
BUILDING A CAMPUS THAT WILL
HELP WITH TRANSLATIONAL
RESEARCH AND COMMERCIALIZATION
OF COMING IN THE NEXT SLIDE.
THIS GIVES YOU AN AERIAL VIEW
OF THE CENTRAL CAMPUS OF THE
UNIVERSITY. MUCH OF WHAT IS
HAPPENING IN THE SLIDE IS
HAPPENING IN AN ENTIRELY
DIFFERENT PART OF THE
UNIVERSITY CALLED NORTH CAMPUS.
ONE OF THE REASONS WE HAVE
BEEN ABLE TO GROW PRETTY
QUICKLY IS THAT WE TOOK OVER A
RELATIVELY SOPHISTICATED
FACILITY FROM PARKE-DAVIS. IT
HAS ABOUT 125 ACRES OF LAND.
WHEN THE LEFT MOST OF THE
BUILDINGS BECAME VACANT, AND
THEY ARE NOW FULLY SATURATED
WITH PEOPLE FROM THE MEDICAL
SCHOOL, FROM THE OTHER HEALTH
SCIENTIST SCHOOL AND FROM
ENGINEERING AND LOSS OF NIH
PROJECT AND THE ACQUISITION OF
LAND AND BUILDINGS, ALMOST THE
SAME SIZE OF WHAT YOU SEE HERE
NORTH OF THE CAMPUS, ALLOWED US
TO HAVE THAT UPWARD STEP IN
OVERALL SUCCESS IN RECEIVING
NIH GRANTS.
WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO INCREASE
OUR SUCCESS IN COMPETING FOR
NOT ONLY NIH GRANT BUT NSF
GRANTS AS WELL. THIS IS AN
EXAMPLE OF THE 71 MILLION HUMAN
IMMUNODEFICIENCY (CORRECTION)
NIH GRANT FOR TRANSLATION OR
RESEARCH.
WE HAVE BUILT ONE OF THE
LARGEST FIREARM SAFETY AND
RESEARCH CENTERS THANKS TO
SUPPORT FROM NIH.
THIS IS SAFE
-- $5.5 MILLION GRANT THAT
ALLOWED US TO LAUNCH THIS NEW
FIREARM OR RESEARCH.
ANOTHER EXAMPLE, THE NIH WITH
THE SOCIAL SECURITY
ADMINISTRATION HAS LAUNCHED A
SURVEY THAT WILL BE THE NUCLEUS
OF THE CENTER ON HEALTHY AGING,
ANOTHER STRATEGIC FOCUS WHICH
ALLOWS US TO SURVEY
APPROXIMATELY 20,000 PEOPLE
ACROSS AMERICA TO GIVE A VERY
IN-DEPTH INFORMATION ABOUT THE
AGING PROCESS THROUGH
INTERVIEWS BUT ALSO EVENTUALLY
TO BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH.
BECAUSE MORE PEOPLE ARE LIVING
LONGER, AND THE QUALITY OF LIFE
AS WE AGE AND LIVE LONGER
SOMETHING THAT SHOULD BE OF
IMPORTANCE TO ALL OF US. SO THE
NIH HAS ALLOWED US TO BUILD
THIS BEST IN CLASS ABILITY TO
TRACK AGING SO WE CAN HOPEFULLY
ENSURE AS AN INSTITUTION THAT
WE AGE WELL AND REMAIN HEALTHY.
ALL OF THIS IS A TREMENDOUS
ECONOMIC IMPACT ON THE STATE
AND ON THE NATION, 5.9 BILLION
FROM THE NATIONAL CONTEXT AND
1.8 BILLION IN MICHIGAN ALONE.
THE RESEARCH THAT IS UNDERWAY,
IN ADDITION TO BEING
FUNDAMENTALLY IMPORTANT FOR THE
WELL-BEING OF MICHIGAN,
AMERICANS AND GLOBALLY HAS HAD
A DIRECT ECONOMIC IMPACT ON THE
NATION AND UNDERSTATE.
