CharlesChansikHongMDPHD, FAHA

Summary

• I am a physician-scientist and an entrepreneur. I am the incoming Chair of Medicine at Michigan State University and Director of Clinician Scientist Development at Henry Ford Health.
  
  My research functions at the intersection of chemical biology, developmental biology, stem cell biology, and cardiovascular biology. Among my scientific contributions is the discovery of the role of Phosphoinositide 3-kinases (PI3K) in vein specification during vasculogenesis, which foreshadowed aberrant PI3K activation as a common cause of clinical venous malformations. I also discovered the first small molecule inhibitor of bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling, which directly catalyzed the development of a clinical stage therapeutic program for devastating human diseases. My ongoing investigations studies include unraveling the essential role of centrosome reorganization in postnatal heart maturation, and developing novel therapies targeting of a key pro-oncogenic signaling pathway activated downstream of Warburg Effect. I edited one of the first books focused on chemical biology of stem cell and regenerative medicine, and a book covering the latest methods in chemical biology. I am the Specialty Chief Editor of Frontiers in Drug Discovery. I am an elected member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI) and a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). I am a passionate advocate for medical education, having served as the Chair of the Scientific Committee and on the Board of Directors of the Sarnoff Foundation for Cardiovascular Research. Prior to MSU, I was the Melvin Sharoky, MD, Professor of Medicine, Co-Chief of Cardiovascular Medicine, and Director of Cardiology Research at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. Prior to that, I was on faculty at Vanderbilt University and Harvard Medical School. My clinical expertise is in cardiovascular genetics and inherited cardiomyopathies.