Anindya Dutta, MBBS, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Genetics, will be honored as the 2025 recipient of the American Society for Investigative Pathology (ASIP) Rous-Whipple Award.

The award, established in 1976, is presented to a senior scientist with an illustrious research career who has contributed to the advancement of understanding disease while maintaining productivity in multiple areas, from mentorship to leadership in pathology.

“It is a tremendous privilege to receive an award such as this and to be recognized by my peers. I’m truly humbled by it,” Dutta said. “I’ve looked through the list of previous recipients of this award, and some are incredibly famous for their research. The award highlights the incredible research going on here at UAB.”

Dutta has been a member of the ASIP for over 25 years and received the ASIP Outstanding Investigator Award in 2015. He believes it is critical for researchers to be active in research communities provided by various academic societies in the U.S., as it provides the opportunity to garner more visibility for their work.

“I am hopeful that this award encourages others at UAB to put up their work for various recognitions,” Dutta said. “We have many researchers here at various stages of their career that are doing great work and will hopefully consider engaging with academic communities inside and outside of this institution to publicize their work and the work going on at UAB.”

Dutta is an internationally recognized leader in the control of genome stability in normal and transformed cells, and his discovery of the essential role of geminin in preventing the over-replication of DNA is considered a landmark achievement.

His research has been described as consistently innovative work that explores new questions. His colleagues have described him as a leader with a continuous interest in using basic science discoveries to explain phenomena in clinical medicine.

Dutta expressed the importance of being part of ASIP because it provided him an academic community early in his career and an opportunity to be at the interface of research and pathology.

“Being in ASIP has given me the chance to be introduced to like-minded individuals who are doing worthwhile work,” Dutta said. “Within clinical medicine, it is tempting to think that everything has been done, and advancements only happen sparingly. However, being part of this society and attending meetings and symposia regularly allows you to realize that many discoveries are emerging that will soon apply to various fields of clinical medicine.”

Dutta highlighted that while there are currently individuals within the department who are part of several organizations, including the American Society of Human Genetics, there is still work to be done to create networking opportunities for those who are not part of research communities.

Dutta believes that being named the recipient of the award reflects all of the trainees who have passed through the lab at UAB, many of whom have become outstanding scientists in their own right.

“Real science happens when the results are unexpected, and I think that was somewhat reflected in the discoveries cited for this award. UAB is a wonderful place to be doing this kind of research, and I know that UAB faculty will continue to get these types of recognition.”

Dutta will receive the award next April during the 2025 Annual Meeting of the ASIP in Portland, Oregon.