Updates & Accolades
UT Southwestern ❘ Discovery@UTSW 2026 ❘ P19 Accolades
Drs. Mendell and Pan Elected to National Academy of Medicine
Joshua Mendell, M.D., Ph.D., and Duojia Pan, Ph.D., were elected to the National Academy of Medicine, one of the highest honors in health and medicine.
Dr. Mendell, Professor of Molecular Biology, has conducted pioneering research on the functions of microRNAs in normal physiology and disease. Dr. Pan, Chair and Professor of Physiology, is recognized for his groundbreaking work in elucidating molecular pathways that regulate growth and tissue homeostasis.
Both are members of the Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, and their discoveries have significantly advanced our understanding of the mechanisms underlying cancer development and progression.
Dr. Olson Honored With Horwitz Prize
Eric Olson, Ph.D., Chair and Professor of Molecular Biology, has received the 2025 Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize from Columbia University. The award celebrates his work uncovering the genetic mechanisms that govern muscle development and his innovative efforts to develop gene-editing therapies for Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
Dr. Chen Receives 2026 Japan Prize
Zhijian “James” Chen, Ph.D., Professor of Molecular Biology, has been awarded the Japan Prize in Life Sciences – one of the highest international honors for science and technology – in recognition of his discoveries related to the innate immune system including cyclic GMPAMP synthase, or cGAS, which acts as the body’s burglar alarm to trigger defense from invading pathogens. He shares the 2026 Prize with Shizuo Akira, M.D., Ph.D., Professor at Osaka University.
UTSW Designated as North Texas Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center
The National Institute on Aging, part of the National Institutes of Health, recently funded the North Texas Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (ADRC) to be based at UT Southwestern Medical Center, in collaboration with UT Dallas and UT Arlington.
The five-year award, expected to total $23 million, will fund initiatives to investigate the basic mechanisms underlying these diseases and clinical interventions for diagnosis, monitoring, and treatment.
“Being named an ADRC is not only an indication of scientific excellence, but also highlights an intentional commitment to research Alzheimer’s disease and cognitive impairment in our community,” says the Center’s Principal Investigator, Ihab Hajjar, M.D., Professor of Neurology and Internal Medicine at UT Southwestern and in the Peter O’Donnell Jr. Brain Institute.