Janet Robishaw to Lead Department of Biomedical Sciences
Janet Robishaw, Ph.D., a leader in functional and translational genomics, has been appointed as chair of the Department of Biomedical Sciences in 91社区鈥檚 Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine.
The Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine at 91社区 recently appointed Janet Robishaw, Ph.D., as chair of the Department of Biomedical Sciences. Robishaw, an accomplished functional and translational genomics researcher with 30 years of sustained federal funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), comes to 91社区 from Geisinger Health System in central Pennsylvania. Most recently, she served as senior scientist and associate director at Geisinger鈥檚 Weis Center for Research.
鈥淒r. Robishaw was selected from a highly competitive and extremely qualified pool of candidates. Her impressive background and accomplishments make her a natural fit for this position, and she will be instrumental in taking our biomedical research efforts in the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine to the next level,鈥 said Arthur J. Ross, III, M.D., M.B.A., interim dean and a professor in 91社区鈥檚 College of Medicine. 鈥淲e thank Dr. Keith Brew for his service and numerous contributions as chair of our Department of Biomedical Sciences for more than a decade.鈥 聽
Robishaw, who trained under Nobel Laureate Alfred G. Gilman, Ph.D., will be the first female chair of 91社区鈥檚 Department of Biomedical Sciences. She succeeds Brew, who will remain in the department to continue his NIH-funded research to develop treatments for osteoarthritis.聽
As chair, Robishaw will lead the academic, administrative, and research programs for the department. She will work in collaboration with faculty within 91社区鈥檚 College of Medicine and the university to boost federal, state, and private funding for biomedical and clinical research projects. In addition, she will work in concert with two of 91社区鈥檚 newly-established research institutions 鈥 91社区鈥檚 Healthy Aging Institute and 91社区鈥檚 Brain Institute 鈥 spearheaded by faculty members in 91社区鈥檚 College of Medicine.
Research emphasis in 91社区鈥檚 Department of Biomedical Sciences includes cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, autoimmune diseases, genetic eye diseases, age related eye diseases (macular degeneration and cataracts), neurological diseases and disorders, behavioral neurobiology, cancer, and infectious diseases (HIV/AIDS and malaria).
鈥淚 am very excited to join the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine at a pivotal time in its growth and success,鈥 said Robishaw. 鈥淚 look forward to working in collaboration with an outstanding team of scientists within the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine and the university, as well as with our research partners throughout the region.鈥
The emphasis of Robishaw鈥檚 research is to help prioritize and identify the functional consequences of genetic variants associated with diseases and their successful application to the clinical setting, which is required for 鈥減ersonalized鈥 medicine to become a reality for most patients. As such, the aim of her research is to develop better pharmacologic treatments for complex diseases with a focus on the 鈥渄ruggable鈥 part of the genome; the G-protein coupled with receptor signaling pathways that represent the targets for more than 60 percent of drugs currently on the market.
"Dr. Robishaw's research has tremendous potential to globally improve and impact the health and well-being of patients who are afflicted with a wide variety of medical conditions," said John W. Newcomer, M.D., vice dean for research and innovation and a professor in 91社区鈥檚 College of Medicine who chaired the search committee. "We are very pleased to welcome Dr. Robishaw to 91社区 and to bring her cutting-edge research to the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine.鈥
In addition to NIH support, Robishaw has received research grants from the American Heart Association, educational program support from Pfizer and other endowments, and business grant support from the Life Sciences Greenhouse and Keystone Innovation Zone. To date, she has been awarded about $15 million in grant funding.
Robishaw holds a doctoral degree in cellular and molecular physiology from The Pennsylvania State University and conducted her postdoctoral training at the University of Texas Health Science Center of Dallas. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry and biology from Central Michigan University.
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