2022 Archive - Lishan Su, PhD, Invested as the UMSOM Charles Gordon Smith Endowed Professor for HIV Research | University of Maryland School of Medicine

November 09, 2022 | Lauren Robinson

Investiture Ceremony Celebrates Donor’s Generosity and Recognizes Groundbreaking Research in Human Virology at UM School of Medicine

With his 92-year-old mother watching via live stream from the city of Qingdao, China, and an in-person audience of friends and colleagues gathered in Westminster Hall, Lishan Su, PhD, an internationally prominent virologist and immunologist at the University of Maryland School of Medicine’s (UMSOM) Institute of Human Virology (IHV), was invested as the Charles Gordon Smith Endowed Professor for HIV Research. Dr. Su is a Professor in the Departments of Pharmacology and Microbiology & Immunology at UMSOM’s IHV, who also serves as the Director of the Division of Virology, Pathogenesis, and Cancer at the Institute.

Margaret McCarthy, PhD, The James & Carolyn Frenkil Endowed Dean’s Professor and Chair of the Department of Pharmacology at UMSOM, served as the host of the event, along with UMSOM Dean Mark T. Gladwin, MD, Vice President for Medical Affairs, University of Maryland, Baltimore, and the John Z. and Akiko K. Bowers Distinguished Professor, who presided over his first investiture ceremony as Dean.

Among the speakers at the ceremony were Robert C. Gallo, MD, The Homer & Martha Gudelsky Distinguished Professor in Medicine, Co-Founder and Director of IHV at the UMSOM and Co-founder & Chair of the Scientific Leadership Board of the Global Virus Network, along with Mike McCune, MD, PhD, head of HIV Frontiers Initiatives at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; Yang Liu, PhD, CEO and CSO, OncoC4 Incorporated; and Mark Bonyhadi, PhD, Senior Advisor, Qiming Venture Partners USA.

For over two decades, Dr. Su has focused on studying several critical areas of immune system responses in human chronic virus infections, particularly in explaining how HIV causes AIDS-related diseases. After joining the IHV at UMSOM, Dr. Su continued his research program to use HIV and hepatitis B viruses to dissect human immunity and inflammatory diseases, and to develop antibody and cell-based drugs that target newly identified immune cells and signaling pathways to treat human inflammatory diseases, including virus infection and cancer. For the past 20 years, Dr. Su also has interacted with U.S. and international biomedical research institutions and centers by providing advice and evaluating progress. He also has trained over 40 postdoc/visiting scholars and 20 graduate students from eight different countries.

Charles Gordon Smith of Fort Lauderdale, FL, cemented his own legacy in the advancement of virological research for years to come, by establishing an endowed professorship at the UMSOM’s IHV that now bears his name. Mr. Smith was a staff accountant at Price Waterhouse and was described by friends as very scholarly with multiple degrees, an avid reader, researcher, and book collector with multiple interests.

In 2001, Mr. Smith had read an article about Dr. Gallo. This article sparked Mr. Smith’s growing interest in Gallo’s work and eventually, his desire to fund HIV research at the IHV through his bequest.

“Charlie was a philanthropist and wanted to help so many,” noted a close friend of Mr. Smith, who requested anonymity. “Dr. Gallo had made an impact for Charlie, as much as Charlie is now making an impact for Dr. Gallo.”

Mr. Smith's bequest, partially matched by Maryland E-Nnovation Initiative Fund (MEIF), created the Charles Gordon Smith Endowed Professorship for HIV Research.

Mark T. Gladwin, MD Dean Gladwin underscored Dr. Su’s amazing discovery of an inflammation pathway that damaged organs in patients living with HIV. “Using a new tool for research, a mouse that has been “humanized” by replacing mouse blood with human blood stem cells that develop into an entire human immune system with all the blood cell types, he [Dr. Su] found a role for a unique type of white blood cell called plasmacytoid dendritic cells or pDCs, which are our body’s first line of defense against viruses,” he said. “Dr. Su showed that removing these immune cells during chronic HIV infection reversed many of the consequences of HIV infection that occur despite treatment with antivirals.”

