Shu Man Fu Award

Shu Man Fu receives Distinguished Basic Investigator Award

Dr. Fu, who investigates the genetic and environmental factors associated with systemic lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis, was honored with the award from the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) in December 2012, in recognition of his distinguished contributions to the field of basic and clinical immunology.

In an interview with the ACR’s “The Rheumatologist,” Dr. Fu talked about being a good mentor.

“You have to be frank with your mentees when analyzing data. Frequent discussions of data and current literature help lead to new ideas and experiments. You also have to leave them alone to explore their ideas and experience the joy of being independent.”

His advice for young investigators?

“The key is to immerse yourself in your research for a period of time, maybe three or four years, with no distractions. You have to think about your research problem all the time; this is not a 9 to 5, Monday through Friday job. You have to be able to look at developments in multiple areas and try to bring them to bear on your own research. Most important, you have to think big so that you will work on important questions.”