Michael L. Good, M.D., interim dean of the College of Medicine, announced the appointment of Stephen P. Sugrue, Ph.D., as senior associate dean for research affairs at the University of Florida College of Medicine.
Sugrue is currently the chair and professor of the department of anatomy and cell biology, and associate director of basic research for the UF Shands Cancer Center. He first joined UF and the department of anatomy and cell biology in 1995.
“He has a clear and ambitious vision to lift College of Medicine research efforts to the upper tier of the nation,” said Michael Good, M.D., in the announcement.
Sugrue will develop the administrative structure that will leverage the many facets of research at the College of Medicine and encourage collaborations throughout the University and Florida’s biotechnology activities. Sugrue is a supporter of team-oriented science and will establish formal practices to advance the careers of postdoctoral and junior faculty. Good said Sugrue will establish efficiencies “to help faculty make discoveries that will ultimately improve health and save lives.”
Since becoming chair of anatomy and cell biology in 1996, Sugrue has mentored faculty members and has helped them advance in their careers. He has coordinated multidisciplinary research at a programmatic level for more than nine years as associate director for basic research at the UF Shands Cancer Center, including initiatives associated with the affiliation between the UF Shands Cancer Center and the Moffitt Cancer Center.
Sugrue received his bachelor’s degree in biology at Providence College in Rhode Island and his doctoral degree in anatomy at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. He was a research associate in anatomy at Harvard Medical School, where he also finished a research fellowship in oral biology.
He served for 12 years at Harvard Medical School, where he was an assistant professor of anatomy and cellular biology before advancing to become an associate professor of cell biology.
Dr. Sugrue maintains an extramural research program and has been NIH-funded since 1983. His laboratory studies the molecular mechanisms of the regulation of cell-cell adhesion in epithelial quiescence, epithelial wounding and carcinoma metastasis. His recent studies have focused on the integration of transcriptional regulation and mRNA processing.
He serves as a reviewer or on the editorial board of more than a dozen peer-reviewed journals and has been an active teacher throughout his career. In addition, Dr. Sugrue actively participates in numerous NIH activities including planning panels and advisory boards.