Ulrich Steidl, M.D., Ph.D., an internationally recognized leader in cancer and stem cell biology, has been named the chair of the department of cell biology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Dr. Steidl assumes his new position as Arthur Skoultchi, Ph.D., who has led the department with distinction for 24 years, steps down from departmental leadership. Dr. Steidl is currently professor of cell biology, of oncology, and of medicine; interim director of the Ruth L. and David S. Gottesman Institute for Stem Cell Research and Regenerative Medicine; and the Edward P. Evans Endowed Professor for Myelodysplastic Syndromes at Einstein; and deputy director of Montefiore Einstein Cancer Center (MECC) and co-director of MECC’s Blood Cancer Institute.
“Uli’s unwavering dedication to scientific excellence, proven leadership abilities, and generosity and success as a mentor and colleague make him the ideal choice to take the helm of our cell biology department,” said Gordon F. Tomaselli, M.D., the Marilyn and Stanley M. Katz Dean at Einstein and executive vice president and chief academic officer at Montefiore Medicine. “Given his 14 exceptional years at Einstein, it is a true pleasure to congratulate him on his well-deserved new role.”
Investigations led by Dr. Steidl have made key contributions to the understanding of myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML), two related blood diseases that he helped characterize as being driven by diverse pools of pre-cancer and cancer stem cells. This work has led to the discovery, study, and therapeutic targeting of such disease-driving stem cells in blood cancers, resulting in pioneering scientific progress as well as innovative clinical trials. His significant contributions in the field were recognized by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) when he received its Outstanding Investigator Award in 2021.
“I am honored to be selected as chair of cell biology at Einstein, and eager to help guide and support the exceptional research conducted by our outstanding faculty members, postdoctoral fellows, students, and laboratory staff,” said Dr. Steidl. “It will be a tall order to follow in Art’s footsteps, whose unstinting support and steadfast leadership as chair for over two decades has set a high bar. I look forward to continuing the success of the department and enhancing its resources and collaborations within and across departments and centers to drive discovery in human biology with the ultimate goal of improving human health.”
Dr. Steidl joined Einstein’s faculty in 2008, and in 2013, he was promoted to associate professor and named the associate chair for translational research in the department of medicine (oncology) and the scientific director for that department’s division of hemato-oncology. In 2014, he became program co-leader for the Stem Cells, Differentiation, and Cancer Program at the NCI-designated Montefiore Einstein Cancer Center. He became a full professor with tenure in 2017.
Dr. Steidl has received numerous awards at Einstein. His translational research accomplishments were recognized at Einstein’s commencement ceremony in 2020 when he received the Saul R. Korey Award in Translation Science and Medicine. On multiple occasions—in 2013, 2017, 2019, and 2020—he received Einstein’s Julius Marmur Mentorship Award for Outstanding Mentoring in Graduate Research.
Dr. Steidl also has previously received the Scholar Achievement Award of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and the National Institute of Health’s (NIH) Howard Temin Award. He is currently president of the International Society for Experimental Hematology (ISEH), and a member of numerous organizations, including the American Society for Clinical Investigation, American Association for Cancer Research, and American Society of Hematology.
Prior to joining Einstein as an assistant professor, Dr. Steidl received his M.D./Ph.D. degree from the University of Heidelberg Medical School and the German Cancer Research Center, both in Heidelberg, Germany, and trained at Heinrich Heine University Medical Center in Dusseldorf, Germany, as well as at the Harvard Stem Cell Institute and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.
Albert Einstein College of Medicine is one of the nation’s premier centers for research, medical education and clinical investigation. During the 2022-23 academic year, Einstein is home to 740 M.D. students, 194 Ph.D. students, 118 students in the combined M.D./Ph.D. program, and approximately 225 postdoctoral research fellows. The College of Medicine has more than 1,900 full-time faculty members located on the main campus and at its clinical affiliates. In 2022, Einstein received more than $202 million in awards from the National Institutes of Health. This includes the funding of major research centers at Einstein in cancer, aging, intellectual development disorders, diabetes, clinical and translational research, liver disease, and AIDS. Other areas where the College of Medicine is concentrating its efforts include developmental brain research, neuroscience, cardiac disease, and initiatives to reduce and eliminate ethnic and racial health disparities. Its partnership with Montefiore, the University Hospital and academic medical center for Einstein, advances clinical and translational research to accelerate the pace at which new discoveries become the treatments and therapies that benefit patients. For more information, please visit einsteinmed.edu, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and view us on YouTube.
