Einstein celebrated the establishment of the George Y. and Catherine H. Wu Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) Directorship and the installation of the program’s inaugural director, Myles Akabas, M.D., Ph.D. ’83, in Lubin Dining Hall on the Einstein campus on Jan. 16, 2026.
The endowed directorship was created through a generous gift from George Y. Wu, M.D., Ph.D. ’76, and Catherine “Cathy” H. Wu, Ph.D. Dr. George Wu is a professor emeritus at the University of Connecticut Health Center. The couple, who first met at Einstein when Dr. Cathy Wu was a postdoctoral fellow, collaborated for decades on pioneering research in gene therapy, gene regulation, gene delivery, cell culture, and transfection (artificial introduction of DNA or RNA into cells through means other than viral infection). Together they hold 11 patents related to these approaches, including two licensed to biotech companies.
Dr. George Wu addresses the crowd at Einstein.
“My first story begins in the spring of 1970. I received a telegram… informing me that I was accepted to Albert Einstein College of Medicine and to the medical scientist training program.” — Dr. Wu
Speaking at the event, Yaron Tomer, M.D., the Marilyn and Stanley M. Katz Dean at Einstein, reflected on the significance of the gift and the careers of the Wus. “This remarkable gift ensures a lasting legacy of excellence at Einstein, propelling our mission forward for years to come and our commitment to continuing the excellence and the legacy of the MSTP program into the future,” he said. He also highlighted the couple’s scientific impact, noting that their extensive partnership “has yielded groundbreaking research.”
Dr. Wu reflected on his own journey to Einstein and the lasting impact of the MSTP. “My story begins in the spring of 1970. I received a telegram informing me that I was accepted to Albert Einstein College of Medicine and to the Medical Scientist Training Program,” he said. “It was one of the most exciting days of my life. It was really a dream come true.” He added that naming Dr. Akabas the inaugural director was “a small token of our appreciation and gratitude to Albert Einstein College of Medicine and to the people who were instrumental in making our careers successful.”
Dean Yaron Tomer tells the audience how the couple’s gift will benefit the MSTP program at Einstein for years to come.
Dr. Akabas, who has served as MSTP director since 2004 and is an alumnus of the program, expressed gratitude for the honor and for the community that supports the program. “It has been an incredible pleasure and a tremendous privilege to be the director of the MSTP at Einstein,” he said. “I look forward to continuing to work with the program for years to come.”
He also emphasized the essential role of faculty mentors in training physician-scientists, noting that the program depends on “amazing, outstanding research faculty who perform cutting-edge, state-of-the-art research and generously share their time and expertise to mentor and train the MSTP students.” Dr. Akabas is also a professor in the Dominick P. Purpura Department of Neuroscience and of medicine at Einstein.
Dean Yaron Tomer stands with honoree Dr. Myles Akabas.
Medical Scientist Training students stand with Drs. Catherine and George Wu and Dr. Akabas at the installation.
