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December 1, 2022

Inaugural Marguerite S. Lederberg Annual Lecture
By Editorial Staff

The inaugural Marguerite S. Lederberg Annual Lecture was held on September 7, 2022. The lecture is named in honor of Dr. Marguerite S. Lederberg. Dr. Lederberg was a distinguished pediatrician and  psychiatrist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and a pioneer in the field of psycho-oncology, including the many bioethical issues raised by the care of patients with cancer. To honor her memory, her children established The Marguerite S. Lederberg Annual Lecture in the Seminars in Clinical Research Series at The Rockefeller University Hospital to create a permanent tribute to their mother focusing on the bioethical aspects of science and medicine.
 
Neil A. Hanchard, MBBS, DPhil, Stadtman Investigator at the Center for Precision Health Research, National Human Genome Research Institute at the National Institutes of Health, was the inaugural speaker for the lecture. Dr. Hanchard’s presentation, Diversity Origin Stories: Expanding the Landscape of Genetic Variation in Human Disease through Research and Engagement in Africa, was the perfect start for the inaugural Marguerite S. Lederberg Annual Lecture and the 2022 - 2023 lecture series.
 
Dr. Hanchard’s research focuses on integrating population genetics with quantitative multi-omics to explore complex childhood disease traits such as Pediatric HIV, Sickle Cell Disease, and Severe Malnutrition in African populations.
The lecture was well attended by Clinical Scholars, members of the Rockefeller community and Dr. Lederberg’s family.