Roger Davis Elected to The American Academy of Arts & Sciences
Roger J. Davis, PhD, FRS, has been elected to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, founded in 1780, by John Adams, John Hancock, and 60 other scholar-patriots.
“I am deeply humbled to accept this honor,” said Dr. Davis, the H. Arthur Smith Professor and Chair of the Department of Molecular Medicine. “It represents recognition of the many accomplishments of colleagues in my research group at UMass Chan Medical School.”
Distinguished members of the American Academy over the centuries have included Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Charles Darwin, Albert Einstein, Martin Luther King Jr., and Anthony Fauci.
Dr. Davis is among the 2021 class of scholars, scientists, artists, and leaders being recognized for examining new ideas in their field and addressing pressing global issues. His election honors pioneering research on stress signaling pathways linked to a wide range of diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and cancer. He has authored more than 400 scientific papers, and his work has led to the discovery of new genes that contribute to the development of these devastating diseases. In multiple years, his publications have ranked among the most frequently cited scientific papers in the world.
Dr. Davis arrived at UMass Chan Medical School in 1982 as a research fellow in the Czech lab and became an assistant professor in what was then the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology the following year. In 1990, he was promoted to associate professor, became a founding member of the Program in Molecular Medicine, and was named an investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
In 2002, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society, adding to a remarkable list of honors that includes fellowship in the American Academy of Microbiology and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, as well as membership in the European Molecular Biology Organization, the National Academy of Inventors, and the National Academy of Sciences.
Today, the Davis Lab investigates the molecular mechanisms linking inflammation to diabetes and is developing novel therapeutic strategies to address these diseases.
Related Stories:
Investigating a Potential Hormone Therapy for Type 2 Diabetes in the Davis Lab
Roger Davis Elected into the National Academy of Sciences