Rohit Chandwani

Presented by Alexander Tarakhovsky
A.B., Harvard College
M.D., Yale University School of Medicine
Stochastic Activation of Enhancers in the Innate Immune Response by the Histone Demethylase JMJD2D

Rohit Chandwani joined my lab after completing his M.D. training. He was generally interested in epigenetics, apparently due to the lack of this term in his textbook for surgeons. After several fatal surgical attacks on epigenetics of the immune response, Rohit decided to dedicate his impressive enthusiasm and intellect to the problem of how cells’ diversity can help us to establish an effective antiviral response. While infected cells, e.g. in the liver or lungs, may appear similar, they display quite a remarkable level of population diversity that enables specialization of cells during response. Rohit has identified a chromatin regulator that can fulfill the function of diversifier.

During his Ph.D., Rohit taught me a few lessons about having a surgeon do basic research in the lab. First, your life will not be the same to the extent that you may not recognize your lab anymore; second, the bills for one day of Rohit’s experiments could rival the bills for treatment of members of the Middle East Royal Family for the entire duration of treatment; third, I do not hope to stay in touch — his agenda is too busy and he is with the next patient.

Overall, I am very proud of Rohit. I do not think that there are many doctors who are equally well-versed in the most sophisticated surgical manipulation and in chromatin biochemistry. I am very proud that Rohit is joining Memorial Sloan Kettering where he will certainly excel as a surgeon and researcher.