Dr. Harry Dietz of Johns Hopkins University will deliver the keynote speech at 11:10 a.m. Thursday at the fifth annual symposium of the A. Alfred Taubman Medical Research Institute.
A. Alfred Taubman will present the inaugural $100,000 Taubman Prize for Excellence in Translational Medical Science to Dietz, who has overturned conventional thinking with his discoveries in the field of aortic aneurysm and genetic connective tissue disorders. In recognition of his work, the theme of the symposium is “Unlocking the Mysteries of Genetic Diseases.” It opens at 8:30 a.m. at Dow Auditorium in U-M’s Towsley Center with a scientific poster session and coffee hour in the auditorium lobby, followed by the program from 10 a.m.-noon.
Colleagues from campus, the U-M Health System and members of the general public are welcome to attend the free event. The Taubman Institute convenes this annual gathering of scientists, philanthropists, university leaders and members of the community in order to showcase and celebrate the type of innovative translational medical research being performed by dedicated physician-scientists at U-M and beyond.
In addition to Dietz’s talk, “Found in Translation: New Insights into the Pathogenesis and Treatment of Marfan Syndrome and Related Disorders,” the program will include:
• Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health, via a pre-recorded video.
• Dr. Santhi Ganesh, assistant professor of internal medicine and assistant professor of human genetics, Medical School, with “Genetic Approaches to Arterial Dysplasia Syndromes.”
• Dr. Elizabeth Speliotes, assistant professor of internal medicine and assistant professor of computational medicine and bioinformatics, Medical School, with “Genetics of Human Obesity and Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease.”
For more information and a map to Towsley Center, go to www.taubmaninstitute.org.
Lloyd Hall program celebrates 50th anniversary
The Lloyd Hall Scholars Program (LHSP), formerly known as the Pilot Program, is celebrating the anniversary of the groundbreaking residential learning community program.
A 50th anniversary Michigan Learning Communities (MLCs) Panel Discussion, featuring faculty, staff and students from many MLCs, is presented from 3-5 p.m. Wednesday. Among the panelists are featured speakers David Schoem, Michigan Community Scholars Program director, and Marjorie Horton, assistant dean for undergraduate education, LSA.
Founded in 1962, the Pilot Program was the first living learning program at U-M. It was created to help make the university seem smaller, to connect students’ academic and residential lives. Students in these communities elect to live and take classes together, engage with targeted faculty, and participate in co-curricular events and clubs. The program has been the catalyst for other successful residential learning programs across campus, including the 45-year-old Residential College and, most recently, the Living Arts program on North Campus.
For more information on the LHSP celebration, go to tinyurl.com/8j9l237.
