Dr. 巴特·威廉姆斯91年

2021 Recipient of the Distinguished Alumnus Award for Professional Achievement

Dr. Bart Williams is considered a world leader in the study of bone 生物学 和 the Wnt signaling pathway, a molecular communication channel that can play a role in cancer 和 other diseases such as osteoporosis, 心血管病, 和糖尿病.

20多年了, he has been leading a laboratory at Van Andel Institute (VAI), an independent research 和 educational organization based in Gr和 Rapids, 密歇根. VAI研究基因, 癌症的细胞和分子起源, Parkinson’s 和 other diseases 和 works to translate those findings into effective therapies to improve the health of current 和 future generations. Dr. Williams is also the Chair of the Department of Cell Biology at VAI, 和 has been a member of the VAI senior research leadership team since 2009.

Dr. Williams received his bachelor of science degree from 博天堂官方入口登陆登录 in 1991, majoring in 生物学 和 化学. 随后，他获得了博士学位.D. in 生物学 from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1996 working with Tyler Jacks, 谁是使用基因靶向技术的先驱. His postdoctoral fellowship at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) occurred in the laboratory of Harold Varmus, 诺贝尔奖得主，前美国国立卫生研究院院长. He joined the Van Andel Institute as a Scientific Investigator in July 1999, 和 he is now a Professor 和 the Chair of the Department of Cell Biology.

His expertise 和 research area focuses on the Wnt signaling pathway, which plays key roles in normal organ 和 tissue development. Abnormal Wnt signaling contributes to the development of many human diseases, 包括癌症和骨质疏松症. 威廉姆斯实验室，由博士领导. 威廉姆斯在VAI, uses numerous approaches to underst和 how alterations in the Wnt signaling pathway cause human disease. 在他的科学生涯中. Williams has co-authored over 150 publications or book chapters, been invited to present more than 120 seminars on his laboratory’s work throughout the United States 和 in seven foreign countries, 和 served on over 60 review panels to evaluate scientific research proposals for the National Institutes of Health, 国防部, 众多慈善基金会, 还有几个州和外国. He has also served on the editorial board of seven scientific journals, 为70多家期刊审阅稿件, 和 is a member of several professional scientific organizations.

His laboratory is perhaps best known for its work in characterizing the role of Wnt signaling in bone formation 和 osteoporosis 和 has consulted 和 collaborated with numerous biotechnology 和 pharmaceutical companies to provide insights into the development of therapies to treat this disease. They also work to underst和 how alterations in the Wnt pathway contribute to the initiation 和 progression of cancer 和 evaluate approaches on how to target these alterations to treat tumors in a way that minimizes side effects.

Dr. Williams was also a founding member of the Van Andel Institute 研究生 School (VAIGS). He has designed 和 implemented an innovative course in which first-year students participate in a problem-based learning approach focused on underst和ing the historical context in which critical scientific discoveries were made. He has also directly trained 15 graduate students 和 post-doctoral fellows, 和 more than 30 undergraduate students within his laboratory. These trainees have successfully gone on to positions in clinical medicine, 学术机构, 以及美国各地的生物技术公司.

他还在为VAIGS服务方面发挥了核心作用, 在几乎所有重要的学院委员会任职. 根据VAIGS院长，Dr. 史蒂夫·特里森伯格，在任何情况下，“博士. Williams has shown a deep underst和ing of the mission 和 philosophy of the 研究生 School 和 a strong focus on what will benefit students. 对于这些贡献, he received the VAIGS Excellence in 研究生 Education Award for his deep investment in the school’s founding 和 growth 和 his mentorship of students.”

Dr. Williams attributes the foundation provided by his training at Carroll for much of his professional success. He is particularly thankful for his two departmental academic advisors, the late Dr. 泰德·米肖(生物学)和博士. 理查德·沃特金斯65年(化学). Perhaps the most influential person in guiding his career path was Dr. 莱斯利·泽特格伦(生物学)是第一个介绍博士的人. Williams to the idea of a career in biomedical research 和 directly mentored him during a summer internship at Carroll. 最后,博士. Williams is grateful for the highly personal educational experience at Carroll in the sciences 和 the broad exposure to the 文科 在他的卡罗尔经历中. 他也很感激他在 卡罗尔合唱团 with Director Mark Aamot 和 the philosophical perspectives provided by the January-term common courses.

Dr. 威廉姆斯住在大急流城的郊区, 密歇根, 和他的妻子, Wendy (Magic) Williams, 91届, 他是在博天堂官方入口登陆登录认识的. 他和温蒂有三个孩子. 他们的大女儿, 艾莉萨, 还有她的丈夫, 贾斯汀·惠特克, live in Colorado 和 are pursuing doctoral degrees in Computational Biology 和 Atmospheric Sciences, 分别, 科罗拉多州立大学. 他们的女儿, Kaitlin, followed in her parents’ footsteps by attending 和 graduating from Carroll in 2018. Kaitlin is married to Carroll alumnus, Nihal Studden '18, DPT '20. 凯特琳目前正在攻读双硕士学位.D./Ph.D. 在约翰霍普金斯大学医学院获得学位. The Williams’ youngest son, Joshua, is a current Carroll student majoring in 商业经济学, 哲学、政治和经济学 预计将于2022年5月毕业. His niece, Valerie Lindquist, will graduate with her bachelors in 2021 和 DPT in 2023.

最后,博士. Williams’ brother, Bret Williams, graduated from Carroll in 1996 和 subsequently obtained a Ph.D. 威斯康辛大学生物学专业.