new exhibits open at institute for the medical humanities
TRANSCRIPT
Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
Quarterly Alumni Newsletter, Winter 2013
Table of Contents
This web-based version of the GSBS Alumni Newsletter is designed to be easier to select what you wish to read
or to view the newsletter article by article, as before. Please select each headline to read the related article or
just page down. Your feedback is welcome, so please email your candid opinion to Jo Bremer, director of the
GSBS Office of Postgraduate Affairs, or call 409-772-2684. It is published under the auspices of the GSBS
Associates, alumni & friends, for the alumni, faculty, staff, students and friends of the Graduate School of
Biomedical Sciences; officers are listed below.
GSBS Recognizes 61 Exceptional Scholars at Awards and Scholarships Luncheon
Graduate School Scholarships and Awards Recipients
Students
Student Experiences the Culture of Infectious Diseases in a Developing Country
Graduate School
UTMB Wins Prestigious National Education Award
6 Students and 4 Postdocs Receive Awards at Annual Forum on Aging New Exhibits Open at Institute for the Medical Humanities
Shared Grant to Teach Innovation and Entrepreneurship to Researchers
Postdocs
Career Development Is Focus of Postdoc Appreciation Week
Alumni
Save the Date: Homecoming Is March 22-23
GSBS Seeks Nominations for Distinguished Alumnus Award
Class Notes & News Briefs
Class Notes
Postdoctoral Alumni
Students
Faculty
Get Access to the Graduate School Global Community
Research
Discovery of Mosquito Virus Could Lead to New Vaccines and Drugs
Pioneering Work May Lead to Chronic Pain Relief
$7.6 million grant to study roles of infections and allergies in asthma
Research Shows Diabetes Drug Improves Memory
GSBS Associates Executive Committee Officers & Staff, 2012-13
The GSBS Alumni Newsletter is published quarterly by the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Office of
Postgraduate Affairs. Inquiries, comments and class notes items may be directed to Jo Bremer by calling 409-
772-2684; writing to 301 University Boulevard, Galveston, TX 77555-1050; faxing to 409-772-5420; or by
email to [email protected].
Officers
Name Office Program and Year
James Templer, PhD President IMH ’02
Robert Fader, PhD President Elect M&I ’80
Ralph Henderson, PhD Recording Secretary HBC&G ‘70
Barbara Sasser, PhD Past President HBC&G ‘83
Executive Committee
Staff
Joanna Bremer, Director of Postdoctoral and
Postgraduate Affairs, IMH 2008.
Name Program and Year
Anthony DiNuzzo, PhD PMCH 2004
Carla Kinslow, PhD Cell 2008
Shannon Langford, PhD Ex Path 2001
Andrew McNees, PhD HBC&G 1997
Vicente Santa Cruz, PhD Ex Path 2001
H. David Shine, PhD CPMB 1980
Kathryn Stream, PhD PMCH 1982
Lee Woodson, MD, PhD Pharm 1977
Drs. Dan, from right, and Jean Freeman, with David Gundermann, Rehabilitation Sciences, and Dr. Blake Rasmussen after David received the Emily E. Dupree Endowed Award, established by the Freemans.
Matt Huante and
Shannon Carroll
GSBS faculty who received Graduate Program Teaching Awards.
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GSBS Recognizes 61 Exceptional Scholars at Awards and Scholarships Luncheon
The Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences recognized the achievements of the exceptional young women
and men who study science, conduct research and contribute to the
success of research at the University of Texas Medical Branch. The
occasion was the annual GSBS Awards and Scholarship Luncheon
on November 2, where 77 awards and scholarships worth $137,665
went to 61 GSBS students and postdoctoral fellows.
Dr. Cary Cooper, vice president and dean of the Graduate
School, welcomed about 150 students and family, faculty and staff
to the event at the San Luis Resort and Conference Center in
Galveston. He also introduced Dr. Danny O. Jacobs, the university’s
new executive vice president, provost and dean of the School of
Medicine, and recognized and thanked the UTMB benefactors who
created and sustain the endowments for scholarships and awards.
