Six UCSF young physician-scientists have been selected as fellows by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) to spend the next three years studying the genetic control of organ development, plasticity of the brain, regulation of cholesterol metabolism, and other subjects at the frontier of biomedical research.

They are among 37 physician postdoctoral fellows named by HHMI who will receive training for careers as experts who combine basic research skills with clinical experience. This combination gives them a unique understanding of diseases and helps them think in fresh ways of possible new treatments.

The UCSF physician-scientists selected by HHMI and their area of research are:

Hwai-Jong Cheng, MD, PhD, in the laboratory of Marc T. Tessier-Levigne, PhD, HHMI and department of anatomy. His project is "Identification and functional analysis of vertebral homologues of Drosophila roundabout."

Stephen R. Hammes, MD, PhD, in the laboratory of Shaun R.Coughlin, MD, PhD, Cardiovascular Research Institute and department of medicine. His project is "Mechanisms of thrombin receptor shutoff."

Lynne Alison McInnes, MD, in the laboratory of Nelson B. Freimer, MD, department of psychiatry. Her project is "Cloning a gene for severe bipolar mood disorder."

Jody Lynn Baron, MD, PhD, in the laboratories of Donald E. Ganem, MD, HHMI and department of microbiology and immunology, and Richard M. Locksley, MD, department of microbiology and immunology. Her project is "Characterization of mechanisms involved in the immune response and pathological consequences of hepatitis B virus infection in a transgenic mouse model."

Dane Michael Chetkovich, MD, PhD, in the laboratories of Michael M. Merzenich, PhD, at the Keck Center for Integrative Neuroscience, and William C. Mobley, MD, PhD, department of neurology. His project is "Nerve growth factor in adult cortical plasticity in vivo."

Edward Kim, MD, in the laboratory of Stephen G. Young, MD, at the Gladstone Institute for Cardiovascular Research, located at SFGH. His project is "Defining the physiologic role for protein repair."

The fellows are the latest in a highly competitive HHMI program that supports physicians in obtaining research training in the study of basic biological processes and disease mechanisms. All have completed at least two years of clinical training since graduating from medical school.

The three-year fellowships provide an annual stipend of $40,000 to $60,000, a research allowance of $16,000, and an institutional allowance of $13,000.

A medical research organization, HHMI is the nation's largest philanthropy. Hughes investigators conduct medical research in HHMI laboratories at 72 academic medical centers and universities nationwide.

1st appeared 9/24/97