Thanks to the tremendous generosity of Dr. Robert Wagner and his wife, Mary, the Robert R. Wagner Fellowship Fund awarded fellowships to eight students in the Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program this year. Dr. Wagner served as professor and chair of Microbiology from 1967 to 1994 and contributed in many ways to the School of Medicine, UVA, and the scientific community.

The Wagner Fellowship Fund supports graduate students in the basic sciences within the School of Medicine who have demonstrated outstanding scientific potential, accomplishments, and service to their communities.

“We are fortunate to have this opportunity to recognize our most accomplished trainees. It is also a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the generosity of Bob and Mary Wagner, without whom these fellowships would not be possible,” said Janet Cross, PhD, Associate Dean for Graduate and Medical Scientist Programs and Associate Professor of Medical Education and Pathology.

Please join us in congratulating the 2026 Wagner Fellows.

Rising Third-Year Students

• Sophie O’Keefe, Microbiology (mentor: Qiwei Wang)
• Caitlin Sullivan, Biomedical Engineering (mentor: Sepideh Dolatshahi)
• Jingyi Wang, Computational Biology (mentor: Chongzhi Zang)

Rising Fourth/Fifth-Year Students

• Martyna Glowczyk-Gluc, Molecular and Cellular Basis of Disease/Experimental Pathology (mentor: Hui Li)
• Abbe Kelly, Neuroscience (mentor: Tajie Harris)
• Caeley Reever, Neuroscience (mentors: Manoj Patel and Charles Farber)
• Dana Van Fossen, Microbiology (mentor: Bill Petri)
• Sara Zdancewicz, Biophysics (mentor: Ahmad Jomaa)