“Without your generous support of our students,” he said, “none of
this would be possible.”
Each year the Graduate Student Organization (GSO), after
considering feedback from the graduate students, selects honorees
for its special awards. Matt Huante, GSO president, presented the
GSO Faculty Award for Student Advocacy to Darren Boehning,
PhD, Cell Biology, a faculty member who consistently advocates for
students, is supportive and responsive, and puts students' best interests first. This year’s winner has been
credited with helping to revamp the cell biology curriculum, supporting the very active
Society for Cell Biology, and fostering networking among cell biology students that will
lead to professional relationships down the road.
Ashley Purgason, Population Health Sciences, earned the GSO Student Award,
sponsored by the University Federal Credit Union. She served as the president of the
GSO, president of the UTMB Student government association, and is currently serving as
the student regent for the entire UT system. Ashley was unable to attend, but she said she
was truly honored to have been selected. The GSO Program Coordinator Award went to
Shannon Carroll, Population Health Sciences and Master of Public Health, for efforts
beyond her duties to insure students’ best chance for advancement, and for helping to
make each student’s education not only successful, but more enjoyable.
The main feature of the program was the presentation of the awards by Drs. Dorian
Coppenhaver, senior associate dean for student affairs, and David Niesel, vice dean of the GSBS. The list of
awards and recipients is below.
The ceremony also allows students to
recognize and thank faculty members who
most inspired them throughout the previous
year. Faculty members who received Graduate
Program Teaching Awards were Drs. James
Graham, PhD, Population Health Sciences;
Therese Varklan, Nursing; Jose Barral,
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology; Janice
Endsley, Microbiology & Immunology;
Gustavo Valbuena, Human Pathophysiology
& Translational Medicine; Mark Clark, Medical Humanities; Giulio Taglialatela, Cell Biology; Judith
Aaronson, Pathology, and Hal Hawkins, also Pathology.
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Graduate School Scholarships and Awards Recipients The graduate students and postdoctoral scientists listed below received the following 2012 scholarships or
awards, after a faculty review process.
SCHOLARSHIP/AWARD RECIPIENT DEPARTMENT OR PROGRAM
Ann Anderson Scholarship Amol Karmarkar Rehabilitation Sciences
Marie & Talbert Aulds Scholarship Antonea Jackson Nursing
James E. Beall II Award in
Anatomy - Restricted Mathieu Bakhoum MD/PhD – GSBMS (Neuroscience)
James E. Beall II Memorial -
Unrestricted Levani Zandarashvili Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
William Bennett Bean Nicole Piemonte Medical Humanities
Robert Bennett Scholarship Kirk English Rehabilitation Sciences
Robert Bennett Scholarship Muayad Almahariq MD/PhD – GSBS (Pharmacology &
Toxicology)
Biological Chemistry Student
Organization
Abhijnan
Chattopadhyay Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Biological Chemistry Student
Organization Kimberlee Burckart Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Marianne Blum, Ph.D. Endowed
Scholarship Levani Zandarashvili Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Barbara Bowman Scholarship Alexandre Esadze Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Barbara Bowman Scholarship Paige Spencer Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Dennis Bowman Memorial Christof Straub Biomolecular Resource Facility
Chester R. Burns Institute for
MEHU Rimma Osipov
MD/PhD – GSBS
(Medical Humanities)
Zelda Zinn Casper $1,000 Travel
Award Nicole Piemonte Medical Humanities
Zelda Zinn Casper Stipend Nicole Piemonte Medical Humanities
Center for Tropical Diseases Michael Patterson Experimental Pathology
Cary & Kay Cooper Scholarship Pat Gulhati MD/PhD – GSBS (Cell Biology)
Dean's Service Award - Travel
Award Frances Valencia Experimental Pathology - Post Doc Fellows
