Mervin C. Yoder, M.D.
Distinguished Professor, Indiana University
Richard and Pauline Klingler Professor of Pediatrics and
Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Director, Herman B Wells Center for Pediatric Research
Associate Dean for Entrepreneurial Research
Indiana University School of Medicine

Dr. Yoder will present a seminar entitled "Identification of the mesoderm subset that gives rise to iPS-derived ECFC.”

Dr. Yoder’s bio:
Dr. Yoder is the Associate Chair for Basic Research in the Department of Pediatrics and the Director of the Herman B Wells Center for Pediatric Research. Dr. Yoder’s research interests include identifying the origin and mechanisms of mobilization of circulating endothelial colony forming cells (ECFCs), identifying a method to directly program ECFCs from pluripotent stem cell-derived mesoderm precursors, and defining the role of human endothelial colony forming cells in promoting neoangiogenesis in a variety of ischemic injuries in newborn or adult rodent models of human clinical disorders. He was appointed by the Governor of Indiana to the Advisory Board of the Indiana Cord Blood Bank, is a consultant to EndGenitor Technologies, Inc. (a stem cell company he co-founded), and is a past president of the International Society for Experimental Hematology. He is Chair of the Committee for Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine for the American Society of Hematology. He is an Associate Editor for Stem Cells and Development and is on the editorial board of 7 other journals related to hematology or cardiovascular medicine.  He has published over 300 peer-reviewed manuscripts, editorials, book chapters, and books. He has received continuous NIH funding since 1997. He has mentored more than 60 undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and visiting scientists and all have attained science teaching, academic or industry research, or physician practice positions. He continues to provide clinical care of critically ill neonates in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit as an Attending Neonatologist and member of IU Health Physicians.

Dr. Yoder’s publications can be accessed at http://scholar.google.com/citations?user=n1-QfXEAAAAJ&hl=en

Dr. Yoder became an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the Indiana University School of Medicine (IUSM) in 1985, was awarded tenure in 1991 and promoted to Professor of Pediatrics and of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in 2000.  In 2004, Dr. Yoder was named the Richard and Pauline Klingler Professor of Pediatrics.  In March 2008, he was promoted to Director, Herman B Wells Center for Pediatric Research and Associate Chair for Basic Research in the IUSM Department of Pediatrics. He was promoted to Distinguished Professor in 2013; the first pediatrician to ever be so honored by Indiana University.

In June 2011, he was chosen to serve as Assistant Dean for Entrepreneurial Research for the IUSM and Associate Director for Entrepreneurship for the Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute. In 2014, he was promoted to Associate Dean for Entrepreneurial Research. In this role, Dr. Yoder encourages the entrepreneurial activities of IUSM faculty members, helps develop IU policies and programs to enhance entrepreneurship, and has written curriculum to educate IU faculty on the steps to technology transfer. Most recently, he has recruited a successful entrepreneur from industry to lead the Industry Collaboration Portal (established by Dr. Yoder) to develop new industry-academic partnerships. The ICP has promoted numerous meetings between industry and academia that have resulted in new funded collaborations and partnerships. The ICP has also initiated a program of entrepreneurial development called SPARK Indy modeled after the program originally developed at Stanford.