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Blossom Damania and Mark Zylka have been recognized by the world’s largest general scientific society for their contributions to the fields of biological and medical sciences.

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The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) has named two UNC School of Medicine professors as Fellows.

Blossom A. Damania, PhD, is the Boshamer Distinguished Professor of Microbiology and Immunology and Vice Dean for Research in UNC School of Medicine. As part of the Section on Medical Sciences, Damania — a member of the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center — was elected an AAAS Fellow for landmark discoveries and contributions to biomedical sciences in the fields of virology, cancer biology, and immunology, involving both basic science and translational research. You can read more about her career here.

Mark J. Zylka, PhD, is the W.R. Kenan Distinguished Professor of Cell biology and Physiology and director of the UNC Neuroscience Center. As part of the Section on Biological Sciences, Zylka was elected an AAAS Fellow for his distinguished contributions to the field of neuroscience, particularly for the study of autism-related genes and risk factors using high-throughput approaches. You can read more about his career here and about some of his latest work on potential environmental causes of autism here.
Election as an AAAS Fellow is an honor bestowed upon AAAS members by their peers. This year 396 members have been awarded this honor by AAAS because of their scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications. This year’s AAAS Fellows will be formally announced in the AAAS News & Notes section of the journal Science on November 24, 2017. New Fellows will be presented with an official certificate during the 2018 AAAS Annual Meeting in Austin, Texas on February 17.
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