Date: March 5, 2024 By: Nick Kolev
Ragon faculty member Hernandez Moura Silva, PhD, was recently awarded the MIT 2024 Martin Luther King Jr. Leadership Award for faculty.
MLK Leadership Awards are given annually to students, alumni, staff, groups, and faculty members who embody the spirit of Dr. King’s work. “Service to the community” is defined in the broadest sense and includes academic, research, religious, and secular contributions in which integrity, leadership, creativity, and positive outcome are apparent.
This year’s award was presented to Moura Silva at a ceremony on February 15.
As an Assistant Professor of Biology at MIT, Moura Silva has endeavored to create community and belonging in his lab and amongst his students, and integrates diversity, equity, and inclusion into his work — knowing that it is a critical aspect of scientific advancement.
According to one nominator, “His unwavering dedication to diversity, fairness, and inclusion, as well as his commitment to mentoring students and conducting research for the betterment of human health, truly exemplify the values and ideals of MLK.”
Congratulations Dr. Moura Silva!
Their findings, to be published in Cell next month, reveal how the virus manipulates immune system processes to avoid destruction by natural killer (NK) cells, a type of white blood cell that is crucial for fighting viral infections.
The lab of the Ragon Institute faculty member Hernandez Moura Silva, PhD, recently published a review in Science Immunology regarding resident tissue macrophages (RTMs), shedding light on their multifaceted roles in organ health.
After three years off due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ragon-MIT course HST.434 returned this January to provide 24 students a once in a lifetime learning experience