Chairman's Overview

Welcome to the Department of Cell Biology website. I am very excited to have joined the Lerner Research Institute as Chairman of this Department in April 2004. You will see as you browse the site that this is an extraordinarily vibrant department, now in the early stage of a major growth spurt. With the recent arrival of Dr. Maria Febbraio and myself from the Weill Medical College of Cornell University and the addition of Dr. Thomas McIntyre from the University of Utah School of Medicine this summer, the Department has grown to 18 independent faculty investigators. We are excited to announce immediate plans to begin recruitment of 6 additional faculty members as we strive to become one of the leading cell biology departments in the country. Interested candidates should access the following web address for more information:

http://www.lerner.ccf.org/jobs/faculty/cellbio_faculty.php

The Department of Cell Biology is home to a multi-disciplinary team of scientists who are investigating multiple aspects of basic cell and developmental biology with a wide array of state-of-the-art experimental techniques. Research areas include cell signaling, regulation of cell division and apoptosis, intracellular membrane and protein trafficking, angiogenesis, vascular biology, oxidative stress, regulation of gene expression, RNA structure and function, cytoskeletal-extracellular matrix interactions, proteomics, and lipid and lipoprotein metabolism. Reflecting the strong traditions of Cleveland Clinic, many of these programs include translational components related to important human diseases, including atherosclerosis, cardiac ischemia, Alzheimer's, renal diseases and cancer. In spite of this diversity in topic areas, there are intensive interactions and collaborations among the 18 laboratories within the department as evidenced by numerous co-authored publications and NIH-sponsored Program Projects.

The Department of Cell Biology has an active training program at both the pre- and postdoctoral levels. Most members of the department have joint appointments at Case Western Reserve University, Kent State University, or Cleveland State University and are actively involved in training PhD candidate graduate students. Currently, 16 doctoral students are performing their thesis research in the department. In addition, many undergraduate science students perform research projects in laboratories of the department. Some students are here for the summer from universities throughout the US, others from area institutions train here during the academic year. Postdoctoral fellows represent an integral part of the research effort in every laboratory in the department. Currently, 49 Postdoctoral Fellows, Research Associates and Project Scientists are being trained in the department.

Case Western Reserve University is a few blocks away. Our Cell Biology faculty members have close and collaborative ties with many researchers there, particularly with Case's Cell Biology Program faculty. The latter association includes joint seminars, symposia and scientific retreats.

Departmental faculty are enthusiastically involved in the new Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine, which will matriculate its first class in the summer of 2004. Our faculty have taken a leadership role in many aspects of this new venture, including admissions, curriculum design, and curriculum implementation. We look forward to seeing the first class of research-oriented medical students arrive and expect that many will spend time in our laboratories for the research component of their education.

The Department of Cell Biology is housed within the Lerner Research Institute (LRI) with its 10 basic science departments and centers, and an extensive, state-of-the-art infrastructure of core research facilities, which are subsidized by the institution. My own decision to join the LRI was based in part by the tremendous commitment of the Cleveland Clinic Foundation to expand its programs in basic and translational research, including the creation of the two new departments of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine and Human Genetics and Genomics. The LRI has more than 120 independent research laboratories, over 1,000 personnel, and a research budget of about $150 million. In addition, many LRI investigators benefit from fruitful collaborations with faculty from the world-class clinical departments at the Cleveland Clinic. Communication among the members of the department and others in the research community is fostered by a large number of weekly seminar series, Lab Updates, Journal Clubs, the biennial Cell Biology Retreat and the annual Lerner Research Institute Retreat. Please enjoy looking over our website and feel free to contact me, other faculty, or any of our department's personnel if we can answer your questions and send specific information to you.

Roy L. Silverstein, M.D.
Chairman, Department of Cell Biology
Lerner Research Institute