Thomas McDade

Thomas Wesley McDade is an American biological anthropologist. He is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the National Academy of Sciences, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Thomas McDade
Born
Des Plaines, Illinois, USA
Academic background
EducationBA, biosocial anthropology, Pomona College
PhD, anthropology, 1999, Emory University
ThesisCulture change, stress, and immune function in Western Samoan youth (1999)
Academic work
InstitutionsNorthwestern University

Early life and education

McDade was born in Des Plaines, Illinois and graduated from Pomona College with a degree in biosocial anthropology. Following this, he completed his PhD in anthropology from Emory University and postdoctoral fellowship at the Carolina Population Center.[1]

Career

Upon completing his fellowship, McDade joined the faculty at Northwestern University (NU), in 2000.[1] Early in his tenure at NU, McDade was the recipient of an Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers for "undertaking important research that may ultimately improve child health through a better understanding of the social and environmental factors that affect the development of the human immune system."[2] Following this, McDade developed a minimally invasive finger-prick technique to study the connections between stress and health problems. He used this technique to examine bio-markers in populations in Samoa, Kenya, and Bolivia.[3] McDade later became the director of the Laboratory for Human Biology Research and of Cells to Society (C2S): The Center on Social Disparities and Health, as well as the director of the Graduate Cluster in Society, Biology, and Health. As such, he was elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.[4]

At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, McDade collaborated with Feinberg investigators, Richard D’Aquila, Brian Mustanski and Elizabeth M. McNally, to develop an at-home COVID-19 antibody test that can determine prior exposure to the SAR-CoV-2 virus using a drop of blood.[5] Later, he received a grant for his project "A bio-ecological integrative approach to understand the ‘hidden costs’ of COVID-19 on children."[6] In June 2020, McDade applied his at-home COVID-19 antibody test towards another project titled "Screening for Coronavirus Antibodies in Neighborhoods." The aim of the study was to test antibodies amongst pre-exposed Chicagoans.[7] As a result of his research, McDade was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences[8] and National Academy of Sciences.[9]

References
  1. "Thomas W. McDade". National Academy of Science. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
  2. "The Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers: Recipient Details". National Science Foundation. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
  3. Jones, Patrice M. (October 10, 2006). "Stress and Health". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved November 9, 2021 – via newspapers.com.
  4. Fellman, Megan (November 23, 2015). "Two Named AAAS Fellows". Northwestern University. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
  5. Hurd Anyaso, Hilary (May 6, 2020). "Northwestern team develops new antibody test for COVID-19". Northwestern University. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
  6. Hurd Anyaso, Hilary (August 6, 2020). "Anthropologists Katherine Amato and Thomas McDade receive grants for COVID-19-related health projects". Northwestern University. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
  7. Paul, Marla (March 18, 2021). "Home blood test for COVID-19 antibodies can measure vaccine effectiveness and progress toward herd immunity". Northwestern University. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
  8. Fellman, Megan (April 22, 2021). "Faculty elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences". Northwestern University. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
  9. "Professor Thomas McDade elected to the National Academy of Sciences". Northwestern University. April 26, 2021. Retrieved November 9, 2021.

Thomas McDade publications indexed by Google Scholar

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