FASEB Names Beth Garvy President

Monday, July 1, 2024
Beth A. Garvy, PhD, Professor and Senior Associate Dean for Biomedical Education at University of Kentucky (UK) College of Medicine, was named president of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB). She begins her term today, July 1. 

“I am excited and humbled by this opportunity to serve as president of FASEB,” says Garvy. “I look forward to serving the FASEB scientific community by promoting advocacy and helping to find solutions for the challenges all scientists face, including improving funding for research and navigating publishing in the new world of open access and AI.  The FASEB volunteers and staff are outstanding and working with them will be one of the best parts of these next two years.” 

Garvy, an accomplished immunologist, has had a distinguished career at UK. She has held several leadership appointments, including director of graduate studies and then chair of the Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics before assuming her current role. She joined the FASEB Board in 2018 as the representative for the American Association of Immunologists and has previously served FASEB as the vice president for science policy and vice chair of the Meetings Committee. 

Alongside Garvy, Eric Kelley, H. Joseph Yost, and Rachel Brewster also move into new officer positions on the FASEB Board.

Eric Kelley, PhD, Professor and Associate Chair of Research in the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology at West Virginia University (WVU) Health Sciences Center, was named FASEB president-elect. A classically trained redox biologist, Kelley collaborates with experts in various related fields, including cardiology and oncology. He has been actively involved in the Society for Redox Biology and Medicine (SfRBM), serving in various leadership positions and representing SfRBM on the FASEB Board and Science Policy Committee from 2017 to 2018.

A professor and researcher, H. Joseph Yost, PhD, was named vice president-elect for science policy. Yost holds the Richard L. Stimson Presidential Endowed Chair and is vice chair for basic science research in the Department of Pediatrics, and a professor of neurobiology and anatomy at the University of Utah School of Medicine. Yost has served on FASEB’s Leadership Development Committee and Science Policy Committee and is a member of the American Association for Anatomy.

Rachel M. Brewster, PhD, was named vice president-elect for diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion. She is a professor of biology at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. She has served multiple terms on FASEB’s Excellence in Science Award Committee, Meetings Committee, and as FASEB Board Representative for the Society for Developmental Biology.

Additionally, Matthew Yousefzadeh, PhD, of Columbia University Medical Center and Amy Engevik, PhD, of the Medical University of South Carolina have joined the FASEB Board as early-career representatives. The FASEB Board created the early-career representative position to foster dialogue between current and future generations of biological and biomedical researchers. 

The 2024–25 FASEB Board of Directors Executive Committee includes

• Beth A. Garvy of University of Kentucky College of Medicine, President;
• Eric E. Kelley of West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, President-elect; 
• Mary-Ann Bjornsti of University of Alabama, Birmingham, Immediate Past President; 
• Michael Lehman of Kent State University, Vice President for Science Policy; 
• H. Joseph Yost of the University of Utah School of Medicine, Vice President-elect for Science Policy;
• Thomas L. Clemens of University of Maryland School of Medicine, Treasurer; 
• Lauren Walker of Colgate-Palmolive, Vice President for DEAI; 
• Rachel Brewster of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Vice President-elect for DEAI.