2024 Award Recipients
David Bixler Distinguished Scientist in Craniofacial Research
Award
Elizabeth Leslie
Associate Professor
Emory University
Jean-Pierre Saint-Jeannet
Professor
New York University
Dr. Elizabeth Leslie, Associate Professor in the Department of Human Genetics at Emory University School of Medicine, is the 2024 recipient of the SCGDB Marylou Buyse Distinguished Scientist Award. This award, named after the first female president of the SCGDB, was created to recognize SCGDB members in the middle stage of their careers who have made important contributions to the craniofacial sciences. Dr. Leslie’s research has revealed new insights into the genetics underlying phenotypic variation of orofacial clefts and identified rare and common variants contributing to these conditions, including the first analysis of coding de novo mutations. This work has been published in several high-impact journals and led to robust funding from the NIH.
Elizabeth received her B.A. degree in Chemistry from St. Olaf College in 2008 and Ph.D. in Genetics from the University of Iowa in 2012. Her dissertation research with Dr. Jeff Murray focused on understanding the genetic architecture of Mendelian orofacial cleft syndromes, with a particular focus on Van der Woude syndrome. In 2013, she joined the laboratory of Dr. Mary Marazita for a postdoctoral fellowship in Oral Biology at the University of Pittsburgh. There she used genome-wide association studies (GWAS) to identify common variants associated with orofacial clefts, including the first successful GWAS of cleft palate. In 2015, Elizabeth launched her independent research program at the University of Pittsburgh. In 2017, she moved to Emory University and was promoted to Associate Professor in 2022.
Elizabeth has also made an impact on the field of craniofacial biology as a member of the FaceBase Scientific Advisory Panel, a member of the ClinGen Craniofacial Malformations Gene Curation Expert Panel and as Associate Editor of Human Genetics and Genomics Advances. In addition to her research, Elizabeth serves the Emory University academic community as Chair of the curriculum committee for the Genetics and Molecular Biology Program and as a mentor to dozens of trainees, many of whom have received prestigious fellowships. Elizabeth has been a member of the SCGDB since she was a graduate student, and she and her lab members have contributed to multiple annual SCGDB meetings. Elizabeth will receive a commemorative plaque and deliver a plenary lecture on her research at the 47th Annual SCGDB Meeting in Kansas City, Missouri.
Dr. Jean-Pierre Saint-Jeannet, Professor at New York University (NYU) College of Dentistry, is the recipient of the 2024 SCGDB David Bixler Distinguished Scientist Award. This award, named after the first President of the SCGDB, is the Society’s highest scientific honor and was created to recognize long-term distinguished leadership and meritorious contributions to the craniofacial sciences by a senior level SCGDB member. Dr. Saint-Jeannet has pioneered the use of Xenopus to model craniofacial syndromes and identify factors that regulate development of neural crest cells and cranial placodes. This work has been published in more than 90 scientific articles, and supported by multiple R01 grants from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research.
Jean-Pierre earned his B.S. degree in Developmental Biology in 1984 and Ph.D. in Developmental Neurobiology in 1990 from Paul Sabatier University in France. During his doctoral research with Dr. Anne-Marie Duprat, he used amphibian models, including frogs and salamanders, to reveal the role of cell-cell contact during neural induction. He then completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Ecole Normale Supérieure in the laboratory of Dr. Jean Paul Thiery, where he identified a role for FGF signaling in regional patterning of the ventrolateral mesoderm into smooth muscle in Xenopus. In 1992, he moved to the United States to continue his postdoctoral training with Dr. Igor B. Dawid at the National Institutes of Health. During this period, he used the leopard frog Rana to investigate the importance of vertical vs. planar neural induction and demonstrated a requirement for WNT signaling in dorsal-ventral patterning of the neural tube and neural crest induction in Xenopus. In 1998, Jean-Pierre launched his independent research program as an Assistant Professor of Developmental Biology at the University of Pennsylvania, where he was promoted to Associate Professor in 2004 and Professor in 2011. In 2012, he joined the faculty at NYU College of Dentistry and currently serves as Vice Chair for Research in the Department of Molecular Pathobiology.
Jean-Pierre has also made remarkable contributions to the field of craniofacial biology through his teaching, mentoring, and service. He has been awarded the NYU Dentistry Dean’s Award five times, most recently in 2024. In 2023, he was recognized for his research mentoring of graduate students and postdoctoral fellows with the NYU Dentistry Excellence in Mentoring Award. He is Editor-in-Chief of the scientific journal genesis, The Journal of Genetics and Development, serves on the Editorial Board of Developmental Dynamics, and was a standing member of two NIH review panels. From 2018-2022, Jean-Pierre served as the Treasurer Elect for SCGDB. His contributions to the society, including rebuilding the website following a cyberattack, streamlining the financial workflow, and ensuring the success of the first virtual meeting during the COVID pandemic, were transformative. Jean-Pierre continued to serve the society from 2022-2024, as Secretary of the SCGDB Board of Directors, where he has refined the focus of the Society on mentoring and career development. Jean-Pierre will receive a commemorative plaque and deliver a plenary lecture on his research at the 47th Annual SCGDB Meeting in Kansas City, Missouri.