News.hust.edu.cn - The National Academy of Medicine, United States (NAM) announced its new 90 members and 10 foreign members at its 2019 annual meeting on October 21. Ming Guoli, an alumnus from Tongji, is one of the two Chinese scientists elected as academicians.

Ming Guoli has long been engaged in the research of adult neural stem cell growth, developmental molecular mechanism, function and neurological disease. She has distinguished herself in the challenging field of studying fetal cerebellar syndrome after Zika virus infection.

The research of Ming Guoli’s laboratory focuses on the molecular mechanisms of neural development and developmental neurological disorders. The wide topics of the laboratory range from neuronal migration, axon and dendrite development, synapse formation, circuit integration into developing neuronal plasticity, and functional regeneration of mature neurons. The laboratory applied multiple experimental methods including molecular biology, biochemistry, mouse genetics, imaging, and electrophysiology to study neural development. Two complementary model systems have been used: the transgenic mouse system and the patient induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) model system.

Victor J. Dzau, president of NAM, said, "these newly elected members are undoubtedly the most outstanding scholars and leaders whose outstanding work has advanced science, medicine and health in the United States and around the world...Their expertise is critical to solving the world's most pressing health and scientific challenges, and to inform the future of health and medicine for all of us. I am honored to welcome these distinguished individuals to the National Academy of Medicine."

Ming Guoli was the grade 89 student majoring in specialty of maternity and child health care of school of public health, Tongji medical college, Huazhong University of Science and Technology (former Tongji Medical University) (initially admitted to the grade 88 German medicine class of Tongji Medical University, then transferred to the major of maternity and child health care after studying for one year, and studied for six years in Tongji Medical University), then went to study in the United States after her undergraduate degree in 1994, and received her PhD from University of California San Diego in 2002. She had a long career at Johns Hopkins university school of medicine, and transferred to the Ivy League, University of Pennsylvania as a tenured professor a few years ago.

It is reported that since the reform and opening up, Ming Guoli is the second academician of NAM trained by Tongji medical college of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, following professor Hu Bingchang, the head of the department of nutrition at Harvard School of Public Health.