Susan J. Baserga is an American physician who is the William H. Fleming Professor of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry at Yale University. Her research considers the molecular basis of ribosomes, and the mechanistic basis of inherited human disease.

Early life and education

Baserga's father, Renato Baserga, was a pathologist and cancer researcher. In 1977, Baserga became inspired by pre-RNA splicing. As an

MD–PhD The Doctorate of Medicine and of Philosophy (MD–PhD) is a dual doctoral degree for physician–scientists, combining the professional training of the Doctor of Medicine degree with the research expertise of the Doctor of Philosophy degree; the ...

candidate, Baserga studied nonsense-mediated decay mammalian cells. She moved to

Joan A. Steitz Joan Elaine Argetsinger Steitz (born January 26, 1941) is Sterling Professor of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry at Yale University and Investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. She is known for her discoveries involving RNA, inc ...

's laboratory at Yale University, where she started working on ribosome biogenesis.

Research and career

Baserga started her academic career at Yale in 1993. She was promoted to professor in 2007. Her research sought to identify how ribosome production is regulated in mammalian cells. She uses '' Xenopus tropicalis'' as a model system for ribosomopathies, and is interested in

Fanconi anemia Fanconi anaemia (FA) is a rare genetic disease resulting in impaired response to DNA damage. Although it is a very rare disorder, study of this and other bone marrow failure syndromes has improved scientific understanding of the mechanisms of nor ...

repair factors. In 2020, Baserga was named the William H. Fleming Professor of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry. She is the Chair of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Women in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Committee. In 2023, she joned the

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (also known as NASEM or the National Academies) are the collective scientific national academy of the United States. The name is used interchangeably in two senses: (1) as an umbrell ...

Committee on RNA modifications, "Towards Sequencing and Mapping of RNA Modifications".

Awards and honors

* 2014 Charles W. Bohmfalk Prize * 2016 American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology William C. Rose Award * 2018 Connecticut Technology Council Women of Innovation Category Winner in Research Innovation and Leadership * 2018 National Academy of Inventors * 2023 Elected Fellow of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology * 2023 Elected to the National Academy of Medicine * 2024 Elected as a Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences

Selected publications

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Baserga, Susan J. Living people Yale College alumni Yale School of Medicine alumni Year of birth missing (living people) 20th-century American women physicians 20th-century American physicians 21st-century American women physicians 21st-century American physicians Yale School of Medicine faculty Members of the National Academy of Medicine