THE OTHER THING THAT WE ARE
TRYING TO DO IS TO REALLY RAMP
UP OUR ABILITY TO
COMMERCIALIZE. WE HAVE QUIETLY
MOVED INTO THE TOP FIVE
INSTITUTIONS IN THE UNITED
STATES IN TERMS OF ALL THE
METRICS IN TERMS OF BEING ABLE
TO COMMERCIALIZE OUR
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY. FOR
EXAMPLE WILL LOAD SUCCESSFULLY
16 MAJOR STARTUPS LAST YEAR AND
WE HAVE 433 INVENTION
DISCLOSURES AND 278 LICENSING
AGREEMENTS AND IN FACT WE ARE
SECOND ONLY TO MIT IN THE
NUMBER OF INVENTIONS THAT WERE
DISCLOSED LAST YEAR FROM A
RESEARCH UNIVERSITY. SO WE ARE
RAMPING THAT UP AND WE WANT TO
GO EVEN HIGHER IN TERMS OF OUR
ABILITY TO COMMERCIALIZE OUR
RESEARCH. I WILL TELL YOU WHAT
OUR STRATEGY IS WITH RESPECT TO
THAT IN THE NEXT SLIDES.
NOT ONLY ARE WE LARGE AND WELL
FUNDED, BUT MANY OF OUR
PROGRAMS ARE IN THE TOP 10 IN
THE UNITED STATES. THIS IS AN
ANNUAL METRIC FROM THE BLUE
RIDGE MEDICAL RESEARCH THAT
RANKED THE BEST PROGRAMS IN THE
KNOW STATES BY OVERALL FUNDING
IN IF YOU COUNT THOSE IN THE
TOP 10, 19 OF OUR PROGRAMS ARE
IN THE TOP 10 THESE ARE IN THE
TOP FIVE AND THESE ARE FOR NIH
FUNDING, UROLOGY, MOLECULAR
PHYSIOLOGY, BIOMEDICAL
ENGINEERING NUMBER THREE IN THE
COUNTRY AND THE COLLEGE OF
PHARMACY. SO WE HAVE A STRONG
RESEARCH PROGRAM, WELL-FUNDED
FROM THE NIH AND AS I SAID
THERE ARE 19 IN THE TOP 10.
SO WHAT IS OUR STRATEGY TO
BECOME EVEN BETTER? LIKE I SAID
UNABASHEDLY I AM AMBITIOUS
UNIVERSITY MICHIGAN. THIS IS
OUR STRATEGY THAT WE LAUNCH
THIS YEAR. WE ARE FOCUSING ON
FOLLOWING SURVEYS AND FOCUS
GROUPS WITH OUR SCIENTISTS AND
INVESTIGATORS TO WHAT WE THINK
AND MOVE US TO AN EVEN HIGHER
LEVEL. AND AS YOU CAN SEE WE
NEED TO DO BETTER TO GET MORE
OF THE $71 MILLION NIH GRANTS
ARE EVEN HIGHER AND WE NEED TO
SUPPORT INVESTIGATORS PUTTING
TOGETHER THOSE KINDS OF GRANTS,
AND WE WILL AND HANDS BY
INVESTING SUPPORTING IN
RESEARCH TO BE MORE SUCCESSFUL
AND COMPETITIVE FOR THE LARGE
GRANTS. WE WANT TO DO BETTER IN
TERMS OF FOUNDATION FUNDING
FROM THE GATES FOUNDATION, AND
SOME OTHER FOUNDATION SO WE ARE
SUPPORTING OUR INVESTIGATORS
WITHOUT.
WE WANT TO DO BETTER IN TERMS
OF INDUSTRY SPONSORED RESEARCH.
OF THE 1.7 BILLION WE BROUGHT
IN WE CAN DO BETTER IN TERMS OF
GETTING INDUSTRY- SPONSORED
RESEARCH FROM PHARMA AND FROM
BIOTECH COMPANIES.
