Medical School Appoints Director for New Bioinformatics Program
David J. States
Photo: Bill Wood |
David J. States, M.D., Ph.D., was selected to lead the U-M
Medical School’s new bioinformatics program for graduate
education and research. Bioinformatics applies sophisticated
computational methods to biomedical and scientific research,
especially in molecular biology and genomics. States, who began
his U-M duties July 1, 2001, was also appointed professor of
human genetics.
“David possesses a rare combination of administrative experience,
research expertise and a solid background in the biological
sciences and computer science,” says Medical School Dean
Allen S. Lichter. “Private corporations and research universities
are all competing for individuals with backgrounds in these
areas. The fact that he chose to come here is a testament to
the quality of the U-M’s reputation in biomedical research.”
States comes from Washington University School of Medicine in
St. Louis where he was director of the Institute for Biomedical
Computing and an associate professor of genetics. His research
focuses on minor genetic variations and how they affect gene
regulation and people’s response to infection or immune-related
medical conditions.
“Bioinformatics is inherently multidisciplinary,”
says States, “and the University of Michigan is strong
in all the relevant areas —especially human genetics, cell
biology, engin-eering and medicine. I was attracted by the opportunity
to build a new bioinformatics program at a large research university.
My five-year goal is to make it one of the top-ranked bioinformatics
programs in the country.”
States received his M.D. and Ph.D. degrees from Harvard in 1983.
He completed his residency in internal medicine at the University
of California-San Diego in 1986. Before joining Washington University,
States was a clinical associate for the National Institutes
of Health and a senior staff fellow at the NIH National Center
for Biotechnology Information in Washington, D.C.
“We are delighted that David States is heading the bioinformatics
program at Michigan and joining the Department,” says Thomas
D. Gelehrter, M.D., professor and chair of Human Genetics in
the U-M Medical School. “His breadth of interests and expertise
will greatly strengthen our efforts in genomics and the genetics
of common complex diseases.”
As director of the program, States will recruit and hire four
new junior faculty members and technical support staff for a
new Bioinformatics Core Facility to assist U-M research faculty
and graduate students. States also directs the U-M’s new
graduate program in bioinformatics, which began last fall.
“Eight students have been accepted; six are pursuing Ph.D.
degrees and two are working toward Master’s degrees,”
says Michael A. Savageau, Ph.D., professor and chair of Microbiology
and Immunology in the U-M Medical School. Savageau served as
interim director for the bioinformatics program and chaired
the committee that developed the curriculum and initial courses
for the new graduate program. “David already has taken
an active role in shaping the program,” says Savageau.
“Our students are in excellent hands.”
—Sally Pobojewski
 
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