Judith Swain, M.D., Professor of Medicine, Founding Director of the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine’s College of Integrated Life Sciences (COILS) and Dean for Translational Medicine, has announced she will leave the university to serve as the founding Executive Director of the proposed “Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences (SICS)” of Biomedical Research Council (BMRC) of Singapore’s Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR). The BMRC focuses on clinical and translational research, bridging basic biomedical research and healthcare for patients. Swain has also been appointed Lien Ying Chow Professor of Medicine at the National University of Singapore.
Swain was recruited to UC San Diego in 2005. A distinguished molecular cardiologist and academic leader, she previously served as Arthur Bloomfield Professor and Chair of the Department of Medicine at Stanford University.
“This is a wonderful new opportunity that is perfectly suited to Dr. Swain’s tremendous talents,” said UCSD Chancellor Marye Anne Fox. “UCSD has benefited greatly from her experience and insights, as she has helped create a lasting structure for multi-disciplinary research and translational medicine that will serve us well into the future. We are sorry to be losing such a respected colleague but wish her the very best.”
Swain is an internationally recognized researcher and scholar who has dedicated her career to bridging the gap between basic research and clinical medicine, and to developing and supporting physician scientists. A 1974 graduate of the UC San Diego School of Medicine, Swain has served in numerous national and international leadership roles during her career, including the presidency of the American Society for Clinical Investigation and membership on the councils of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute and the National Center for Research Resources of the National Institutes of Health. Her professional memberships include election to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies of Sciences, the Association of American Physicians and the American Society for Clinical Investigation.
“I came to UCSD to a part of an institution that is uniquely committed to innovation and collaboration as key to scientific progress in the 21st century,” said Swain. “UCSD has become a catalyst for partnership between the scientific, biotechnology and pharmaceutical sectors. I have been privileged to be a part of the launching of COILS, which is a bold approach to closing the gap between laboratory research and patient care. As Marye Anne Fox and UCSD continue to build regional and international linkages to support educational and research advances, I look forward to future collaboration with my alma mater.”
In her new position, she will enhance research synergies among agencies and university research centers in Singapore, and help strengthen ties between Singapore and international partners such as UCSD.
Prior to her tenure at Stanford, Swain was the Herbert C. Rorer Professor of Medical Sciences, professor of genetics and director of cardiovascular medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.
Swain is married to Edward W. Holmes, Vice Chancellor for Health Sciences at UCSD, who has also announced his departure from the University to accept appointments with A*STAR and the National University of Singapore.
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