Graduate Student and Postdoc News
Take a look at the recent achievements of current Health Center
graduate students and postdoctoral fellows!
November 2011
Mahesh Thirunavukkarasu, Ph.D
Post Doctoral Fellow, Department of Surgery,
Molecular Cardiology and Angiogenesis Laboratory, P.I. Dr.
Nilanjana Maulik
Dr.Thirunavukkarasu was awarded BCVS Abstract Travel
Grant to attend the AHA Scientific Sessions, Nov. 2011 in
Orlando. He received an award valued at over $600 which consists
of: travel stipend to help defray the cost of travel to present
his work at the AHA Scientific Sessions; one-year membership in
the AHA, to be affiliated with the Council on Basic
Cardiovascular Sciences and one-year on-line subscription to the
AHA journal Circulation Research. Dr. Thirunavukkarasu’s
abstract title was “Silencing Prolyl Hydroxylase-1(PHD-1)
Induces Neovascularization, Reduces Ventricular Remodeling by
Stabilization and Activation of HIF-1 Alpha, NF-Kappab in the
Infarcted Myocardium: A Study With PHD-1 Knockout Mice”
October 2011
Mr. John Redden
Ph.D. Student, Cell Biology, P.I.:
Dr. Kimberly Dodge-Kafka
Mr. Redden was awarded a two year predoctoral fellowship from
the American Heart Association ($42,000) to study "AKAP18
regulation of I-1, a novel mechanism of phosphatase inhibition
in the heart".
June 2011
Graduate Student Research Day, June
9, 2011
Ms. Arpita Singh
Ph.D. Student, Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, P.I.:
Dr. Kimberly Dodge-Kafka
Ms. Singh was chosen by the Graduate Programs Committee as
the recipient of the 2012 Lepow Award. The Lepow Award was
established in 1986 in honor of Dr. Irwin H. Lepow, a well-known
faculty member, researcher and founding father of UCHC. This
award is given to support the outstanding fourth-year graduate
Ph.D. student in the Biomedical Sciences Program. The recipient
receives a $1,500 award, and presents a research talk at
Graduate Student Research Day the following year.
~~~
Also at Graduate Student Research Day, students participated
in the Graduate Student Poster Session. Posters were judged by a
team of faculty members and awards were given to the presenters
with the top three posters. This year's winners were:
Ms. Pin-Fang "Ivy" Chen
Ph.D. Student, Genetics and Developmental Biology, P.I.:
Drs. Marc Lalande and Storm Chamberlain, for her poster "FOX
splicing factors and UBE3A neuron-specific imprint in angelman
syndrome iPS cells and derivatives."
Mr. Harry Qui
Ph.D. Student, Immunology, P.I.:
Dr. Adam Adler, for his poster "CD134 (OX40) plus CD137
(4-1BB) dual costimulation drives cytotoxic CD4 Th1 cell
differentiation."
and
Ms. Kaitlyn Vernier
Ph.D. Student, Cell Biology, P.I.: Dr. Linda Shapiro,
for her poster "CD13 is involved in immune cell trafficking in
inflamation and solid tumors."
March 2011
Yurong Fei
Ph.D. student, Skeletal, Craniofacial and Oral Biology, P.I.
Dr. Marja Hurley
Ms. Yurong Fei was selected to receive a 2011 ASBMR Young
Investigator Award at the 2011 Forum on Aging and Skeletal
Health. The award includes a $1,000 honorarium to support travel
to the 2011 Forum on Aging and Skeletal Health in NIH, Bethesda,
MD. Ms. Fei's abstract title is " FGF2 Positive Regulation of
Osteoblasts Differentiation and Bone Formation is Partially
Mediated by Modulation of the Wnt Pathway".
October 2010
Sierra Root
Ph.D. student, Genetics and Developmental Biology, P.I. Dr.
H. Leonardo Aguila
Ms. Sierra Root was awarded Best Poster Presentation at the New
England Stem Cell Consortium’s 2nd Annual Junior Investigator
Symposium, which was held at the University of Vermont on
October 8, 2010. The title of her poster was: “Identification,
Isolation and Lineage Progression of Progenitors from Human
Embryonic Stem Cells”.
Jessica Hollenbach
Ph.D. student, Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, P.I. Dr.
Chris Heinen
Ms. Jessica Hollenbach has received a $1,000 American
Association for Cancer Research Scholar-in-Training Award to
attend the AACR Special Conference on Colorectal Cancer: Biology
to Therapy in Philadelphia, PA on October 27-30. Her abstract is
entitled "Loss of DNA mismatch repair in planarian adult stem
cells provides an in vivo survival advantage"
July 2010
Adam Mastrocola
Ph.D. student, Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, P.I. Dr.