AND WE WANT TO HONOR OUR
FACULTY. WE THINK THAT WE CAN
DO BETTER IN GETTING MEMBERS IN
INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIES AND TO
BUILD INFRASTRUCTURES WHERE WE
CAN ACTUALLY LOOK INTO THE
FUTURE, AND HOPEFULLY MAKE
BETTER BETS IN THE INTERSECTION
OF DISCIPLINES THAT WE THINK
ARE EMERGING, THAT WILL BE MOST
IMPACTFUL. AND SO WE HAVE
INVESTED SIGNIFICANT IN
IDENTIFYING THROUGH ANALYTICS
THE EMERGING FIELDS SO WE CAN
SUPPORT OUR FACULTY AND
STUDENTS IN THE BEST POSSIBLE
WAY AND IN A PROACTIVE WAY.
WE HAVE ALSO INVESTED
SIGNIFICANTLY IN CORES. THIS
IS PART OF THE OLDER PART OF
MICHIGAN MEDICINE. IF YOU LOOK
AT IT TODAY YOU SEE A BIG
CRANE; THERE IS A BIG TOWER
GOING UP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE
PROCESS THE NORTH CAMPUS ON TOP
OF THAT. THIS GIVES YOU AN IDEA
OF HOW WE ARE ORGANIZED AS AN
ACADEMIC HEALTH CENTER. WE HAVE
MULTIPLE AD HOC HOSPITALS; WE
HAVE SPECIFIC HOSPITALS FOR
WOMEN AND FOR CHILDREN,
AMBULATORY CARE. WE HAVE THE
MEDICAL SCHOOL AND THE OTHER
OUTSIDE SCHOOLS LIKE THE SCHOOL
PUBLIC HEALTH AND NURSING AND
PHARMACY AND A PRACTICE PLAN
HEADED BY PAUL LEE THAT IS
GOING TO GIVE A COMPLETE AND WE
ARE GOING TO RAMP UP OUR GAME
IN GRADUATE MEDICAL EDUCATION.
WE THINK THAT ONE OF OUR
STRATEGIC ADVANTAGES AS MEDICAL
CENTER IS THE SIZE AND THE
NUMBER PROGRAMS THAT ARE RANKED
IN THE TOP 10. YOU SEE SEVEN IN
THE TOP FIVE. WE WANT TO INVEST
IN OUR FACULTY EXPERTISE AND
WANT TO BE SUPPORTIVE OF
HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS AND
RESEARCHERS IN THE BETTER
DISCOVERY RESEARCH AND ENSURE
THAT ALL OF THAT IS FOCUSED ON
A BETTER PATIENT EXPERIENCE
WITH BETTER MEASURABLE OUTCOMES.
THAT IS PART OF OUR STRATEGY
AND IT GIVES YOU AN IDEA OF HOW
WE ARE ORGANIZED. MICHIGAN
MEDICINE IS OVER THE SYSTEM
ABOUT 80 HOSPITALS ACROSS THE
ENTIRE STATE OF MICHIGAN. ON
THE LEFT, UNIVERSITY OF
MICHIGAN HEALTH AS A
CONSTELLATION OF ABOUT 80
HOSPITALS THROUGHOUT THE STATE
OF MICHIGAN THAT I MENTIONED
AND THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
MEDICAL SCHOOLS AND FUNDS FLOW
BETWEEN THE MEDICAL SCHOOL AND
THE SYSTEM, AND THERE'S A LOT
OF STRATEGIC HIRING FOR
EDUCATION, FOR RESEARCH
TOGETHER WITH THE CLINICAL
MISSION AND THAT IS UNIVERSITY
OF MICHIGAN MEDICINE.
AND ALL OF THIS IS I THINK
ESSENTIAL FOR OUR STRATEGY TO
ENSURE THAT WE REMAIN
COMPETITIVE NATIONALLY AND
GLOBALLY AS A UNIVERSITY.
