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Discussion Groups

Discussion Groups present half- and one-day symposia throughout the year in a given area, seeking to reflect the dynamism of scientific fields of relevance to our global community. Steering Committees composed of multi-institutional scientists from the Academy’s network shape each Discussion Group’s portfolio of events and publications, providing thought leadership on key issues of interest. Our Discussion Groups focus on the following scientific disciplines:

Biochemical Pharmacology Discussion Group

Understanding drug action at the frontiers of modern drug design

The Biochemical Pharmacology Discussion Group advances our fundamental knowledge of the activity and metabolism of both small molecules and biologics at the biochemical and molecular levels. Research spans chemotherapy, neuropharmacology, antimicrobials, inflammation, and immunopharmacology, as well as gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, and endocrine pharmacology and toxicology. The group also serves as the Biochemical Topical Group for the American Chemical Society‘s New York Chapter.

Biochemical Pharmacology Steering Committee Members

Lynn M. Abell, PhD, LMAbell Consulting, LLC

Magdalena Alonso-Galicia, PhD, Roivant Sciences

Joshua Apgar, PhD, Applied BioMath

Mercedes Beyna, MS, Biogen

Scott Brodeur, PhD, Janssen Research and Development

Megan Dow, PhD, Belenos Biosciences Inc.

Steven Gross, PhD (in memoriam), Weill Cornell Medical College

John Hambor, PhD, Boehringer Ingelheim

Julia Heinrich, PhD, Bristol-Myers Squibb

Andres Hurtado-Lorenzo, PhD, Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation

Katalin Kauser, MD, PhD, DSc, Alucent

Nava Krishnan, PhD, Pfizer

Scott MacDonnell, PhD, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Marco Prunotto, PhD, Galapagos

George Zavoico, PhD, Northwest Biotherapeutics

Brain and Behavior Discussion Group

Unlocking the secrets of the human brain

The Brain and Behavior Discussion Group advances fundamental knowledge about the brain and nervous system, providing the foundation for novel ways to reduce the burden of neurological disease.

Brain and Behavior Steering Committee Members

Howard Fillit, MD, Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation

Kevin Lee, PhD, The Lawrence Ellison Foundation; Grace Science Foundation

John Spiro, PhD, Simons Foundation

Gregory Petsko, D.Phil, Weill Cornell Medical College

Cancer Discussion Group

Advancing the world’s most promising research in cancer prevention, diagnosis, care, and cure

The Cancer Discussion Group advances fundamental knowledge of basic, translational, clinical, and diagnostic aspects in the field, with the goal of surfacing breakthroughs in cancer prevention, diagnosis, care and cure.

Cancer Steering Committee Members

Joan Massagué, PhD, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Institute

Michael A. White, PhD, Pfizer

George Zavoico, PhD, Cue Biopharma

Chemical Biology Discussion Group

Chemical tools providing insight into biological function

Our portfolio of events and publications in Chemical Biology encompasses chemistry-based technology—such as proteomics, lipidomics, metabolomics, and glycomics—as well as synthetic and systems biology work when inspired and supported by chemical tools or aimed at engineering biological systems to perform a new type of chemical transformation. The Chemical Biology Discussion Group also serves as the Organic Topical Group for the American Chemical Society’s New York Chapter.

Chemical Biology Steering Committee Members

Paramjit Arora, PhD, New York University

Elizabeth Boon, PhD, Stony Brook University

Pamela V. Chang, PhD, Cornell University

David M. Chenoweth, PhD, University of Pennsylvania

Virginia Cornish, PhD, Columbia University

Yael David, PhD, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Christopher am Ende, PhD, Pfizer Inc.

Robert P. Fisher, MD, PhD, Mount Sinai School of Medicine

Kevin Gardner, PhD, CUNY Advanced Science Research Center

Catherine L. Grimes, PhD, University of Delaware

Akira Kawamura, PhD, CUNY – Hunter College

Jon Lai, PhD, Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Thomas Leyh, PhD, Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Tania Lupoli, PhD, New York University

Jin Kim Montclare, PhD, Polytechnic Institute of New York University

Allie Obermeyer, PhD, Columbia University

E. James Petersson, PhD, University of Pennsylvania

Deborah Rothman, PhD, Merck & Co Inc.

David Sabatino, PhD, Seton Hall University

Mohammad R. Seyedsayamdost, PhD, Princeton University

Neel H. Shah, PhD, Columbia University

Sarah Slavoff, PhD, Yale University

Derek S. Tan, PhD, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Ekaterina (Katya) Vinogradova, PhD, Rockefeller University

Neal J. Zondlo, PhD, University of Delaware

Machine Learning Discussion Group

Pattern recognition wizardry—from Siri to self-driving cars

The Machine Learning Discussion Group has held symposia for the better part of two decades to discuss advanced research related to such topics. Participants come from a variety of disciplines and from both academic and industry institutions, promoting the exchange of new insights between communities.

Machine Learning Steering Committee Members

Naoki Abe, PhD, IBM Research

Corinna Cortes, PhD, Google Research

Patrick Haffner, PhD, Amazon

Tony Jebara, PhD, Spotify

John Langford, PhD, Microsoft Research

Mehryar Mohri, PhD, Google Research

Alexander Rakhlin, PhD, MIT

Brooke Grindlinger, PhD, The New York Academy of Sciences

Melanie Brickman Borchard, PhD, MSc, The New York Academy of Sciences

Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Discussion Group

Preparing to fight tomorrow’s disease outbreaks, today

Our portfolio of events and publications in Microbiology and Infectious Diseases is designed to surface new discoveries and tackle current challenges in biomedical research and public health efforts to understand, treat, control, and prevent over 200 known infectious diseases. Beyond a better understanding of infectious disease etiology, epidemiology, diagnosis, and care, we also explore broader issues such as the roles that human demographics and behavior, international travel and commerce, technology and industry, economic development, microbial adaptation and change, and the breakdown of public health measures play in the complex coexistence of microbes and man.

Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Steering Committee Members

Annaliesa S. Anderson, PhD, Pfizer

Doris Bucher, PhD, New York Medical College

Nancy Connell, PhD, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School

Johanna P. Daily, MD, Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Matthew Evans, PhD, Icahn School of Medicine and Mount Sinai

Vincent Fischetti, PhD, The Rockefeller University

Allan Goldberg, PhD, Avacyn Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Lorrence Green, PhD, Westbury Diagnostics, Inc

Takushi Kaneko, PhD, TB Alliance

Barry Kreiswirth, PhD, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School

W. Ian Lipkin, MD, Columbia University

Stephen Morse, PhD, Columbia University

Paul Offit, MD, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

David Perlin, PhD, Public Health Research Institute, New Jersey Medical School/ Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences

Shirley Raps, PhD, Hunter College, City University of New York

Yegor Voronin, PhD, Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise

Michael Watson, MD, Moderna Therapeutics