Nancy Andrews
Encyclopedia
Nancy C. Andrews is an American biologist
noted for her research on iron
homeostasis
. Andrews is currently Dean
of the Duke University School of Medicine
.
. She earned a B.S. and M.S.
from Yale University
. She began her graduate studies with Joan Steitz at Yale University
, studying molecular biophysics
and biochemistry
, before transferring to work with David Baltimore
, earning an M.D.-Ph.D. at Harvard Medical School
and M.I.T.
(1985). She completed her postdoctoral work at Children's Hospital Boston
.
Andrews then joined the faculty at Harvard University
in 1991, assuming an endowed chair in 2003, a position at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
, and a position as Dean for Basic Sciences and Graduate Studies at Harvard Medical School
. In 2007, Andrews left to take a position as the first female Dean of Medicine at Duke University
. In this position, she is the only woman heading any of the top ten medical schools in the U.S.
Andrews studied treatments for and molecular processes governing iron disease, such as anemia
(iron deficiency
) and hemochromatosis.
, and also a direct descendant of Charles Andrews
and Frederic Dan Huntington
.
Biologist
A biologist is a scientist devoted to and producing results in biology through the study of life. Typically biologists study organisms and their relationship to their environment. Biologists involved in basic research attempt to discover underlying mechanisms that govern how organisms work...
noted for her research on iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
homeostasis
Homeostasis
Homeostasis is the property of a system that regulates its internal environment and tends to maintain a stable, constant condition of properties like temperature or pH...
. Andrews is currently Dean
Dean (education)
In academic administration, a dean is a person with significant authority over a specific academic unit, or over a specific area of concern, or both...
of the Duke University School of Medicine
Duke University School of Medicine
The Duke University School of Medicine is Duke University's medical school operating under the auspices of the Duke University Medical Center. Established in 1925 by James B...
.
Biography
Andrews grew up in Syracuse, New YorkSyracuse, New York
Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...
. She earned a B.S. and M.S.
Master of Science
A Master of Science is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in the sciences including the social sciences.-Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay:...
from Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
. She began her graduate studies with Joan Steitz at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
, studying molecular biophysics
Molecular biophysics
Molecular biophysics is a rapidly evolving interdisciplinary area of research that combines concepts in physics, chemistry, engineering, mathematics and biology...
and biochemistry
Biochemistry
Biochemistry, sometimes called biological chemistry, is the study of chemical processes in living organisms, including, but not limited to, living matter. Biochemistry governs all living organisms and living processes...
, before transferring to work with David Baltimore
David Baltimore
David Baltimore is an American biologist, university administrator, and Nobel laureate in Physiology or Medicine. He served as president of the California Institute of Technology from 1997 to 2006, and is currently the Robert A. Millikan Professor of Biology at Caltech...
, earning an M.D.-Ph.D. at Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School is the graduate medical school of Harvard University. It is located in the Longwood Medical Area of the Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts....
and M.I.T.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
(1985). She completed her postdoctoral work at Children's Hospital Boston
Children's Hospital Boston
Children's Hospital Boston is a 396-licensed bed children's hospital in the Longwood Medical and Academic Area of Boston, Massachusetts.At 300 Longwood Avenue, Children's is adjacent both to its teaching affiliate, Harvard Medical School, and to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute...
.
Andrews then joined the faculty at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in 1991, assuming an endowed chair in 2003, a position at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Dana–Farber Cancer Institute is part of a Comprehensive Cancer Center designated by the National Cancer Institute. It is a major affiliate of Harvard Medical School and is located in the Longwood Medical Area in Boston, Massachusetts.-Overview:...
, and a position as Dean for Basic Sciences and Graduate Studies at Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School is the graduate medical school of Harvard University. It is located in the Longwood Medical Area of the Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts....
. In 2007, Andrews left to take a position as the first female Dean of Medicine at Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
. In this position, she is the only woman heading any of the top ten medical schools in the U.S.
Andrews studied treatments for and molecular processes governing iron disease, such as anemia
Anemia
Anemia is a decrease in number of red blood cells or less than the normal quantity of hemoglobin in the blood. However, it can include decreased oxygen-binding ability of each hemoglobin molecule due to deformity or lack in numerical development as in some other types of hemoglobin...
(iron deficiency
Iron deficiency (medicine)
Iron deficiency is one of the most common of the nutritional deficiencies. Iron is present in all cells in the human body, and has several vital functions...
) and hemochromatosis.
Personal life
She is married to fellow biologist Bernard Mathey-Prevot. She is the great granddaughter of William Shankland Andrews and Mary Raymond Shipman AndrewsMary Raymond Shipman Andrews
Mary Raymond Shipman Andrews was an American writer. Best known for a widely read short story about Abraham Lincoln, often printed as a small volume, The Perfect Tribute, she was born at Mobile, Alabama, and married William Shankland Andrews, judge of the New York Court of Appeals. She published...
, and also a direct descendant of Charles Andrews
Charles Andrews (judge)
Charles Andrews was an American Lawyer and politician. He was Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeals from 1881 to 1882 and from 1892 to 1897....
and Frederic Dan Huntington
Frederic Dan Huntington
Frederic Dan Huntington was an American clergyman and the first Protestant Episcopal bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Central New York.-Background:...
.
Significant papers
- Hentze MW, Muckenthaler M and Andrews NC. Balancing acts: molecular control of mammalian iron metabolism. Cell 2004; 117:285-97.
- Huang FW, Pinkus JL, Pinkus GS, Fleming MD and Andrews NC. Journal of Clinical Investigation 2005; 115:2187-91.
- Lim J, Jin O, Bennett C, Morgan K, Wang F, Trenor CC 3rd, Fleming MD and Andrews NC. Nature Genetics 2005; 37:1270-3.
- Babitt JL, Huang FW, Wrighting DM, Xia Y, Sidis Y, Samad TA, Campagna JA, Chung RT, Schneyer AL, Woolf CJ, Andrews NC, Lin HY. Bone morphogenetic protein signaling by hemojuvelin regulates hepcidin expression. Nature Genetics 2006; 38:531-9.
Awards
- 1993-2006, Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical InstituteHoward Hughes Medical InstituteHoward Hughes Medical Institute is a United States non-profit medical research organization based in Chevy Chase, Maryland. It was founded by the American businessman Howard Hughes in 1953. It is one of the largest private funding organizations for biological and medical research in the United...
- 1998 Samuel Rosenthal Prize for Excellence in Academic Pediatrics
- 2000 American Federation for Medical Research Foundation Outstanding Investigator Award in Basic Science
- 2002 E. Mead Johnson Award from the Society for Pediatric Research
- 2004 Dean's Leadership Award for the Advancement of Women Faculty at Harvard Medical School.
- 2007 Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and SciencesAmerican Academy of Arts and SciencesThe American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...
- Member, Institute of MedicineInstitute of MedicineThe Institute of Medicine is a not-for-profit, non-governmental American organization founded in 1970, under the congressional charter of the National Academy of Sciences...
, National Academies of Science
External links
- Andrews profile at Duke Medicine
- Article by Andrews on "Climbing Through Medicine's Glass Ceiling"
- Andrews NC Author Profile Page on Pubget