Leadership at HiTS

Peter Sorger, PhD is the Otto Krayer Professor of Systems Biology at Harvard Medical School, Head of HiTS and Director of its Laboratory of Systems Pharmacology. Dr. Sorger’s research focuses on the systems biology of signal transduction networks controlling cell proliferation and death, the dysregulation of these networks in cancer and inflammatory diseases and the mechanisms of action of therapeutic drugs targeting signaling proteins, and he directs multi-disciplinary research in the LSP that uses mathematical and experimental approaches to develop and apply new concepts in drug discovery. Dr. Sorger received his AB from Harvard College, PhD from Trinity College, Cambridge University U.K., under the supervision of Hugh Pelham and trained as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of California, San Francisco with Harold Varmus and Andrew Murray. Prior to founding HiTS, Dr. Sorger served as a Professor of Biology and Biological Engineering at MIT and cofounded Merrimack Pharmaceuticals and Glencoe Software.

Laura Maliszewski, PhD oversees the research, education and outreach activities of the Laboratory of Systems Pharmacology which combines computational modeling and precise measurement to understand drug action in humans. Prior to joining HMS, Dr. Maliszewski was an Officer in the Science and Innovation Network of the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office, developing a broad portfolio of research collaborations in regenerative medicine, health economics and stratified medicine. She is responsible for the strategic alliance of the UK Stem Cell Bank with the Massachusetts Human Stem Cell Bank and Registry, and contributed to the development of the UK Catapult Centers for technology development.

Sandro Santagata, MD, PhD is an Associate Professor in the Deptartment of Pathology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. He practices neuropathology focusing on brain tumor diagnosis. Dr. Santagata directs the development and implementation of methods to image cancer tissues, extracting molecular information that sheds light on how cancers form and then develop aggressive features. Over the next years, we will use these new methods to build a richer understanding of the biology of cancer and immune cells in their native setting.

As Director of Research, Catherine Luria, PhD oversees HiTS sponsored research programs and works to establish new partnerships with research institutes, private industry, and federal agencies. Dr. Luria helps drive the HiTS strategic vision and is a strong champion for data FAIRness and research reproducibility, leading initiatives to optimize workflows and dissemination of research products. Prior to joining HiTS, Dr. Luria completed her doctoral studies in microbial ecology at Brown University.

Research Interests: Research rigor & reproducibility, Pain and pain management

Monica Ruse, PhD is the Program Director of the Harvard-MIT Center for Regulatory Science (CRS). In this role, she is responsible for implementing the strategic vision of the Center, engaging with internal partners across Harvard schools and external stakeholders that include the FDA. She oversees the Center’s operations, education initiatives, event programming, and a range of other projects and collaborations.
Prior to joining CRS, Monica led the administration of grants and biomedical research projects in the Harvard Program in Therapeutic Science and at the Division of Reproductive Health of Population Council, an international non-profit NGO headquartered in New York City. She also served as a Technology Specialist at Bell, Boyd and Loyd LLP where she assisted in prosecution of U.S. and foreign biotechnology applications. She holds a Ph.D. in Cell Physiology from Case Western Reserve University and a Bachelor of Science in Physics from University of Bucharest.

Cheryl Hutt, MBA joined HiTS in 2014 and oversees the team that manages and supports all administrative functions. The Admin team’s mission is to provide the HiTS community with exceptional human resource, finance, and administration services while ensuring compliance with all applicable federal, sponsor, and University guidelines. Since coming to Harvard in 2005, Cheryl has held administrative positions in Risk Management & Audit Services (RMAS), in Financial Administration (FAD); the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology; and the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health. In 2020 she obtained certification from the Society for Human Resource Management as a Senior Certified Professional with the designation of SHRM-SCP. Cheryl served a three year term on the Harvard University Employee Credit Union Board, and also chaired the Audit Committee. Prior to her employment at Harvard, Cheryl worked for Bank of America as Director, Global Energy and Environmental Services in Corporate Banking. She obtained a BA and MBA from Simmons University.