Faculty Promotions and Appointments Announced

Faculty promotions and appointments were announced at a recent meeting of The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) Board of Directors.

They include:

Paul Parren, who was promoted to associate professor in the Department of Immunology. Parren (B.S., M.S., Ph.D., University of Amsterdam) has been at TSRI since 1993. His laboratory studies the role of antibodies in protection against viral infection, with particular emphasis on elucidating the mechanisms by which antibodies neutralize viruses in vitro and how they offer protection in vivo. His most recent studies have focused on antibodies against HIV-1, Ebola virus, and orthopox viruses.

Matthias von Herrath, who became an adjunct associate professor in the Department of Molecular and Experimental Medicine. Affiliated with TSRI since 1992, Herrath (M.D., Freiburg Medical School ) is now an associate member with tenure at the La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology. von Herrath is working to understand the regulation of autoimmune and anti-viral responses. His subsequent goal is the development of paradigms that will selectively suppress autoimmune diseases and lower the immunopathology that accompanies viral infections.

Naohiko Koshikawa, who was promoted to adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Cell Biology. Koshikawa (B.S., M.S., Ph.D., Yokohama City University), who began at TSRI in 1997, is currently an assistant professor in the University of Tokyo's Department of Cancer Cell Research, Institute of Medical Science. He studies the role of proteolytic processing of extracellular matrix proteins in promoting cellular functions involved in physiological and pathological events such as development, tissue repair, and cancer invasion.

Melissa Houser, who received an appointment as adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Neuropharmacology. Houser (B.A., University of Texas, Austin; M.D., Texas Tech University Health Science Center) is the clinical director of the Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorder Center at Scripps Clinic in the Division of Neurology. Her research interests are in hyperkinetic movement disorders and Parkinson's Disease. She also has a special interest in sleep-related movement disorders.