Siddhartha Mukherjee
Encyclopedia
Siddhartha Mukherjee is an Indian-born American physician, scientist and writer. He authored the 2010 book, The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer, which won the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction. Currently he is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Columbia University
and staff physician at Columbia University Medical Center
in New York City
.
A hematologist and oncologist, Mukherjee is also known for his work on the formation of blood, and the interactions between the micro-environment (or "niche") and cancer cells.
, India
to Sibeswar Mukherjee, an executive, and Chandana Mukherjee, a former schoolteacher. He attended St. Columba's School, Delhi. As a biology major at Stanford University
, he worked in Nobel Laureate Paul Berg
's laboratory defining cellular genes that change the behaviours of cancer cells.
Mukherjee then won a Rhodes Scholarship
to Oxford University where he earned a DPhil in biochemistry
from Magdalen College, Oxford
. After graduation, he attended Harvard Medical School
where he earned an M.D. His postgraduate years consisted of a residency in Internal Medicine followed by an oncology
fellowship
at Massachusetts General Hospital
.
in New York City
. He is also a staff cancer physician at Columbia University Medical Center
.
In 2010, Simon & Schuster
published his book, The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer, detailing the evolution of diagnosis and treatment of human cancers from ancient Egypt to the latest developments in chemotherapy
and targeted therapy
. The Oprah magazine listed it in its "Top 10 Books of 2010". It was also listed in "The 10 Best Books of 2010" by The New York Times and the "Top 10 Nonfiction Books" by Time magazine.
In 2011 The Emperor of All Maladies: A History of Cancer was nominated as a National Book Critics Circle Award
finalist. On April 18, it was announced that Mukherjee's book had won the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction.
In 2011, TIME magazine nominated Dr. Mukherjee to its "100 most influential people" list. TIME magazine also selected Mukherjee's book for inclusion in its list of the 100 best non-fiction books since 1923.
A hematologist and oncologist by training, Mukherjee's scientific work addresses the links between normal stem cells and cancer cells. Mukherjee's lab has performed investigations on the microenvironment—or niche—of stem cells, focusing particularly on blood-forming stem cells. Blood-forming stem cells (called hematopoietic stem cells or HSCs) reside in the bone marrow in very specific microenvironments. Osteoblasts, or bone forming cells, comprise an important element of this niche, and they regulate the physiology of HSCs, by providing HSCs with signals to divide, remain quiescent, or maintain their stem cell properties.
In work performed with collaborators in the 1990s and 2000s, Mukherjee's lab identified genes and chemicals that can alter the microenvironment, or niche, and thereby alter the behaviour of normal stem cells, as well as cancer cells. Two such chemicals studied in the lab - proteasome inhibitors and Activin A inhibitors—are currently in clinical trials with novel therapeutic uses as defined by these studies. The Mukherjee lab has also identified novel genetic mutations in myelodysplasia and acute myelogenous leukemia and has played a leading role in finding therapies for these diseases in the clinical setting.
Mukherjee's lab is based at the Columbia University Irving Cancer Research Center. Previously, he was affiliated with the Harvard Stem Cell Institute and with Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.
Mukherjee has published widely in scientific journals, including papers in Nature, Neuron, the Journal of Clinical Investigation and others.
(winner of a MacArthur "Genius" grant
). They have two daughters named Leela and Aria.
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
and staff physician at Columbia University Medical Center
Columbia University Medical Center
Columbia University Medical Center is an academic medical center that includes Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons, College of Dental Medicine, School of Nursing and Mailman School of Public Health...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
A hematologist and oncologist, Mukherjee is also known for his work on the formation of blood, and the interactions between the micro-environment (or "niche") and cancer cells.
Early life and education
Siddhartha Mukherjee was born in New DelhiNew Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
to Sibeswar Mukherjee, an executive, and Chandana Mukherjee, a former schoolteacher. He attended St. Columba's School, Delhi. As a biology major at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
, he worked in Nobel Laureate Paul Berg
Paul Berg
Paul Berg is an American biochemist and professor emeritus at Stanford University. He was the recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1980, along with Walter Gilbert and Frederick Sanger. The award recognized their contributions to basic research involving nucleic acids...
's laboratory defining cellular genes that change the behaviours of cancer cells.
Mukherjee then won a Rhodes Scholarship
Rhodes Scholarship
The Rhodes Scholarship, named after Cecil Rhodes, is an international postgraduate award for study at the University of Oxford. It was the first large-scale programme of international scholarships, and is widely considered the "world's most prestigious scholarship" by many public sources such as...
to Oxford University where he earned a DPhil in 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...
from Magdalen College, Oxford
Magdalen College, Oxford
Magdalen College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. As of 2006 the college had an estimated financial endowment of £153 million. Magdalen is currently top of the Norrington Table after over half of its 2010 finalists received first-class degrees, a record...
. After graduation, he attended 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....
where he earned an M.D. His postgraduate years consisted of a residency in Internal Medicine followed by an oncology
Oncology
Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with cancer...
fellowship
Fellowship (medicine)
A fellowship is the period of medical training in the United States and Canada that a physician may undertake after completing a specialty training program . During this time , the physician is known as a fellow...
at Massachusetts General Hospital
Massachusetts General Hospital
Massachusetts General Hospital is a teaching hospital and biomedical research facility in the West End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts...
.
