EPSCoR/IDeA Foundation

Dr. Patricia H. Hand is Administrative Director of the Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory (MDIBL), an independent biomedical and marine research institution in Salisbury Cove, Maine. Dr. Hand received her Ph.D. from the George Washington University in 1980 in Microbiology. At the National Cancer Institute, NIH, Dr. Hand’s research studies included the identification and molecular characterization of factors that govern the expression of tumor associated antigens, the development and characterization of novel antibodies directed against tumor associated antigens, the development of in vitro and in vivo model systems to study the immunodiagnosis and immunotherapy of human cancers, and the development of vaccines for cancer therapy. These preclinical translational studies resulted in two patents and 96 publications, and contributed to the development of several clinical trials. In 1998, Dr. Hand served as a Scientific Review Officer for the Oncological Sciences Initial Review Group, Center for Scientific Review, NIH. In 2000, Dr. Hand was recruited to the MDIBL as Administrative Director where she administers MDIBL’s year-round and seasonal programs.

Dr. Hand has mentored more than 50 undergraduate, graduate and medical students, and postdoctoral fellows. At the NIH and MDIBL, Dr. Hand has had experience in building collaborative multi-institutional cooperative research networks. She is PI of the Maine IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence in Comparative Functional Genomics, funded by the National Center for Research Resources. Dr. Hand serves on the national EPSCoR/IDeA Foundation, the IDeA PI Council, the Maine Innovation Economy Advisory Board, the Maine Marine Research Coalition, the Maine Biomedical Research Coalition, and the Steering Committee of the University of Maine Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences.