Renowned Cancer Cell Researcher to Speak at UAMS

By todd

LITTLE ROCK The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) College of Medicine will kick off the 2007 Dean’s Distinguished Lecturer Series on March 20 with a world-renowned cancer cell biologist as its first speaker. The public is invited to the free lecture.


Zena Werb, Ph.D., from the University of California, San Francisco, one of the most highly cited researchers by her peers, will discuss the latest developments in the fight against breast cancer. Her lecture is scheduled for 4 p.m., March 20 in the Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, Fred W. Smith Auditorium. 


 “We bring in leading scholars from around the world to discuss the very latest research and clinical developments with our faculty,” said UAMS College of Medicine Dean Debra Fiser, M.D. “Often, our guest lecturers share the experiences and expertise that garnered them some of the nation’s top scientific honors.”


Four lecturers will come to UAMS as part of the series this year. A fifth will be by a UAMS faculty member for the annual Distinguished Faculty Scholar Lecture. Werb was nominated by John L. Fowlkes, M.D., an endocrinologist and professor of Pediatrics.


“Dr. Werb’s work to discover factors that can promote and inhibit tumor cell growth has led to new ways of thinking about how remodeling of the extracellular matrix may influence how cells behave – or misbehave,” Fowlkes said.


UAMS is the state’s only comprehensive academic health center, with five colleges, a graduate school, a medical center, six centers of excellence and a statewide network of regional centers. UAMS has about 2,430 students and 715 medical residents. It is one of the state’s largest public employers with about 9,400 employees, including nearly 1,000 physicians who provide medical care to patients at UAMS, Arkansas Children’s Hospital, the VA Medical Center and UAMS’ Area Health Education Centers throughout the state. UAMS and its affiliates have an economic impact in Arkansas of $5 billion a year. For more information, visit www.uams.edu.