Deborah Hogan, PhD, an associate professor of Microbiology and Immunology at Dartmouth’s Geisel School of Medicine, has received the 2016 Dr. Thomas Maciag COBRE (Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence) Independence Award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Established in 2006, this national award recognizes individuals who “exemplify Dr. Maciag’s ideals of research excellence and commitment to mentoring,” and who have become independent researchers through a COBRE program. Dr. Thomas Maciag was a cell and vascular biologist who earned international recognition for his work as a scientist, artist, and mentor to graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in the areas of angiogenesis and development.
Funded by an Institutional Development Award (IDeA) from the NIH’s National Institute of General Medical Sciences, COBRE programs are designed to help academic institutions build centers of excellence in biomedical research and advance the work of junior faculty investigators who will assume mentoring and leadership roles in the future.
“It’s very nice to be recognized in this way,” said Hogan, who will receive the award and give an award lecture at the upcoming National IDeA Symposium of Biomedical Research Excellence in Washington, DC.
“For me, it’s a reflection of the fact that there’s a great mentoring culture here at Dartmouth, thanks to people like Dr. Bruce Stanton, and that I’m surrounded by wonderful colleagues who are excellent scientists and a pleasure to mentor.”
Hogan joined the Dartmouth Lung Biology COBRE as a junior project leader in 2007, under the direction of Stanton (principal investigator). While receiving COBRE support for her research, she published over 20 papers, revealing new metabolic pathways that control the biology of chronic bacterial and bacterial-fungal interactions and hold promise for treating airway infections in cystic fibrosis.
Through this work, she was able to secure substantial grant funding from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and the NIH as an independent researcher. Today, the Hogan Lab is a recognized leader in studying microbial interactions in mixed species chronic infections. “We focus on intercellular microbial interactions, and our goal is to use what we learn to improve our ability to treat infectious diseases,” said Hogan, who has now published nearly 60 research publications and received over $2.5 million in grant funding over the past five years.
“Deb’s success exemplifies the goals of the COBRE program,” said Dean Madden, PhD, a professor of Biochemistry at Geisel. “Not only is she running a thriving research group that is one of the real highlights of the community here, she’s also one of our most dedicated and successful mentors at all levels, ranging from undergraduates to junior faculty colleagues.”
“I am very pleased to see Deb receive this award to recognize all her success in her research program and in her service to our community through mentoring," said Duane Compton, PhD, interim dean of Geisel.
Hogan directed and taught the Molecular Mycology Summer Course at the Woods Hole Marine Biological Labs for five years. She co-directs the Lung Biology COBRE Translational Research Core, which provides clinical samples to researchers across Dartmouth, and also serves as an associate editor for the journal PLoS Pathogens. Last year, Hogan was the recipient of the Dartmouth Graduate Faculty Mentoring Award, which recognizes “a deep commitment to fostering the professional and personal development of graduate students.”