Emily E. Dupree Endowed Award David Gundermann Rehabilitation Sciences
David C. Eiland Jr. Award in
Health Care Peggy Determeyer Medical Humanities
Graduate Program Coordinator
Award Shannon Carroll Population Health Sciences-Administration
GSBS Associates Farooq Nasar Experimental Pathology
GSBS Associates Olga Kolokoltsova Experimental Pathology
GSBS Associates Christiana
Fleischmann Travel Award Catherine Rondelli Neuroscience & Cell Biology
GSBS Associates Christiana
Fleischmann Travel Award
Sheena Eagan
Chamberlin Medical Humanities
GSO Faculty Award for Student Darren Boehning Neuroscience & Cell Biology
Advocacy
GSO Student Award - UFCU
Sponsored Ashley Purgason Population Health Sciences
Mason Guest Wenzhe Lu Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ann & John Hamilton Scholarship Alyssa Baker MD/PhD – GSBS (Neuroscience)
Robert Harrison MD Mathieu Bakhoum MD/PhD – GSBS (Neuroscience)
Jess Hay Chancellor Fellowship David Gundermann Rehabilitation Sciences
Elias Hochman Anita Reno Neuroscience & Cell Biology
James A. Hokanson Endowed
Scholarship ThuyQuynh Do Population Health Sciences
Jen Chieh and Katherine Huang Smitha Infante Cell Biology
Mary Faggard Kanz Travel Award Daniel Jackson Neuroscience & Cell Biology
Jeane B. Kempner Scholars Bijay Khajanchi Microbiology & Immunology
Jeane B. Kempner Scholars Carla Kantara Neuroscience & Cell Biology
Jeane B. Kempner Scholars Christopher Fry Rehabilitation Sciences
Jeane B. Kempner Scholars Michal Szymanski Biochemistry & Molecular Biology - Post
Doc Fellows
Jeane B. Kempner Scholars Michelle Nelson Microbiology & Immunology
Curtis W. Lambert Rafael Samper-
Ternent Clinical Sciences
James McLaughlin Postdoctoral Duraisamy
Ponnusamy Microbiology & Immunology
James McLaughlin Postdoctoral Thangam S.
Velayutham Pediatrics CEIID
James McLaughlin Predoctoral Eric Carlsen MD/PhD – GSBS (Microbiology &
Immunology)
James McLaughlin Predoctoral Evandro
Winkelmann Experimental Pathology
James McLaughlin Predoctoral Hou-pu Liu Microbiology & Immunology
Medical Humanities Julie Kutac Medical Humanities
Irma Mendoza Scholarship/GSBS
cut check Levani Zandarashvili Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Regina & Alfonso Mercantante
Memorial Scholarship
Malligamoorthi
Jambulingam Nursing
Don W. Micks Alyssa Shell MD/PhD – GSBS (Population Health
Sciences)
Bohdan Nechey Tuition David Gundermann Rehabilitation Sciences
Elaine L. Nicholson RN Fund
Graduate Nursing Roy L. Trahan Nursing
Lois E. Nickerson Endowed
Scholarship Annamma V. Sam Nursing
David & Janet Niesel Scholarship Latham Fink MD/PhD – GSBS (Neuroscience)
Leroy Olson, Ph.D. Endowed
Scholarship ThuyQuynh Do Population Health Sciences
Charles F. Otis Endowed Award Amit Kumar Rehabilitation Sciences
Shirley Patricia Parker Serena Clark Neuroscience & Cell Biology
Jason E. Perlman Yafang Zhang Pharmacology & Toxicology
Edward S. Reynolds, MD Evandro
Winkelmann Experimental Pathology
George Palmer Saunders Rene Vinas Pharmacology & Toxicology
Margaret Saunders Travel Award Evandro
Winkelmann Experimental Pathology
Peyton & Lydia Schapper /cc:Nena
Fairbanks Paul Reidy Rehabilitation Sciences
Peyton & Lydia Schapper /cc:Nena
Fairbanks Alyssa Shell
MD/PhD – GSBS (Population Health
Sciences)
Michael Tacheeni Scott Endowed Sarah Swinford Neuroscience & Cell Biology
George Sealy Award Emily Stieren MD/PhD – GSBS (Neuroscience)
Sealy Center for Vaccine Tiffany Mott Microbiology & Immunology
Sealy Center on Aging Lawrence Panas Population Health Sciences
Robert Shope Ph.D. Endowed
Scholarship Allison McMullen Experimental Pathology
Robert Shope Ph.D. Endowed
Scholarship Farooq Nasar Experimental Pathology
Robert Shope Ph.D. Endowed
Scholarship Thomas Shelite Experimental Pathology
Katherina Siebert Pat Gulhati MD/PhD – GSBS (Cell Biology)
Stephen Silverthorne Kenneth Plante Experimental Pathology
Arthur V. Simmang Award Alina Bennett Medical Humanities
Arthur V. Simmang Award Julie Kutac Medical Humanities
Arthur V. Simmang Award Linda Benskin Nursing
Arthur V. Simmang Award
Paige Spencer
