Pathology Department Announces First Vittorio Defendi Fellowship Award in Pathobiology

The Department of Pathology is pleased to honor Megan McCloskey, a 3rd-year graduate student in the lab of Adrian Erlebacher, as the first recipient of the newly created Vittorio Defendi Fellowship in Pathobiology. The award will be officially announced during the Work-In-Progress Seminar on December 16, 2008. Under the supervision of Dr. Erlebacher, Megan McCloskey is currently investigating the role of antigen accumulation and transfer from follicular dendritic cells in the regulation of immune responses. The annual award is given to support a Pathobiology training program graduate student in recognition of his or her extraordinary promise and achievement in understanding the pathologic basis of disease. The Vittorio Defendi Fellowship in Pathobiology Award is named in honor of Department of Pathology Professor Vittorio Defendi. Dr. Defendi, a distinguished viral oncologist who presciently pursued research on the carcinogenic properties of human papilloma virus, chaired the Department of Pathology from 1974 to 2002 and served as Director of the Cancer Center of New York University School of Medicine for almost two decades. Throughout his career, Dr. Defendi has been a strong proponent of graduate and medical education, particularly emphasizing the interface between cancer, immunology, and disease pathogenesis. With the Fellowship in his name, the Department of Pathology proudly acknowledges the lifelong service of Vittorio Defendi to science, the department, and graduate education.