Dr. Michael Berens ’71 – 2023 St. Ignatius of Loyola Award for Distinguished Service

In the Virginia G. Piper Center for Math and Science, there is a mural of great Jesuit scientists—a daily reminder to students of our Jesuit legacy in the fields of science, math, medicine and other STEM disciplines. These are towering historical figures who inspire us, but closer to home, there are the Brophy alumni who have devoted their careers to using science to better lives and heal bodies, and no one represents that effort and that storied group better than Michael Berens, Ph.D.

Mike is the Deputy Director of Institutional Initiatives at Translational Genomics Research Institute, better known as TGen—Arizona’s premier private biomedical research institute. He was instrumental in founding the nonprofit where he also serves as the Director of the Cancer and Cell Biology Division and as a professor in the Brain Tumor Unit. Mike pursues new target discovery, mechanisms of drug delivery to the brain, and optimal correlative laboratory research to support early-stage clinical trials in patients with brain tumors. Additionally, he is an inventor on five patents, is the founding co-director of the Arizona Bioindustry Association, was the founding CEO of the International Genomics Consortium, and has served on the board of the Arizona Technology Council—including two years as chairman.

His journey has taken him from Brophy to the University of Notre Dame, Arizona State University, the University of Arizona, and to labs, medical departments, and research centers around the country and in Europe. He has mentored and provided training to over 30 doctoral and postdoctoral fellows; he is a reviewer for over 20 professional journals and on the editorial board of several others. He is the recipient of 25 grants for his long-standing research interest in cancer invasion. He co-authored the book “Predictive Drug Testing on Human Tumor Cells,” and has authored a number of chapters in medical texts and scores of articles in scientific journals. Strengthened by his faith, and encouraged by Patty, his wife of 47 years, he presses ahead to put his talents and insight toward the mission of alleviating suffering from disease.

It is also our good fortune that he likes nothing better than hosting Brophy’s young scientists and future doctors at TGen. Our students, indeed, have the opportunity to stand on the shoulders of giants.

Mike, thank you for accepting the Ignatian invitation to “Go forth and set the world on fire.” We are proud to recognize you as the 2023 recipient of the St. Ignatius Award for Distinguished Service.