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Arthur V. Simmang Award Sandra McNeely Nursing
Ralph & Mary Spence
Centennial/Every 4 years Paige Spencer Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
John Stanton Scholarship Jingya Xia Microbiology & Immunology
University Federal Credit Union Justin Drake Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
UTMB Retirees Scholarship Wenzhe Lu Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Rose & Harry Walk Hung Doan MD/PhD – GSBS (Biochemistry &
Molecular Biology)
Robert A. Welch Award Paige Spencer Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jane Welsh Kimberlee Burckart Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Betty J. Williams Michael Patterson Experimental Pathology
Betty J. Williams Tiffany Mott Microbiology & Immunology
Betty J. Williams Veronica Calderon Experimental Pathology
Zhou Sisters Alexey Seregin Experimental Pathology
Zhou Sisters Kenneth Plante Experimental Pathology
Zhou Sisters Rafael Samper-
Ternent Clinical Sciences
Edith & Robert Zinn Presidential
Scholarship Alexandre Esadze Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Visitors with a patient at the private hospital. Below, a mural at the hospital in Cusco.
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Students
Student Experiences the Culture of Infectious Diseases in a Developing Country
“Many graduate students will make a career of studying
neglected infectious diseases, but how many will actually have
a chance to experience the culture, people and environment
behind the disease?” asked Justin Drake, a Biochemistry and
Molecular Biology graduate student. Well, Drake was one of
the fortunate few.
He received travel grants from the UTMB student
government and the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
to accompany Dr. Suresh Bhavnani in Peru to study neglected
infectious diseases in August.
On the first leg of their trip, Drake and Bhavnani, associate
professor in the Institute for Translational Sciences, met with
Dr. Miguel Cabada, a UTMB School of Medicine graduate, in Cusco, Peru, where they toured government and
private run hospitals. Drake recounted the disparities between the two hospitals, how crowded they were, and
how the conditions were considerably different they were from one
another and from the U.S.
“The infrastructure and environment of the private hospital were much
more updated,” he said. “The rooms were much larger and nicer. It
seemed less crowded and cleaner, as well. Overall, it seemed the quality
of care would be better at the private hospital.”
One striking difference Drake noticed was how crowded the public
hospital was. People crushed together around the examination room doors
waiting to get in. “There is a lot more technology in patient rooms in the
U.S.,” he said. “Even though it was public, there is a lot of religious
affiliation (e.g., prayer stations and religious artwork).”
From the hospitals, they visited a collaborative Research Center co-
sponsored by UTMB and Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, the first of its kind in Cusco, , about 600
miles southeast of Lima, that Cabada is establishing. They discussed with him the many challenges of
conducting research in a developing country. Drake said he learned that “many of the resources we use
everyday at UTMB are difficult for Cabada to obtain. For example, trained microbiologists and experimentalists
are few and far between. To make matters worse, the local government also was making it very difficult for
Cabada to establish his research insitute.”
Drake and Bhanvani then traveled to
metropolitan Lima, to visit the U.S. Naval
Medical Research Unit-6 (NAMRU-6), which
conducts detailed surveillance of emerging
infectious diseases throughout South America.
Dr. and Lt. Eric Halsey was their host. While
there, the UTMB faculty member and student
gave a presentation on visual analytics to
biologists and infectious disease researchers.
The presentation led to discussions on potential
collaborations and sharing of samples related to Rickettsioses in Peru.
