Michael Katze was an American microbiologist. For over 35 years, he has researched host-virus interactions, incorporating
systems biology approaches into
infectious disease
An infection is the invasion of tissues by pathogens, their multiplication, and the reaction of host tissues to the infectious agent and the toxins they produce. An infectious disease, also known as a transmissible disease or communicable di ...
research.
Katze Lab: People
'
Katze Biosketch
' He was an international leader in the application of
genome sequencing
Whole genome sequencing (WGS), also known as full genome sequencing, complete genome sequencing, or entire genome sequencing, is the process of determining the entirety, or nearly the entirety, of the DNA sequence of an organism's genome at a ...
,
animal models
A model organism (often shortened to model) is a non-human species that is extensively studied to understand particular biological phenomena, with the expectation that discoveries made in the model organism will provide insight into the working ...
, and systems biology approaches to
virology
Virology is the scientific study of biological viruses. It is a subfield of microbiology that focuses on their detection, structure, classification and evolution, their methods of infection and exploitation of host cells for reproduction, th ...
and
immunology
Immunology is a branch of medicineImmunology for Medical Students, Roderick Nairn, Matthew Helbert, Mosby, 2007 and biology that covers the medical study of immune systems in humans, animals, plants and sapient species. In such we can see the ...
.
Katze was formerly Professor of
Microbiology at the
University of Washington
The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington.
Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattl ...
(UW), and Associate Director for Molecular Sciences and a Core Staff Scientist at the Washington National Primate Research Center.
UW Microbiology: Michael Gerald Katze
'' In August 2017, Katze was fired from the University of Washington for sexually harassing his employees and misusing research funds.
Education
In 1971, Katze graduated from
Boston University
Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with ...
with his B.A. in biology.
Initially, he was interested in dentistry, but after his first year of dental school at the
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...
, Katze decided to take his career a different direction. Later, when Katze was working as a research assistant at the University of Pennsylvania and, simultaneously, at the
Wistar Institute
The Wistar Institute () is an independent, nonprofit research institution in biomedical science, with expertise in oncology, immunology, infectious disease and vaccine research. Located on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania, Wistar was ...
, he discovered his passion for
virology
Virology is the scientific study of biological viruses. It is a subfield of microbiology that focuses on their detection, structure, classification and evolution, their methods of infection and exploitation of host cells for reproduction, th ...
. He attended graduate school at
Hahnemann University
Drexel University College of Medicine is the medical school of Drexel University, a private research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The medical school represents the consolidation of two medical schools: the first U.S. medical school ...
, where he earned his Ph.D. in
Microbiology and
Immunology
Immunology is a branch of medicineImmunology for Medical Students, Roderick Nairn, Matthew Helbert, Mosby, 2007 and biology that covers the medical study of immune systems in humans, animals, plants and sapient species. In such we can see the ...
in 1980.
From 1980 to 1982, he completed a post-doc in virology at the
University of Uppsala
Uppsala University ( sv, Uppsala universitet) is a public research university in Uppsala, Sweden. Founded in 1477, it is the oldest university in Sweden and the Nordic countries still in operation.
The university rose to significance during ...
in Uppsala, Sweden.
Career
Until his dismissal in August 2017, Katze was a Professor of Microbiology and an adjunct professor in the Department of Bioengineering at the
University of Washington
The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington.
Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattl ...
.
He also was a Core Staff Scientist and Associate Director at th
Washington National Primate Research Center(WaNPRC).
In the past, Katze held Research Assistant positions at the
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...
and the
Wistar Institute
The Wistar Institute () is an independent, nonprofit research institution in biomedical science, with expertise in oncology, immunology, infectious disease and vaccine research. Located on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania, Wistar was ...
in Philadelphia, PA.
He was also a research associate and an Assistant Member at the
Sloan-Kettering Institute
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK or MSKCC) is a cancer treatment and research institution in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, founded in 1884 as the New York Cancer Hospital. MSKCC is one of 52 National Cancer Institute– ...
in New York, NY.
From 1996 to 1999, he was a Member of the Experimental Virology Study Section of the Nation Institutes of Health (
NIH
The National Institutes of Health, commonly referred to as NIH (with each letter pronounced individually), is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in the late ...
).
Sexual harassment allegations
In January 2016, an internal investigation by the university found that Katze had violated the school's
sexual harassment policies in his relationships with two female employees; a related investigation by
Washington's medical school found that he had diverted university resources for personal gain and recommended an
audit.
The administration, which had prohibited him from working in the lab on campus the year before, suspended his
tenure
Tenure is a category of academic appointment existing in some countries. A tenured post is an indefinite academic appointment that can be terminated only for cause or under extraordinary circumstances, such as financial exigency or program disco ...
rights but continued paying him.
Katze had sued both the university and ''
BuzzFeed'' to prevent release of the details, which the latter reported on in June. According to the site and the legal papers, he had apparently hired the two women at higher salaries than their positions usually carried at UW, and further lavished them with cash and gifts in response for sexual favors and other personal services unrelated to the lab such as posting personal ads for him on
Craigslist
Craigslist (stylized as craigslist) is an American classified advertisements website with sections devoted to jobs, housing, for sale, items wanted, services, community service, gigs, résumés, and discussion forums.
Craig Newmark began the ...
and soliciting
prostitutes for him. At that time, the university was considering whether to fire him or not.
In August 2017, Katze was fired by the University of Washington.
UW researcher Michael Katze fired after sexual-harassment investigation
/ref>
Honors
In 1971, Katze graduated from Boston University
Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with ...
magna cum laude and was inducted into the prestigious Phi Beta Kappa
The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal ...
honor society. From 1980 through 1982, he received a long-term Postdoctoral Fellowship from the European Molecular Biology Organization. In 1998, he earned the Faculty Award for Undergraduate Research Mentoring from the University of Washington
The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington.
Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattl ...
. That same year he was given a Travel Award for th
International Society for Interferon and Cytokine Research
(ISICR) Meeting in Jerusalem. One year later at the ISICR Meeting in Paris he was honored with the Milstein Award, which represents the zenith of scientific achievement in this area of research. In 2006, Katze was given the prestigious Dozor Scholar Award by th
Israeli Microbiology Society
That same year, he received the Alumni Fellow Award from the Drexel University (Hahnemann University) College of Medicine. In 2014, he received the Drexel University Graduate Citation, Mid-Career and Senior Graduates Award. In 2015, Katze was elected to Fellowship in the American Academy of Microbiology
The American Society for Microbiology (ASM), originally the Society of American Bacteriologists, is a professional organization for scientists who study viruses, bacteria, fungi, algae, and protozoa as well as other aspects of microbiology. It wa ...
.
See also
*List of Boston University people
This is a list of notable faculty members and alumni of Boston University.
Notable alumni or attendees
Pulitzer Prize winners
* Stan Grossfeld (M.S. COM 1980), associate editor, ''Boston Globe'', 1984 Pulitzer Prize
* Joseph Hallinan (B.S. CO ...
* List of Phi Beta Kappa members by year of admission
* List of University of Washington people
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Katze, Michael
Living people
1950 births
American microbiologists
University of Washington faculty
Boston University College of Arts and Sciences alumni
Drexel University alumni
University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine alumni