Dr. Gallo thanked Dr. McCarthy and the Department of Pharmacology for their role in the recruitment of Dr. Su, a scholar in “virology pathogenesis and cancer” at IHV.

Dr. Liu praised Dr. Su as a “rare individual” who has had significant accomplishments in basic science, virology, and stem cells. He said that he has known Dr. Su for more than 30 years, and that among his tremendous abilities is that he “makes people proud of science.” He noted that Dr. Su was also well-versed in the humanities.

Dr. Bonyhadi remembered his time with Dr. Su when they were office mates, and how Dr. Su was an amazing mentor and team player.

“I am very humbled by this tremendous honor,” Dr. Su said to a rousing applause from the audience (and from his mother in China!).

About the University of Maryland School of Medicine

Now in its third century, the University of Maryland School of Medicine was chartered in 1807 as the first public medical school in the United States. It continues today as one of the fastest growing, top-tier biomedical research enterprises in the world – with 46 academic departments, centers, institutes, and programs, and a faculty of more than 3,000 physicians, scientists, and allied health professionals, including members of the National Academy of Medicine and the National Academy of Sciences, and a distinguished two-time winner of the Albert E. Lasker Award in Medical Research. With an operating budget of more than $1.3 billion, the School of Medicine works closely in partnership with the University of Maryland Medical Center and Medical System to provide research-intensive, academic, and clinically based care for nearly 2 million patients each year. The School of Medicine has nearly $600 million in extramural funding, with most of its academic departments highly ranked among all medical schools in the nation in research funding. As one of the seven professional schools that make up the University of Maryland, Baltimore campus, the School of Medicine has a total population of nearly 9,000 faculty and staff, including 2,500 students, trainees, residents, and fellows. The combined School of Medicine and Medical System (“University of Maryland Medicine”) has an annual budget of over $6 billion and an economic impact of nearly $20 billion on the state and local community. The School of Medicine, which ranks as the 8th highest among public medical schools in research productivity (according to the Association of American Medical Colleges profile) is an innovator in translational medicine, with 606 active patents and 52 start-up companies. In the latest U.S. News & World Report ranking of the Best Medical Schools, published in 2021, the UM School of Medicine is ranked #9 among the 92 public medical schools in the U.S., and in the top 15 percent (#27) of all 192 public and private U.S. medical schools. The School of Medicine works locally, nationally, and globally, with research and treatment facilities in 36 countries around the world. Visit medschool.umaryland.edu

About the Institute of Human Virology

Formed in 1996 as a partnership between the State of Maryland, the City of Baltimore, the University System of Maryland, and the University of Maryland Medical System, the IHV is an institute of the University of Maryland School of Medicine and is home to some of the most globally-recognized and world-renowned experts in all of virology. The IHV combines the disciplines of basic research, epidemiology, and clinical research in a concerted effort to speed the discovery of diagnostics and therapeutics for a wide variety of chronic and deadly viral and immune disorders, most notably HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. For more information, visit ihv.org and follow us on Twitter @IHVmaryland.

Contact

Lauren Robinson
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Managing Editor, SOM News
Office of Public Affairs & Communications
University of Maryland School of Medicine
Lauren.Robinson@som.umaryland.edu
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Institute of Human Virology (IHV) researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) have received two five-year awards from the National Institutes of Health’s National Cancer Institute (NCI) for a total of $7.5 million. One award aims to reduce the incidence of lung cancer and other cancers associated with using tobacco in Botswana. The other is focusing on improving screening and treatment of anal precancer in Nigeria. Both grants will make use of existing HIV treatment and prevention infrastructure in low- and middle-income countries to reach people living with HIV who are most at risk for these particular types of cancers.

