Discussion Groups
Discussion Groups present half- and one-day symposia throughout the year in a given area, seeking to reflect the dynamism of scientific fields of relevance to our global community. Steering Committees composed of multi-institutional scientists from the Academy’s network shape each Discussion Group’s portfolio of events and publications, providing thought leadership on key issues of interest. Our Discussion Groups focus on the following scientific disciplines:
- Biochemical Pharmacology
- Brain and Behavior
- Cancer
- Chemical Biology
- CRISPR
- Genome Integrity
- Machine Learning
- Microbiology and Infectious Diseases
- Microbiome Science
- Physical Sciences, Sustainability & Engineering
Biochemical Pharmacology Discussion Group
Understanding drug action at the frontiers of modern drug design
The Biochemical Pharmacology Discussion Group advances our fundamental knowledge of the activity and metabolism of both small molecules and biologics at the biochemical and molecular levels. Research spans chemotherapy, neuropharmacology, antimicrobials, inflammation, and immunopharmacology, as well as gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, and endocrine pharmacology and toxicology. The group also serves as the Biochemical Topical Group for the American Chemical Society‘s New York Chapter.
Biochemical Pharmacology Steering Committee Members
Lynn M. Abell, PhD Kojin Therapeutics
Magdalena Alonso-Galicia, PhD Roivant Sciences
Joshua Apgar, PhD Applied BioMath
Mercedes Beyna, MS Biogen
Scott Brodeur, PhD Janssen Research and Development
Megan Dow, PhD Biohaven Pharmaceuticals
Steven Gross, PhD Weill Cornell Medical College
John Hambor, PhD Boehringer Ingelheim
Julia Heinrich, PhD Bristol-Myers Squibb
Andres Hurtado-Lorenzo, PhD Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation
Katalin Kauser, MD, PhD, DSc Alucent
Christine Grimaldi, PhD Boehringer Ingelheim
Scott MacDonnell, PhD Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Marco Prunotto, PhD Galapagos
Claire M. Steppan, PhD Pfizer
George Zavoico, PhD Cue Biopharma
Brain and Behavior Discussion Group
Unlocking the secrets of the human brain
The Brain and Behavior Discussion Group advances fundamental knowledge about the brain and nervous system, providing the foundation for novel ways to reduce the burden of neurological disease.
Brain and Behavior Steering Committee Members
Howard Fillit, MD Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation
Kevin Lee, PhD The Lawrence Ellison Foundation; Grace Science Foundation
John Spiro, PhD Simons Foundation
Gregory Petsko, D.Phil Weill Cornell Medical College
Cancer Discussion Group
Advancing the world’s most promising research in cancer prevention, diagnosis, care, and cure
The Cancer Discussion Group advances fundamental knowledge of basic, translational, clinical, and diagnostic aspects in the field, with the goal of surfacing breakthroughs in cancer prevention, diagnosis, care and cure.
Cancer Steering Committee Members
Joan Massagué, PhD Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Institute
Michael A. White, PhD Pfizer
George Zavoico, PhD Cue Biopharma
Chemical Biology Discussion Group
Chemical tools providing insight into biological function
Our portfolio of events and publications in Chemical Biology encompasses chemistry-based technology— such as proteomics, lipidomics, metabolomics, and glycomics—as well as synthetic and systems biology work when inspired and supported by chemical tools or aimed at engineering biological systems to perform a new type of chemical transformation. The Chemical Biology Discussion Group also serves as the Organic Topical Group for the American Chemical Society’s New York Chapter.
Chemical Biology Steering Committee Members
Paramjit Arora, PhD New York University
Elizabeth Boon, PhD Stony Brook University
Pamela V. Chang, PhD Cornell University
David M. Chenoweth, PhD University of Pennsylvania
Justin Cisar, PhD Janssen Research & Development
Virginia Cornish, PhD Columbia University
Yael David, PhD Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Christopher am Ende, PhD Pfizer Inc.
Robert P. Fisher, MD, PhD Mount Sinai School of Medicine
Kevin Gardner, PhD CUNY Advanced Science Research Center
Catherine L. Grimes, PhD University of Delaware
Akira Kawamura, PhD CUNY – Hunter College
Jon Lai, PhD Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Thomas Leyh, PhD Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Tania Lupoli, PhD New York University
Jin Kim Montclare, PhD Polytechnic Institute of New York University
Allie Obermeyer, PhD Columbia University
E. James Petersson, PhD University of Pennsylvania
Scott Priestley, PhD Bristol-Myers Squibb R&D
Deborah Rothman, PhD Merck & Co Inc.
