May 10, 2004
Dana-Farber president elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Edward J. Benz, Jr., MD, president of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, has been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the nation's oldest scholarly society. Benz and the 201 other newly elected world-renowned leaders in scholarship, business, the arts, and public affairs will be formally inducted into the society this October.
"I am honored to welcome these outstanding and influential individuals to the nation's oldest and most illustrious learned society," said AAAS President Patricia Meyer Spacks. "These new members have made extraordinary contributions to their fields and disciplines through their commitment to the advancement of scholarly and creative work in every field and profession."
Benz is an internationally recognized hematologist whose work has helped unravel the genetic mechanisms of blood cell differentiation and diversity. As a medical student working collaboratively with Prof. Bernard Forget, Benz was the first to show that analysis of gene DNA and its messenger RNA products could be used to study a human disease, beta-thalassemia. More recently, Benz and his laboratory colleagues have shown that a key red cell membrane protein, protein 4.1, has novel and unexpected roles in cell division and control of cell growth in other tissues, and may be involved in tumor suppression.
"I am truly honored to be a member of this distinguished and accomplished organization," says Benz. "This recognition is a reflection of my good fortune to have worked with some of the best and brightest scientists and clinicians."
AAAS was founded in 1780 by John Adams, James Bowdoin, John Hancock, and other scholar-patriots "to cultivate every art and science which may tend to advance the interest, honor, dignity, and happiness of a free, independent, and virtuous people." Some of the organization's notable past members include George Washington, Ben Franklin, Daniel Webster, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Albert Einstein, and Winston Churchill. The current membership of over 4,500 includes more than 150 Nobel laureates and 50 Pulitzer Prize winners.
AAAS conducts interdisciplinary studies on international security, social policy, education, and the humanities that draw on the range of academic and intellectual disciplines of its members. "The American Academy is unique among academies for its breadth and scope," said Leslie C. Berlowitz, the Academy's Executive Officer. "Throughout its history, the Academy has gathered individuals with diverse perspectives to participate in studies and projects focusing on advancing intellectual thought and constructive action. We know that this year's members will continue the Academy's tradition of cherishing knowledge in service to society."
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is a principal teaching affiliate of the Harvard Medical School and is among the leading cancer research and care centers in the United States. It is a founding member of the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center (DF/HCC), designated a comprehensive cancer center by the National Cancer Institute.
