The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) has named H. Criss Hartzell, Michael J. Kuhar and Elaine F. Walker, as 2018 Fellows. Election as a AAAS Fellow is an honor bestowed on AAAS members by their peers. These scientists have been awarded the distinction of Fellow because of their efforts toward advancing science applications that are deemed scientifically or socially distinguished.
H. Criss Hartzell, PhD, is professor of cell biology, physiology and pharmacology at Emory University School of Medicine. He is recognized for distinguished contributions to the field of ion channel biology, particularly for the structure-function and physiology of calcium channels and calcium-activated chloride channels. Ion channels are essential for regulating the excitability of nerves and muscles, and for keeping salt and fluids balanced in our tissues, among many other functions. Hartzell has been exploring the workings of the ANO family of channels, linked to a diverse spectrum of human diseases ranging from muscular dystrophy to cancer. He and his colleagues have been studying how ANO function is important for muscular repair from injury and how mutations perturbing them lead to human disease.
Michael J. Kuhar, PhD, is Candler Professor of Neuropharmacology in Emory University School of Medicine, a researcher at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center, a Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar, and a Senior Fellow in the Emory Center for Ethics. He has many awards and prizes for his contributions in neuropharmacology and neuroscience focused on the cellular and anatomical basis of addiction. Kuhar has a large number of successful trainees who are in industry, academia and government. He is very highly cited by other scientists with more than 49,000 lifetime citations. He is author of The Addicted Brain: Why we abuse drugs, alcohol, and nicotine, as well as author of the popular MOOC, The Addicted Brain.
Elaine F. Walker, PhD, Charles Howard Candler Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience, is recognized for pioneering research on the nature and interaction among neurodevelopmental, genetic, stress and hormonal precursors of major mental disorders, especially schizophrenia. Walker is director of the Development and Mental Health Research Program supported by the National Institute of Mental Health. The program is one of nine research centers participating in the North American Prodrome Longitudinal Studies (NAPLS). Drawing on increased scientific understanding of brain development during adolescence and early adulthood, NAPLS investigators hope to identify factors that contribute to mental illness in adolescence and young adulthood.
The 416 members elected as AAAS Fellows this year will be honored on Saturday, Feb. 16, 2019 during the AAAS Annual Meeting in Washington, DC. This year’s AAAS Fellows will be formally announced in the AAAS News & Notes section of the November 29 issue of the journal Science.
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is the world’s largest general scientific society, and publisher of the journal, Science, Science Translational Medicine, Science Signaling, Science Advances, Science Immunology and Science Robotics. AAAS was founded in 1848, and includes nearly 250 affiliated societies and academies of science, serving 10 million individuals. The non-profit AAAS is open to all and fulfills its mission to “advance science and serve society” through initiatives in science policy, international programs, science education, public engagement and more.