Governance Group biographies

Jeffrey S. Flier, MD, became the 21st Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at Harvard University on September 1, 2007. Dr. Flier, an endocrinologist and an authority on the molecular causes of obesity and diabetes, is also the Carolyn Shields Walker Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Previously Dr. Flier had served as Harvard Medical School Faculty Dean for Academic Programs and Chief Academic Officer for Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, a Harvard teaching affiliate.

Joseph B. Martin, MD, PhD, co-founder and co-chair of the Harvard NeuroDiscovery Center, is the Edward R. and Anne G. Lefler Professor of Neurobiology and the former Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Harvard Medical School (1997-2007). Dr. Martin began his career in academic medicine at McGill University, where he became chair of the Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery in 1977. In 1978, he joined the faculty of Harvard Medical School as the Bullard Professor of Neurology and chief of the Neurology Service at Massachusetts General Hospital. In 1984, he was appointed the Julieanne Dorn Professor of Neurology at Harvard. Dr. Martin served as dean of the School of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) from 1989 to 1993, and was elected Chancellor of UCSF for four years until returning to Harvard. 

Dennis J. Selkoe, MD, co-founder and co-chair of the Havard NeuroDiscovery Center, is the Vincent and Stella Coates Professor of Neurologic Diseases at Harvard Medical School and co-director of Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Dr. Selkoe has devoted his career to medical research, specifically related to molecular approaches to the study of neurodegenerative disease. Dr. Selkoe’s contributions continue to break new ground toward the understanding of Alzheimer’s disease. For example, Dr. Selkoe and his collaborators conducted extensive research on the hallmark legion of Alzheimer’s disease, the amyloid plaque, as well as the amyloid ß-protein. Dr. Selkoe was the principal founding scientist of Athena Neurosciences, now Elan Pharmaceuticals.

Judith Glaven, PhD, is the Associate Dean for Basic and Interdisciplinary Research at Harvard Medical School, and served as Director of Basic Science Programs at Harvard Medical School from 2004-July 2008. Dr. Glaven has a diverse background in biomedical research and science communication; she was Senior Scientific Editor at the journal Cell where she worked closely with the scientific community in the areas of basic Cell Biology, Immunology and Cancer Biology. Prior to her work at Cell, her own research focused on the molecular mechanisms regulating cell proliferation and migration. As Associate Dean for Basic and Interdisciplinary Research, Dr. Glaven works with the School leadership and scientific community to help build, support and advance the research programs.

Michael E. Greenberg, PhD, is Director, Division of Neuroscience at Children's Hospital and Chair of Neurobiology and Professor of Neurology and Neurobiology at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Greenberg received his PhD degree from The Rockefeller University and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in molecular biology at that institution. He subsequently completed a fellowship in molecular biology at New York University Medicial Center. Dr. Greenberg holds the F. M. Kirby Foundation Neuroscience Directorship at Children's Hospital Boston.

Bradley T. Hyman, MD, PhD, is the John B. Penney, Jr. Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital where he has a clinical practice in the Memory and Disorder Unit and is the Director of the Massachusetts Alzheimer Disease Research Center. His clinical career is devoted towards the care of patients with dementia. His research laboratory is pursuing research in Alzheimer’s disease, and other neurodegenerative diseases, with a goal of understanding the neuropathophysiologic and genetic factors that underlie dementia. Dr. Hyman’s laboratory is developing methods to examine clinical-pathological correlates and biomarkers in AD, as well as animal and cell models to explore the natural history of the diseases. A recent focus has been the use of advanced microscopy methods – including multiphoton microscopy for in vivo imaging of plaques, tangles, and synuclein aggregates, as well as FRET methods to detect protein-protein interactions and protein conformation. Dr. Hyman has received the Potamkin Award, a Metropolitan Life Award, a Brookdale Foundation fellowship, an Alzheimer Association Faculty Scholar Award, an Alzheimer Association Pioneer Award, and a National Institute on Aging Merit Award.

Adrian J. Ivinson, PhD, is the director of the Harvard NeuroDiscovery Center since its founding in 2001. Dr. Ivinson was previously special advisor to the Provost of Harvard University. Prior to his positions at Harvard University, Dr. Ivinson held a number of leadership roles at the prestigious Nature Publishing Group, including Editor-in-Chief of the journal Nature Medicine and Publisher. Dr. Ivinson is a geneticist by training and has devoted his career to translating research into effective medical interventions.