In Memoriam: Marianne Wessling-Resnick
Marianne Wessling-Resnick died on November 12, 2019. She was 61. A professor of nutritional biochemistry, Wessling-Resnick was a member of the Department of Nutrition and the Department of Molecular Metabolism (formerly the Department of Genetics and Complex Diseases). She was also a member of the PhD Program in Biological Sciences in Public Health, directing it from 2010 to 2014. Previously, Wessling-Resnick served as director of the Division of Biological Sciences and as a member of the Program in Quantitative Genomics.
Wessling-Resnick’s research interests included metal homeostasis and neurotoxicity, specifically genetic disorders of iron metabolism at the molecular level and their implications in complex disease. She was known for showing the role of iron status in the regulation of iron and manganese uptake by the intestinal, pulmonary, and olfactory pathways. Wessling-Resnick held degrees from Worcester Polytechnic Institute, the University of Chicago, and the University of Massachusetts Medical School, as well as a postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard Medical School.
In 2019, Wessling-Resnick received the Committee for the Advancement of Women Faculty (CAWF) Mentoring Award. “She is a generous coach to those under her mentorship who have difficult decisions to make,” the CAWF noted, “and she is especially appreciated for the understanding and respect she shows for colleagues and mentees balancing their roles as caregivers and professionals.”
