CBC Awardee
This years’ IZFS Chi-Bin Chien Awardee, Dr. D’Juan Farmer, exemplifies both the scientific excellence and “collaborative and generous spirit” embodied by Chi-Bin. He is a talented and innovative scientist carrying out a cutting-edge research program on an important but understudied research topic - how skull sutures develop and help properly couple skull and brain growth. He is also dedicated to issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the biomedical sciences and a tireless advocate for those who are underrepresented in academia.
Dr. Farmer received his undergraduate degree from UCLA and Ph. D. from UCSF. He did a postdoctoral fellowship with Gage Crump at USC, where he studied how growth of the skull is coupled to that of the underlying brain and how long-lived stem cells that arise at cranial sutures ensure continued growth and repair of the skull bones throughout life. Dr. Farmer was selected as an HHMI Hannah H. Gray Fellow and then as an HHMI Investigator through the highly competitive Freeman Hrabowski Scholar program. He is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology at UCLA, with a joint appointment in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery.
The skull protects and shields the head from external damage, and changes to skull shape and function dramatically impact surrounding organs, especially the brain. When bone and brain growth are not properly coupled, as is the case in a congenital anomaly called craniosynostosis, brain and skull development both occur abnormally. Dr. Farmer’s lab studies cranial sutures, structures that facilitate cooperative growth between the skull and the brain that are lost in patients with craniosynostosis. They use both zebrafish and mouse models together with cutting-edge genomic and imaging technologies to understand the developmental events that drive suture formation, and how these processes go awry in craniosynostosis. The findings from this exciting work are likely to have important implications for human health.
Dr. Farmer is a first-generation African-American college graduate from Compton who went from a magnet science high school in South LA to attend UCLA as an undergraduate and has worked tirelessly to help support and advocate for underrepresented groups in science. As an undergraduate at UCLA he was a leader in the Afrikan Student Union and mentored URM high school students in South LA, work that was featured by the LA Times. As a doctoral student at UCSF he created courses for middle and high school students of color and provided assistance to prospective graduate school applicants he met at the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students (ABRCMS). During his USC postdoctoral fellowship he mentored two URM students, including one who received the prestigious Choose Development! fellowship from the Society for Developmental Biology. As a member of the IZFS DEI committee he is bringing his extensive background working on DEI issues to help promote diversity in the zebrafish research community. Dr. Farmer is dedicated to breaking down barriers to ensure that everyone has an equal opportunity to share in what is clearly his passion for discovery and knowledge.
Congratulations D’Juan for this well-deserved honor!