To the OSU Community:

President Ray and I are pleased to share with you that OSU Alumni, Dr. Ann A. Kiessling will be our 2014 Commencement Speaker and Honorary Doctorate recipient.

Dr. Kiessling is the director of the Bedford Stem Cell Research Foundation and a leader in both stem cell research and reproductive biology.  After receiving her Ph.D. at OSU in Biochemistry and Biophysics, Dr. Kiessling held a faculty appointment at OHSU and then joined the faculty of Harvard University in 1985.  There she specialized in obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive biology, and worked with the Department of Surgery.

Dr. Kiessling is noted for her discovery of reverse transcriptase activity in normal human cells.   This discovery spearheaded the importance of naturally occurring retrovirus sequences in human genes, now thought to be important to the genetic plasticity involved in human evolution and biology.  In the early 1990’s she pioneered reproductive options for couples with the HIV diseases and Hepatitis C.  The techniques she developed led to successful births of 121 children free of those diseases.

Dr. Kiessling’s book, “Human Embryonic Stem Cells: An Introduction to the Science and Therapeutic Potential”, published in 2003 and released in 2006, is the first textbook on the topic.  In addition, she’s published more than 100 scientific papers and has given more than 60 lectures to audiences around the world.

We are honored that Dr. Kiessling will give our commencement address during the 2014 OSU graduation ceremony.

Sincerely,