Dr. Susan Baserga wins William C. Rose Award

Dr. Susan J. Baserga, professor of molecular biophysics and biochemistry, genetics and therapeutic radiology, is the winner of the William C. Rose Award from the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology for research on how ribosomes are made and for her commitment to the education of young scientists.

Baserga’s investigations of how ribosomes are made — the cell’s protein-making machinery — have been instrumental in identifying the cause of congenital diseases of making ribosomes and its impact on cell growth, cell division, and cancer.

At Yale, Baserga has been a driving force for education at undergraduate and graduate levels. She is chair of the Beckman Scholars Program and is the program director for the largest National Institutes of Health training grant for Ph.D. students.

Baserga earned her B.S. and M. Phil degrees at Yale, her M.D. at the Yale School of Medicine, and her Ph.D. from the Department of Genetics.

“I am utterly surprised, utterly grateful, and utterly happy to be doing science,” Baserga said, upon learning of the award.

She will deliver her award lecture April 5 at the society’s conference in San Diego.