Directors

John S. Daniels Professor of Immunology

Professor of Medicine, Pathology & Immunology, and Molecular Microbiology

Co-Director of the Oliver Langenberg Physician Scientist Training Program (Department of Medicine)

Lenschow’s research program focuses on understanding the interplay between type I interferons and viral pathogenesis and the impact of these interactions on autoimmune diseases.  She has identified novel antiviral functions for interferon-stimulated genes, including ISG15.  She has also studied the pathogenesis of Chikungunya virus (CHIKV), an emerging viral pathogen that causes chronic arthritis.  This included characterizing the first North American cohort of patients suffering from chronic CHIKV arthritis and utilizing a murine model of CHIKV arthritis to model disease pathogenesis and explore potential therapeutics.  Her work has been published in Science Translational Medicine, Journal of Virology, PLoS Pathogens, PNAS, Cell Host and Microbe, and Arthritis & Rheumatology.

Lenschow has mentored more than 15 pre- and post-doctoral fellows in her laboratory.  Most of these individuals currently hold positions in academic medicine or at pharmaceutical companies.  She has served as co-director of the Oliver Langenberg PSTP since 2014.  Lenschow serves as the director of the Immunobiology of Rheumatic Diseases T32 training grant.  She is also an active participant of AAMC Research Directors/Physician Scientists Webinars to help disseminate information on academic research careers to students around the country.

Lenschow was named a Pew Biomedical Scholar in 2008.  She was also elected a member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation in 2013.  She serves on the board of trustees for the Edward Mallinckrodt, Jr. Foundation.  She is a member of the American College of Rheumatology, American Society of Virology, and the American Association of Immunologists.

Lenschow earned her bachelor’s degree from Wittenberg University and her MD and PhD degrees from the University of Chicago in 1998.  She performed her residency in internal medicine and her fellowship in rheumatology at Barnes Jewish Hospital/Washington University School of Medicine.  She joined the faculty at Washington University in 2006.

Lewis T. and Rosalind B. Apple Chair in Oncology

Professor of Medicine and Genetics

Director of the Stem Cell Biology Section, Division of Oncology

Co-Director of the Oliver Langenberg Physician Scientist Training Program (Department of Medicine)

Ley is a pioneer in the field of cancer genomics, leading the team that sequenced the first cancer genomes, from patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML). This work has led to an explosion of new studies of the genomes of many cancer types, which has ushered in a new era of understanding of the mutations that cause this disease. Ley and his colleagues have developed genomic methods to understand how AML starts and evolves, and designed methods to track the clearance of AML cells after initial treatment. These approaches are now being used in clinical studies to better define risk of relapse.

Ley has mentored more than 60 pre- and post-doctoral fellows in his laboratory. Most of these individuals now hold positions in academic medicine or at pharmaceutical companies. He has won several teaching and mentoring awards at Washington University, and received the Basic Science Mentoring Award from the American Society of Hematology in 2008. Ley was a key advocate for establishing the extramural Loan Repayment Programs at the National Institutes of Health, and has authored a number of reports on the physician-scientist workforce in the United States.

Ley has won a number of awards for his work, and also has served in many national leadership positions. He was president of the American Society for Clinical Investigation, chair of the Board of Scientific Counselors of NHGRI, and served on the National Cancer Advisory Board. He is a member of National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Medicine, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Ley earned his bachelor’s degree from Drake University and his medical degree from Washington University School of Medicine in 1978. He went on to perform his residency in internal medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital and completed fellowships in hematology and oncology at the National Institutes of Health and at Washington University School of Medicine, before joining the faculty at Washington University in 1986.