Drake said, “Face-to-face interactions were invaluable to the successes of the trip. My discussions with
locals, Dr. Cabada, and researchers at NAMRU-6 evolved in real-time, which enriched my knowledge and
appreciation of infectious disease research in developing countries and the cultural context in which these
diseases occur. I learned more from this trip than any textbook, course, or literature could have provided.”
Justin Drake, from left, with Drs. Miguel Cabada and Suresh Bhavnani.
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Graduate School
UTMB Wins Prestigious National Education Award
A unique program at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston in October received an award for
innovations in research training and education from the Association of American Medical Colleges.
The program, a joint effort of several UTMB groups, the Institute for Translational Sciences, the Graduate
School of Biomedical Sciences and the School of Medicine, emphasizes collaboration between scientists and
clinicians with the goal of benefiting patients’ health. Specifically, students training to be researchers study
side-by-side with medical students so that each group will better work together to conduct effective translational
research.
Called the Human Pathophysiology and Translational Medicine program in the Graduate School, it is
headed by Dr. Mark Hellmich, developed collaboratively with Drs. Judy Aronson and Gustavo Valbuena.
“Drs. Hellmich, Aronson and Valbuena have created a truly innovative approach that helps graduate
students and medical students learn to work as a team from the very start of their professional education,” said
Dr. Danny Jacobs, executive vice president and provost, and dean of the School of Medicine.
This was the first year for the AAMC Award for Innovations in Research Training and Education. The
AAMC website states that the award is to “identify bright spots in research training and education.”
The reviewers said they selected UTMB’s program because it fosters an active learning community led by
“an interdisciplinary faculty team, who ensure alignment between the program’s educational philosophy,
inquiry-based instructional methods, assessment and mentorship.”
The judges included national leaders in research, education and training from AAMC member institutions as
well as AAMC staff. Other institutions that won awards were Vanderbilt University School of Medicine,
University of Florida College of Medicine, Penn State College of Medicine and the University of Pittsburgh
School of Medicine.
– Raul Reyes, Office of Public Affairs
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6 Students and 4 Postdocs Receive
Awards at Annual Forum on Aging The Sealy Center on Aging and Research
Services collaborated on the 16th
Annual
Forum on Aging on November 8 at Levin
Hall. More than 150 attended to view the 64
posters, for which six students and four
postdoctoral scientists earned awards from
among 16 students and 14 postdocs who
presented.
The posters, representing five research categories, were judged by UTMB postdoctoral fellows and faculty
members. Awards were based on a scoring system with several layers of criteria including how well the
research project was carried out and expressed in the poster presentation. Also a judging criterion was the level
of expertise the presenter demonstrated when asked to describe and explain the significance of results, ideas for
future studies, and the study strengths and weaknesses.
“The poster evaluation is designed as a positive learning experience for the students and postdoctoral
fellows,” said Anthony DiNuzzo, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Internal Medicine-Geriatrics,
who organized the Forum.
The student winners were:
Rehabilitation Sciences/Clinical Epidemiology:
Rebecca Galloway, Acute Rehospitalization of Older Adults After Discharge from Inpatient Rehabilitation for
Deconditioning;
Joseph Saenz, Mexican-American Enclaves: Cardiovascular Morbidity and Mortality in the Southwestern
United States;
Clinical Physiology/Basic Science:
Paul Reidy, Effect of Protein Blend vs Whey Protein Post-Exercise Ingestion on Human Skeletal Muscle Amino
Acid Transporter Expression Following Resistance Exercise;
Talha Ijaz, Il-17 Promotes Aortic Dilation and Dissection in Angiotensin II-Infused Mice;
Clinical Physiology:
Vu To, The Effect Of Brown Adipose Tissue Activation on Resting Energy Expenditure and Insulin Sensitivity
in Humans; and
David Gundermann, Inhibition of Glycolysis and mTORC1 Activation In Human Skeletal Muscle With Blood
Flow Restriction Exercise.
