About Us

Portrait of James Berger
James Berger, Ph.D.

Virtually all mechanistic understanding of disease, all current treatments and diagnostic tools have as their foundation a basic science discovery; the more basic the discovery, the more far reaching its effects. Fundamental research touches upon everything from diagnosis to treatment and therapy for conditions ranging from cancer to autoimmune disease.

The Johns Hopkins Institute for Basic Biomedical Sciences promotes the fundamental research that drives advances in medicine. Our nine basic science departments study all the fundamentals, from solving protein structures to dissecting cell movement, from analyzing chromosome structure to deconstructing biochemical pathways. We have so much exciting research going on here, it’s really inspiring, and it’s only part of the story.

When the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine was founded in 1893, the unusual mandate was that the field of medicine was to be treated as a form of graduate study and include scientific research, and physicians and scientists were thought of as one and the same. Despite tremendous growth, advances in technology and changing pressures in healthcare, the link between medicine and scholarship remains unbroken here at Hopkins even today.

The IBBS reinforces that link by fostering a unique and collaborative environment bridging basic science and clinical research. The nine basic science departments within IBBS bring together experts from a vast range of science and medical backgrounds. We're adopting new technologies, building new tools and using them to track cells and molecules, see molecular structures at atomic resolution, decipher how genetic material is read and answer the most pressing questions in basic biology.

We invite you to join us.

James Berger, Ph.D.
IBBS Director
Michael and Ann Hankin and Partners of Brown Advisory Professor in Scientific Innovation

Faculty Awards Program

The Institute for Basic Biomedical Sciences supports nominating faculty for awards that are available through various institutions and societies. We value recognition for the important science and discoveries made by our faculty and their research teams. To support this, we have compiled an extensive list of awards relevant to basic scientists. The list will be updated periodically to show past and future awards.
 

Leadership

IBBS Leadership

James M. Berger, Ph.D.

Director, Institute for Basic Biomedical Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Co-Director, Cancer Chemical and Structural Biology Program, Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center
Professor of Biophysics and Biophysical Chemistry
Professor of Oncology
Professor of Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences
James M. Berger

Alex Leo Kolodkin, Ph.D.

Deputy Director, Institute for Basic Biomedical Sciences
Professor of Neuroscience
Joint Appointment in Molecular Biology and Genetics
Alex Leo Kolodkin

Deborah Jean Andrew, Ph.D., M.S.

Associate Director for Faculty Development, Institute for Basic Biomedical Sciences
Professor of Cell Biology
Deborah Jean Andrew

IBBS Department Chairs

Michael Jerry Caterina, M.D., Ph.D.

Solomon H. Snyder Professor
Director, Neurosurgery Pain Research Institute
Interim Director, Department of Biological Chemistry
Professor of Neurosurgery
Professor of Biological Chemistry
Professor of Neuroscience
Michael Jerry Caterina

Andrew J. Ewald, Ph.D.

Director, Department of Cell Biology
Co-Leader, Cancer Invasion and Metastasis Program (CIM)
Professor of Cell Biology
Professor of Biomedical Engineering
Professor of Oncology
Andrew J. Ewald

Rachel Green, Ph.D.

Daniel Nathans Director of the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics and Professor in Molecular Biology and Genetics
Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of Molecular Biology and Genetics
HHMI Investigator

Rachel Green

William B. Guggino, Ph.D.

Director, Department of Physiology
Professor of Physiology
Professor of Pediatrics
William B. Guggino

Richard L. Huganir, Ph.D.

Director, Department of Neuroscience
Co-Director, Brain Science Institute
Professor of Neuroscience
Joint Appointment in Biological Chemistry
Joint Appointment in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Richard L. Huganir

Joseph Leonard Mankowski, D.V.M., Ph.D.

Director, Department of Molecular and Comparative Pathobiology
Professor of Molecular and Comparative Pathobiology
Professor of Neurology
Professor of Pathology

Joseph Leonard Mankowski

Michael I. Miller, Ph.D.

Bessie Darling Massey Professor and Director, Department of Biomedical Engineering
Co-director of the Kavli Neuroscience Discovery Institute
Professor of Biomedical Engineering
Joint Appointment in Neuroscience
Michael I. Miller

Ronald Schnaar, Ph.D.

Interim Director, Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences
John Jacob Abel Professor of Pharmacology
Professor of Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences
Professor of Neuroscience
Ronald Schnaar

Cynthia Wolberger, Ph.D.

Director of the Department of Biophysics and Biophysical Chemistry
Professor of Biophysics and Biophysical Chemistry
Professor of Oncology
Cynthia Wolberger

Private philanthropy is our hope for the future.

Philanthropic support has never been more critically important than it is today, nor has the potential return on investment been greater.