Dr. Chris D. Platsoucas Recognized for Achievements in Immunology and Academia

Dr. Platsoucas recently completed 10 years as dean of the College of Sciences at Old Dominion University

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Nov 05, 2018, 10:05 ET

NORFOLK, Va., Nov. 5, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Chris D. Platsoucas, Ph.D., is a distinguished biographee of Marquis Who's Who. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are chosen from among a pool of the most prominent professionals and are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.

An internationally renowned immunologist with more than four decades of professional experience, Dr. Platsoucas recently completed a 10 year term as dean of the College of Sciences at Old Dominion University. Under his leadership, the College has achieved a major expansion of its research and educational programs. Academic excellence and student enrollments, research and peer-reviewed research grant support, student success and net revenue generated by the College from tuition and research grants, were all substantially increased. Dr. Platsoucas joined Old Dominion University following six successful years as dean/acting dean of the College of Science and Technology at Temple University, where he played a pivotal role in enacting significant increases to the college faculty's peer-reviewed research grant support. As a leader in the academic community, Dr. Platsoucas has always placed a heavy emphasis on meeting the needs of students, collaborators and other faculty members.

A respected expert of human molecular and cellular immunology, auto-immune diseases, and cancer immunology and immunotherapy, Dr. Platsoucas takes great pride in his contributions to the scientific community. When he first began working as an immunologist in the 1970s, the field was not as well-known as it is today. Now, several decades later, Dr. Platsoucas has been pleased to see the ways in which doctors and researchers are paying more attention to cancer immunotherapy, which has subsequently led to important breakthroughs in the medical world. His own research has explored a wide range of related subjects, such as human T-cell immunology, T-cell antigen receptors, tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes in malignant melanoma, ovarian carcinoma, organ transplantation, chronic rejection, AIDS, multiple sclerosis, scleroderma, osteoarthritis, and other autoimmune diseases. In addition, Dr. Platsoucas holds several patents in the field and has contributed numerous articles to professional journals. His research is extensively cited in the scientific literature. He has been awarded over $23 million of research, training and research construction facility grants, primarily from the National Institutes of Health.

A native of Athens, Greece, Dr. Platsoucas developed an early interest in research and science. He went on to attend the University of Patras, where he received a Bachelor of Science in 1973. Shortly thereafter, Dr. Platsoucas relocated to the United States, where he completed postgraduate coursework at Purdue University. Upon receiving a Doctor of Philosophy from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1978, he became a research fellow with the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Dr. Platsoucas served as an assistant professor and head of laboratory biological response modifiers before accepting the role of associate professor with the department of immunology at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in 1985. He became a deputy chairman and professor in 1989, and was also selected to receive an Ashbel Smith Professorship from 1991 to 1992 and an H.L. and O. Stringer Professorship in Cancer Research from 1992 to 1993.

Dr. Platsoucas began his professional affiliation with Temple University in 1993, when he was named an L.H. Carnell Professor in the department of microbiology and immunology. In addition, he served as chairman of the department until 2006, during which time he served simultaneously as the founding acting dean of the College of Science and Technology from 1998 to 2000 and as the dean from 2000 to 2004. Dr. Platsoucas has served as dean of the College of Sciences at Old Dominion University for a period of ten years (2007-2017). Outside of his official appointments, he has worked as a biotechnology consultant and science reviewer of study sections with the National Institutes of Health since 1982. His other affiliations include The American Association of Immunologists, the American Association of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, the Society of Investigative Pathology, and the American Association for Cancer Research.

Early in his career, Dr. Platsoucas received the National Research Service Award from the National Institutes of Health. He went on to receive honorary degrees from the University of Thrace School of Molecular Biology and Genetics and University of Patras School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics while serving as dean at Old Dominion University. For the past 20 years, Dr. Platsoucas has been featured in a wide range of honors publications, including Who's Who in America, Who's Who in Medicine and Healthcare, Who's Who in Science and Engineering, and Who's Who in the World.

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