Elena Fuentes-Afflick, MD, MPH Association of American Medical Colleges
Elena Fuentes-Afflick, M.D., M.P.H., is Chief Scientific Officer of the Association of American Medical Colleges, where she leads programs supporting biomedical research and the training of physician-scientists and researchers in academic medicine. A pediatrician and nationally recognized leader in academic medicine, her scholarship has focused on Latino and immigrant health, health disparities, and diversity in the biomedical workforce. Dr. Fuentes-Afflick previously held senior leadership roles at the University of California, San Francisco.
The central theme of the lecture is that inheritance extends beyond the DNA sequence itself. While DNA provides the genetic blueprint, the speaker’s work has demonstrated that cells also inherit epigenetic information carried by chromatin. Chromatin biology and epigenetics are fundamental areas of molecular biology with far-reaching implications for human health and disease. Aberrant chromatin regulation is now recognized as a hallmark of numerous diseases, particularly cancer.
Mariana Federica Wolfner is the Distinguished Professor of Molecular Biology and Genetics, and a Stephen H. Weiss Presidential Fellow. Her research focuses on understanding, at the molecular/gene level, the important reproductive processes that occur around the time when a sperm fertilizes an egg. Using the Drosophila model, the Wolfner laboratory studies the molecular signals that "activate" an oocyte to begin embryo development and also studies how seminal proteins modulate the reproductive physiology and behavior of female insects.
Dr. Besley is well situated to help scientists communicate strategically about emerging technologies such as New Approach Methodologies due to his extensive research on science communication, public trust, and strategic engagement. His work emphasizes the importance of setting clear, audience-specific communication goals and aligning messaging with evidence-based strategies. By studying how scientists think about public engagement and the factors that shape public attitudes toward science, Dr.
Dr. Rice is the Maurice R. and Corinne P. Greenberg Chair in Virology and serves as Head of the Laboratory for Virology and Infectious Disease at The Rockefeller University. He is one of the world’s most accomplished virologists and a prominent figure in research on members of the Flaviviridae including hepatitis C virus (HCV).
Dr. William Pao is CEO of Revelio Therapeutics and author of BREAKTHROUGH: The Quest for Life-Changing Medicines. Previously, he served as Chief Development Officer and Executive Vice President at Pfizer and headed Roche Pharma Research & Early Development, overseeing global discovery and early development programs. Earlier, he was Professor of Medicine at Vanderbilt University and held leadership roles at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center. Dr. Pao earned his MD and PhD from Yale University and completed oncology training at Memorial Sloan Kettering.
Dr. Richard DiMarchi is Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and Gill Chair in Biomolecular Sciences at Indiana University. A member of the National Academy of Medicine and National Inventors Hall of Fame, he previously held leadership roles at Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk. He contributed to the discovery and development of Humalog®, Glucagon®, and Forteo® and pioneered multimode agonists for diabetes and obesity. Dr. DiMarchi holds more than 100 U.S. patents, has authored over 250 scientific publications, and co-founded six biotechnology companies.
Scott L. Delp, Ph.D., is the James H. Clark Professor of Bioengineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Orthopaedic Surgery at Stanford University and Founding Chair of Stanford’s Department of Bioengineering. He directs the Wu Tsai Human Performance Alliance at Stanford, as well as the NIH-funded Restore and Mobilize Centers. Dr. Delp develops technologies to advance movement science, rehabilitation, and human health. His laboratory created widely used platforms including OpenSim and Simtk.org, supporting an international community of researchers and students.
Eva Nogales, Ph.D., is a Professor of Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Structural Biology and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator. Her laboratory investigates large macromolecular assemblies essential to eukaryotic life, including the molecular machinery that regulates gene expression at the transcriptional and epigenetic levels and the dynamics of the microtubule cytoskeleton.
Catherine J. Wu, M.D., is a physician-scientist at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute whose research focuses on the biology and treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Her laboratory uses genomic, transcriptomic, and immunologic approaches to identify tumor-specific antigens, define CLL driver genes, and understand tumor heterogeneity and treatment response. Dr. Wu has led clinical studies of personalized cancer vaccines and immune-based therapies, including approaches following allogeneic stem cell transplantation. She received her M.D.
This page was last updated on Wednesday, August 12, 2026