Chris Heinen
The Health Career Opportunity Programs has awarded Mr. Adam
Mastrocola its Faculty Recognition Award for his many years of
effective teaching in the summer Medical/Dental Preparatory
Program. The award includes a $500 travel allowance as well as
inclusion of his name on a plaque. Mr. Mastrocola, PhD student,
has recently successfully defended his dissertation.
June 2010
Graduate Student Research Day, June
3, 2010
Ms. Crystal Morales
Ph.D. Student, Immunology, P.I.:
Dr. Zihai Li
Ms. Morales was chosen by the Graduate Programs Committee as
the recipient of the 2011 Lepow Award. The Lepow Award was
established in 1986 in honor of Dr. Irwin H. Lepow, a well-known
faculty member, researcher and founding father of UCHC. This
award is given to support the outstanding fourth-year graduate
Ph.D. student in the Biomedical Sciences Program. The recipient
receives a $1,500 award, and presents a research talk at
Graduate Student Research Day the following year.
~~~
Also at Graduate Student Research Day, students participated
in the Graduate Student Poster Session. Posters were judged by a
team of faculty members and awards were given to the presenters
with the top three posters. This year's winners were:
Ms. Tina Bose
Ph.D. Student, Immunology, P.I.: Dr. Leo Lefrançois, for her poster "The
Role of β2 Integrins in Host Reponses to
Infection."
Ms. Jessica Hollenbach
Ph.D. Student, Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, P.I.:
Dr. Chris Heinen, for her poster "Loss of DNA Mismatch
Repair in Planarian Adult Stem Cells Provides an In Vivo
Survival Advantage."
and
Ms. Kristina Kapinas
Ph.D. Student, Cell Biology, P.I.: Dr. Anne Delany, for
her poster "MicroRNA-29 Modulates WNT Signaling in Human
Osteoblasts Through a Positive Feedback Loop."
May 2010
Dr. Jeremy McAleer
2009 Ph.D. Graduate, Immunology, P.I.: Dr.
Anthony Vella
Dr. McAleer was awarded the 2010 Edward G. Henderson Memorial
Prize for outstanding Ph.D. thesis in Biomedical Science for his
thesis "Investigating the Adjuvant Effects of
Lipopolysaccharide on T Cells in Mice".
This prize was established in memory of Dr. Edward G.
Henderson, a faculty member in the Department of Pharmacology
from 1968 to 1997. Dr. Henderson is remembered for his
commitment to graduate education and his dedicated supervision
of graduate students.
Ms. Lynn Truesdale
2010 M.P.H. Graduate
Ms. Truesdale was this year's recipient of the 2010 Mulvihill
Medal awarded by the Master of Public Health Program for the
student with the most outstanding academic record in combination
with excellence in their capstone project. Ms. Truesdale's
applied practice project was "Strategic Planning: Mission
and Vision Statement Development for the Connecticut Public
Health Association." she is currently Quality
Management Facilitator at Windham Hospital, Willimantic,
Connecticut
The award was established by Dr. James E. and Mary Jane
Mulvihill. Dr. Mulvihill was vice president, provost, and
executive director of the UConn Health Center from 1980 to 1992.
He and his wife were committed to the University and worked
tirelessly on its behalf.
March 2010
Yurong Fei
Ph.D. student, Skeletal, Craniofacial and Oral Biology, P.I. Dr.
Marja Hurley
Ms. Yurong Fei has been selected for The Endocrine Society
Outstanding Abstract Award for her work entitled “Modulation of
Wnt Signaling Pathway in the Absence of Endogenous FGF2”. The
award will help support her travel to the 2010 Society meeting
in San Diego, California in June.
William Housley
Ph.D. student, Immunology, P.I. Dr. Robert Clark
Mr. William Housley has been chosen to give two Oral
Presentations at this year's American Association of
Immunologists meeting in Baltimore, MD. in May 2010. The titles
of his talks are:
"The type 2 TNF receptor plays a critical role in the activation
of Tregs in vivo."
"The nuclear hormone receptor PPARgamma regulates T cell
activation and survival in lymphopenic autoimmune models."
Jia Xie
Ph.D. student, Cell Biology, P.I. Dr. Lixia Yue
Mr. Xie, published a co-first author paper titled
"TRPM7-Mediated Ca2+ Signals Confer Fibrogenesis in
Human Atrial Fibrillation," which was featured on the March
cover of Circulation Research and was the first article on
Editor's pick. Read the article at
http://circres.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/full/106/5/992.
|
