Hancock announces Biochemistry leadership change
Executive Dean John Hancock announced that following 28 years as chair of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Rod Kellems, PhD, will step down from this position at the end of this month. He will remain on the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology faculty.
A graduate of Princeton University who completed postdoctoral research at Stanford University, Kellems joined McGovern Medical School as chair in 1997, following 19 years at Baylor College of Medicine.
His research at McGovern has included investigating the metabolic and molecular basis for severe combined immune deficiency that results from a deficiency in the enzyme adenosine deaminase, and the role of pathogenic autoantibodies in pre-eclampsia. He has been funded by the National Institutes of Health for more than 35 years, co-authored more than 160 papers, and has been awarded three U.S. patents. His published work has been cited nearly 15,000 times.
“During his tenure here at McGovern, he has built a robust and diverse department whose expertise ranges across basic biochemical mechanisms, genomics, membrane biology, and translational research,” Hancock said. “The department has stayed on the cutting edge of the field and is highly prolific in research and publishing, consistently being in the top 20 of NIH-funded biochemistry departments nationwide.”
Hancock has appointed Vasanthi Jayaraman, PhD, as chair ad interim. Jayaraman is professor and department vice chair for research and faculty affairs, holder of the John S. Dunn Chair, and co-director of the Center for Membrane Biology. “Dr. Jayaraman directs a highly successful research program, and I am confident that the department will continue to grow under her leadership,” Hancock added.
“Please join me in thanking Rod for his service and dedication to McGovern Medical School. And please help me welcome Dr. Jayaraman to her new role,” he said.