• Gryphon Login
  • MyCourses
  • Alumni
  • UCLA Health
  • Contact Us
Prospective Students

Prospective Students

Prospective Students
  • Admissions
    Procedure & Timelines
    • Admissions Timeline
    • Admissions Procedure
    • Basis of Selection
    • COVID-19 Impacts on Admissions
    • Housing Information
    • Interview Process
    • Prerequisites
    General Information
    • Statement of Diversity
    • Mission Statement
    • Curriculum Resdesign
    • Honor Code
    • FAQs
    • Admissions Brochure
    • Admissions Timeline
    • Admission Procedure
    • Basis of Selection
    • Competencies
    • COVID-19 Impact on Admissions
    • DACA Applicants
    • DGSOM Mission Statement
    • Equity and Diversity Inclusion
    • FAQs
    • Honor Code
    • Housing Information
    • Interview Process
    • Virtual Events
  • Outreach & Pipeline Programs
    Summer Pre-Health and Postbaccaluareate Programs
    • UCLA SHPEP
    • UCLA PREP
    • UCLA RAP
    Outreach and Recruitment
    • Conferences and Events
    • Stay Connected!
    • Contact Us
    • Conferences & Outreach Events
    • Summer Pre-Health and Postbaccalaureate Programs
    • Contact Us
    • Stay Connected
  • Financial Aid & Scholarships
  • Degrees & Programs
  • Curriculum
  • Student Life
    Why Choose UCLA
    • Research
    • Clinical Work
    • Service Opportunities
    • Global Health Impact
    • Why You'll Love LA
    Campus Life
    • Student Organizations
    • Annual Events
    • Day in the Life
    • Around Campus
    • Photo Galleries
    • Medical and Research News
    • Medical Student Council
    • Geffy Guide
    • Search Campus and Health News
    • Service Opportunities
    • Global Health Impact
    • Why You'll Love LA
    • Photo Galleries
    • Day in the Life
    • Around Campus
    • Medical and Research News
    • Search Campus and Health News
  • How to Apply
  • Gryphon Login
  • MyCourses
  • Alumni
  • UCLA Health
  • Contact Us

Prospective Students

Search Campus and Health News

Search Campus and Health News

Search Campus and Health News

  • Health News
  • A Day in the Life
  • Around Campus
  • Medical and Research News
  • Health News
  • A Day in the Life
  • Around Campus
  • Medical and Research News
  1. Home
  2. Prospective Students
  3. Student Life
  4. Search Campus and Health News

Search Campus and Health News

Share this

Health News

Title

Two medical school researchers noted for early career potential

Health News

Date
09/28/2016
Article

Elissa Hallem, at left, and Kathrin Plath have been named Howard Hughes Medical Institute Faculty Scholars.

Two professors at UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine have been recognized as “early career scientists who have great potential to make unique contributions to their field.”

Elissa Hallem, associate professor of microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics, and Kathrin Plath, professor of biological chemistry, were among 84 scientists across the country named Howard Hughes Medical Institute Faculty Scholars.

The new award was created by the institute in collaboration with the Simon Foundation and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to address the difficulty in securing research funding. The philanthropies will provide about $83 million over five years to this first group of Faculty Scholars, with five-year grants ranging from $600,000 to $1.8 million.

Hallem and Plath are “exceptional young scientists,” said Dr. Kelsey Martin, the medical school’s dean, in an email announcement. “Both are making enormous contributions to the university and to the larger scientific community, and we are fortunate to count them among our colleagues.”

Hallem researches the interactions between animal parasites and their hosts, such as how parasitic worms use sensory cues like heat and odors to find their hosts. Her laboratory also works to understand how the nervous system of a parasite differs from that of a free-living animal. Hallem is a 2013 Macarthur Fellow and a 2012 Searle Scholar, among other honors.

Plath’s lab seeks to understand how cells progress during development from a pluripotent or uncommitted state to a committed and specific cell type with limited potential. She was among the first scientists to reprogram mouse and human adult cells into an embryonic stem cell-like state, a discovery with broad implications for regenerative medicine. Plath serves as on the board of directors of the International Society for Stem Cell Research, and has received NIH’s New Innovator Award.

Like Us on Facebook Follow Us on Twitter Subscribe to Our Videos on YouTube Follow us on Instagram Connect with Us on LinkedIn Follow us on Pinterest Follow us on Flickr Follow us on Sharecare
Top 10 U.S. Medical Schools
  • Giving
  • Publications
  • Newsroom
  • Weekly Digest
  • Directory
  • Contact Us
  • Diversity
  • Emergency
  • Maps & Directions
  • UC Regents
  • Abuse Free
  • Volunteer
  • Biomed Library
  • Disability Resources
  • UCLA Health
  • Smoke-Free
  • Sitemap
  • Terms of Use
Top 10 U.S. Medical Schools
Like Us on Facebook Follow Us on Twitter Subscribe to Our Videos on YouTube Follow us on Instagram Connect with Us on LinkedIn Follow us on Pinterest Follow us on Flickr Follow us on Sharecare