The Phil Leder Symposium was held on Friday, November 3, from 9:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in the NIH Clinical Center Building 10 Masur Auditorium, hosted by the Foundation for Advanced Education in the Sciences (FAES).
Phil Leder, who died in 2020 at the age of 85, was among the world's most accomplished molecular geneticists. His work with Marshall Nirenberg — namely, the famed Nirenberg and Leder experiments starting at the NIH in 1964, which definitively elucidated the triplet nature of the genetic code and culminated in its full deciphering — helped set the stage for the revolution in molecular genetic research that Phil himself would continue to lead for the next three decades.
This preceded by and followed with refreshments outside of Masur Auditorium, will feature 20-minute scientific talks from 10 of Phil's "alumni" from his tenure at the NIH and Harvard. These fantastically accomplished biomedical research leaders include, in their order of appearance:
Stuart H. Orkin, M.D., the David G. Nathan Distinguished Professor of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School
Jonathan G. Seidman, Ph.D., the Henrietta B. and Frederick H. Bugher Professor of Cardiovascular Genetics, Harvard Medical School
Philip Hieter, Ph.D., professor in the Michael Smith Laboratories and the Department of Medical Genetics at the University of British Columbia
Jeff Ravetch, M.D, Ph.D., the Theresa and Eugene Lang Professor, Rockefeller University
Ilan (Lanny) Kirsch, M.D., Distinguished Physician-Scientist, Translational Medicine, Adaptive Biotechnologies
Kathleen Kelly, Ph.D., NCI CCR Deputy Scientific Director
Lothar G. Hennighausen, Ph.D., chief of the Genetics and Physiology Section in the NIDDK Laboratory of Cell & Molecular Biology
Cynthia C. Morton, Ph.D., the William Lambert Richardson Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology, Harvard Medical School
Richard P. Woychik, Ph.D., NIEHS Director
Shirley M. Tilghman, Ph.D., President Emeritus, Princeton University
NCI's Michael Gottesman and FAES Executive Director and CEO Christina Farias will offer introductory remarks and moderate the symposium.
Trainees take note! Aside from the opportunity to hear from such an array of prominent speakers, the event also features a special session on mentoring and community-building.
This scientific symposium is a prelude to an FAES dedication of The Phil Leder House, new off- campus space that will provide an inspiring and turn-key environment for current and future generations of researchers, ensuring they continue to thrive in their quest for discovery by helping provide a network of support for early career researchers while they do their ground-breaking research at the NIH.
Phil was a chairman of the FAES Department of Chemistry, FAES vice president from 1970 to 1971, and FAES president from 1971 to 1973. While at the NIH, he also taught an important FAES-sponsored course on DNA replication, transcription, and translation. Phil left the NIH in 1980 for Harvard Medical School, where he was the founding chairman of the Genetics Department, a position he held until his retirement in 2008.
The symposium will not be videocast but will be recorded and made available for viewing at a future date.
These speakers will be traveling great distances to honor the Phil Leder legacy. We hope you can attend in person to hear this great set of talks, to network, and to meet your NIH colleagues.
Sign language interpreting services are available upon request. Individuals who need interpreting services or other reasonable accommodations to participate in this event should contact the WALS Office, WALSoffice@od.nih.gov, 301-594-6747.
Stay abreast of FAES activities. Sign up for the FAES mailing list via https://bit.ly/KeepInTouch_FAES.
For more information, contact Ms. Farias at christina.farias@nih.gov or FAES Executive Assistant Carla Mejorada, carlabelem.mejoradarodriguez@nih.gov, 301-827-5765.