Linda D. Wolff, Ph.D.
Presented June 9, 2007
Oath and Hooding Ceremony
Mershon Auditorium
Linda D. Wolff, Ph.D.
Dr. Linda Wolff came to The Ohio State University in 1970 after earning a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology from Elizabethtown College in Pennsylvania. After receiving a Master's Degree in Microbiology from Ohio State, she studied for her Ph.D. with Dr. Richard Olson in the College of Veterinary Medicine's former Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, receiving her doctorate in 1977. Her research on the immunological and oncogenic aspects of the feline leukemia virus (FeLV) produced eight publications in highly ranked journals. Dr. Wolff's graduate research included isolation of antigens from FeLV-infected cells and the demonstration that these were effective immunogens against oncogenic virus challenge. This antigen preparation was subsequently patented and used widely as a vaccine for cats. Dr. Wolff's substantial publication record during her PhD documents seminal work that was critical to the development of the FeLV vaccine and the acquisition of patent rights for the College. This vaccine remains the most lucrative patent in Ohio State history.
After graduation, Dr. Wolff joined the National Cancer Institute (NCI) in Dr. Edward Scolnick's Laboratory of Tumor Virus Genetics, where she continued investigations in retroviral pathogenesis with emphasis on leukemia induction. She worked closely with Dr. Sandra Ruscetti and has made seminal contributions in the understanding of the genetic basis of cancer. Dr. Wolff rose through the ranks to her present position as the Head of the Leukemogenesis Section, Laboratory of Cellular Oncology. In 2005 she was awarded membership in the highly prestigious Senior Biomedical Research Service (SBRS) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). SBRS is a competitive NIH category for scientists who are considered by their peers to be outstanding in their research accomplishments and in future research potential.
Dr. Wolff sits on the editorial board of the "Apoptosis," is an organizer since 1995 of the bi-annual international conference "Molecular Aspects of Myeloid Stem Cell Development and Leukemia," and co-organizer of the annual international "Retrovirus Pathogenesis" meeting. She also is a cancer research mentor for the Slovak Academy of Sciences and an advisor of the FDA on Retroviral Gene Therapies Safety Issues. Dr. Wolff has published 87 papers to date and is internationally recognized as a leader in molecular mechanisms of oncogenesis and cell differentiation.
