Two from Academic Health Center Among UC's Five New AAAS Fellows

CINCINNATI—Five scientists from the University of Cincinnati (UC) have been named Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), with two coming from the UC Academic Health Center.

They will be presented with official certificates and AAAS’s traditional rosette pins Saturday, Feb. 15, 2014, during the AAAS annual meeting in Chicago.

AAAS fellowship status is given annually to distinguished individuals by society members and their peers. UC’s awardees are among the 388 AAAS members named Fellows this year for their scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications. UC now has 29 faculty members who are AAAS Fellows.

Fellows from the UC Academic Health Center are:

George Deepe, MD
Deepe, professor of medicine in the UC College of Medicine’s infectious diseases division, is being recognized by AAAS for "distinguished contributions to the field of fungal immunology and host defenses to fungal pathogenesis and to our understanding of metals in regulation of fungal immunology.”

Deepe has been on UC’s faculty for more than 30 years, serving 15 years as chief of the division of infectious diseases. He is a leading researcher and a world-recognized expert in the study of Histoplasma capsulatum, a pathogenic fungus that causes infection, particularly in the Ohio River Valley.

For his work, he was selected as UC’s 2013 recipient of the George Rieveschl Jr. Award for Distinguished Scientific Research. He was honored at the All-University Faculty Awards celebration April 17, 2013.  

Deepe has consistently received federal and private funding for his research and has been awarded a number of honors, including the Research Career Development Award from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) from 1987 to 1992 and the MERIT Award from the NIAID from 1997 to 2007.

In addition to his outstanding research portfolio, Deepe is heavily involved in mentoring graduate students and currently serves as associate director of the UC Medical Scientist Training Program.

Marc Rothenberg, MD, PhD
Rothenberg, professor of pediatrics at UC’s College of Medicine and director of the Division of Allergy and Immunology at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, is being recognized by AAAS for "distinguished contributions to the field of allergy/immunology, particularly for advancing our scientific understanding of eosinophilic disorders, and pioneering pediatric research.” He is actively involved in managing a research program focused on understanding the molecular mechanisms of allergic disorders.

At Cincinnati Children’s, he has helped build a top program in pediatric research, and his division is a leader in pediatric allergy and immunology. In addition, Rothenberg sees patients suffering from allergic and immunological diseases from around the world as part of the Cincinnati Center for Eosinophilic Disorders that he directs.

For his work, Rothenberg has been honored with: the Pharmacia Allergy Research Foundation Award for the best young investigator in the allergy field; the Young Investigator Award and the Scholar in Allergy Award from the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology; the Ohio Governor’s Recognition Award; the 2007 E. Mead Johnson Award from the Society of Pediatric Research; and an NIH MERIT Award in 2010 from the NIAID.

He is an elected member of the American Society of Clinical Investigation, Society for Pediatric Research, and a Diplomate of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. Rothenberg has published more than 250 articles on molecular mechanisms of allergic responses.

Read the full release from the University of Cincinnati.