The postdoctoral winners were: Clinical Research:
Carlos Diaz-Venegas, Contextualizing Financial Strain in the Older Latino Population: The Significance of
Social Support and Neighborhood-Settlement Environment;
Kiranmaye Balapala, T Cell Lymphoma Presenting as Acral Ischemia
Clinical Physiology
Nick Hurren, Effects of Acute Oral Amino Acid Intake on VLDL-Tag Kinetics; and
Neuroscience/Basic Science Research
Nicole Bjorkland, Normal Extracellular Zn2+ Levels and Absence of Aβ Oligomers at Post-Synapses Mark the
Ippocampus of Individuals with AD Neuropathology who Evade Dementia.
Prizes for the postdoc awards were sponsored by Dr. David Niesel and the UTMB chapter of Sigma Xi,
scientific research society
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New Exhibits Open at Institute for the Medical Humanities
Two new exhibits were installed recently in the newly named Avery-Winkler
Artway at the entrance to the Institute for the Medical Humanities (IMH) offices at
UTMB, Suite 2.301 Primary Care Pavilion, 400 Harborside, Galveston. The exhibits
will be on display until summer 2013.
The first exhibit, Abstract Anatomy: The Wall Diagrams of William Keiller, MD
(1861-1931), showcases images reproduced from drawings by William Keiller, MD,
UTMB’s first Professor of Anatomy. Keiller’s drawings are held in the Truman G.
Blocker, Jr. History of Medicine Collections at the Moody Medical Library. These
drawings attest to UTMB’s rich visual medical heritage. Rather than simply
reproducing complete drawings, these abstract images aim to focus the viewer’s
attention on the aesthetics of color, line, shape and form. The exhibit was curated by
Paula Summerly, PhD, Visiting Scholar, IMH and produced by Jerome Crowder,
PhD, Assistant Professor, IMH.
The second exhibit is titled Photographing Pediatrics, 1900-1940. This exhibit
features a series of clinical photographs taken by staff at a dispensary and outpatient’s
clinic in Chicago. Some of the infectious diseases and hereditary conditions exhibited are rarely encountered by modern-
day physicians. The exhibit was curated by Paula Summerly, PhD, in 2010 and is on loan from the Galter Health
Sciences Library, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago.
– Donna Vickers, Institute for the Medical Humanities
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Shared Grant to Teach Innovation and Entrepreneurship to Researchers
Biomedical scientists in the University of Texas System are making medical discoveries that pave the way
for new treatments for a host of potentially life-threatening diseases. In an effort to fast- track development of
these breakthroughs, UT System awarded grants to teach investigators to bring their discoveries to market.
One of these $750,000 Novel Educational Programs in Innovation and Entrepreneurship grants was recently
awarded to UTMB and the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.
Both institutions have translational medicine programs financed by the National Institutes of Health’s
Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) to accelerate conversion of laboratory discoveries to patient
treatments.
Investigators for the UT System grant said the training it provides will help scientists recognize good ideas
and transform them into marketable products in the biomedical field. “We have historically trained researchers
to be innovators, but now we will also train them to be entrepreneurs and commercialize their inventions,” said
Dr. Allan Brasier, director of UTMB’s CTSA Institute for Transitional Sciences and co-principal investigator
for the grant.
The grant is designed to develop program components, prove they work and share them with others at
University of Texas campuses, said Brasier, professor of internal medicine-endocrinology.
“The grant will be used to help promising young investigators develop their devices and therapeutics,” said
Dr. David McPherson, co-principal investigator for the grant and executive director of the CTSA Center for
Clinical and Translational Sciences at UTHealth, which is operated in conjunction with the University of Texas
MD Anderson Cancer Center and Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center.
Key elements include:
Workshops and classes that teach innovative practices and methods for successful entrepreneurship
Courses in collaborative innovation that develop and implement critical solutions to significant local
challenges
One-on-one mentoring from business executives hired as entrepreneurs in residence advocates
Pilot funding for startup companies
Expert advice on legal and regulatory issues that affect startups
The grant proposal’s other co-principal investigator is Stanley Watowich, associate professor in UTMB’s
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.
