Heitman Selected as 2004 Fellow of AAAS

October 2004 — Dr. Joseph Heitman, director of the Center for Microbial Pathogenesis, professor in the departments of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, and Medicine and an associate investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, has been selected as a 2004 Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the world's largest general federation of scientists.

Each year, the Council elects members whose "efforts on behalf of the advancement of science or its applications are scientifically or socially distinguished." Heitman is being honored for fundamental studies on microbial pathogenesis, including the mechanisms controlling how infectious fungi sense their environment and communicate with other cells via signal transduction cascades.

Founded in 1848, the AAAS works to advance science for human well being through its projects, programs and publications. Its publications include Science, a peer-reviewed research journal considered among the world's most prestigious.

The tradition of AAAS fellows began in 1874. Under current guidelines, association members can be nominated by steering groups from the AAAS's 24 sections, by any three current fellows outside the nominee's institution or by the AAAS chief executive officer. The final list of nominees is then forwarded to the AAAS Council, the association's policymaking body.