Lina M. Obeid

Lina M. Obeid (July 22, 1955 – November 29, 2019) was an American physician and cancer researcher.

Lina M. Obeid
Born
Lina Marie Obeid

July 22, 1955
New York City, NY
DiedNovember 29, 2019(2019-11-29) (aged 64)
OccupationMedical researcher

Early life

Lina Marie Obeid was born in New York and raised in Lebanon, the daughter of Dr. Sami Obeid, a renowned Lebanese surgeon, and Rosette Z. Obeid, a Palestinian writer and cookbook author.[1] Obeid earned a bachelor's degree in Chemistry from Rutgers University.[2] She earned her medical degree at the American University of Beirut in 1983.[3]

Career

Obeid completed her medical internship and residency at Duke University (1983-1986), followed by a fellowship in Endocrinology and postdoctoral training in the laboratory of future Nobel laureate Robert Lefkowitz (1986-1988). She remained at Duke as an Associate Professor of Medicine and Cell Biology, and as a staff physician at the Durham VA Medical Center. In 1998, she joined the faculty of the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) as the Boyle Professor in the departments of Medicine and Biochemistry. She was also on staff as a physician at the Charleston Veterans Affairs Hospital.[3] While at MUSC, in addition to her research, Dr. Obeid led a very successful program funded by a COBRE grant that trained a large number of scientists in various aspects of lipid research. She particularly fostered the careers of numerous women scientists. In 2012, she moved to Stony Brook University where she was a SUNY Distinguished Professor of Medicine [4] and Dean of Research [5] at Stony Brook University's Renaissance School of Medicine. Dr. Obeid was also co-director (with Yusuf A. Hannun) of the Kavita and Lalit Bahl Center for Metabolomics and Imaging,[6][7] a major program focused on the study of lipids, metabolism, and imaging in Cancer Biology and Therapeutics.[2][8]

Obeid's research involved sphingolipids [9] and their role in aging and cancer processes.[10][11] She is considered a pioneer in the field of bioactive sphingolipids, and wrote or co-authored over 250 academic research articles and reviews.[3] Among her many contributions was the first study documenting a role for ceramide in mediating apoptosis,[12] and defining the roles of bioactive lipids in cell senescence.[13] In 2019, Obeid (with Yusuf A. Hannun) received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 16th International Conference on Bioactive Lipids in Cancer, Inflammation and Related Diseases. She was the first woman so honored by the conference. "It’s so important for emerging scientists – especially for young women considering a career in the sciences – to know they can make a difference in the field of cancer research," Obeid said, in receiving the award.[14] Supporting her research laboratory, Obeid held both a Veteran Affairs Merit Award and a National Institutes of Health research grant for over two decades.[15]

Personal life

Obeid was married to fellow medical researcher Yusuf A. Hannun.[16] Their triplet children,[17] Reem, Marya, and Awni, have all found careers in research.[18][19][20] She died in 2019, aged 64, from complications of lung cancer.[2]

References
  1. Obeid, Rosette Z. (November 2008). Healthy Vegan Cooking: Recipes from the Middle East. AuthorHouse. ISBN 978-1-4389-3231-6.
  2. Dunaief, Daniel. "Lina Obeid, Renowned Award-Winning SBU Scientist". TBR News Media. Retrieved 2020-01-11.
  3. Honn, Kenneth V.; Raz, Avraham (2019-12-26). "Professor Lina M. Obeid (1955–2019)". Cancer and Metastasis Reviews. 38 (4): 839. doi:10.1007/s10555-019-09837-x. ISSN 1573-7233. PMID 31879849.
  4. "Three Women Appointed to Distinguished Professorships at the State University of New York". Women in Academia Report. December 1, 2017 – via ProQuest.
  5. "Three Women Appointed to Positions as Dean". Women in Academia Report. March 21, 2012 – via ProQuest.
  6. Ricks, Delthia (November 30, 2016). "Cancer center opening at Stony Brook". Newsday. Retrieved 2020-01-11.
  7. "The Kavita and Lalit Bahl Center for Metabolomics and Imaging". Youtube. Retrieved 2020-05-19.
  8. Avila, Joseph De (November 13, 2006). "Family History Inspires Cancer Lab". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2020-01-11.
  9. Hannun, Yusuf A., and Lina M. Obeid. "Principles of bioactive lipid signalling: lessons from sphingolipids" Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology, vol. 9, no. 2, 2008, p. 139+. Gale OneFile: Health and Medicine, Accessed 11 Jan. 2020.
  10. "Lina Obeid, MD | Stony Brook Cancer Center". cancer.stonybrookmedicine.edu. Retrieved 2020-01-11.
  11. "Front and Center: Lina M. Obeid, MD | Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University". Renaissance School of Medicine, Stony Brook University. Retrieved 2020-01-11.
  12. Obeid, Lina M., Corrine M. Linardic, Linda A. Karolak, and Yusuf A. Hannun "Programmed cell death induced by ceramide" Science, vol. 259, issue 5102, 1993, p. 1769-1771. Accessed 18 May 2020.
  13. Venable, Mark E., Joanna Y. Lee, Miriam J. Smyth, Alicja Bielawska, and Lina M. Obeid "Role of ceramide in cellular senescence" J. Biol. Chem., vol. 270, issue 51, 1995, p. 30701-30708. Accessed 18 May 2020.
  14. "Dynamic Duo: Cancer Researchers Receive Lifetime Achievement Award". Stony Brook Cancer Center. Retrieved 2020-01-11.
  15. "List of grants held by Lina Obeid". Grantome. Retrieved 2020-05-19.
  16. "Yusuf Hannun". Honorary Doctorates, American University of Beirut. Retrieved 2020-01-11.
  17. McCurdy, Layton (May 29, 2012). "Biochemistry, Molecular Biology chair named". Medical University of South Carolina. Retrieved 2020-01-11.
  18. "Bio - Reem A Hannun". NASA Science and Exploration Directorate. Retrieved 2020-01-11.
  19. "Marya Hannun". Georgetown University Faculty Directory. Retrieved 2020-01-11.
  20. "Awni Hannun". Stanford University. Retrieved 2020-01-11.
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