Einstein’s Ana Maria Cuervo, M.D., Ph.D., delivered “Selective Autophagy: The Ultimate Recycling for a Long and Healthy Life” at the Harvey Society lecture series on March 17. Dr. Cuervo is a renowned expert on autophagy—the mechanism by which cells digest and recycle internal products. She has found that impaired autophagy is associated with aging and with age-related disorders, including Huntington’s disease and Parkinson’s disease.

The Harvey Society was founded in 1905; it sponsors seven lectures annually that are presented at Rockefeller University in New York. The series is considered one of the nation’s most distinguished forums for scientific discourse and has a long-standing tradition of featuring leaders in their respective biomedical fields from around the world.

Dr. Cuervo was selected from more than 100 researchers to present her findings. With her selection, she joins a group of elite scientists, including many Nobel laureates, who have received the honor. Dr. Cuervo is a professor of developmental and molecular biology, of anatomy and structural biology and of medicine (gastroenterology & liver diseases) at Einstein. She also is the co-director of the Einstein Institute for Aging Research and holds the Robert and Renée Belfer Chair for the Study of Neurodegenerative Diseases.