Five Yale School of Medicine (YSM) physician-scientists have been elected to the American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI).
The new members from YSM are Ranjit S. Bindra, MD, PhD, Harvey and Kate Cushing Professor of Therapeutic Radiology, professor of pathology, and co-director of the Yale Brain Tumor Center at Smilow Cancer Hospital; David A. Braun, MD, PhD, assistant professor of medicine (medical oncology) and Louis Goodman and Alfred Gilman Yale Scholar; Liza Konnikova, MD, PhD, associate professor of pediatrics, immunobiology, and obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences; Jaimie P. Meyer, MD, associate professor of medicine (infectious diseases, AIDS), and of epidemiology in the department of Chronic Disease Epidemiology; and Craig B. Wilen, MD, PhD, associate professor in laboratory medicine and immunobiology.
Physician-scientists who are inducted into the ASCI are nominated and elected by members of the society for having “accomplished meritorious original, creative, and independent investigations in the clinical or allied sciences of medicine” and who enjoy “unimpeachable moral standing in the medical profession.”
Ranjit S. Bindra is a radiation oncologist who treats adult and pediatric primary cancers of the central nervous system. Bindra’s laboratory discovered that IDH1/2-mutant tumors harbor DNA repair defects that confer sensitivity to PARP inhibitors, a breakthrough with major clinical implications that is now being tested in several phase I/II trials. More recently, Bindra developed a new class of small molecules to treat aggressive brain tumors, which formed the basis for his start-up, Modifi Bio, a company that was acquired by Merck & Company in the Fall of 2024.
David A. Braun, a medical oncologist specializing in the care of patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC), utilizes computational and experimental immunology approaches to dissect the immunobiology of RCC and other human tumors. He is actively translating laboratory findings into novel immunotherapeutic approaches through multiple phase I and II clinical trials.
Liza Konnikova, a neonatologist, is focused on understanding the host of environmental factors that influence the development and regulation of early life immunity, and how these processes contribute to human health and disease. Her research includes a unique biorepository of cryopreserved tissue collected across the human lifespan. This collection has led to groundbreaking findings that have shifted our understanding of early life immunity, revealing that it is not merely an immature or naïve state, but rather a functional and highly adaptive system tailored to meet the challenges of early life. Furthermore, Konnikova has identified immune dysregulation in conditions such as necrotizing enterocolitis and inflammatory bowel disease, offering new insights into these complex diseases.
Jaimie P. Meyer focuses on HIV prevention and treatment for women, addressing social and structural health determinants. She developed the first PrEP decision aid tailored for women with substance use disorders, now adapted for various populations. Meyer is internationally recognized for her expertise in infectious diseases within the criminal legal system, consulting for several notable organizations, including the Federal Bureau of Prisons and the World Health Organization.
Craig B. Wilen identifies mechanisms of immunity and pathogenesis for noroviruses, coronaviruses, and pre-emergent viruses with pandemic potential. The goals of this work are to enable improved risk stratification and to develop improved therapeutics and vaccines to reduce the disease burden from viruses.
This year, 99 new active and international members from 46 different institutions will be officially inducted into the society at the ASCI Dinner and New Member Induction Ceremony, to be held April 25, 2025, in Chicago, as part of the joint meeting of ASCI, the Association of American Physicians, and the American Physician Scientists Association.
The ASCI is a nonprofit medical honor society composed of more than 3,000 physician-scientists representing all medical specialties. The society “is dedicated to the advancement of research that extends understanding of diseases and improves treatment, and members are committed to mentoring future generations of physician-scientists.”