David Sabatino, PhD Seton Hall University
Mohammad R. Seyedsayamdost, PhD Princeton University
Neel H. Shah, PhD Columbia University
Sarah Slavoff, PhD Yale University
Derek S. Tan, PhD Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Ekaterina (Katya) Vinogradova, PhD Rockefeller University
Neal J. Zondlo, PhD University of Delaware
CRISPR Discussion Group
Revolutionizing gene editing
The CRISPR Discussion Group advances our understanding of the cellular, molecular, and biochemical pathways of CRISPR-associated proteins, DNA repair pathways, and their applications in diverse organisms, including for human health and disease biology.
CRISPR Steering Committee Members
Britt Adamson, PhD Princeton University
Maria Jasin, PhD Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Neville Sanjana, PhD New York University and New York Genome Center
Samuel Sternberg, PhD Columbia University
Genome Integrity Discussion Group
Protecting the code of life
Our portfolio of events and publications in Genome Integrity seek to successfully map the mechanisms by which these regulatory processes act or go awry, presenting an exciting avenue for identifying novel approaches for protecting against disease-causing errors and restoring function.
Genome Integrity Steering Committee Members
Scott Keeney, PhD Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Susan L. Smith, PhD NYU School of Medicine
Jean Gautier, PhD, Columbia University Irving Medical Center
Agata Smogorzewska, MD, PhD The Rockefeller University
Machine Learning Discussion Group
Pattern recognition wizardry — from Siri to self-driving cars
The Machine Learning Discussion Group has held symposia for the better part of two decades to discuss advanced research related to such topics. Participants come from a variety of disciplines and from both academic and industry institutions, promoting the exchange of new insights between communities.
Machine Learning Steering Committee Members
Naoki Abe, PhD IBM Research
Corinna Cortes, PhD Google Research
Jennifer L. Costley, PhD The New York Academy of Sciences
Patrick Haffner, PhD Interactions Corporation
Elad Hazan, PhD Princeton University
Tony Jebara, PhD Columbia University
John Langford, PhD Microsoft Research
Mehryar Mohri, PhD Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, New York University
Alexander Rakhlin, PhD University of Pennsylvania
Robert Schapire, PhD Microsoft Research
Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Discussion Group
Preparing to fight tomorrow’s disease outbreaks, today
Our portfolio of events and publications in Microbiology and Infectious Diseases is designed to surface new discoveries and tackle current challenges in biomedical research and public health efforts to understand, treat, control, and prevent over 200 known infectious diseases. Beyond a better understanding of infectious disease etiology, epidemiology, diagnosis, and care, we also explore broader issues such as the roles that human demographics and behavior, international travel and commerce, technology and industry, economic development, microbial adaptation and change, and the breakdown of public health measures play in the complex coexistence of microbes and man.
Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Steering Committee Members
Annaliesa S. Anderson, PhD Pfizer
Doris Bucher, PhD New York Medical College
Nancy Connell, PhD Rutgers New Jersey Medical School
Johanna P. Daily, MD Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Matthew Evans, PhD Icahn School of Medicine and Mount Sinai
Vincent Fischetti, PhD The Rockefeller University
Allan Goldberg, PhD Avacyn Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Lorrence Green, PhD Westbury Diagnostics, Inc
Takushi Kaneko, PhD TB Alliance
Barry Kreiswirth, PhD Rutgers New Jersey Medical School
W. Ian Lipkin, MD Columbia University
Stephen Morse, PhD Columbia University
Paul Offit, MD Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
David Perlin, PhD Public Health Research Institute, New Jersey Medical School/ Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences
Shirley Raps, PhD Hunter College, City University of New York
Yegor Voronin, PhD Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise
Michael Watson, MD Moderna Therapeutics
Microbiome Science Discussion Group
Your body is mostly microbes
Our portfolio of events and publications in Microbiome Science are designed to surface new discoveries and tackle current challenges including the development of reference sets of microbial genome sequences, understanding the complexity of the microbial community at various body sites, determining the relationship between human health, disease, and changes in the microbiome, new tools and technologies for microbiome sample collection and computational analyses, and the ethical, legal, and social implications of studying and modifying the human microbiome.
Microbiome Science Steering Committee Members
David Artis, PhD Weill Cornell Medicine
Martin Blaser, MD New York University
John Hambor, PhD Boehringer Ingelheim
Dan Littman, MD, PhD New York University
Eric G. Pamer, MD Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Paul Planet, MD, PhD Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
Nilufer Seth, PhD Pfizer
Physical Sciences, Sustainability and Engineering Discussion Group
Advancing technology for sustainable solutions
The Physical Sciences, Sustainability and Engineering Discussion Group brings together international experts and partners from academia, industry, government and beyond, for programs that provide a neutral forum for exploring cutting-edge topics, exchanging information and forming collaborations on groundbreaking initiatives.