I'M CLOSE TO THE END SO WANT
TO TELL YOU LITTLE BIT ABOUT
OUR RESEARCH GOALS. THIS IS THE
NIH. WE ARE FOCUSING ON
RECRUITMENT OF FACULTY, AND A
SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF FACULTY
HIRES IN CLUSTER AREAS
IDENTIFIED BY THESE ANALYTIC
METHODS. WE'RE GOING TO TRY TO
INCENTIVIZE INTERDISCIPLINARY
COLLABORATION BETWEEN
DEPARTMENTS AND MEDICAL SCHOOL
AND ACROSS THE ENTIRE
INSTITUTION. ONE OF OUR
GREATEST STRENGTHS IS THAT
BEYOND OUR STRENGTHS IN
IOMEDICAL RESEARCH AND ALLIED
HEALTH, WE ALSO HAVE A MAJOR
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND ARTS
AND SCIENCES THAT IN AN
INTERDISCIPLINARY WAY CAN
SYNERGIZE WITH THE EXPERTISE WE
HAVE IN THE MEDICAL SCHOOL. AND
WE WANT TO ENSURE THAT THIS
CONTINUES TO BE FOCUSED ON HER
CLINICAL RESEARCH ENTERPRISE AS
WELL, AND TO INVEST IN THE
INFRASTRUCTURE AND OUR CAMPUS
PLAN TO ENSURE THAT WE MAKE IT
AN OPTIMAL PLACE TO LEARN AND
DO RESEARCH.
LAST THING I WANT TO SAY BEFORE
I OPEN IT FOR QUESTIONS IS, WE
HAVE JUST RECRUITED A NEW
DIRECTOR OF NEUROSCIENCE. AND
WE WANT TO ESTABLISH AN
COMPREHENSIVE NEUROSCIENCE
CENTER. THERE ARE OTHERS THAT
EXIST BUT WORKING TO PUT
SIGNIFICANT RESOURCES IN
NEUROSCIENCE, IN E-HEALTH,
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AS IT
APPLIES TO HEALTH; TO USE THE
STRENGTH THAT WE HAVE IN
ENGINEERING AND ALSO IN THE
MEDICAL SCHOOL TO REALLY BECOME
A MAJOR CUTTING EDGE CENTER FOR
RESEARCH IN AI-INFORMED HEALTH
WHICH HOPEFULLY WILL HAVE AN
IMPACT ON PATIENT OUTCOMES, ON
HEALTH EQUITY BOTH THE LOCALLY
AND GLOBALLY. WE HAVE LAUNCHED
THE NEW OPIOID CENTER AS SOME
OF YOU HAVE SEEN AND WE ARE NOT
SEARCHING FOR A DIRECTOR IN THE
NEW EXPANSION IN THE AREA OF
INFORMATION AND WE WILL BE
FOCUSING ON A SMALL NUMBER OF
AREAS AND TO USE THESE
CROSSCUTTING THEMES OF
INCENTIVIZING INTERDISCIPLINARY
SCIENCE, FOCUSING ON EACH OF
THESE DOMAINS AS ONE AGES
THROUGHOUT THE LIFESPAN AND
FOCUSING ON THE IMPACT AS I
SHOWED YOU IN THE PREVIOUS
SLIDE, TO OPTIMIZE THE
COMMERCIALIZATION AND IMPACT OF
THE RESEARCH THAT WE DO TO THE
BEDSIDE.
SO THE LAST COUPLE OF THINGS I
WANT TO SHOW YOU ARE SOME OF
THE ANALYTIC ABILITIES WE ARE
FOCUSING ON. TRYING TO
IDENTIFY AND FOCUS AREAS THAT
WE THINK WILL BE TRANSFER
MOTIVE, FIVE, 10 YEARS HENCE.
