On Saturday, May 16, it was a grand day as graduates, family and faculty gathered via Zoom to honor the remarkable academic achievements of 36 individuals. It was a celebration like no other in the school’s history, given the continued social distancing requirements of COVID-19. Patrick Grant, Associate Dean of Biomedical Sciences, addressed the unusual circumstances of the event, “I’ve never hosted a graduation ceremony before, but I’m told they’re not usually done by Zoom.”
Dean David Wilkes spoke about the pursuit of scientific discovery, “this whole process requires creativity, fortitude, vision, determination, strength, and patience,” he said. “Seeking answers, and truth takes courage and integrity,” he added. Grant highlighted the plight of a graduate student, “you’ve persevered, published much of your important work, often in some of the very best scientific journals, you’ve shaped the research of countless others that will follow in your footsteps, and you’ve successfully defended your dissertations. And if it weren’t difficult enough, some of you have done this recently via Zoom”. He continued, “it may seem uncertain what lies ahead as we find ourselves in the middle of a pandemic”. Quoting Albert Einstein, he said, “in the middle of difficulties, lie opportunities”.
At this time, we need Biomedical Scientists perhaps more than ever before, and the skill sets you have will be part of the solution.”
–Associate Dean Patrick Grant to students at the virtual graduation ceremony
Before introducing the 36 graduates, Grant added, “it is without question that we are proud of you. You are now part of the fabric of this institution. I thank you for the hard work that you’ve all done.” The graduates will move on to careers in research or medicine. Some will work as post docs, or in jobs in industry and government, or will serve as science advocates.
“We are very, very proud of your accomplishments. It’s not an easy task to get a PhD in Biomedical Sciences,” concluded Grant.
Images from the 2020 Virtual Graduation Ceremony
The following individuals completed their degree requirements.
| Student Name | Degree | Mentor | Project Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peter Balogh | PhD in Experimental Pathology | Adam Goldfarb | A Role for RUNX3 in Balanced Erythroid-Myeloid Differentiation |
| James Blair | PhD in Neuroscience | Jason Druzgal | Patterns of Pathological Progression in Parkinson’s Disease Revealed Through Cytoarchitectonic Mapping of Brain MRI |
| Christopher Bott | PhD in Cell Biology | Bettina Winckler | Role of the Intermediate Filament Protein Nestin in Modulating Growth Cone Morphology and Behavior |
| Tracy Anne Caldwell | PhD in Biophysics | Linda Columbus | Conformational Dynamics of the Membrane Enzyme Lipoprotein Signal Peptidase (LSPA) and Characterization of Bicelle Membrane Mimetics |
| Anne Carlton | PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics | John Bushweller | The Role of CBFß in Ovarian Cancer |
| Ajay Chatrath | PhD in Biochemistry & Molecular Genetics | Anindya Dutta | Germline Variation Affects Tumor Progression and Informs Clinical Therapy Decisions Across Cancers |
| William Chronister | PhD in Biochemistry & Molecular Genetics | Michael McConnell & Stefan Bekiranov | Exploring Brain Somatic Mosaicism Through Robust Copy Number Variation Detection in Single Cell Whole Genome Sequencing Data |
| Andrea Daamen | PhD in Microbiology | Timothy Bender | c-Myb Maintains Glucose Metabolism and Regulates Differentiation Across the Pre-BCR Checkpoint |
| Camille Drews | PhD in Experimental Pathology | Scott Vande Pol | Characterization of Papillomavirus E6 Proteins that Bind Cellular E6AP |
| Kelly Drews | PhD in Experimental Pathology | Mark Kester | Glucosylceramide Maintains Influenza Infection through Regulation of Cellular Endocytosis |
| Jacob Eccles | PhD in Microbiology | Judith Woodfolk | Defining Memory B-cell Responses to Human Rhinovirus Infection |
