Jinhong Chang, MD, PhD, was chosen for her outstanding research in molecular virology and antiviral drug discovery.
The Baruch S. Blumberg Institute presented the Harvey J. Alter Chair, a newly created honor, to Jinhong Chang, MD, PhD, during an Oct. 24 event at the Institute.
The Chair is named for Harvey J. Alter, MD, a Nobel laureate whose research greatly advanced the understanding of hepatitis and member of the Hepatitis B Foundation’s Scientific and Medical Advisory Board.
Dr. Chang, who is vice president of drug development at the Blumberg Institute, was selected in recognition of her outstanding contributions to antiviral research and drug development, exceptional leadership and dedication to the Blumberg Institute over the past 10 years. Dr. Chang’s research focuses on the discovery and development of antiviral drugs and innate immune modulators for treatment of hepatitis B, hepatitis D, dengue, yellow fever and other viral hemorrhagic fever diseases.
“To be entrusted with a chair named after Dr. Harvey Alter is both an honor and a responsibility,” Dr. Chang said. “Working at the Blumberg Institute has been a fantastic experience. The professorship will serve as a platform to advance my team’s research and make a real difference in human health, one step at a time.”
The Harvey J. Alter Chair provides dedicated funding for a distinguished Blumberg Institute researcher to conduct viral research in perpetuity. The chair is being inaugurated with a significant Leadership Gift made by the Raymond F. Schinazi & Family Foundation, along with dedicated funds committed by the Blumberg Institute.
Harvey Alter discovered the Australian antigen, now known as the hepatitis B virus, in 1964, along with Dr. Baruch S. Blumberg, co-founder of the Blumberg Institute. Dr. Alter was awarded the Albert Lasker award and the Nobel Prize for confirming the new hepatitis virus, which was initially called “non-A, non-B hepatitis,” that was causing most transfusion-related hepatitis infections. The virus is known today as hepatitis C.
“To have an academic chair bearing my name is an honor, but to be the recipient of that chair and professorship is a much greater honor, which Jinhong Chang so richly deserves,” Dr. Alter said.
Dr. Alter joined the National Institutes of Health (NIH) as a senior investigator and retired from the NIH as Chief, Infectious Diseases Section, and Associate Director for Research, Transfusion Medicine. He earned his medical degree from the University of Rochester and is a fellow of the American College of Physicians.
A leading center for translational research
Founded by the Hepatitis B Foundation in 2003, the Baruch S. Blumberg Institute has become a leading center for translational research in hepatitis B, liver cancer and antiviral drug discovery and development.
The Institute’s President and Chief Scientific Officer, Ju-Tao Guo, MD, who recruited Dr. Chang, said: “A chair professorship is a prestigious academic honor that recognizes faculty with outstanding achievements. Dr. Chang’s remarkable contributions to antiviral drug discovery at the Blumberg Institute, along with her dedicated service to the international antiviral research community, make her a truly deserving recipient of the Harvey J. Alter Chair.”
“As a long-time colleague, I have witnessed Dr. Chang’s unwavering commitment and perseverance over the past decade,” Dr. Guo said. “Her leadership in the development of yellow fever virus NS4B inhibitors stands as a testament to her scientific excellence. I am confident that Dr. Chang will lead the Blumberg drug development team to achieve great success.”
Dr. Chang received her medical degree and doctorate in clinical virology from Peking University Health Science Center in Beijing. She completed her postdoctoral training at Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia, where she began her research on the molecular virology of viral hepatitis and the development of antiviral therapeutics.
Before transitioning to research, Dr. Chang practiced as a hepatologist for five years. Her research career spans over two decades, with a focus on antiviral drug discovery and translational medicine. Her work centers on the discovery and development of direct-acting, small-molecule antivirals, host-targeting agents and immune modulators for hepatitis viruses, as well as emerging pathogens such as the yellow fever, dengue and other hemorrhagic fever viruses. She has written more than 120 publications in peer-reviewed journals and holds seven patents.
Dr. Chang currently leads a cross-functional team under an NIH-funded program that is developing a first-in-class, orally available antiviral candidate for yellow fever, targeting the viral nonstructural protein 4B.
She previously served as board secretary of the International Society for Antiviral Research (ISAR) and as an Editor for Antiviral Research. Dr. Chang actively contributes to the antiviral research community through peer review and scientific leadership, including her role as a standing member of the NIH Drug Discovery and Molecular Pharmacology study section.
If you are interested in supporting the groundbreaking research underway at the Blumberg Institute, please contact development@hepb.org.
About the Baruch S. Blumberg Institute: An independent, nonprofit research organization, the Blumberg Institute was launched in 2003 by the Hepatitis B Foundation to advance its research mission. Today, the Institute is a leading center for translational research in hepatitis B, liver cancer and related diseases. Our scientists primarily focus on understanding the pathobiology of hepatitis B virus and related diseases, developing diagnostics for early detection of liver cancer and therapeutics for the cure of chronic hepatitis B. Their research extends to investigating other RNA viruses causing hepatitis and hemorrhagic fever and developing antiviral drugs and immune modulators to treat these viral diseases. The Institute’s faculty members have expertise in virology, immunology, cancer biology, chemistry and drug development. The Blumberg Institute’s labs and offices are in the Pennsylvania Biotechnology Center (PABC), which it manages, in Doylestown, Pa. The Institute also runs a state-of-the-art incubator in Philadelphia, B+labs at Cira Centre, in partnership with Brandywine Realty Trust. Visit our website and follow us on LinkedIn and X, @BlumbergInstit1.
