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Congratulations to Monica Goodland, G4 School of Medicine Award, for being awarded
the F30 National Institutes of Health Fellowship. This award represents an investment
by the NIH for the recipient to become an independent investigator. Monica is honored
and looks forward to contributing to the traumatic brain injury study field, so she
may better understand mechanisms leading to cognitive impairment and increased risk
of dementia later in life.
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We would like to extend our congratulations to Samantha Cooke for achieving first
place in the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Student Research Forum. Sam is a second-year
M.D./Ph.D. student working with Dr. Rajeev Aurora in the Department of Molecular Microbiology
and Immunology. Her research is centered around estrogen-loss-mediated T cell activation
in the central nervous system of mice and how this inflammation can lead to neurocognitive
impairment. We commend her dedication and hard work toward advancing medical research
and wish her continued success in her future endeavors. |
Congratulations to Andy Wu. He received third place in the 58th Alpha Omega Alpha
Medical Student Research Forum. Andy is a sixth-year M.D./Ph.D. student in the Department
of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, in the lab of Dr. Rajeev Aurora. His current
Ph.D. research focuses on osteoimmunology and how T cell-mediated inflammation leads
to deteriorating bone quality and mass postmenopause. He has also examined how estrogen
loss postpartum activates TNFα and IL-17A expression in memory T cells that is needed
for bone resorption to release calcium during lactation. |
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Congratulations to Daniel Pike, M.D., Ph.D., in Dr. Ford's lab on receiving the Wendell
H. Griffith Award in Biochemistry.
The award is presented each year to a graduating medical student who has shown excellence
in biochemistry and a continuing interest in applying biochemistry to medicine.
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Valerio Rasi is the first-prize winner of the Three-Minute Thesis (3MT) competition,
doctorate level. Valerio is an M.D./Ph.D. student, completing his Ph.D. in molecular
microbiology and immunology in the laboratory of Daniel Hoft, Ph.D., and he is scheduled
to defend his thesis April 29.
The 3MT competition started at the University of Queensland, Australia, and allows
graduate students to compete with a video that summarizes their graduate work in three
minutes on one slide. Valerio distinguished himself at this challenging endeavor,
and it will serve him well for his return to medical school to complete his M.D. degree.
Emily Cybulla is a fifth-year M.D./Ph.D. candidate in Alessandro Vindigni's lab, which
recently relocated from the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at SLU
to the Division of Molecular Oncology at Washington University in St. Louis. Emily
submitted her Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) application
in December 2019. This F30 application, titled "Targeting Rad18-dependent replication
stress pathways to modulate chemoresponse in BRCA1-deficient cancers," was officially
funded through the NIH's National Cancer Institute in July 2020. Emily's F30 proposal
combines research aimed at defining molecular mechanisms underlying chemoresponse
in breast and ovarian cancers, collaboration and mentorship opportunities with physician-scientists
and cancer clinicians, and continued integration of her scientific interests in the
DNA replication and repair fields with her clinical interests in medical oncology.
The F30 fellowship will support Emily's remaining time in her graduate program and
her remaining clinical years in medical school.
