The ISSCR Announces New Lawrence Goldstein Science Policy Fellows
The International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) has appointed three new Goldstein Science Policy Fellows, Lizhong Liu, Ph.D., Westlake University, China, Kate MacDuffie, Ph.D., Seattle Children’s Research Institute, U.S.A., and Mubeen Goolam, Ph.D., University of Cape Town, South Africa. The fellows each have extensive interest in science policy and regulatory issues affecting stem cell science and will serve for three years beginning in June 2025.
“The Goldstein Fellows initiative offers unmatched opportunity to be at the forefront of science policy and advocacy work that impacts the future of regenerative medicine,” said Sean Morrison, Chair, ISSCR Public Policy Committee. “We have three exceptional investigators joining our policy efforts, each of whom brings an important perspective and helps to expand advocacy education globally.”
Mubeen Goolam is the Principal Investigator of the Stem Cell Modelling of Development and Disease Group in the Department of Human Biology and the Neuroscience Institute at the University of Cape Town. He has led talks and discussions centered around promoting diversity in stem cell and organoid research. Dr. Goolam was invited to present at the International Network for Governmental Science Advice Summit where he advocated for stem cell research in Africa.
Lizhong Liu, an Assistant Professor at the Westlake Laboratory of Life Sciences and Biomedicine and Westlake University in China, works on early embryonic development and stem-cell-derived embryo modeling. Dr. Liu is interested in the responsible advancement of stem cell-based embryo models (SCBEMs) and has actively participated in discussions surrounding their ethical use for research and communication with the public.
Kate MacDuffie is Assistant Professor and Associate Director of Research at the Treuman Katz Center for Pediatric Bioethics and Palliative Care at Seattle Children’s Research Institute and the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Washington. Dr. MacDuffie has experience working with researchers using human fetal tissue (HFT) and brain organoid models and studies the perspectives of research participants to inform science policy.
The Goldstein Science Policy Fellowship, named after long-time ISSCR member Lawrence Goldstein, is designed to train scientists to become stem cell policy advocates. Recipients gain hands-on experience in policy work including participating in ISSCR advocacy outreach activities in their region of the world and working with the ISSCR Public Policy Committee on special projects, policy messaging, and communications.
This is the third cohort of ISSCR Goldstein Science Policy Fellows. Learn more about former fellows and the work of the ISSCR Public Policy Committee.
About ISSCR
With nearly 5,000 members from more than 80 countries, the International Society for Stem Cell Research (@ISSCR) is the preeminent global, cross-disciplinary, science-based organization dedicated to stem cell research and its translation to the clinic. The ISSCR mission is to promote excellence in stem cell science and applications to human health.