| Anthony Fernández-Castañeda | PhD in Neuroscience | Alban Gaultier | The Active Contribution of Oligodendrocyte Progenitor Cells to Neuroinflammation is Mediated by LRP1 |
| Awndre Gamache | PhD in Microbiology | Michael G. Brown | Natural Killer Cell Recognition of Viral Infection: Paired MHC I Receptors Facilitate Viral Detection and Clearance |
| Allissia Gilmartin | PhD in Microbiology | William Petri | An Investigation of the Role of Lysosomes in Amebic Trogocytosis and Cell Killing |
| Andrew Grainger | PhD in Biochemistry & Molecular Genetics | Weibin Shi | Identification of Genetic Factors in Atherosclerosis Using an ApoE Mouse Model |
| Benjamin Holloway | PhD in Neuroscience | Patrice Guyenet | Control of Blood Pressure, Breathing and Acute Stress Via The Rostral Ventrolateral Medulla |
| Steven Keller | PhD in Physiology | Brant Isakson and Linda Columbus | Endothelial Alpha Globin Controls Nitric Oxide Signaling |
| Alexander Ksendzovsky | PhD in Physiology | Brant Isakson | Metabolic Control of Neuronal Activation and Epilepsy |
| Corina Marziano-Willard | PhD in Physiology | Swapnil Sonkusare | Endothelial TRPV4 Channel Regulation of Pulmonary Arterial Pressure |
| Katrina McNeely | PhD in Neuroscience | Noelle Dwyer | Regulation of Cytokinesis in Neural Stem Cells During Cerebral Cortex Development |
| Christopher Medina | PhD in Microbiology | Kodi Ravichandran | Intercellular Metabolite Communication via Panx1 Coordinates Inflammation |
| Stephanie Melchor | PhD in Experimental Pathology | Sarah Ewald | IL-1R Drives Acute Disease Tolerance, Liver and Skeletal Muscle Fibrosis, and Sustained Cachexia During T. gondii Infection |
| Beth Melson | PhD in Microbiology | Melissa Kendall | Post-transcriptional Regulation of Virulence Gene Expression in Enterohemorrhagic E. coli O157:H7 |
| Nadine Michel | PhD in Neuroscience | Michael McConnell | Genomic Stress in Human Neurodevelopment: The Role of p53 |
| Ellen Mintz | PhD in Experimental Pathology | George Christ | Evaluation of Functional Outcomes Following Modification of a Tissue Engineered Muscle Repair Technology for the Treatment of Volumetric Muscle Loss |
| Sarbajeet Nagdas | PhD in Microbiology | David Kashatus and Todd Bauer | A Role of Dynamin-related Protein 1 in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma |
| Luke Oostdyk | PhD in Biochemistry & Molecular Genetics | Bryce Paschal and Michael McConnell | Regulation and Function of the Nuclear Transport Factor KPNA7 |
| Tori Osinkski | PhD in Experimental Pathology | Coleen McNamara | Inhibitor of Differentiation 3 Has Distinct Cell-specific Roles in Vascular Disease |
| Katherine Owsiany | PhD in Biochemistry & Molecular Genetics | Gary Owens | Defining Roles For Phenotypically Transitioned Smooth Muscle Cells in Atherosclerosis |
| Jennifer Pearson | PhD in Biochemistry & Molecular Genetics | Thomas Loughran | Targeting Acid Ceramidase in Acute Myeloid Leukemia |
| Carol Rowley | PhD in Microbiology | Melissa Kendall | Enterobacteriaceae Host Adaptation Driven by Intestinal Ethanolamine |
| Olivia Sabik | PhD in Biochemistry & Molecular Genetics | Charles Farber | Integrating Genetic and Genomic Analyses to Identify Novel Genes With a Role in the Complex Genetic Architecture of Osteoporosis |
| Stephen Shang | PhD in Biochemistry & Molecular Genetics | Mazhar Adli | Integrative Analysis of Epigenomics and Transcriptomics: Identifying Genes Necessary for Chemoresistance |
| Jacqueline Stevens | PhD in Microbiology | Alison Criss | Neutrophilic Inflammation Initiated by Gonococcal-endocervical Cell Interactions and Amplified by Migrating Neutrophils |
| Aditi Upadhye | PhD in Microbiology | Coleen McNamara and Timothy Bender | CXCR4 Maintains a Unique Bone Marrow B-1a Population and Regulates Atheroprotective IgM Production |
| Tiffany Wang | PhD in Microbiology | Thomas Loughran | Characterizing and Targeting the JAK/STAT Pathway in LGL Leukemia |
We salute our graduates and wish them the very best as they move to the next phase of their lives!