Wednesday, December 01, 2021

$6.5M Grant Awarded to Develop Treatment for Alcoholic Liver Disease-Associated Kidney Dysfunction

The Institute of Human Virology (IHV) at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) and MitoPower LLC (“MitoPower”) were awarded an SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research) grant of up to $6.5 million over five years from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. The funds will support the development of MitoPower’s lead compound, MP-04, for the treatment of kidney dysfunction due to alcoholic liver disease, a condition known as alcoholic liver disease-associated hepatorenal syndrome (HRS). The IHV, a Center of Excellence member of the Global Virus Network (GVN), will conduct first-in-human single and multiple ascending dose studies to test the safety of the compound, followed by a Phase 1b study in patients.

Thursday, November 04, 2021

University of Maryland School of Medicine Institute of Human Virology Researchers Receive $6.5M to Create African Big Data Hub Designed to Address Public Health and Pandemic Preparedness

Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM)’s Institute of Human Virology (IHV), a Global Virus Network (GVN) Center of Excellence, have received $6.5 million from the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) to streamline big data collection in Nigeria and South Africa in addressing public health needs of the COVID-19 and HIV pandemics.

Monday, November 16, 2020

University of Maryland School of Medicine Establishes Two New Endowed Professorships Through Private Gifts and Matching State Funds

– University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) Dean E. Albert Reece, MD, PhD, MBA, announced today that the school has been awarded $1.5 million in matching funds from the Maryland E-Nnovation Initiative Fund (MEIF), administered by the Maryland Department of Commerce. The funds, when combined with private philanthropy, has allowed the creation of two new endowed professorships – one in the Department of Neurology and one in at the Institute of Human Virology (IHV). As part of its goal to attract and retain top faculty and foster the development of new technologies and therapies, the School of Medicine had requested that the funds be used to establish these two new endowed professorships.

Friday, November 13, 2020

Leading Human Immunology and Infectious Disease Experts to Join UM School of Medicine's Institute of Human Virology

Robert C. Gallo, MD, the Homer & Martha Gudelsky Distinguished Professor in Medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) and Co-Founder & Director of the UMSOM’s Institute of Human Virology (IHV), announced today that a team of leading scientists in human immunology, virology and stem cell biology, led by Lishan Su, PhD, joined the Institute of Human Virology on October 1 with academic appointments in the UMSOM Department of Pharmacology. As part of the Maryland E-Nnovation Initiative Fund (MEIF) to recruit top research faculty and a donation to the Institute of Human Virology from the Charles Gordon Estate, Dr. Su will be receiving the Charles Gordon Smith Endowed Professorship for HIV Research. Dr. Su will also head the Institute of Human Virology's Division of Virology, Pathogenesis and Cancer.

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Theme of 'Courage, Hope and Faith' Highlights Investiture of Dr. Charles Hong as the Melvin Sharoky, MD, Professor of Medicine

In a moving address to an audience of family members, UMSOM faculty and staff, and distinguished invited guests, Charles Hong, MD, PhD, echoed a theme that was heard throughout the ceremony of his investiture as the Melvin Sharoky, MD, Professor of Medicine: “Courage, Hope and Faith.”

Monday, June 24, 2019

UM School of Medicine's Institute of Human Virology Awarded $40 Million Grant to Conduct HIV Population Surveys

Man Charurat, MD, Professor of Medicine, Director, Center for International Health, Education, and Biosecurity (CIHEB), and Director, Division of Epidemiology and Prevention, Institute of Human Virology (IHV) at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM), has been awarded a five-year grant from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to conduct HIV population-based HIV impact assessments worldwide to measure the progress towards the control of the HIV epidemic

Thursday, April 04, 2019

Margaret "Peg" McCarthy, PhD, is Invested as the Second James and Carolyn Frenkil Dean's Professor

In front of a standing ovation at Westminster Hall on March 26, Margaret McCarthy, PhD, Professor and Chair of the Department of Pharmacology, became the second University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) faculty member to hold the James and Carolyn Frenkil Dean’s Professorship. The two professorships, made possible by the generosity of UMSOM Board of Visitors member and longtime philanthropist Carolyn B. Frenkil, were established to recognize distinguished faculty in the basic sciences. The ceremony followed the investiture of James Kaper, PhD, Professor of Microbiology and Immunology, in March.

