The Department of Surgery is pleased to announce the recruitment of basic scientist and geneticist, Jason Sheltzer PhD. The PI joins the Department of Surgery Faculty as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Surgical Oncology, with a secondary appointment with the Department of Genetics.
“Dr. Sheltzer is a spectacular scientist, who —in the first few years of his career—has made substantial contributions to our basic knowledge of cancer genetic dependencies, and their clinical implications,” said Vice Chair of Research for the Department of Surgery, Dr. Peter Gruber.
Jason is currently a Principal Investigator and Fellow at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, where his NIH-funded research group studies the genetic changes that drive cancer progression and cause developmental disabilities. His pioneering research has earned Jason three federal grants as a PI, and has been published in multiple high impact papers, including Cancer Cell, Developmental Cell, Genes & Development, Nature Genetics, and PNAS.
“Dr. Sheltzer’s expertise at the cross-roads of genetics, disorders of aging, and personalized treatment lends tremendous potential to our departments, and others within the Yale School of Medicine. We look forward to the collaborations that will emerge from the Sheltzer lab,” said Department of Genetics Chair, Antonio Giraldez PhD.
In addition to his scientific research, the biologist is an avid promotor of diversity and equity in science. His research of the gender balance in labs run by men and women named him to the 2015 Forbes 30 Under 30 in Science.
Jason and his eight-member research team will transition the Sheltzer Lab to Yale in July, 2021.
Jason Sheltzer received a B.A. in Molecular Biology from Princeton University and a Ph.D. in Biology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He established his research group at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory following graduation in 2015, upon receiving the NIH Director’s Early Independence Award, which provides highest-potential junior scientists the opportunity to skip traditional post-doctoral training and move immediately into independent research positions.
“We're a small group, and our best ideas have come from the times we’ve partnered with other teams – sometimes outside the scope of our typical focus. The opportunity to join such a stellar and diverse group of Faculty, Researchers, Trainees, and Staff at Yale is really energizing. There’s a lot of great science to be done,” said Jason.