Grant A. Challen, PhD

2024 Dean’s Impact Award Recipient

Since joining WashU Medicine in 2012, Grant A. Challen, PhD, has put mentoring at the center of his research program. Challen’s mentees are quick to share their positive experiences working with him. He fosters collaborations within the lab and facilitates trainees to achieve their career goals. During career development meetings with trainees, ranging from undergraduates to postdoctoral scholars, he often asks, “What can I do to make sure we get you there?” He continues to work at the bench for one-on-one teaching and provides feedback and troubleshooting along the way. He helps mentees network, apply for funding and launch their careers. His past pre- and postdoctoral trainees have all remained in medicine or science at universities or in industry, a testament to his positive spirit and unwavering confidence in them. Graduates of the lab continue to reach out to him for advice and guidance, which he gives freely. He is approachable and celebrates his trainees’ successes. Challen creates an environment where people can be themselves and have fun doing serious work. A nationally recognized expert in understanding how epigenetic marks regulate normal hematopoietic cell function and how they contribute to disease pathogenesis and the development of blood cancer, he provides continuous commitment to his mentees while advancing the research mission of WashU Medicine.