INDIANAPOLIS—Indiana University School of Medicine has named Reuben Kapur, PhD, as the director of the Herman B Wells Center for Pediatric Research and the Department of Pediatrics vice chair for basic science research. Kapur has held the roles in an interim capacity since November 2019.
“Dr. Kapur has been a stalwart of the department and the Wells Center for nearly 25 years,” said D. Wade Clapp, MD, chair of the IU School of Medicine Department of Pediatrics. “Notably, he has demonstrated impressive leadership as interim director of the past 18+ months, helping shepherd our basic science research through the challenges of COVID-19.”
The IU School of Medicine Department of Pediatrics is ranked sixth in the nation in NIH funding for pediatrics among public medical schools. The Herman B Wells Center for Pediatric Research is a key component of this support.
The center’s 200 faculty, staff and trainees use these resources to uncover the causes and mechanisms of childhood disease while identifying novel diagnostic, preventative and therapeutic approaches. The center’s ten thematic research programs focus on rare and pervasive pediatric conditions such as cancer, asthma and severe pulmonary disease, allergies, heart conditions, diabetes and more.
Kapur is the center’s fifth director since its inception in August 1991. Nationally recognized for his work in pediatric blood cancers, Kapur is the Frieda and Albrecht Kipp Professor of Pediatrics with secondary appointments in the school’s departments of biochemistry and molecular biology, medical and molecular genetics, and microbiology and immunology. He also co-leads the Hematopoiesis and Hematologic Malignancies Program at the Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Wells Center’s Hematologic Malignancies and Stem Cell Biology program.
“Indiana University and its partnership with Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health and the Riley Children’s Foundation make the Wells Center a uniquely special place,” said Kapur. “I look forward to the continuation of our growth and the expansion of our translational capacity as we usher in another 30 years of improving health outcomes for children and families who are facing pediatric disease.”
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About IU School of Medicine
IU School of Medicine is the largest medical school in the U.S. and is annually ranked among the top medical schools in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. The school offers high-quality medical education, access to leading medical research and rich campus life in nine Indiana cities, including rural and urban locations consistently recognized for livability.