Albert Einstein College of Medicine is deeply saddened by the death of our much beloved colleague, Dr. Paul Frenette. An internationally renowned scientist, inspiring leader, and devoted mentor, Paul's legacy will live on in the breadth of his research and in the dozens of students, postdoctoral fellows, and faculty members he has guided over his three decades in academic medicine. We will miss his sincere kindness, generosity, quiet humor, sharp mind, and gracious spirit.
Paul was recruited to Einstein in 2010 to become the founding director and chair of the Ruth L. and David S. Gottesman Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Research, where he recruited key faculty members and created a premier stem cell research institute. Paul, who was also a professor of medicine and of cell biology, was a brilliant and tremendously creative scientist who made significant contributions to medicine. Among his many contributions, his lab identified critical mechanisms underlying sickle cell-mediated vascular occlusion, described the bone marrow stem cell niche, and discovered that the nervous system regulates hematopoietic stem cell trafficking as well as prostate cancer progression.
Paul was also an elected member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation and the Association of American Physicians. He served on the editorial boards of Blood and The Journal of Clinical Investigation, on the Medical Advisory Board of the New York Stem Cell Foundation, as chair of the scientific committee on thrombosis and vascular biology of the American Society of Hematology, and on multiple panels at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health.
Our heartfelt condolences go out to his wife, Nadine, and his children, Clara and Alberic. For those who wish to make a contribution in Paul's name, please kindly use the below donation form.
Text adapted from a New York Times obituary.