BUSM Names New Chair of Department of Biochemistry

David A. Harris, MD, PhD, has been named Professor and Chair of the Department of Biochemistry for Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) effective September 1, 2009.

Harris plans to build upon the long-standing strengths of the Department of Biochemistry, hiring additional faculty, upgrading laboratory space, further developing cutting-edge research activities, and capitalizing on the translational potential of basic biochemical discoveries.  He will be responsible for all academic appointments in the Department, and will provide leadership for undergraduate and graduate educational programs.  Harris will also serve on the BUSM executive committee.

Harris earned his bachelor’s degree in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry from Yale University, and his MD and PhD degrees from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.  He was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Center for Neurobiology and Behavior at Columbia.

Harris began his distinguished, 23-year career at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis in the Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology as a research associate, instructor and research assistant professor.  He then moved to the Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, serving as assistant professor, associate professor and for the past eight years, as professor.

Harris’ research is focused on a group of unusual neurological disorders that includes “mad cow disease” and related human diseases caused by abnormal proteins in the brain.  He has published over 90 peer-reviewed and invited manuscripts, and has trained 28 doctoral students and postdoctoral fellows during his career.  He has also been active in graduate school education, serving as the program director of a training grant in cellular and molecular biology, and chairing a committee for promotion of racial and ethnic diversity in the student population.  Harris’ work is supported by several grants from the National Institutes of Health and from private foundations.

“Dr. Harris’ work on neurodegenerative diseases at the cellular and molecular levels will be of great value to the medical campus,” said Karen Antman, MD, Provost of Boston University Medical Campus and Dean of BUSM. “His innovative brain research along with his commitment to creating a supportive environment for scientific endeavors will benefit faculty and students alike.”

Among his editorial activities, Harris has edited two books on neurodegenerative diseases, and served on the editorial boards of the Journal of Biological Chemistry, Molecular Neurodegeneration, and Prion. He has also served on study sections for the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Defense.