Congratulations!  CBA Past President Richard Y. Zhao Honored as AAAS Fellow

The Chinese Biopharmaceutical Association (CBA) congratulates Dr. Richard Y. Zhao, CBA’s 15th President (2012–2013) and a long-time member since the Association’s founding in 1995, on his election as a 2025 Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

AAAS recently announced its 2025 class of fellows, recognizing 449 scientists, engineers, and innovators worldwide for distinguished contributions to scientific research, technological innovation, and science communication. Founded in 1848, AAAS is the world’s largest multidisciplinary scientific society and the publisher of the prestigious journal Science. Election as an AAAS Fellow is widely regarded as one of the most respected honors in the scientific community.
Dr. Zhao is a tenured professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, where he holds appointments in the Departments of Pathology and Microbiology & Immunology and serves in the Institute of Human Virology and the Institute for Global Health. He also directs the Division of Molecular Pathology, the founding director of the Translational Genomics Laboratory, and the Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory of the University of Maryland Medical Center.
Dr. Zhao was recognized “for pioneering virologic research using fission yeast models to study human viruses, advancing public education on HIV/AIDS and COVID-19, and for integrating molecular biology into clinical diagnostics, now widely recognized as molecular pathology.”
Dr. Zhao received his M.S. and Ph.D. from Oregon State University and later served on the faculties of Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, where he held the Bernard L. Mirkin, Ph.D., M.D. Research Scholar, an endowed chair. In 2019, he was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology (AAM).
During his tenure as CBA President, Dr. Zhao introduced the slogan “CBA: The Bridge of U.S.–China Biopharmaceuticals,” strengthening the organization’s mission of fostering collaboration between the U.S. and China in the life sciences. He also helped establish the CBA Guangzhou Office and the CBA Office in Montgomery County, Maryland.

Source: AAAS Official Website