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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, Kojin Therapeutics

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, Biohaven Pharmaceuticals

Christine Grimaldi, PhD, Boehringer Ingelheim

Steven Gross, PhD, 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

Scott MacDonnell, PhD, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Marco Prunotto, PhD, Galapagos

George Zavoico, PhD, Cue Biopharma

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

Justin Cisar, PhD, Janssen Research & Development

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

Scott Priestley, PhD, Bristol-Myers Squibb R&D

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

CRISPR Discussion Group

Revolutionizing gene editing

The CRISPR Discussion Group advances our understanding of the cellular, molecular, and biochemical pathways of CRISPR-associated proteins, DNA repair pathways, and their applications in diverse organisms, including for human health and disease biology.

CRISPR Steering Committee Members

Britt Adamson, PhD, Princeton University

Maria Jasin, PhD, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Neville Sanjana, PhD, New York University and New York Genome Center

Samuel Sternberg, PhD, Columbia University

Genome Integrity Discussion Group

Protecting the code of life

Our portfolio of events and publications in Genome Integrity seek to successfully map the mechanisms by which these regulatory processes act or go awry, presenting an exciting avenue for identifying novel approaches for protecting against disease-causing errors and restoring function.

Genome Integrity Steering Committee Members

Scott Keeney, PhD, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Susan L. Smith, PhD, NYU School of Medicine

Jean Gautier, PhD, Columbia University Irving Medical Center

Agata Smogorzewska, MD, PhD, The Rockefeller University

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

Jasmine Pathan, PhD, 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

Microbiome Science Discussion Group

Your body is mostly microbes

Our portfolio of events and publications in Microbiome Science are designed to surface new discoveries and tackle current challenges including the development of reference sets of microbial genome sequences, understanding the complexity of the microbial community at various body sites, determining the relationship between human health, disease, and changes in the microbiome, new tools and technologies for microbiome sample collection and computational analyses, and the ethical, legal, and social implications of studying and modifying the human microbiome.

Microbiome Science Steering Committee Members

David Artis, PhD, Weill Cornell Medicine

Martin Blaser, MD, New York University

John Hambor, PhD, Boehringer Ingelheim

Dan Littman, MD, PhD, New York University

Eric G. Pamer, MD, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Paul Planet, MD, PhD, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

Nilufer Seth, PhD, Pfizer

Physical Sciences, Sustainability and Engineering Discussion Group

Advancing technology for sustainable solutions

The Physical Sciences, Sustainability and Engineering Discussion Group brings together international experts and partners from academia, industry, government and beyond, for programs that provide a neutral forum for exploring cutting-edge topics, exchanging information and forming collaborations on groundbreaking initiatives.