Dr. Maria Irene Kontaridis is the Executive Director, Gordon K. Moe Professor and Chair of Biomedical Research and Translational Medicine, and the Director of Research at the Masonic Medical Research Institute in Utica, NY. She also holds a part-time faculty appointment as an Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Department of Medicine/Division of Cardiology in Boston, MA. Dr. Kontaridis received her undergraduate degrees (B.A. and B.S.) from the University of Florida in Classics and Chemistry, and subsequently, obtained her master’s degrees both in Pharmacology and in Biomedical and Biological Sciences from Yale University in 1999 and 2001, respectively. In 2002, she was awarded a Ph.D. from Yale University for work with Dr. Anton Bennett on the role of protein tyrosine phosphatases, especially SHP2, in cell growth and skeletal muscle differentiation. In 2015, she was named the Director of Basic Cardiovascular Research at BIDMC and in 2016 was promoted to Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. In 2018, Dr. Kontaridis took on a new role as the Director of Research at the Masonic Medical Research Institute in upstate NY, and in 2020 was promoted to Executive Director. Dr. Kontaridis’ independent research program focuses on the fundamental mechanisms underlying both congenital heart disease and end-stage heart failure, as well as the processes that lead to abnormal development, aberrant signaling and disease onset of lupus, gastrointestinal disease, autism, and cancer. Efforts in the lab utilize a myriad of tools and techniques including iPS cells, in vivo mouse model systems, and molecular biology techniques. Importantly, her work has been recognized and awarded grants from the Milton Foundation, the Children’s Cardiomyopathy Foundation, the Saving Tiny Hearts Foundation, the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, the Alliance of Lupus Research, the National Institutes of Health, and the Department of Defense, as well as has garnered support from industry and pharmaceutical companies.

Dr. Kontaridis is also actively involved in the medical and research community and has established herself in a number of significant leadership roles. In Boston, she served as co-chair for the Joint Committee on the Status of Women at Harvard Medical School, an important group dedicated to the development and leadership of women in the Harvard community. In addition, she also served as Chair of the Research Safety Committee at BIDMC, dedicated to development of proper work ethics and safety policies for research scientists. Dr. Kontaridis continues to be a member of Harvard Medical School, where she holds a joint appointment in the department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology. Locally, she serves on the Boards of the Mohawk Valley Economic Development Enterprises and the Kelberman Foundation (Autism). More nationally, Dr. Kontaridis is an appointed Fellow of the American Heart Association, where she has served on the Early Career Committee for the BCVS Council (Chair) and Council of Operations (Chair of AHA Early Career Councils). In 2018, Dr. Kontaridis was elected to serve as a Council member for the International Society of Heart Research (ISHR)-North American Section. More recently, in 2021, she was also appointed Fellow of ISHR and was elected Secretary on the Leadership Council. She has also co-chaired and organized the Weinstein Conference for Developmental Cardiology in 2015 and the AHA BCVS Summer Conference in 2016. She also co-chairs the bi-annual Olympiad in Cardiovascular Medicine Symposium in Athens, Greece.