Contact: Thonnia Lee, Office of Strategic Communications
Dr. Deepa Bedi, Director of the Center for Biomedical Research and a professor of Biomedical Sciences, was recently honored among 25 others as “Women Who Shape the State” by
This is Alabama. Honorees were selected for their commitment to strengthening their communities and creating lasting change across the state.
Dr. Bedi’s exceptional body of work spans two decades, including groundbreaking research in the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer. Dr. Bedi’s leadership at Tuskegee is cultivating a new generation of leaders in genomic science, to address long-standing disparities in research and healthcare outcomes, ensuring that genomic discoveries benefit all communities, particularly increasing participation from those areas in clinical trials for research.
As she took the stage to accept her award, Dr. Bedi’s thoughts were centered in gratitude.
“I am thankful to the university, my colleagues, my students, my mentors and above all Tuskegee University that provided me with this opportunity to lead from my passion for research to help humanity,” she said.
Dr. Bedi’s work is closing gaps in medical care for typically underfunded and less researched groups of people in rural Alabama and other communities, a focus that is a powerful reflection of Tuskegee University and its current Renaissance Era.
“Dr. Bedi stands in the same tradition as George Washington Carver, driven by a Renaissance‑era commitment to understanding the world and using knowledge to improve the human condition,” said Dr. Mark A. Brown, President and CEO. “Her work reflects a determination to take on the most complex scientific problems of our time and to pursue solutions that genuinely enhance the lives of people across the globe. I have seen firsthand the depth of her research, the clarity of her vision, and the confidence with which she leads other scientists. Her leadership gives me full confidence that Tuskegee’s research enterprise is in strong hands as we continue our journey toward becoming a high‑research-based university (R2) with a global impact.”
Dr. Bedi’s dedication to the science of breast cancer is deeply personal. Watching her mother and aunt succumb to breast cancer created a passion in Bedi to do something to stop this disease. Bedi has honored them through her work – including a U.S. patent on technology that more accurately diagnoses metastatic breast cancer. The invention provides peptide complexes that can be used to identify and isolate cancer-specific receptors as potential components for development of therapeutic antibodies, anticancer vaccines and diagnostics.
“Our community-centered efforts in cancer health disparities will lead to saving lives in these communities,” said Dr. Bedi. “We will know more and know sooner so that people, their families and their healthcare teams can address the root causes.”
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