March 01, 2023 | Heide Aungst
Claire Fraser, PhD, a pioneer and global leader in genomic research, has announced that she will step down from her position as Director of the Institute for Genome Sciences (IGS) in the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM). She will now continue as the Dean E. Albert Reece Endowed Professor and Professor of Medicine and Microbiology and Immunology at UMSOM and scientist at IGS until she retires in 2024.
Jacques Ravel, PhD, Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at UMSOM will continue in his Interim role as Acting Director of IGS.
Dr. Fraser founded IGS in 2007 when she brought 60 researchers and staff with her from The Institute for Genomic Research (TIGR) in Rockville, MD, at the invitation of Dean E. Albert Reece, MD, PhD, MBA. IGS celebrated its 15th anniversary of groundbreaking genomic and microbiome research at UMSOM last October.
Dr. Fraser came to UMSOM as one of the most highly cited investigators in microbiology. At TiGR, In 1995, Dr. Fraser was the first to map the complete genetic code of a free-living organism—Haemophilus influenza—the bacterium that causes lower respiratory tract infections and meningitis in infants and young children.
Her discovery forever changed microbiology and launched a new field of study—microbial genomics. During that time, she and her team also sequenced the bacteria behind syphilis and Lyme disease, and eventually the first plant genome and the first human-pathogenic parasite. She even helped identify the source of a deadly 2001 anthrax attack in one of the biggest investigations conducted by U.S. law enforcement. In 2007, Dr. Fraser launched the Institute for Genome Sciences (IGS) at the University of Maryland, which holds over 25 percent of the funding awarded by the Human Microbiome Project.
Since its inception, IGS has helped revolutionize discoveries in medicine, agriculture, environmental science and biodefense. By applying genomic tools to clinical research, IGS investigators are creating new dynamics for understanding individual differences in our susceptibility to disease, for understanding the role of our bodies' microorganisms in health and disease, and for exploring new personalized therapeutics.
At IGS, Dr. Fraser has led a team that has grown to more than 100 faculty, staff, and students. She has continued her research in the role of the microbiome in health and disease, publishing recently on how a mother’s HIV status, breastfeeding, and the infant microbiome impacts the health of newborns.
“Dr. Fraser is one of the pre-eminent scientists of our time in a field that is re-defining how we investigate and treat complex diseases,” said Mark Gladwin, MD, Vice President for Medical Affairs, University of Maryland, Baltimore, and the John Z. and Akiko K. Bowers Distinguished Professor, and Dean, University of Maryland School of Medicine. “In addition to her own groundbreaking discoveries in microbial genomics, she has mobilized a team of world-renowned investigators at IGS who are leading the nation in harnessing the power and potential of large-scale genomic research, and exploring new genomic applications in precision medicine, therapeutics, infectious diseases, virology and cancer research. We are forever indebted to Claire for her historic contributions to the UMSOM.”
Dr. Fraser served as President of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in 2020 and as Chair of the organization’s Board of Directors in 2021. She has published more than 320 scientific articles, edited three books, and served on committees of the National Science Foundation, Department of Energy, and National Institutes of Health. She received her PhD in Pharmacology from the State University of New York-Buffalo.
In retirement, she plans to continue her advocacy work for women in STEM fields, K-12 science education, climate change, and health equity.
For a tribute to Dr. Fraser’s career, watch this video from the IGS 15th Anniversary Celebration.
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 for Genome Sciences
The Institute for Genome Sciences (IGS) at the University of Maryland School of Medicine has revolutionized genomic discoveries in medicine, agriculture, environmental science, and biodefense since its founding in 2007. IGS investigators research areas of genomics and the microbiome to better understand health and disease, including treatments, cures, and prevention. IGS investigators also lead the development of the new field of microbial forensics. IGS is a leading center for major biological initiatives currently underway including the NIH-funded Human Microbiome Project (HMP) and the NIAID-sponsored Genomic Sequencing Center for Infectious Diseases (GSCID). Follow us on Twitter @GenomeScience.
Contact
Heide Aungst
HAungst@som.umaryland.edu
216-970-5773 (cell)
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