We covered the announcement in January of the new Harvard-wide department for regenerative/stem cell biology being planned. Now Harvard’s governing body has given the go-ahead for the new department. This is an unprecedented move to bring Harvard’s various schools and hospitals closer together in a more formal and permanent way to encourage more collaboration. Be on the lookout for other new university-wide departments.
The Department of Developmental and Regenerative Biology will be chaired by (no surprise) Doug Melton and David Scadden, currently the heads of the Harvard Stem Cell Institute. It will be on the new Allston campus and will consist of 13 to 16 members. A search is underway already for three new junior faculty.
interesting,
what is difference between Harvard Stem Cell Institute (http://www.hsci.harvard.edu/) and new department?
Not much. Here’s an excerpt from the article I first wrote about this:
In the same building [as the new department] will be the Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI), which was formed in 2004 to bring together stem cell researchers from across Harvard and its affiliated hospitals. In fact, it was the institute that came up with the idea for the new department as it was looking for a better way to hire and retain researchers.
The two organizations will be closely aligned. Some of the current HSCI-affiliated professors will form the core of the new department’s faculty. They will likely keep their current departmental affiliations and be jointly appointed to the new one. “We don’t want to be seen as poaching the best faculty from other departments,” says David Scadden, HSCI’s co-director.
The HSCI will continue its work on fundraising, public policy and education, and giving out research grants.
thank you Corie