Career
Mukherjee is currently serving as Assistant Professor of Medicine at Medicine (Oncology) Department, Columbia UniversityColumbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. He is also a staff cancer physician at Columbia University Medical Center
Columbia University Medical Center
Columbia University Medical Center is an academic medical center that includes Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons, College of Dental Medicine, School of Nursing and Mailman School of Public Health...
.
In 2010, Simon & Schuster
Simon & Schuster
Simon & Schuster, Inc., a division of CBS Corporation, is a publisher founded in New York City in 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. It is one of the four largest English-language publishers, alongside Random House, Penguin and HarperCollins...
published his book, The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer, detailing the evolution of diagnosis and treatment of human cancers from ancient Egypt to the latest developments in chemotherapy
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the treatment of cancer with an antineoplastic drug or with a combination of such drugs into a standardized treatment regimen....
and targeted therapy
Targeted therapy
Targeted therapy is a type of medication that blocks the growth of cancer cells by interfering with specific targeted molecules needed for carcinogenesis and tumor growth, rather than by simply interfering with rapidly dividing cells...
. The Oprah magazine listed it in its "Top 10 Books of 2010". It was also listed in "The 10 Best Books of 2010" by The New York Times and the "Top 10 Nonfiction Books" by Time magazine.
In 2011 The Emperor of All Maladies: A History of Cancer was nominated as a National Book Critics Circle Award
National Book Critics Circle Award
The National Book Critics Circle Award is an annual award given by the National Book Critics Circle to promote the finest books and reviews published in English....
finalist. On April 18, it was announced that Mukherjee's book had won the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction.
In 2011, TIME magazine nominated Dr. Mukherjee to its "100 most influential people" list. TIME magazine also selected Mukherjee's book for inclusion in its list of the 100 best non-fiction books since 1923.
A hematologist and oncologist by training, Mukherjee's scientific work addresses the links between normal stem cells and cancer cells. Mukherjee's lab has performed investigations on the microenvironment—or niche—of stem cells, focusing particularly on blood-forming stem cells. Blood-forming stem cells (called hematopoietic stem cells or HSCs) reside in the bone marrow in very specific microenvironments. Osteoblasts, or bone forming cells, comprise an important element of this niche, and they regulate the physiology of HSCs, by providing HSCs with signals to divide, remain quiescent, or maintain their stem cell properties.
In work performed with collaborators in the 1990s and 2000s, Mukherjee's lab identified genes and chemicals that can alter the microenvironment, or niche, and thereby alter the behaviour of normal stem cells, as well as cancer cells. Two such chemicals studied in the lab - proteasome inhibitors and Activin A inhibitors—are currently in clinical trials with novel therapeutic uses as defined by these studies. The Mukherjee lab has also identified novel genetic mutations in myelodysplasia and acute myelogenous leukemia and has played a leading role in finding therapies for these diseases in the clinical setting.
Mukherjee's lab is based at the Columbia University Irving Cancer Research Center. Previously, he was affiliated with the Harvard Stem Cell Institute and with Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.
Mukherjee has published widely in scientific journals, including papers in Nature, Neuron, the Journal of Clinical Investigation and others.
Personal life
Mukherjee lives in New York and is married to artist Sarah SzeSarah Sze
Sarah Sze is a contemporary artist who lives and works in New York City. Sze uses ordinary objects to create sculptures and site-specific installations.-Early life:Sze graduated Summa Cum Laude from Yale University in 1991...
(winner of a MacArthur "Genius" grant
MacArthur Fellows Program
The MacArthur Fellows Program or MacArthur Fellowship is an award given by the John D. and Catherine T...
). They have two daughters named Leela and Aria.
Awards and honors
- 1993: Rhodes ScholarshipRhodes ScholarshipThe Rhodes Scholarship, named after Cecil Rhodes, is an international postgraduate award for study at the University of Oxford. It was the first large-scale programme of international scholarships, and is widely considered the "world's most prestigious scholarship" by many public sources such as...
, 1993-1996. - 2010: Gabrielle Angel's Leukemia Foundation Award 2010.
- 2011: Pulitzer PrizePulitzer PrizeThe Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
- 2011: PEN/E.O. Wilson Prize
- 2011: Cancer Leadership Award (shared with Kathleen SebeliusKathleen SebeliusKathleen Sebelius is an American politician currently serving as the 21st Secretary of Health and Human Services. She was the second female Governor of Kansas from 2003 to 2009, the Democratic respondent to the 2008 State of the Union address, and chair-emerita of the Democratic Governors...
and Orrin HatchOrrin HatchOrrin Grant Hatch is the senior United States Senator for Utah and is a member of the Republican Party. Hatch served as the chairman or ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee from 1993 to 2005...
) - 2011: National Book Critics Circle AwardNational Book Critics Circle AwardThe National Book Critics Circle Award is an annual award given by the National Book Critics Circle to promote the finest books and reviews published in English....
, finalist - 2011: Time magazine, 100 Best Non-Fiction books of all TIME
- 2011: Time 100Time 100Time 100 is an annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world, as assembled by Time. First published in 1999 as a result of a debate among several academics, the list has become an annual event.-History and format:...
, most influential people - 2011: Wellcome Trust Book PrizeWellcome Trust Book PrizeWellcome Trust Book Prize is an annual British literary award sponsored by Wellcome Trust. In keeping with the vision and goals of Wellcome Trust, the Book Prize honors "the best of medicine in literature", including fiction and non-fiction. The winner receives £25,000.The current prize for...
, shortlist