Thursday, March 21, 2019

IHV Experts Researching Experimental Drug to Curb Opioid Cravings

Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) Institute of Human Virology (IHV) are collaborating with scientists at the National Institutes of Health to test an experimental drug to curb opioid cravings.

Wednesday, March 06, 2019

UMSOM Researcher Elected as Fellow to American Academy of Microbiology

Richard Y. Zhao, Ph.D., Professor of Pathology and Associate Member of the Institute of Human Virology (IHV) at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM), has been elected as a Fellow to the American Academy of Microbiology (AAM). AAM is an honorific leadership group within the American Society for Microbiology (ASM).

Tuesday, December 04, 2018

Institute of Human Virology Researchers Discover That a Bacterial Protein Promotes Cancer

The Institute of Human Virology (IHV) at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) announced today the discovery that DnaK, a protein of the bacterium mycoplasma, interferes with the mycoplasma-infected cell’s ability to respond to and repair DNA damage, a known origin of cancer.

Wednesday, September 19, 2018

Institute of Human Virology (IHV) Awarded $12M to Combat Opioid Epidemic Through Clinical Research Trials

The Institute of Human Virology (IHV) at the University of Maryland School of Medicine will lead a $12 million dollar project to improve the morbidity and mortality of people with opioid use disorder (OUD). Utilizing a novel compound, IHV researches will implement a series of investigations, entitled SEARCH, to evaluate the underlying mechanisms of craving reduction as a strategy to prevent opioid misuse, dependence, and relapse. The grant is awarded through the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) Helping to End Addiction Long-term (HEAL) Initiative, made possible through groundbreaking funding from the U.S. Congress.

Wednesday, March 21, 2018

Dr. Robert Redfield, Co-Founder of the Institute of Human Virology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, to Become CDC Director

The Institute of Human Virology (IHV) at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) congratulates its co-founder and associate director, Robert R. Redfield, MD, on his appointment to be the next director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Tuesday, March 20, 2018

UMSOM Cancer Expert at Institute of Human Virology Named Fellow of American Society of Clinical Oncology

Clement A. Adebamowo, BM, ChB, ScD, FWACS, FACS, Associate Director of Population Science at the Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM), and Professor of Epidemiology and Public Health, Institute of Human Virology, has been named a 2018 Fellow of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).

Tuesday, November 22, 2016

IHV Awarded $138M to combat HIV/AIDS in Africa & Launches Center for International Health, Education, & Biosecurity

The Institute of Human Virology (IHV) at the University of Maryland School of Medicine announced today more than $138 million in multiple five-year grants awarded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to combat HIV/AIDS in Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, and Nigeria. The Institute concurrently announced the formation of the IHV Center for International Health, Education, & Biosecurity (CIHEB), and its newly appointed director, Deus Bazira Mubangizi, DrPH, MBA, MPH, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Director, Center for Health, Education, & Biosecurity, Institute of Human Virology, University of Maryland School of Medicine.

Wednesday, April 13, 2016

IHV Releases Data Supporting Community-Based Treatment Providers in Fight Against Hepatitis C

The Institute of Human Virology (IHV) at the University of Maryland School of Medicine released data today at The International Liver Congress 2016 in Barcelona, Spain demonstrating that treatment for hepatitis C virus (HCV) can be provided safely and effectively within a community-based and non-specialist setting.

Lishan Su, PhD, Invested as the UMSOM Charles Gordon Smith Endowed Professor for HIV Research