Joe Lopez, front, a graduate student in Virginia Shepherd's lab, received his Ph.D. in pathology, and Chris Lossin, a graduate student in Al George's lab, received his Ph.D. in neuoroscience, at the Graduate School ceremony last Friday. (photo by Dana Johnson)
Graduate students who made research discoveries in every corner of the Medical Center were honored at last week’s commencement ceremonies.
Forty-three students earned Doctor of Philosophy degrees in biomedical sciences in August, December, or May. Twenty-one of these students participated in the ceremony last week and received doctoral hoods — with dark blue velvet edging that signifies the Ph.D. degree — from their mentors or other departmental faculty members.
Graduate students interested in biomedical research enter the Interdisciplinary Graduate Program (IGP), and after a year of coursework and laboratory “rotations,” they choose research mentors and home departments. On average, students require about five years to earn the Ph.D. degree.
The majority of new graduates are continuing their research training as postdoctoral fellows.
Graduate students who received Ph.D. degrees:
May 2003
Kenneth David Bromberg, Biochemistry
Robert Learohn Caldwell, Pathology
David Truong Thanh Duong, Molecular Physiology & Biophysics
Erin MacDonald Eaton, Molecular Physiology & Biophysics
Vanessa Ann Thomas Fitsanakis, Neuroscience
Courtney Ann Greider, Cancer Biology
Zhaolin Hua, Molecular Biology
Bryan Edward Linggi, Biochemistry
Joseph Patrick Aquino Lopez, Pathology
Christoph Lossin, Neuroscience
Florence Louise Marlow, Molecular Biology
Erika Lynn Nurmi, Neuroscience
Joyce Ellen Ohm, Cancer Biology
Amy Elizabeth Sprowles, Biochemistry
Elizabeth Grace Tonkin, Pathology
William Hungliang Tu, Cancer Biology
Uri Aharon Vaknin, Cell & Developmental Biology
Molly Weaver, Cell & Developmental Biology
December 2002
Michelle Marie Becker, Microbiology & Immunology
Nikki Cheng, Cancer Biology
Amy Nicole Fox, Molecular Biology
Jennifer Jean Gentry, Neuroscience
Holli Beth Hutcheson, Molecular Physiology & Biophysics
Christopher Lee Rife, Biochemistry
Christopher Stephen Rogers, Pharmacology
Jennifer Lee Scruggs, Neuroscience
Karen Elizabeth Strunk, Cell & Developmental Biology
Rodney Wayne Thompson, Pathology
Tracy Christine Vargo-Gogola, Cancer Biology
Amy M. Wilstermann, Biochemistry
Donald John Wyma, Microbiology & Immunology
August 2002
Michael Travis Christensen, Pharmacology
Bradley Kent Draper, Cell & Developmental Biology
Nancy Dumont, Cancer Biology
Walter Earl Gall, Molecular Biology
Dae-Woong Jo, Microbiology & Immunology
Jongho Lee, Pharmacology
Franklin McRay Mullins, Pharmacology
Joyce J. Ou, Neuroscience
John Andrew Schoenhard, Pharmacology
Heike Sellien, Neuroscience
Layton Harris Smith, Pharmacology
Robert Walter Tilghman, Pathology