Graduate students honored at ceremony

Graduate students honored at ceremony

Graduate students who made research discoveries in every corner of the Medical Center were honored at last week’s commencement ceremonies.

Fifty-two students earned Doctor of Philosophy degrees in biomedical sciences in August, December, or May. Twenty-two 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 are critical to the research efforts of the University,” said Roger Chalkley, D.Phil., senior associate dean for Biomedical Research Education and Training. “If you ask the research faculty what they want in their labs, bright, creative graduate students top the list every time.”

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 slightly longer than five years to earn the Ph.D. degree, Chalkley said.

The majority of new graduates are continuing their research training as postdoctoral fellows.

“Our graduates are getting good postdoctoral fellowships, where they want them – mostly at other first-rate institutions,” Chalkley said.

Graduate students who received Ph.D. degrees:

May 2001

Erika Marie Adkins–Pharmacology.

April Denise Bragg – Cell Biology.

Abby M.S. Cheng – Cell Biology.

Jodi Lynn Connolly – Microbiology & Immunology.

Eric Shannon Dawson – Pharmacology.

Christine Marie Donmoyer – Molecular Physiology & Biophysics.

Tara Lynn Gower – Microbiology & Immunology.

Mary Catherine Hanlon – Molecular Physiology & Biophysics.

Hakryul Jo – Cell Biology.

Gina Marie Perez – Molecular Physiology & Biophysics.

Raymond Daniel Price – Pharmacology.

David Emery Reese – Cell Biology.

Erin Elizabeth Reich–Pharmacology.

Amy Catherine Sims–Microbiology & Immunology.

John Michael Stafford – Molecular Physiology & Biophysics.

December 2000

Amy Lynn Altman – Molecular Biology.

Daron Curtis Barnard – Molecular Biology.

Erik Sean Barton – Microbiology & Immunology.

Andrea Lee Bauman – Pharmacology.

William Todd Brigance – Molecular Biology.

Charles Geoffrey Burns – Cell Biology.

Paul Bryan Bushdid – Microbiology & Immunology.

Billy Todd Dye – Molecular Biology.

Amelia Justine Entingh – Cell Biology.

Caroline Elizabeth Erter – Cell Biology.

Michelle Savidge Mochow Grundy – Microbiology & Immunology.

Jean-Paul Kovalik – Microbiology & Immunology.

Eleanor McDonald Sandstead McCarthy – Biochemistry.

Maureen Ann McDonnell – Cell Biology.

Lil Margarita Pabon – Cell Biology.

John Gregory Partridge – Pharmacology.

Maciej Robert Pawlak – Microbiology & Immunology.

Steven Lee Sanders – Molecular Physiology & Biophysics.

David Jason Scholl – Pharmacology.

Hyeon-Gyu Shin – Pharmacology.

Ka-Choi Tang – Molecular Physiology & Biophysics.

Robin Bruce Webster – Cell Biology.

August 2000

Sandra Aung – Microbiology & Immunology.

Carol Anne Gibson Bost – Microbiology & Immunology.

Dana Michelle Brantley – Cell Biology.

Christa Lynn Brown – Cell Biology.

Brian Stanley Egan – Biochemistry.

Frank Alexander Feltus – Cell Biology.

Seokmann Hong – Microbiology & Immunology.

Nancy Renee Keller – Pathology.

Kimberly Fekany Lee – Molecular Biology.

Kim Marie Lickteig – Cell Biology.

John Peter Plastaras – Biochemistry.

Zoe Ann Stewart – Biochemistry.

Ryan Scott Streeper – Molecular Physiology & Biophysics.

Clinton Dennison VanValkenburgh – Microbiology & Immunology.

Christopher Shawn Williams – Cell Biology.