Dr. Hassel received his B.S. from the University of Miami and his Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University in 1989. Following postdoctoral fellowships at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences and the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Dr. Hassel joined the faculty of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Maryland, School of Medicine in 1995.
Research in Dr. Hassel’s laboratory focuses on the endonuclease RNase-L that functions in host defense from microbial pathogens and as an endogenous constraint on cell proliferation. Dr. Hassel and his co-workers were the first to clone RNase-L over 20 years ago and subsequent work from my lab has contributed significantly to our current understanding of its biochemical and biological activities. The long-term goal of Dr. Hassel´s work is to determine the mechanisms by which RNase-L mediates innate immune and tumor suppressor functions with the objective of modulating these activities for therapeutic applications. Dr. Hassel claims that balancing work and family is tough for all scientists. Setting aside time for personal wellness is always difficult. He also claims that his collective experiences have emphasized the importance of honest and direct interpersonal relationships, treating others with respect and freely sharing your expertise and knowledge. Dr. Hassel also claims that if he could go back in time, he would spend more time developing ‘people skills’. Nobody told him how important these are for success in all fields- not just science