– Jim Barrett, Office of Public Affairs Back to Top
Postdocs
Career Development Is Focus of Postdoc Appreciation Week
The fourth annual UTMB Postdoc Appreciation Week, Sept. 17-21, featured a Career Development
Workshop, followed by Alumni Round Tables after a box lunch on Sept. 20.
Jonathan Paul, PhD, president of the Organization of Postdoctoral Scientists, was the master of ceremonies
for the half-day event. The career development activities included a hands-on session led by LaDona Landry on
“What’s My Style and How Can It Impact My Future?” Landry is Sr. Workforce Development Consultant in
the Office of Organizational Effectiveness, Training and Recognition. The second development session was
“How to Get Where I Want from Where I Am?” It was presented by Gary Kesling, PhD, Director of Student
Counseling and Psychiatric Services.
After a break to pick up box lunches, postdoctoral scientists and graduate students sat with GSBS alumni
from the Houston-Galveston region who talked about their career paths, mostly outside of academia.
Coordinated by Anthony DiNuzzo, PhD, Assistant Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at UTMB,
the speakers gave brief introductions of themselves, followed by the lunch round table conversations.
Participants were Doug Botkin, PhD, government subcontractor; Carla Kinslow, PhD, consultant/state
government; Andy McNees, PhD, research administration, and Vicente Santa Cruz, PhD, corporate. DiNuzzo,
Kinslow, McNees and Santa Cruz are members of the GSBS Associates Executive Committee.
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Alumni
Save the Date: Homecoming Is March 22-23
Friday, March 22, 2013
Morning activities for all alumni will take place in the Ballroom at Moody Gardens Hotel, 7 Hope
Boulevard, Galveston. Map and directions: http://www.moodygardenshotel.com/locations_directions/
Events include welcomes by officers of the alumni associations and the welcome and address by President
David L. Callender, the UTMB Cyber Café and Info Mart and Old Red “Fauxtos.” A popular feature is
continuing education, which will focus on the Texas Health Services Budget, the Affordable Care Act and
Medicaid, by Kyle L. Janek, MD, executive commissioner, Texas Health & Human Services Commission.
Janek is a School of Medicine alumnus, Class of 1983.
GSBS Events
All the activities specific to the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences will be Friday afternoon at William C.
Levin Hall, Market at 11th
, Galveston:
Friday, March 22, 2013
2:30–3:30 p.m. – UTMB Campus Tour, to be led by officers and members of the Graduate Student
Organization
4–5 p.m. – The annual GSBS Dean’s Lecture, by David H. Walker, MD, Professor and Chairman, Department
of Pathology; Director, UTMB Center for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Disease; Director, WHO
Collaborating Center for Tropical Diseases; and Autopsy Attending Pathologist, Department of Pathology
5–6 p.m. – The annual Dean’s Reception and group photo of GSBS alumni
Saturday, March 23, 2013
Morning activities for all the alumni are scheduled in the Levin Hall Dining Room, Second Floor.
8–9 a.m. Breakfast with the President
9–10 a.m. UTMB Health update by President David L. Callender, MD, MBA, FACS
10:15 a.m.–12:15 p.m. UTMB College
10:15 a.m.: “Updates in Cardiac and Thoracic Surgery at UTMB”
Featuring: Daniel L. Beckles, MD, PhD, FACS, FACC, FCCP, Assistant Professor of Surgery; Director,
Minimally Invasive Cardiothoracic Surgery, and Co-Director, Lung Transplant Surgery
11:15 a.m.: “Behave or Be Gone: Impulsivity as a Driving Force in Health Disorders.” Featuring: Kathryn
A. Cunningham, PhD, Chauncey Leake Distinguished Professor of Pharmacology; Director, UTMB Center
for Addiction Research; Vice Chairman, Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology
10:15 a.m. GSBS Associates Executive Committee, GSBS Conference Room, 4.438 Levin Hall
12 noon–4 p.m. The UTMB Bookstore, Moody Medical Library building ground floor, will be open.
Invitations, with detailed agenda and costs, were mailed in January. Register online at
www.alumni.utmb.edu/homecoming2013/registration.
