Van Andel Institute Graduate School’s Dr. Steven Triezenberg to lead the Cancer Biology Training Consortium

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (Oct. 29, 2019) — Van Andel Institute Graduate School Dean Steven J. Triezenberg, Ph.D., has been elected as president of the Cancer Biology Training Consortium (CABTRAC), a national organization dedicated to training the next generation of cancer scientists.

As president, Triezenberg will spearhead development of the CABTRAC 2020 annual meeting, hosted by Vanderbilt University, as well as support programmatic committees focused on diversity, training grants, curriculum development, postdoctoral training and medical school curriculum. He began his term at the CABTRAC 2019 meeting, which was held Oct. 11–13 in Baltimore. He was elected in 2018.

“CABTRAC is a welcoming community of leaders who freely share their experiences and advice to ensure the very best training for the next generation of cancer biologists,” Triezenberg said. “I am honored to serve as president and to continue to highlight some of the innovations developed by our Graduate School.”

Triezenberg joined Van Andel Institute in 2006 as a professor and founding dean of the Graduate School. His efforts were central to developing the Institute’s accredited Ph.D. program in molecular and cellular biology, a research-intensive, problem-based approach that immerses students in a rigorous scientific environment from day one.

In addition to his academic role, Triezenberg is a respected authority in viral biology. For 31 years, his lab explored the molecular control systems that allow viral infections to progress. His discoveries with herpes simplex virus opened new possibilities for antiviral drug development and revealed new insights into how human cells control gene expression.