THIS IS ONE OF OUR FACULTY
MEMBERS AND YOU CAN SEE THE
FIELDS IN DIFFERENT COLORS,
WHERE HE INTERACTS, AND THE
PEOPLE HE INTERACTS WITH. AND
WE KNOW WHICH INTERACTIONS ARE
EMERGING, AND BEING CITED AT A
VERY HIGH FREQUENCY SO WE CAN
USE THIS TO IDENTIFY FACULTY
MEMBERS AND AREAS THAT WE THINK
ARE ABOUT TO TAKE OFF AND TO
FUND THEM AND TO POSITION THEM
TO BE SUCCESSFUL BEFORE OTHER
ACADEMIC CENTERS AND THAT
TOGETHER WITH THIS KIND OF
INVESTMENT IN THE NORTH CAMPUS
WHICH IS ABOUT 340 ACRES TO
CREATE SPACES FOR COLLABORATION
BETWEEN FACULTY MEMBERS IN
DIFFERENT SCHOOLS AND DIFFERENT
DEPARTMENTS AS PART OF OUR
STRATEGY TO REALLY STRENGTHEN
RESEARCH AT UNIVERSITY OF
MICHIGAN.
THIS IS THE LAST ONE, A
SCHEMATIC. AS I SAID WE ARE
GOING TO BE AMBITIOUS. SO WE
ARE THINKING ABOUT BUILDING A
MAJOR RESEARCH FACILITY, SEVEN
STORIES HIGH THAT INCLUDES IN
THE SAME BUILDING COLLISION
SPACES, RESEARCH FLOORS
THEMATICALLY ORGANIZED TOGETHER
WITH CORPORATE PARTNERS. YOU
MAY HAVE SEEN THAT EMORY
UNIVERSITY JUST OPENED UP
SOMETHING LIKE THIS AT THE
UNIVERSITY ND THERE ARE
DIFFERENT ONES LIKE IN THE
HARVARD SYSTEM AS YOU KNOW THAT
HAVE BEEN INCREDIBLE INCUBATORS
FOR COLLABORATION BETWEEN
DISCIPLINES AND ALSO WITH
PHARMA AND BIOTECHNOLOGY.
I THINK THAT IS IT. WE HAVE
THREE EXAMPLES HERE OF A BROAD
RANGE OF DISCIPLINES BEYOND
FUNDAMENTAL RESEARCH THAT WE
ARE ENGAGED IN. FOR EXAMPLE
PROFESSOR SHAMAN (PHONETIC) IN
PHARMACOLOGY, HOW HIS LAB IS
BEEN INVOLVED IN LIPODERMIS
DISEASES. AND EVEN IN THE AREA
OF IMAGING PROFESSOR STOUT,
WERE LEADER IN DEVELOPING
CERVICAL TECHNIQUES, GIVE YOU
AN EXAMPLE OF THE KINDS OF
THINGS THAT WE ARE DOING.
AND WE ARE FOCUSING NOT ONLY IN
COMMERCIALIZATION BUT ALSO
FUNDING FUNDAMENTAL RESEARCH,
FOCUSING SPECIFICALLY IN A
TARGETED WAY ON HIGH-RISK/HIGH
REWARDSCIENCE.
I'M NOT GOING TO TALK ABOUT
CORES WHICH ARE INCREDIBLY
IMPORTANT; WE ARE FOCUSING ON
CRIO EM AND OTHER KINDS OF
FACILITIES TO SUPPORT THE
SCIENTISTS. I WANT TO END THERE
TO STAY ON TIME SO THANK YOU
FOR LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT MY
JOURNEY AND ALSO WHAT WE ARE
DOING UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH. GO BLUE!
>>[APPLAUSE]
>>THANK YOU FOR A WONDERFUL
TALK. IF ANYBODY HAS A
QUESTIONS YOU CAN GO TO THE
MICROPHONE.
>>I DO HAVE ONE. CAN YOU TELL
US ABOUT THE DIVERSITY OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
SCIENTIFIC AND LEADERSHIP STAFF?
DO YOU HAVE ANY INITIATIVES TO
HELP WITH ANY IMBALANCED,
PARTICULARLY WITH GENDER
INEQUALITY?
>>THAT IS A GREAT QUESTION.
