Bill Snyder

Ruth Lehmann, PhD, recipient of the 2022 Vanderbilt Prize in Biomedical Science, will deliver her Vanderbilt Prize Discovery Lecture at 4 p.m. Thursday, May 11, in 208 Light Hall.

Lehmann, director of the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is a world-renowned developmental geneticist who has made several key discoveries about the biological origins and “life cycle” of germ cells, which give rise to sperm and eggs.

Established in 2006, the Vanderbilt Prize in Biomedical Science recognizes women scientists with a stellar record of research accomplishments who also have made significant contributions to mentoring other women in science.

The 2022 Vanderbilt Prize Student Scholar, Catherine Shelton, a VUMC graduate student in the Microbe-Host Interactions PhD program who will be mentored by Lehmann, will be recognized during the lecture, which is sponsored by the Offices of the Chief Scientific and Strategy Officer and the Dean of Basic Sciences.

Lehmann’s research has highlighted the critical role RNA regulation plays in germ cells. She has made important contributions to other, related fields including stem cell biology, lipid biology and DNA repair.

A member of the National Academy of Sciences and an alumna of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, she also has mentored scores of students and research fellows, some of whom have become leaders in the biomedical industry and at prestigious academic institutions throughout the world.

Lehmann’s lecture will be livestreamed by the VUMC Office of Research at https://www.vumc.org/discovery-lecture-series/upcoming-lectures. This site also has a complete schedule of upcoming Discovery Lectures and archived videos of previous lectures.