Laurie Glimcher
Laurie Glimcher | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1951 |
| Occupation(s) | Physician-scientist, immunologist, academic administrator |
| Years active | 1976–present |
| Known for | Former President and CEO of Dana–Farber Cancer Institute; research in immunology and osteoporosis |
Laurie Hollis Glimcher (born 1951) is a distinguished American physician-scientist who formerly held the position of President and CEO at the Dana–Farber Cancer Institute. In 2019, she was inducted as a member of the American Philosophical Society. Throughout her career, Glimcher has been subject to scrutiny from animal rights activists, allegations of excessive remuneration from corporate entities, and accusations related to research misconduct. A 2021 report by the Boston Globe Spotlight revealed her involvement with several corporate boards, including those of Bristol Myers Squibb, GlaxoSmithKline, and Analog Devices. Despite this exposure, she maintained her roles on profit-driven boards while increasing her annual compensation at Dana-Farber to $4 million. In October 2024, Glimcher resigned from her leadership role at Dana-Farber.
Education
Glimcher completed her secondary education in 1968 at the Winsor School, a private all-girls institution in Boston, Massachusetts. She earned her undergraduate degree magna cum laude from Radcliffe College in 1972, followed by a medical degree cum laude from Harvard Medical School in 1976.
Work
Her tenure on the board of directors for Bristol-Myers Squibb spanned from 1997 until her retirement in 2017. In 2008, her laboratory secured funding from Merck & Co aimed at developing innovative treatments for osteoporosis. Between 1991 and 2012, Glimcher held the Irene Heinz Given Professorship of Immunology at the Harvard School of Public Health and served as a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, with a clinical focus on osteoporosis.
From 2012 through 2016, she acted as the Stephen and Suzanne Weiss Dean of Weill Cornell Medical College and also served as Provost for Medical Affairs at Cornell University. In February 2016, she accepted the role of President and CEO at Dana–Farber Cancer Institute, opting for this position over a dean appointment at Harvard Medical School. At Dana-Farber, she spearheaded research initiatives centered on harnessing the human immune system to fight cancer. The institute functions as a teaching hospital affiliated with Harvard. Notably, she was both the first woman to serve as dean of any medical school in New York state and the first female leader of Dana–Farber.
In 2017, Glimcher joined the board of directors at GlaxoSmithKline, and in 2020, she became a board member at Analog Devices.
Research
Glimcher’s scientific investigations focus primarily on immunology. Her early contributions include elucidating T cell differentiation processes and discovering that Schnurri-3 plays a regulatory role in osteoblast function—work that facilitated collaboration with Merck & Co. Additionally, she identified the involvement of XBP-1 in lipogenesis and the unfolded protein response. Schnurri-3, characterized as a zinc finger protein, is critical in regulating bone formation during adulthood, with broader implications for conditions such as asthma, HIV infection, inflammatory bowel disease, osteoporosis, and cancer immunotherapy.
Her passion for immunology was sparked during her time at Harvard Medical School when she identified Nk1.1, a marker for natural killer T cells. This discovery earned her the Soma Weiss Award, making her its first female recipient. Guided by mentor Bill Paul, she pursued independent research following medical school.
Presently, Glimcher directs a laboratory dedicated to immunology and osteobiology research, with an emphasis on osteoporosis. Her lab at Harvard maintains a three-year contract with Merck concerning Fosamax, an osteoporosis medication. Recent studies under her leadership explore how immune responses and endoplasmic reticulum stress contribute to cancer onset and progression.
Awards and memberships
In 2014, Glimcher was awarded the L'Oréal-UNESCO Awards for Women in Science in recognition of her groundbreaking work on regulating immune responses. That same year, she also received the Margaret Kripke Legend Award. The following year, she was honored with the Steven C. Beering Award, and in 2018, she was presented with the American Association of Immunologists Lifetime Achievement Award.
Her election to several esteemed organizations includes the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Medicine, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and American Philosophical Society. She holds memberships in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, American Association of Immunologists, American Society for Clinical Investigation, American Association of Physicians, and American Association for the Advancement of Science. From 2003 to 2004, Glimcher served as president of the American Association of Immunologists.
In 2020, she became a member of the Stand Up to Cancer Scientific Advisory Committee.
Family
Glimcher is the daughter of Geraldine Lee (Bogolub) and Melvin J. Glimcher, a trailblazer in artificial limb innovation and former head of Orthopedics at Massachusetts General Hospital. Following in her father’s footsteps, she achieved full professorship at Harvard Medical School by age 39 and later collaborated with him on scientific research.
She is married to Gregory Petsko, who is a Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital, as well as the director of the Helen and Robert Appel Alzheimer's Disease Research Institute at Weill Cornell Medicine. Previously, Glimcher was married to Hugh Auchincloss, a prominent transplant surgeon and deputy to Dr. Anthony Fauci. Together they have three children: Kalah, Hugh, and Jake Auchincloss.
Her daughter, Kalah Auchincloss, J.D., M.P.H., holds the position of senior vice president for regulatory compliance and deputy general counsel at Greenleaf Health. She formerly served as deputy chief of staff to two commissioners at the Food and Drug Administration. Her eldest son, Dr. Hugh Glimcher Auchincloss, practices as a cardiothoracic surgeon at Massachusetts General Hospital. Her youngest son, Jake Auchincloss, serves as the U.S. Representative for Massachusetts's 4th congressional district.
NYBC controversy
In 2015, Glimcher encountered criticism from animal rights activists due to her role on the board of the New York Blood Center, where she served for two years. The protests were sparked by the center’s decision to discontinue support for chimpanzees located in Liberia.
Boston Globe Spotlight report and corporate board controversy
During her tenure as head of Dana-Farber, Glimcher held a board position with pharmaceutical firm Bristol Myers Squibb despite ongoing legal disputes between the company and Dana-Farber concerning patents and royalties. She subsequently resigned from Bristol Myers Squibb’s board and accepted a seat on that of GlaxoSmithKline. Her concurrent roles as Dana-Farber CEO and corporate board member were scrutinized in a Spotlight investigation by Boston Globe, leading to demands from physicians affiliated with Harvard and staff at Boston hospitals to restrict hospital executives from serving on corporate boards.
Data manipulation dispute
In January 2024, Glimcher was identified as one of four investigators at Dana-Farber accused of fabricating data in scientific publications through image alterations implying intentional misconduct. She has attempted to amend certain datasets; nonetheless, six articles have been withdrawn pending further inquiry, while additional papers are currently being revised.
See also
External links
- Articles with short description
- Articles with hCards
- No local image but image on Wikidata
- Living people
- American immunologists
- Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences
- Radcliffe College alumni
- Harvard Medical School alumni
- L'Oréal-UNESCO Awards for Women in Science laureates
- 21st-century American women scientists
- Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
- 20th-century American women physicians
- American women chief executives
- American health care chief executives
- Jewish American scientists
- Winsor School alumni
- Members of the American Philosophical Society
- Jewish women scientists
- American women immunologists
- 21st-century American women physicians
- 21st-century American physicians
- 20th-century American women scientists
- 21st-century American Jews
- Members of the National Academy of Medicine