Michael E. Cain, MD, led the installation ceremony of James D. Bangs, PhD, along with UB President Satish K. Tripathi.
Bangs is Fisher Professor and Chair of Microbiology and Immunology
Published April 15, 2013 This content is archived.
Story by Alexandra Edelblute
James D. Bangs, PhD, has been installed as the Grant T. Fisher Professor and Chair of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology.
The March 28 ceremony was presided over by UB President Satish K. Tripathi and Michael E. Cain, MD, vice president for health sciences and dean, School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.
Former UW–Madison Medical School Faculty Member
An authority on sleeping sickness, Bangs came to UB in January from the University of Wisconsin-Madison Medical School, where he was a professor of medical microbiology and immunology.
He also served as a faculty member and trainer for the school's microbiological doctoral training program and a member of its Center for Research and Training in Parasitic Diseases.
Lecture on Neglected Tropical Disease
Following his installation, Bangs, whose areas of expertise include lipid metabolism and secretory and membrane trafficking, gave a lecture titled “African Trypanosomes: Doing Basic Science on a Great Neglected Disease.”
His talk, centered on the causative agent of sleeping sickness, illustrated how the pursuit of basic cell biological studies can contribute to the applied pursuit of new therapies.
Grant T. Fisher, MD ’25
In 1986, a gift from Grant T. Fisher, MD, established a research and development fund that evolved into support for the microbiology and immunology chair.
Fisher, a general surgeon, earned his medical degree from UB in 1925. He was a longtime staff member at Our Lady of Victory Hospital in Lackawanna and Mercy Hospital in Buffalo.
A fellow of the American College of Surgeons, he was also a member of the James Platt White Society and served as president of the medical school alumni association at UB.
Fisher raised eight children with his wife, Evelyn. He died in 1991.