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The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) today elected three UT Southwestern Medical Center scientists into its membership. Election to the NAS is one of the highest honors in the United States for American scientists.

Yunsun Nam, Ph.D., Professor of Biochemistry and Biophysics at UT Southwestern Medical Center, will receive the 2026 Edith and Peter O’Donnell Award in Biological Sciences from the Texas Academy of Medicine, Engineering, Science & Technology (TAMEST) for her research into how RNAs and proteins interact at the molecular level. Her work has shed light on gene regulation, cancer biology, and RNA-based therapeutics.

Benjamin Sabari, Ph.D., Assistant Professor in the Cecil H. and Ida Green Center for Reproductive Biology Sciences and of Molecular Biology at UT Southwestern Medical Center, has been selected for a 2026 Pershing Square Sohn Cancer Prize.

UT Southwestern molecular biologist Kim Orth, Ph.D., elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences

Duojia Pan, Ph.D., Chair and Professor of Physiology at UT Southwestern Medical Center, and Joshua Mendell, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Molecular Biology, have been elected to the National Academy of Medicine (NAM), one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine.

Zhijian “James” Chen, Ph.D., Professor of Molecular Biology at UT Southwestern Medical Center and one of the world’s top researchers on how the body’s immune system protects us against threats such as bacteria and viruses, has been awarded the 2026 Japan Prize in Life Sciences – one of the highest international honors for science and technology.

Maralice Conacci-Sorrell, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Cell Biology at UT Southwestern Medical Center, is the recipient of the 2026 Mary Beth Maddox Award and Lectureship from the Texas Academy of Medicine, Engineering, Science & Technology (TAMEST).

David Sanders, Ph.D., Assistant Professor in the Center for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases and Molecular Biology at UT Southwestern Medical Center, has been awarded $2.4 million over five years from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to support his research into the role of RNA/protein assemblies in neurodegenerative diseases.

Helen H. Hobbs, M.D., Professor in the Eugene McDermott Center for Human Growth and Development and of Internal Medicine and Molecular Genetics at UT Southwestern Medical Center, has been named the recipient of the 2026 Valentin Fuster Award for Innovation in Science by the American College of Cardiology (ACC).

A program that asks patients to mail in stool samples to screen for colon cancer is an effective way to expand screenings to underserved and underinsured communities and offers an alternative to in-person testing during the pandemic, according to a study conducted by UT Southwestern.