WE HAVE A NUMBER OF
NSF-ADVANCED GRANTS FOCUSING
ON THAT AND WE HAVE RICH DATA
ON HOW WE ARE TRENDING IN TERMS
OF GENDER DIVERSITY BUT ALL
FORMS OF DIVERSITY. WE WOULD
LOVE TO SHARE SOME OF THE
PROBLEMS THAT WE HAVE IN PLACE
AND WE ARE BUILDING THAT
INVOLVE PEER MENTORING AT EVERY
STAGE OF SCIENTIST OR FACULTY
MEMBER'S PROGRESSION. AND HOW
WE HAVE TEAMS THAT INCLUDE
PEOPLE WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT
FROM OTHER SCHOOLS THAT REALLY
WORK ON ENSURING THE SUCCESS
AND PROMOTION AND TENURE TO
GROW THE DIVERSITY OF OUR
PROFESSORATES. THERE'S A LOT
THAT WE CAN SHARE THAT HAS BEEN
FUNDED FOR QUITE SOME TIME
THROUGH THE NATIONAL SCIENCE
FOUNDATION. THAT IS ONE OF OUR
PRIORITIES OF THE STRATEGIC
VISION, TO DOUBLE DOWN ON THAT,
AND TO GROW THE DIVERSITY EVEN
BEYOND WHAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO
ACHIEVE HIS UNIVERSITY IN THE
PAST DECADE OR SO.
>>HI. I WAS STRUCK BY YOUR
CAMPUS PLAN FOR 2050, AND YOUR
VISION 2034. LET ME TELL YOU
SOMETHING ABOUT 2034.
I WAS BORN IN 1934. I'M ONE
OF A FEW PEOPLE STILL WORKING
AT NIH. AND THERE IS VERY BIG
NEED FOR YOU YOUNG PEOPLE TO
TAKE AN INTEREST IN ALZHEIMER'S
DISEASE, WHICH IS A BIG CAUSE
OF DEATH AND DISABILITY. AND
THERE IS HARDLY A FAMILY IN
THIS COUNTRY AS YOU MAY KNOW.
YOU MAY HAVE PARENTS AND
GRANDPARENTS AND RELATIVES OF
THESE WHO ARE SUFFERING FROM
THIS.
AND WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO SAY
IS THAT THE ADVANCES IN
RESEARCH TECHNIQUES ARE
HAPPENING SO RAPIDLY THESE
DAYS. BUT I CANNOT KEEP TRACK
OF THEM.
BUT THEY ARE THERE. AND I HAVE
VISION OF DOING GENE EDITING
RESEARCH AND GENE EDITING TO
PREVENT AND CURE ALZHEIMER'S
DISEASE.
AND IF ANY OF YOU ARE
INTERESTED IN CHATTING WITH ME,
MY NAME IS MIKE MAGE, LIKE THE
RACEHORSE. THERE ARE MANY AREAS
IN WHICH YOU CAN FOCUS BOTH IN
GENE EDITING AND IN GENE
SEQUENCING. THE ADVANCES IN
GENE SEQUENCING WHICH HAVE COME
ABOUT BASED PARTLY ON THE NEW
RULES BY NIH UNDER NEW RULES BY
PUBLISHERS LIKE AAI AND AAAS,
AND THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF
SCIENCES. MAKES BROAD DATA
INSTANTLY ACCESSIBLE WHEN YOU
READ ONE OF THE PUBLICATIONS.
AND YOU MAY HAVE SEEN WHERE YOU
CAN CLICK AND IT CALLS IT UP
RIGHT BEFORE YOUR EYES.
>>LET ME ALSO MENTION DOCTOR
MAGE, WE ARE GOING TO HAVE A
RECEPTION. IT WILL BE GREAT
FOR US TO CONTINUE THIS WITH
YOU.
>>THANK YOU.
>>WHAT AN INSPIRATION FOR YOU
TO BE HERE AMONGST US.
