Heather Rooke

ISSCR - International Society for Stem Cell Research

Heather Rooke, Ph.D., is the Scientific Director for the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR), working closely with the society’s leadership, committees, task forces and staff to disseminate information and ideas relating to stem cell research to both the research community and the public. She directs the ISSCR’s scientific and educational initiatives, including the ISSCR websites, online educational platforms and newsletter. She oversees the ISSCR’s publishing relationships and drives the operations of the society’s open access journal Stem Cell Reports.

Dr. Rooke first joined the ISSCR as Science Editor in October 2005. She played an instrumental role in the development of the ISSCR’s “Guidelines for the Conduct of Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research” (2006), “Guidelines for the Clinical Translation of Stem Cells” (2008) and “Patient Handbook on Stem Cell Therapies” (2008). In 2010, she worked with the ISSCR’s Task Force on Unproven Stem Cell Treatments and in the development of the ISSCR’s web-resource, “A Closer Look at Stem Cell Treatments,” that communicates information on stem cell treatments to patients, their families and care-providers.

Dr. Rooke completed her Ph.D. in Molecular Medicine at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, with scholarships from the Cancer Society of New Zealand and the Matamata Leukemia Research Trust. She received her postdoctoral training as a research fellow with Dr. Stuart Orkin at Boston Children’s Hospital, MA USA, where her research interests included transcription factor control of normal and aberrant hematopoiesis. During this time, Dr. Rooke participated in work that identified a component critical for hematopoietic stem cell renewal. A fascination with stem cell research and an interest in the development of scientific forums for professional and public communication and education drew her to her position with the ISSCR.