Philip Hauge Abelson

Philip Hauge Abelson Advancing Science Seminar Series

The quality and range of Dr. Abelson's work made him one of the most remarkable scientists of our age. He made major contributions to physics, geology, geochemistry, geophysics, and molecular biology. His positions of leadership and service on national advisory committees enabled him to shape national science and technology policy. Under his 22-year tenure as the editor of Science, he took the journal to a new level of quality and prominence.

One of the most remarkable aspects of Dr. Abelson's role as AAAS senior adviser and Science editor emeritus was that his interests focused on the cutting edge and the future, not the past. He founded and sponsored "The Advancing Science Seminar Series" to encourage participants to think about where science is going, not where it has been.

Dr. Abelson died on August 1, 2004. Through his estate and in honor of his legacy, AAAS established the Philip Hauge Abelson Fund and designated it for the continuation of the "Abelson Advancing Science Seminar Series." The series, featuring leading experts and showcasing innovative approaches to existing challenges, focuses on the frontiers of science and technology and promotes the exchange of cutting-edge information. Dr. Abelson's enthusiasm for science will be felt by generations of scientists around the world for a long time to come.

Translational Medicine & Human Health

20 November 2009

The 2009 Abelson Advancing Science Salon Event on Translational Medicine and Human Health offered an opportunity to hear from and interact with researchers who are working at the forefront of an exciting field. Often described as an effort to carry scientific knowledge “from bench to bedside,” translational research builds on basic science advances —studies of biological processes using cell cultures, for example, or animal models—and uses them to help develop new therapies or medical procedures.

Dr. Elias A. Zerhouni, M.D., Chief Scientific Adviser for the new journal Science Translational Medicine, provided an overview on efforts to speed basic scientific advances into clinical practice. The program also showcased scientific investigations that might someday yield improved treatment strategies for people with glaucoma, connective-tissue diseases such as Marfan syndrome, and perhaps even spinal cord injuries. Dr. Hal Dietz, M.D., of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and Dr. Erin Lavik of Case Western Reserve University shared their latest findings before answering questions.

Welcome

Alan I. Leshner

Chief Executive Officer, AAAS, and Executive Publisher of the journal Science

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Speakers

Elias A. Zerhouni, M.D.

Senior Fellow, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Global Health Program, and Chief Scientific Adviser, Science Translational Medicine

An Overview of Translational Medicine

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Hal Dietz, M.D.

Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Victor A. McKusick Professor of Medicine and Genetics, Institute of Genetic Medicine, and Departments of Pediatrics, Medicine, and Molecular Biology & Genetics, and Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Marfan Syndrome and Related Disorders: From Molecules to Medicines

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Erin Lavik, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University

Engineering Therapies: A Circuitous Route from Glaucoma to Blood Substitutes

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View Lavik's slides as a PDF

Past Abelson Advancing Science Seminars

"Science, Stress, and Human Health" [24 October 2008]

"New Horizons in Polar Science" [30 October 2007]

"Microbes, Minerals, and the Environment" [26 October 2006]

"New Directions in Health:" The Global Burden of Chronic Disease [8 December 2005]

The Abelson Advancing Science Seminar Series Advisory Committee

AAAS thanks the Abelson Advancing Science Seminar Series Advisory Committee whose support was critical in developing the program. Members included colleagues and family members of Dr. Abelson who helped preserve his vision.

John Abelson

Ellen Abelson Cherniavsky

Mr. and Mrs. John P. Cherniavsky

Neva Cherniavsky

Stephen P.A. Fodor

Claire Fraser-Liggett

Maxine Frank Singer