EVERYTHING THAT WE DO
SCIENTISTS AND EDUCATORS RESTS
UPON THE FOUNDATION YOU BUILT,
ON YOUR SHOULDERS. THE REASON
WHY TWO OF OUR PRIORITIES ARE
TO INVEST IN NEUROSCIENCE AND
HEALTHY AGING IS BECAUSE WE
AGREE 100% WITH WHAT YOU SAID.
I THINK IT DOES REST UPON THE
NEXT GENERATION. THANK YOU FOR
INVITING THEM TO BE PART OF THE
FUTURE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
>>[APPLAUSE]
>>FIRST THANK YOU FOR TAKING
TIME OFF YOUR BUSY SCHEDULE TO
SHARE YOUR CAREER, YOUR LIFE,
YOUR VISION.
YOU TALKED ABOUT EARLY PART OF
YOUR CAREER TO FIND
OPPORTUNITIES WHICH RESONATES
WITH MANY OF US. YOU ALSO
MENTIONED THAT AT SOME POINT IN
YOUR JOURNEY YOU TURN TO THE
DARK SIDE. I WONDER, DO YOU
MISS THE "LIGHT SIDE," AND HOW
DO YOU STAY ENGAGED WITH THE
BASIC SCIENCE? YOU STILL SEEM
TO BE CONVERSANT IN THE
TERMINOLOGY.
>>I DO MISS THE LIGHT SIDE. I
LOVE GETTING MY JEANS RUINED; I
LOVED THE BEING THE FIRST TO
SEE SOMETHING IN THE AUTORAD
WERE SOME OF THE HAPPIEST DAYS
OF MY LIFE , AND BEING IN THE
LABORATORY TO 3 AM IN THE
MORNING. IT IS A BLESSING
HOWEVER TO LEAD A PLACE LIKE
THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN,
THAT HAS THE RESOURCES TO MAKE
THINGS BETTER. PEOPLE ARE VERY
PROUD AS YOU KNOW OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AND THE
PEOPLE THAT HAVE COME FROM
PERMIT AND IN ADDITION TO
FRANCIS COLLINS, YOU PROBABLY
KNOW THAT THE INFLUENZA VACCINE
CAME OUT OF RESEARCH THERE; THE
JONAS SALK HIMSELF TRAINED
THERE AND DID SOME CRITICAL
TRIALS WORK TO SHOW THE SAFETY
AND EFFICACY OF THE POLIO
VACCINE. IT IS PRIVILEGED TO BE
ASSOCIATED WITH A PLACE LIKE
THAT AND HAVE STUDENTS SECOND
TO NONE.
I WANT TO MAKE IT CLEAR THAT I
MISS THE LIGHT SIDE. BUT I
ALSO FEEL PRIVILEGED TO BE PART
OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN,
AND DO EVERYTHING I CAN TO
ELEVATE IT AND I HOPE WILL
CONTINUE SENDING SCIENTISTS AND
STUDENTS FROM MICHIGAN TO THE
NIH. AND I DO MISS IT.
SOMETIMES
THESE ADMINISTRATORS OR FORMS
ARE NOT FOREVER. I HOPE I CAN
SET UP MY LABORATORY AT THE
KELLOGG EYE CENTER. THERE
STILL THINGS I WANT TO DO MAYBE
I WILL MAKE IT BACK TO THE LAB
BEFORE YOU KNOW.
>>THANK YOU.
>>SANTA, THANK YOU FOR A
FANTASTIC TALK AND I APPRECIATE
YOUR GIVING A SHOUT OUT TO DR.
MAGE FOR BEING AN INSPIRATION
AND I WANT TO GIVE YOU A SHOUT
OUT AS SOMEONE WHO IS OF ASIAN
DESCENT; YOU AS A PERSON OF
ASIAN DESCENT ARE INSPIRATION
TO ASIAN PEOPLE.
CONGRATULATIONS FOR THAT.
