The University of Washington School of Medicine is pleased to announce that Dr. Jennifer (Jen) Davis has been appointed Director of the Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine (ISCRM), effective October 1, 2025.
Dr. Davis is a distinguished cellular and molecular physiologist whose pioneering research focuses on cardiac wound healing and regeneration. She has been serving as ISCRM’s Interim Director since 2024 and brings deep experience in leadership, research, and community engagement to this new role.
“Jen is exceptionally well qualified to lead this outstanding institute,” said Timothy H. Dellit, MD, CEO of UW Medicine, Dean of the UW School of Medicine and Executive Vice President for Medical Affairs at the University of Washington. “Her vision, scientific expertise, and commitment to collaboration will continue to advance ISCRM’s mission of transforming discoveries into new treatments for patients.”
Dr. Davis first joined the University of Washington School of Medicine and ISCRM in 2015 after earning her PhD from the University of Michigan and completing postdoctoral training at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. From 2020 to 2024, she served as ISCRM Associate Director, overseeing fundraising and stewardship, research core operations, communications, and faculty and staff relations. She has also directed the UW Center for Cardiovascular Biology since 2020.
Her laboratory, based in the departments of Bioengineering and Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, uses genetic engineering to explore how scar tissue affects heart repair and function. Dr. Davis identified critical molecular signals that activate scar-forming myofibroblast cells and developed strategies to either promote or block scarring—advances that hold promise for regenerative medicine and heart failure therapies.
As ISCRM Director, Dr. Davis will lead efforts to:
- Foster multidisciplinary collaboration across UW and partner institutions
- Advance models of chronic and inherited diseases
- Invest in the training of the next generation of scientists
- Strengthen ISCRM’s service to the public through K–12 education and community outreach
“I am honored to lead ISCRM at such an exciting time for regenerative medicine,” said Dr. Davis. “Together, we will build on the institute’s incredible strengths in discovery science and translational research, while continuing to engage and inspire our broader community.”
About the Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine
Since 2006, researchers at the Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine have been harnessing stem cells as instruments of discovery and treatment, learning from the human body’s natural capacity to repair itself, and developing new technologies to solve the biggest challenges in medicine, safely and effectively. ISCRM is now one of the largest research institutes at the University of Washington, bringing together schools and colleges from medicine, engineering, and other disciplines to confront the root causes of heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, muscle disorders, and other conditions impacting people worldwide.