Neuroscience researcher receives
endowed chair
Nationally acclaimed neuroscientist Inderjit Singh, Ph.D., was
celebrated as the Sherman Financial Group Endowed Chair in
Neurosciences during a dinner that also celebrated the 20th anniversary
of the Children’s Hospital Sept. 13.
Dr. Injerdit Singh,
seated, with Drs. Phil Saul, medical director, Children’s Hospital,
from left, Charles P. Darby, former chairman of the Department of
Pediatrics, and L. Lyndon Key.The only South Carolinian to obtain the Jacob Javits Award for a distinguished record of neuroscience research from the National Institutes for Health (NIH), Singh, who came to MUSC from Johns Hopkins University in the early 1980s, is at the top of his field.
As scientific director of the Darby Children’s Research Institute (DCRI), Singh’s leadership and fundraising skills have generated more than $6 million in NIH-funded grants for DCRI. During the last 10 years, Singh won more than $11 million in grants from the NIH and Merck & Co. for his research endeavors. A team of 10 post-doctoral fellows and four faculty members now assist Singh with his research on neurological disorders.
“I left Johns Hopkins about 25 years ago for MUSC and have never looked back,” Singh said. “I am blessed to be working with a highly talented team of young scientists. It is a team effort that leads to major discoveries rather than the individual. I am pleased to note that many of these young investigators are also funded by extramural grants, a challenging task, especially in today’s environment of ever shrinking research support.”
Singh, a professor of pediatrics, biochemistry, molecular biology, anatomy and cell biology, and neurology, has been published in more than 200 peer-reviewed international journals.
“Dr. Singh has further distinguished himself by demonstrating that inflammation is a response common to many disorders previously thought to be caused by specific defects,” said Lyndon Key, M.D., professor and chairman of the Department of Pediatrics. “This has allowed him to generalize his work to helping to protect against and treat many different disorders including multiple sclerosis, diabetes, stroke, spinal cord injury, Alzheimer’s disease, brain trauma, and renal organ protection.”
Financial support for the chair came from the Sherman Financial Group, Kiawah Foundation, Kiawah Island Real Estate, and Children’s Hospital Fund board members Tommy Baker, Paul Hulsey, Mike McShane and Terri Henning.
Friday, Oct. 12, 2007
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