MY QUESTION IS THAT ONE OF THE
THINGS THAT I STARTED TO THINK
ABOUT, FROM AN NIH PERSPECTIVE,
WHAT WE ARE TRYING TO DO IS TO
CURE DISEASE AND MAKE
DISCOVERIES THAT TRANSLATE TO
CURING DISEASE AND IN A WAY
THAT IS DIFFERENT FROM THE
INDIVIDUAL INVESTIGATOR. WHAT
THEY ARE TRYING TO DO IS
PUBLISH PAPERS AND GET TENURE.
I TRYING TO THINK ABOUT HOW CAN
WE BEST ALIGN INCENTIVES? IN
MY OPINION WE HAVE AN INCENTIVE
SYSTEM AND THE PROMOTION TENURE
SYSTEM THAT IS GEARED MORE
TOWARDS INDIVIDUAL PEOPLE
RATHER THAN CURING BIG PICTURE
PROBLEMS AND WE ALL SAW THAT IN
COVID. WHEN WE ALL HAVE THE
SAME INCENTIVES WE CAN SOLVE
PROBLEMS QUICKLY.
BUT I DON'T THINK THAT IS
SOMETHING AT NIH THAT WE CAN DO
ALONE. WE NEED TO WORK TO
UNIVERSITIES AND HOW CAN WE AT
NIH WORK WITH PEOPLE IT
UNIVERSITIES TO SOLVE PROBLEMS
AT THE GLOBAL LEVEL?
>>THAT IS A VERY INSIGHTFUL
QUESTION. YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY
RIGHT IN TEAM SCIENCE; THERE IS
THAT DILEMMA ON HOW TO
INCENTIVIZE AND SUPPORT THAT.
THERE IS ALSO THE DILEMMA OF
PEOPLE BEING AND INSTITUTO
SCHOOLS OR DEPARTMENTS. THEIR
PROGRESS IS REVIEWED BY LIKE
PEOPLE. AND THAT ISN'T
CONDUCIVE TO INDIVIDUALS THAT
REALLY WANT TO BE TRULY
INTERDISCIPLINARY. SAID KIND
OF THING WITH STUDY SECTIONS.
THERE ARE THESE BRILLIANT
SCIENTISTS WHO SAY MY GRANT
KEEPS GOING TO VIZ A OR HAI
(PHONETIC), AND MY BUSINESSES
IN OCULAR SCIENCE OR
ENGINEERING, SO THE SAME KIND
OF DISCUSSION ABOUT HOW
INSTRUCTIONS REVIEW PROCESS,
HOW TO THINK OF IT IN ANY WAY
TO SUPPORT THE DIFFERENT KINDS
OF RESEARCH THAT HAS TO HAPPEN,
WE WOULD LOVE TO DO THAT WITH
THE NIH.
WE ARE HAVING THOSE
CONVERSATIONS AT THE UNIVERSITY
OF MICHIGAN. WHAT IS IT ABOUT
OUR TENURE AND PROMOTION
PROCESS? IS IT TOO INSULAR? DO
WE NEED TO REVISIT IT? HOW DO
WE FOR EXAMPLE ACKNOWLEDGE
INDIVIDUALS WERE VERY
ENTREPRENEURIAL, WHO MAY
PUBLISH FEWER PAPERS BUT WHO
ARE REALLY AT THE GENESIS OF
NEW FORMS OF THERAPY. AND SO
ALL OF THAT GETS BACK TO WHY IT
IS IMPORTANT TO BE INVOLVED IN
THE DARK SIDE. TO THINK ABOUT
THOSE POLICY CHANGES AND TO
SUPPORT THEM, AND TO
SUCCESSFULLY CHANGE THEM SO
THAT WE CAN BEST SUPPORT THE
SCIENTISTS THAT ARE REALLY AT
THE CUTTING-EDGE OF WHAT WE ARE
DOING. THANK YOU FOR THAT.
>>ANYTHING ELSE FROM ONLINE?
>>THAT IS IT.
THIS IS A GREAT PLACE TO STOP.
WE WILL HAVE A LITTLE
RECEPTION OUTSIDE. YOU ARE
WELCOME TO STAY AND CHAT.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENDANCE.
>>[APPLAUSE]