Task Force: Future of Basic Sciences Research

Task Force Charge

Former Provost Dwight A. McBride and Executive Vice President for Health Affairs Jon Lewin called upon Dean Michael Elliott and Dean Vikas Sukhatme to appoint and charge a Task Force on the Future of Basic Sciences Research to identify priorities for investment through 2025 that will increase the impact of basic scientific research across the university.

The task force, made up of basic scientists from across Emory College of Arts and Sciences and the School of Medicine and charged within the context of the One Emory strategic framework, worked to inspire new collaborations across the university, expand Emory's research contributions to society, and provide new opportunities for students and postdoctoral trainees to connect to exciting and meaningful research experiences.

Task Force Outcomes and Initiatives

Based on task force research and recommendations, Emory leadership is focused on advancing two major initiatives:

• Biological Discovery through Chemical Innovation
• From Molecular Pathogenesis to Global Pandemics

Biological Discovery through Chemical Innovation

The Biomedical Discovery through Chemical Innovation initiative brings together experts in chemistry and human health to catalyze the discovery of biological principles and the development of effective and safe therapeutics and diagnostic agents.

It pursues molecular chemical technology-enabled research to rapidly discover chemical probes, therapeutic leads, and imaging agents, towards clinical candidates to address critical unmet biological and medical needs.

Further, it seeks to train the next generation of multidisciplinary investigators to bridge chemistry, biology, and medicine.

As a result, Emory chemists and biomedical investigators are increasingly working side-by-side to address urgent challenges in biology and human health through chemical innovations.

From Molecular Pathogenesis to Global Pandemics

The Molecular Pathogenesis to Global Pandemics initiative is developing a novel framework to allow experts to better predict where and when disease outbreaks will occur, as emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases represent one of the major threats to human health and well-being in the 21^st century.

It pursues an innovative, proactive, and multidisciplinary approach with a strategy that encompasses expertise in basic, translational, and clinical microbiology and immunology; studies of pathogen reservoirs at the ecosystem level; expertise in population dynamics, epidemiology, and public health; and the clinical application of discoveries.

With processes that are complex and non-linear, the team is working to develop new statistical and mathematical tools to enhance understanding and prediction.

As a result, Emory investigators are pursuing research with the potential for beneficial application not only to humans but also to agriculture and to wildlife conservation.