Jubao Duan, PhD, named to the Charles R. Walgreen Research Chair
December 10, 2019 - Evanston, Ill. - NorthShore University HealthSystem (NorthShore) has named Jubao Duan, PhD, as the inaugural Charles R. Walgreen Research Chair. The endowed chair was established through a generous gift from the estate of Mr. Charles R. Walgreen Jr. in 2008. Mr. Walgreen, who passed away in 2007, was the son of the founder of Walgreens Corporation and was one of NorthShore's most generous donors and a longstanding board member. His philanthropic legacy includes multiple named endowed chairs at NorthShore.
An endowed chair represents the highest level of prestige at academic medical institutions and honors excellence in care, research and medical education. Dr. Duan assumed the chair effective February 1, 2019. He also holds the titles of Director of Functional Genomics in Psychiatry at the Center for Psychiatric Genetics, NorthShore University HealthSystem, and Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Chicago.
Dr. Duan's research and academic interest involves developing new stem cell models for Alzheimer's disease and schizophrenia to determine how these devastating diseases develop and whether their genetic makeup can be manipulated by CRISPR gene editing to reverse the course of the disease. The key approach in his work is to convert a patient's blood cells into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) that can then be turned into brain cells or "mini-brains" in a dish. Dr. Duan earned his Bachelor of Science degree in biochemistry at Shandong University, Jinan, China, and his doctorate in molecular genetics at the Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Beijing, China. He completed his postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Chicago.
The recipient of numerous honors and awards, Dr. Duan has authored nearly 100 prestigious publications and is the recipient of three current National Institutes of Health (NIH) R01 grants, placing him in the top tier of researchers in the country. He has been invited to present his work around the world.
"I feel fortunate to have a very supportive research environment here at NorthShore and am humbled to be named to the Charles R. Walgreen Research Chair," said Dr. Duan.
Michael S. Caplan, MD, Chief Scientific Officer, NorthShore Research Institute, added "An endowed chair recognizes the achievements of an exceptional clinician or researcher. Dr. Duan is not only a talented research scientist, but his work strengthens our efforts to add translational neuroscience research to our personalized medicine program, which is a top priority at NorthShore."
About NorthShore University HealthSystem
NorthShore University HealthSystem (NorthShore) is an integrated healthcare delivery system consistently ranked as a Top 15 Major Teaching Hospital in the U.S. The NorthShore system, headquartered in Evanston, Illinois, includes four hospitals - Evanston, Glenbrook, Highland Park and Skokie. NorthShore also includes a 950+ physician multispecialty group practice, NorthShore Medical Group, with more than 130 practices in the Chicagoland area. NorthShore is a Magnet recognized organization, the first in Illinois to receive this prestigious honor as an entire system that demonstrates nursing excellence and high standards in patient care. The system also includes the NorthShore Research Institute; the NorthShore Foundation; and the NorthShore Home & Hospice Services. As a not-for-profit organization, NorthShore provides $235 million in charitable care and services to the communities it serves, while philanthropic support from individuals and organizations enhances clinical care, research and education programs across the system.