Mercedes Rincon, Ph.D., UVM Professor of Medicine (Photo: COM Design & Photography)

The National Institutes of Health Center for Scientific Review has announced that internationally renowned immunobiologist Mercedes Rincon, Ph.D., University of Vermont professor of medicine, has been appointed chairperson of the Cellular and Molecular Immunology-A Study Section, Center for Scientific Review, the portal for National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant applications. She is serving a one-year term from July 1, 2016 through June 30, 2017.

Study section members are selected on the basis of their demonstrated competence and achievement in their scientific discipline as evidenced by the quality of research accomplishments, publications in scientific journals, and other significant scientific activities, achievements and honors. According to the Center for Scientific Review, membership on a study section – particularly as a chairperson – not only provides an opportunity to contribute to the national biomedical research effort, but requires extensive leadership, judgment, and objectivity skills, as well as a major commitment of professional time and energy.

Rincon, who joined the UVM faculty in 1996, is a nationally and internationally recognized expert in the field of cytokine gene regulation and MAP kinases in T lymphocyte function, as well as in the role of Interleukin-6 (IL-6) in a variety of immune functions in diseases, including asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, and cancer. The recipient of substantial funding from the NIH and a number of private foundations, Rincon has published widely in top scientific journals, including Science and Immunity, and is a frequent reviewer for numerous journals. She has been appointed to various NIH study sections, and has reviewed projects for the European Research Council and other international funding agencies.