Helen McNeill, PhD, a world leader in developmental biology and a BJC Investigator at the School of Medicine, has been named the inaugural Larry J. Shapiro and Carol-Ann Uetake-Shapiro Professor at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.
McNeill was installed by then-Washington University Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton and David H. Perlmutter, MD, executive vice chancellor for medical affairs, the George and Carol Bauer Dean of the School of Medicine, and the Spencer T. and Ann W. Olin Distinguished Professor.
Washington University endowed the new professorship through the estate of Bernard Becker, MD, for whom the School of Medicine library is named, to honor Larry J. Shapiro, MD, and his wife, Carol-Ann Uetake-Shapiro, for their outstanding service and contributions to the university. Shapiro served as executive vice chancellor for medical affairs and dean of the School of Medicine from 2003 through 2015.
“We are grateful to the Becker family for their generous and ongoing support of the School of Medicine’s outstanding investigators,” said Wrighton, now a chancellor emeritus. “The inaugural holder of this professorship, Helen McNeill, is an international leader in the field of developmental biology, especially the intricacies of development in the early embryo. In holding this professorship honoring Larry Shapiro and Carol-Ann Uetake-Shapiro, Dr. McNeill represents a tremendous legacy of leadership and devotion to pushing the boundaries of scientific discovery and its promise to advance human health.”