Margaret Pittman Lecture

Part of the Wednesday Afternoon Lecture Series, the Pittman Lecture is given by a researcher dedicated to advancing and improving the careers of women scientists. Since 1994 when this annual lecture began, every speaker has exemplified the intelligence, scientific excellence and drive that made Margaret Pittman a leader as the first female laboratory chief at NIH.

Cryptic (Hidden) Changes that Result from Perturbations and Climate Change Shape Future Dynamics of Degenerate Neurons and Circuits

Eve Marder, Ph.D.
Brandeis University

Margaret Pittman Lecture

A fundamental problem in neuroscience is understanding how the properties of individual neurons and synapses contribute to neuronal circuit dynamics and behavior. In recent years we have done both computational and experimental studies that demonstrate that the same physiological output can arise from multiple, degenerate solutions, and that individual animals with similar behavior can nonetheless have quite different sets of underlying circuit parameters.

Germline Immortality and Asymmetric Stem Cell Division

Yukiko Yamashita, Ph.D.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Margaret Pittman Lecture

Two remarkable feats of multicellular organisms are generation of many distinct cell types via asymmetric cell division and transmission of the germline genome to the next generation, essentially in eternity. Studying these processes using the Drosophila male germline as a model system has led us to venture into new areas of study, such as functions of satellite DNA, a 'genomic junk,' and how they might be involved in speciation.

Objectives:

Mutant p53 Activities in Mouse Tumor Models

Gigi Lozano, Ph.D.
University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

Margaret Pittman Lecture

NEW TIME AND PLACE: 3 P.M. IN WILSON HALL, BUILDING 1, or https://videocast.nih.gov/watch=46003 — "The p53 tumor suppressor functions as a transcription factor to activate hundreds of genes. We have cataloged p53 targets in vivo in several tissues and identified a pan-tissue p53 signature of seven commonly activated genes. However most p53 transcriptional targets are unique to specific tissues.

Creating Healthy Longevity: A Basis for a Third Demographic Dividend for Society

Linda Fried, M.D.
Columbia University Medical Center

Margaret Pittman Lecture

This lecture addresses the opportunities of our extended life span for individuals and society if health span is extended to approximate life span. It considers the range of health outcomes that would need to be prevented or delayed, and considers the possibilities to accomplish this. Dr. Fried will offer a perspective that increased health span combined with enabling the potential social capital of older adults could set the stage for a previously unimagined “Third Demographic Dividend” for societies.

Peering Beyond the Blindspot Seeking Authentic Risk Factors: A Case Study

Eve Higginbotham, S.M., M.D., M.L.
University of Pennsylvania

Margaret Pittman Lecture

Dr. Higginbotham will discuss the arguments against “race,” why this topic is important, and its impact on science and healthcare. In her case study, she will highlight the outcomes of a 20-year clinical trial that uncovered a new biologically measurable risk factor. This is intended to be a lecture that will inspire additional thinking around the use of race in science and medicine.

A community approach to breast cancer prevention: addressing health disparities

Lucile Adams-Campbell, Ph.D.
Georgetown University

Margaret Pittman Lecture

Dr. Adams-Campbell’s areas of research focus on addressing health disparities with particular emphasis on cancers that disproportionately impact African-Americans. Dr. Adams-Campbell’s research focuses on lifestyle interventions including physical activity, energy balance, obesity, metabolic syndrome, and oral health among minority and underserved populations.

Unraveling Smell

Linda B. Buck, Ph.D.
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center

Margaret Pittman Lecture

Dr. Linda Buck is a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator, a Full Member of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, and an Affiliate Professor at the University of Washington. She received a B.S. from the University of Washington and a Ph.D. from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. She was previously Full Professor of Neurobiology at Harvard Medical School. Dr.

Tailored drug release surfaces for regenerative medicine and targeted nanotherapies

Paula T. Hammond, Ph.D.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Margaret Pittman Lecture

Alternating electrostatic assembly is a tool that makes it possible to create ultrathin film coatings that contain highly controlled quantities of one or more therapeutic molecules within a singular construct. These release systems greatly exceed the usual ranges of traditional degradable polymers. The nature of the layering process enables the incorporation of different drugs within different regions of the thin-film architecture; the result is an ability to uniquely tailor both the independent-release profiles and order-of-release of each therapeutic to the targeted region of the body.

This page was last updated on Thursday, June 5, 2025