Virginia S. Hinshaw (University of Hawaii at Manoa)

Virginia S. Hinshaw received her bachelor's degree in laboratory technology from Auburn University in 1966, followed by an M.S. in microbiology in 1967. She then worked at the Medical College of Virginia as a clinical and research microbiologist from 1967-68. She returned to graduate school at Auburn in 1970 and received her Ph.D. in microbiology in 1972. Her graduate studies focused on virology, specifically the role of tissue tropism and cellular responses involved in virus diseases.



In 1974, she joined the University of California-Berkeley as a research virologist and studied the mode of transmission of feline leukemia virus. She then accepted a position as research associate in the Division of Virology at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. During the next ten years, she was responsible for an international surveillance program on influenza viruses in humans, lower mammals and birds. She focused on defining important hosts of influenza viruses in nature, particularly migratory birds, such as ducks. Her efforts also included biological and molecular characterization of influenza viruses from different species to determine their relatedness and identification of interspecies transmission of influenza viruses among pigs, birds, people and marine mammals.

In 1983-84, she spent a sabbatical year at Harvard Medical School studying immunological responses to viruses. Following that experience, she decided to pursue opportunities in academics, so, in 1985, she accepted a position as associate professor of virology in the Dept. of Pathobiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, at UW-Madison. She continued her research efforts in influenza, particularly the molecular basis of cell killing by influenza viruses, the basis for immune recognition and host range of the different viruses, and new approaches to vaccination, such as DNA vaccines. She taught virology to graduate, undergraduate and professional students and participated in graduate training programs in the Dept. of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Cellular and Molecular Biology, Biotechnology, Institute on Aging, and Animal Health and Biomedical Sciences. She was an active participant in mentoring programs for faculty, staff, and students. Her innovative and energetic teaching style centered on active participation by the students and received widespread recognition in the form of teaching awards, requests for presentations to diverse audiences and coverage in newspapers and magazines.

After promotion to professor in 1988, she served as Interim Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies for the UW-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine from 1992-93. In 1994, she accepted the position of Associate Vice-Chancellor and worked on efforts to reorganize the biological sciences, specifically creation of a biology undergraduate major, development of a new divisional committee structure, establishment of an administrative council composed of deans in the biological sciences, determination of the feasibility of a university neurosciences department and evaluation of the status of women in science on the campus.

In 1995, she was named Vice Chancellor for Research and Dean of the Graduate School and Senior Research Officer for UW-Madison. Her responsibilities included fostering excellence in research and graduate education. As principal adviser to the Chancellor on research, she was responsible for more than 8,600 graduate students in 181 master's and 125 doctoral fields of study. She oversaw a $100 million school budget and over $590 million in extramural funding for the campus, and administered over 20 cross-campus research and service centers.

In July 2001, she joined the University of California, Davis, as its Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor. She serves as the campus's chief academic and financial officer and acts for the chancellor in his absence. Her responsibilities include oversight of the campus's $1.5 billion budget; administrative leadership in planning, coordinating and implementing academic direction and programs; academic personnel administration; campus operations, including resource management and planning and policy development; health sciences administration, including governing body responsibility for the UC Davis Health System; information technology; academic and employee affirmative action; and liaison with the UC Office of the President, the Academic Senate and the Academic Federation.