Jinhong Chang, MD, PhD, was chosen for her outstanding research in molecular virology and antiviral drug discovery.
The Baruch S. Blumberg Institute presented the Harvey J. Alter Chair, a newly created honor, to Jinhong Chang, MD, PhD, during an Oct. 24 event at the Institute.
The Chair is named for Harvey J. Alter, MD, a Nobel laureate whose research greatly advanced the understanding of hepatitis and member of the Hepatitis B Foundation’s Scientific and Medical Advisory Board.
Dr. Chang, who is vice president of drug development at the Blumberg Institute, was selected in recognition of her outstanding contributions to antiviral research and drug development, exceptional leadership and dedication to the Blumberg Institute over the past 10 years. Dr. Chang’s research focuses on the discovery and development of antiviral drugs and innate immune modulators for treatment of hepatitis B, hepatitis D, dengue, yellow fever and other viral hemorrhagic fever diseases.
“To be entrusted with a chair named after Dr. Harvey Alter is both an honor and a responsibility,” Dr. Chang said. “Working at the Blumberg Institute has been a fantastic experience. The professorship will serve as a platform to advance my team’s research and make a real difference in human health, one step at a time.”
The Harvey J. Alter Chair provides dedicated funding for a distinguished Blumberg Institute researcher to conduct viral research in perpetuity. The chair is being inaugurated with a significant Leadership Gift made by the Raymond F. Schinazi & Family Foundation, along with dedicated funds committed by the Blumberg Institute.
Harvey Alter discovered the Australian antigen, now known as the hepatitis B virus, in 1964, along with Dr. Baruch S. Blumberg, co-founder of the Blumberg Institute. Dr. Alter was awarded the Albert Lasker award and the Nobel Prize for confirming the new hepatitis virus, which was initially called “non-A, non-B hepatitis,” that was causing most transfusion-related hepatitis infections. The virus is known today as hepatitis C.
“To have an academic chair bearing my name is an honor, but to be the recipient of that chair and professorship is a much greater honor, which Jinhong Chang so richly deserves,” Dr. Alter said.
Dr. Alter joined the National Institutes of Health (NIH) as a senior investigator and retired from the NIH as Chief, Infectious Diseases Section, and Associate Director for Research, Transfusion Medicine. He earned his medical degree from the University of Rochester and is a fellow of the American College of Physicians.
A leading center for translational research
Founded by the Hepatitis B Foundation in 2003, the Baruch S. Blumberg Institute has become a leading center for translational research in hepatitis B, liver cancer and antiviral drug discovery and development.
The Institute’s President and Chief Scientific Officer, Ju-Tao Guo, MD, who recruited Dr. Chang, said: “A chair professorship is a prestigious academic honor that recognizes faculty with outstanding achievements. Dr. Chang’s remarkable contributions to antiviral drug discovery at the Blumberg Institute, along with her dedicated service to the international antiviral research community, make her a truly deserving recipient of the Harvey J. Alter Chair.”
“As a long-time colleague, I have witnessed Dr. Chang’s unwavering commitment and perseverance over the past decade,” Dr. Guo said. “Her leadership in the development of yellow fever virus NS4B inhibitors stands as a testament to her scientific excellence. I am confident that Dr. Chang will lead the Blumberg drug development team to achieve great success.”
Dr. Chang received her medical degree and doctorate in clinical virology from Peking University Health Science Center in Beijing. She completed her postdoctoral training at Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia, where she began her research on the molecular virology of viral hepatitis and the development of antiviral therapeutics.
Before transitioning to research, Dr. Chang practiced as a hepatologist for five years. Her research career spans over two decades, with a focus on antiviral drug discovery and translational medicine. Her work centers on the discovery and development of direct-acting, small-molecule antivirals, host-targeting agents and immune modulators for hepatitis viruses, as well as emerging pathogens such as the yellow fever, dengue and other hemorrhagic fever viruses. She has written more than 120 publications in peer-reviewed journals and holds seven patents.
Dr. Chang currently leads a cross-functional team under an NIH-funded program that is developing a first-in-class, orally available antiviral candidate for yellow fever, targeting the viral nonstructural protein 4B.
She previously served as board secretary of the International Society for Antiviral Research (ISAR) and as an Editor for Antiviral Research. Dr. Chang actively contributes to the antiviral research community through peer review and scientific leadership, including her role as a standing member of the NIH Drug Discovery and Molecular Pharmacology study section.
If you are interested in supporting the groundbreaking research underway at the Blumberg Institute, please contact development@hepb.org.
About the Baruch S. Blumberg Institute: An independent, nonprofit research organization, the Blumberg Institute was launched in 2003 by the Hepatitis B Foundation to advance its research mission. Today, the Institute is a leading center for translational research in hepatitis B, liver cancer and related diseases. Our scientists primarily focus on understanding the pathobiology of hepatitis B virus and related diseases, developing diagnostics for early detection of liver cancer and therapeutics for the cure of chronic hepatitis B. Their research extends to investigating other RNA viruses causing hepatitis and hemorrhagic fever and developing antiviral drugs and immune modulators to treat these viral diseases. The Institute’s faculty members have expertise in virology, immunology, cancer biology, chemistry and drug development. The Blumberg Institute’s labs and offices are in the Pennsylvania Biotechnology Center (PABC), which it manages, in Doylestown, Pa. The Institute also runs a state-of-the-art incubator in Philadelphia, B+labs at Cira Centre, in partnership with Brandywine Realty Trust. Visit our website and follow us on LinkedIn and X, @BlumbergInstit1.