Welcome to the Department of Cell Biology at
Emory University School of Medicine. This is an exciting time at Emory
in general, and for the Department of Cell Biology in particular.
Already among the premier academic institutions in the country,
the Board of Trustees is committed to making Emory one of the
leading biomedical research institutions in the world. The University's
legendary endowment is being used to foster this expansion. In addition,
Emory's growth is facilitated by the fact that the University is situated in
one of the country's most desirable metropolitan areas surrounded by
accessible and scenic recreational opportunities.
The School of Medicine has been a focus of much of Emory's
expansion. Within the past 5-10 years, virtually all of the senior
academic leaders have been replaced with new Deans and Department
Chairs, with a concomitant increase in faculty size and research facilities.
The Department of Cell Biology is just one example of Emory's renewed
commitment to the biomedical sciences. Since I arrived as Chair in 1996,
the Department has recruited seven new faculty, and is in the midst of adding
another five positions. Recently the Department relocated to the
new Whitehead Biomedical Research Building, which also houses the
new Department of Human Genetics, the Department of Physiology,
the division of Experimental Pathology, and two divisions of the
Department of Medicine. The Departments of Biochemistry,
Pharmacology, Microbiology and Immunology, and Biology are
situated in the adjoining Rollins Research Building. In addition to the
Whitehead Research Building,
the new Winship Cancer Institute
and the Behavioral Neuroscience Institute have recently been completed.
Elsewhere on campus, Emory has built new facilities for
Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Math and Computer Science,
as well as new homes for the School of Nursing,
School of Business, and the Performing Arts Center.
The Department of Cell Biology offers an unusually strong training
environment in molecular, cell, developmental, and neuro-biology.
Predoctoral training programs are administered through the
Graduate Division of Biological and Biomedical Sciences,
an interdepartmental forum that
oversees eight multidisciplinary training programs leading to the Ph.D. degree.
The department's rich community of predoctoral and postdoctoral
fellows is supported by institutional funds, research grants, training grants,
and individual fellowships. Our weekly seminar series, journal clubs,
monthly faculty presentations, and annual retreat provide a highly interactive
and multidisciplinary environment.
Faculty research interests
in the Department of Cell Biology cover a
broad spectrum of cell, developmental and neuro-biology ranging
from subcellular organization to integration of sensory stimuli.
These problems are approached using a wide range of model
systems, including yeast, Chlamydomonas, Drosophila, Dictyostelium,
Xenopus, mouse, rat, and rabbits. The principle research areas are:
Gary Bassell, Ph.D.: Role of mRNA binding proteins in the regulation of axonal growth and synaptic plasticity; their dysfunction in Spinal Muscular Atrophy and Fragile X Mental Retardation.
Ping Chen, Ph.D.: Growth and patterning of the mammalian auditroy sensory organ.
Arthur W. English, Ph.D.: Interactions between the nervous system and the musculoskeletal system.
Victor Faundez, M.D., Ph.D.: Cellular and molecular mechanisms of endosomal membrane trafficking in neuronal systems.
