PCMM News

Yi Zhang, PhD, Senior Investigator, Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine; Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute; and Fred S. Rosen Professor of Pediatrics and Professor of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences (NAS). Zhang is among 120 members and 25 international members elected today in recognition of their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research.

Established by an Act of Congress signed by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863, NAS is committed to furthering science nationally, and to contributing to the international scientific community. Elected by their peers for outstanding contributions to research, members of the NAS are charged with providing independent, objective advice to the nation on matters related to science and technology.

Those elected today bring the total number of active members to 2,705 and the total number of international members to 557. Other recently elected Boston Children’s members include George Q. Daley, MD, PhD; Jeffrey Holt, PhD; and Leonard Zon, MD.

Research in Zhang’s laboratory is focused on epigenetic modifications, particularly DNA methylation and covalent histone modifications, which play an important role in regulating chromatin dynamics, and therefore have a significant impact on gene expression. They have investigated how epigenetic modification-mediated dynamic changes in chromatin structure affect gene expression, cell lineage commitment, stem cell pluripotency, and stem cell self-renewal.