Dr. George Hajishengallis Named Highly Cited Researcher for 2021
Dr. George Hajishengallis
Philadelphia — Penn Dental Medicine’s Dr. George Hajishengallis, Thomas W. Evans Centennial Professor in the Department of Basic & Translational Sciences, has been recognized for the scope and depth of his research — named on the Highly Cited Researchers™ 2021 list from Clarivate. This is the second year in row that he has been included in this recognition.
The annual list identifies researchers who demonstrated significant influence in their chosen field or fields through the publication of multiple highly cited papers during the last decade. Their names are drawn from the publications that rank in the top 1% by citations for field and publication year in the Web of Science™ citation index. In 2021, 6,602, or about 0.1%, of the world’s researchers have earned this exclusive distinction.
The methodology that determines the “who’s who” of influential researchers draws on the data and analysis performed by bibliometric experts and data scientists at the Institute for Scientific Information™ at Clarivate. It also uses the tallies to identify the countries and research institutions where the researchers are based.
The focus of Dr. Hajishengallis’ research is at the host-microbe interface of the oral mucosal barrier. His lab investigates how these local interactions cross-talk with systemic immunity and aims to define conditions that maintain homeostasis as well as understand the mechanisms by which homeostasis breaks down leading to disease. His research has illuminated novel mechanisms of homeostatic regulation of immunity, microbial dysbiosis, and inflammation and has been published in preeminent journals, such as Nature Immunology, Science Translational Medicine, Cell, Cell Host & Microbe, Journal of Clinical Investigation, PNAS, Science Signaling, New England Journal of Medicine, Nature Reviews Immunology and Nature Reviews Microbiology. Combining basic scientific and translational research, his work has led to innovative approaches to clinical problems, including periodontal disease, where his preclinical work has led to clinical trials of therapeutic compounds.
Dr. Hajishengallis is one of 47 researchers at the University of Pennsylvania included on the 2021 Highly Cited Researchers list.
“It is increasingly important for nations and institutions to recognize and support the exceptional researchers who are driving the expansion of the world’s knowledge. This list identifies and celebrates those individual researchers who are having a significant impact on the research community as evidenced by the rate at which their work is being cited by their peers,” said David Pendlebury, Senior Citation Analyst at the Institute for Scientific Information at Clarivate. “The research they have contributed is fueling the innovation, sustainability, health and security that is key for our society’s future.”
The full 2021 Highly Cited Researchers list and executive summary can be found online here.