Craig T. Basson, MD, PhD
Senior Lecturer on Medicine, Department of Medicine,
Brigham and Women’s Hospital,
Boston, MA
Global Translational Medicine Head, Vice President
Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research
Cambridge, MA
Born and raised in New York, Craig T. Basson graduated from Washington University in 1982 (BA Biology and French, MA Biology) and then was awarded a Marshall Scholarship at the University of Oxford (1984, MSc Physiological Sciences). Dr. Basson completed an MD and PhD at Yale (1990) and received the John F. Fulton Prize in History of Medicine and the Milton C. Winternitz Prize in Pathology. Dr. Basson trained in Internal Medicine at Johns Hopkins Hospital (1990-1992). He completed his clinical Cardiology fellowship at Harvard and the Brigham and Women’s Hospital along with a research fellowship in cardiovascular genetics. He began his independent laboratory there in 1996 before moving to Cornell Medical College in 1997. Dr. Basson devoted his career to deciphering the molecular genetic basis of inherited congenital and adult onset cardiovascular disease. He is highly regarded for identifying the TBX5 transcription factor gene and the mutations in that gene that cause human septal defects and conduction disease in the setting of limb deformity (Holt-Oram syndrome). These represented the first identified molecular basis for a human monogenic congenital heart malformation, and he performed the first preimplantation genetic diagnosis of such an inherited congenital heart disease. He has also defined molecular genetic etiologies for several other disorders, including familial atrial septal defects (NKX2.5), familial cardiac myxomas (PRKAR1A; MYH8), cardiac lipomatosis (chromosome 19 rearrangements), hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (RyR2), arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (PKP-2), right ventricular outflow tract tachycardia (G-protein signaling pathway mutations), nonsyndromic familial aortic aneurysms (locus on chromosomes 11q and novel TGFß receptor mutations). He was the recipient of the AHA Samuel A. Levine Young Clinical Investigator Award as well as being named a Tolly Vinik Foundation Scholar, an Irma T. Hirschl Scholar, and an American Heart Association Established Investigator. Dr. Basson was elected to the American Society of Clinical Investigation, the Interurban Clinical Club, the Harvey Society, and the Association of University Cardiologists as well as being a fellow of the American Heart Association and the New York Academy of Medicine. At Cornell, Dr. Basson was promoted to Professor of Medicine with tenure in 2004 and was named the Gladys and Roland Harriman Professor of Medicine in 2008. He was the Director, Center for Molecular Cardiology and the Director of Cardiovascular Research at Cornell.
In 2010, Dr. Basson joined Novartis as Vice President, Global Translational Medicine Head (Cardiovascular) at NIBR. In 2014, Dr. Basson also assumed the role of Global Translational Medicine Head (Metabolism) at NIBR. He now leads the combined groups as the Global Translational Medicine Head (Cardiovascular and Metabolism) at NIBR. Dr. Basson’s team spearheads new global programs to translate basic findings into novel therapeutics. His team has promoted the development of Entresto, serelaxin, ACZ885, and LIK066 amongst other novel medicines for patients with cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and metabolic disorders.
About the James T. Willerson, MD, Cardiovascular Science Seminar Series
The James T. Willerson, MD, Cardiovascular Seminar Series is a multi‐institutional program organized by the Texas Heart Institute, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine and The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. This seminar series provides a unified forum for the cardiovascular research community within the Texas Medical Center to meet, and it connects us to outstanding scientists nationally and internationally.
The seminar is held Thursdays during the academic year (September – May) from 4:00-5:00 pm at the Texas Heart Institute in the Denton A. Cooley Auditorium. There is no cost to attend and the seminar is open to the public with a special focus toward postdoctoral fellows, scientists, researchers and physicians.
