November 22, 2000

BIRMINGHAM, AL — Etty “Tika” Benveniste, Ph.D., has been named chair of the department of cell biology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB).

“Dr. Benveniste is an ideal candidate for this position, says Dr. William Deal, dean of the School of Medicine at UAB. “She is both a noted and outstanding researcher and a devoted educator and mentor to our graduate and postdoctoral students. We are delighted that she will lead this vital department."

Benveniste is a professor of cell biology, physiology and biophysics, neurology and neurobiology at UAB. Also, in addition to her recent appointment, she continues to serve as associate dean for postdoctoral education for the graduate school and as a senior scientist for the UAB Center for AIDS Research and the UAB Arthritis Center.

Her research focuses on understanding how the immune system and central nervous system communicate with each other, which is relevant to better understanding diseases such as multiple sclerosis, an autoimmune disease of the central nervous system, and AIDS dementia complex. She also conducts studies aimed at determining the effects of HIV on the central nervous system.

Benveniste received her bachelor’s degree in biological sciences from California State University in Chico and received her doctorate degree in immunology from the University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA). After completing her postdoctoral fellowship at UCLA in 1986, she joined UAB as a research assistant professor in the department of neurology.