Penn Medicine’s E. Michael Ostap and Qi Long have been named 2020 Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) for their distinguished efforts toward advancing science and maintaining the highest standards of professional ethics and scientific integrity. This year, 489 AAAS members have been selected as fellows by their peers for their “scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications.”

E. Michael Ostap, professor of physiology and director of the Pennsylvania Muscle Institute, is being recognized for his contributions to the fields of biophysics and biochemistry, particularly for using single-molecule and biochemical techniques to study cytoskeletal motors. The Ostap Laboratory studies the molecules responsible for powering cell movements and shaping the architecture of cells and tissues. Their recent work also includes investigating the motor proteins responsible for pumping the heart and characterizing drugs and disease-causing mutations that affect cardiac contractility.

Qi Long, professor of biostatistics in the department of biostatistics, epidemiology and informatics, director of the Center for Cancer Data Science, and associate director for cancer informatics of the Penn Institute for Biomedical Informatics, is being honored for his contributions to analysis of incomplete data, causal inference, and analysis of big data for advancing precision health. In addition to being named a Fellow of the AAAS, Dr. Long is an elected fellow of the American Statistical Association and an elected member of the International Statistical Institute.

The AAAS is the world’s largest general scientific society and includes more than 250 affiliated societies and academies of science. Founded in 1848, the AAAS has maintained the tradition of naming Fellows since 1874. Members are eligible to become Fellows if they have had continuous involvement with the organization for four years. The 2021 AAAS Fellows will be inducted during a virtual ceremony on February 13, 2021.