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 Welcome to the Department of Genetics, one of the ten basic science departments within the Sue Golding Graduate Division of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. The Department is on an exciting trajectory of renewed growth and development after having been without a chair for the last several years. Based on its academic excellence in areas varying from genetics of nematode behavior to the molecular basis of human disease, the Department is poised to enter new, exciting areas of genetics research made possible by revolutionary changes in our tools to study genes and their function in an integrated manner in various organisms. Two new divisions, the Division of Translational Genetics and the Division of Computational Genetics, directed by Bernice Morrow and John Greally, respectively, were added to a Division of Molecular Genetics under the leadership of Nick Baker. Our laboratory space in the Ullmann building is being renovated and beautiful new facilities in the Price Center have become available. New faculty are currently being recruited with a focus on human disease genetics with ample attention to strengthening the Department’s technology base. Indeed, two next-generation sequencers will come on line soon and new faculty, i.e., technology innovators, are actively being recruited to develop new genomics tools to accelerate Einstein’s basic and clinical research. Our already strong suite of core genomics technology services will be re-organized and expanded, providing our researchers with the cutting-edge tools for making new, fundamental discoveries in genetics. Increased emphasis on epigenetic regulation has led to a new Center for Epigenomics, directed by John Greally, which focuses on understanding how the normal epigenome becomes dysregulated in human disease. By taking an integrated approach, both within the Department and across other departments, with a strong interdisciplinary focus and a re-emphasis on clinical applicability, the new Department of Genetics should become a new frontier and a driver of basic and translational research at Einstein. Enjoy your tour of our web site!
- Jan Vijg, Ph.D., Chairman A Brief History of the Department
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 Dean Spiegel announced that a new chairman has been hired to direct the Department of Molecular Genetics. Dr. Jan Vijg, who was the director of the Buck Institute for Aging Research, has been recruited to be the new chairman. Dr. Vijg and his research group, which studies the relationship between genome instability and aging in mice, are scheduled to join us in July 2008. |
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 A most excellent time was had by all who participated in the departmental ski trip on March 11. Eighteen skiers and snowboarders, both beginners and experts, met at Belleayre Mountain in the Catskills for a day on the slopes. Photos from the trip can be viewed here. |
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 Ms. Yaya Chu successfully defended her PhD thesis, thereby becoming Yaya Chu, Ph.D. Yaya studied the Bur1 protein kinase and its role in regulating transcription and histone modifications. Yaya's latest paper appeared in EMBO J. in Nov. 2007. For her post-doc, Yaya moved to the Department of Cancer Biology at the Penn Medical School. |
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 John Greally , our departmental epigeneticist, discussed the meaning and implications of the ENCODE project with NPR's Ira Flatow as part of the Science Friday segment. He was also quoted in Science magazine's News of the Week and authored the News and Views segment in Nature that accompanied the main ENCODE paper. |
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  Congratulations to Dr. Wei Li and to Dr. Gunnar Kleemann for successfully defending their PhD theses. Wei moved on to Dr. Filipp Giancotti's lab at Sloan Kettering in October, and Gunnar is off to Princeton University to work in the lab of Dr. Colleen Murphy. Good luck, guys!
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.gif "Nic Baker") A new paper from Wei Li and Nick Baker in the June 15 issue of Cell describes their work on genes that are required for engulfment of cells during cell competetion. You can read all about the Baker lab's latest discovery here. |
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