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GSBS Seeks Nominations for Distinguished Alumnus Award
The Graduate School announces that nominations are open for the Distinguished Alumnus Award. The
successful nominee should have achieved special recognition in his or her professional career after receiving a
masters or doctoral degree from the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at UTMB. His or her
contributions might include research, teaching, science or academic administration, consulting, editing, leading
scientific societies, participating in symposia, and the like.
The winner will be introduced and recognized during Commencement at 4 p.m. Friday, May 3, at William C.
Levin Hall. The recipient must be able to attend.
To nominate a graduate, send a letter of recommendation and a current CV of the person you’re nominating
no later than March 3 to the attention of the Dean, UTMB Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, 301
University Boulevard, Galveston, TX 77555-1050, or by email to [email protected].
Previous Distinguished Alumnus Award recipients are:
Joe Wood, PhD 1976 T. C. Hsu, PhD 1996
Melvin Hess, PhD 1977 Richard Drummond, PhD 1997
Leroy Olson, PhD 1978 Burhan Ghanayem, PhD 1998
Gilbert Castro, PhD 1979 Kenneth Carter, PhD 1999
William B. Stavinoha, PhD 1980 Fernando M. Trevino, PhD,MPH 2000
Sam Kolmen, PhD 1981 Mary E. Guinan, PhD, MD 2001
Erle Adrian, PhD 1982 Evelyn Tiffany Castiglioni, PhD 2002
Johannes Van Lier, PhD 1983 Ben G. Raimer, MD 2003
Matthew LaVail, PhD 1984 Robert Urban, PhD 2004
Daniel Traber, PhD 1985 Harvey Bunce III, PhD 2005
Martin Wasserman, PhD 1986 Cynthia Robbins Roth, PhD 2006
Thomas M. Crisp, PhD 1987 James H. Jorgensen, MD. 2007
Jerry Daniels, MD, PhD 1990 John M. Nickerson, PhD 2008
J. Arly Nelson, PhD 1991 Faith McLellan, PhD 2009
J. Paul Heible, PhD. 1993 Gailen D. Marshall, Jr., MD, PhD 2010
Mary T. Moslen, PhD 1994 George R. Jackson, MD, PhD 2011
Susan Lynn Naylor, PhD 1995 Michael H. Droge, PhD 2012
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Class Notes
1950s
Syed Omer, MD (MA, Pathology, 1954), was elected in July as a Fellow of The Royal College of
Physicians, Edinburgh, United Kingdom. After reading the holiday greetings from the Graduate School, he
wrote: “This reminds me that 60 years ago, when I was a Research Fellow and working on my Master's
theses with Dr. Harrison Rigdon, Professor of Pathology, he invited me for Christmas Dinner with his
family. I was single and lonely at that time and he gave me all the support and guidance, and we published
two papers on my research work. We continued to correspond after I left Galveston in 1954. In 1971,
I returned to the United States and met him in his retirement home in Georgia. He had put me on the right
path. I shall ever be grateful to him and other members of the Pathology Department. May his soul rest in
peace.”
2000s
Nina (Koldzic-Zivanovic) Hengen, MD, PhD (Pharmacology & Toxicology, 2004), recently was
promoted from assistant professor to associate professor in the Department of Biopharmaceutical Sciences at
Shenandoah University School of Pharmacy. The university is in Winchester, Virginia.
Rebecca Alyea, PhD (Cell Biology, 2009), is employed at Dow Chemical Co. corporate headquarters in
Midland, Michigan, “which,” she wrote, “is not to be confused with Midland, TX. Especially since it [just]
snowed …” She recently finished an academic postdoctoral appointment and is now completing an industrial
postdoc. Alyea also “entered the realm of epigenetics and product safety assessments, mainly focusing on
corporate sponsored research projects, which is completely different from the typical daily life of an
industrial toxicologist.” On a personal note, she added: “I do miss Galveston, and after leaving I am even
more appreciative of all of you and my graduate school life.”
Nicki Piemonte before Old Red.
Postdoctoral Alumni
Saumya Pandey, PhD (BMB, 2011), has been actively involved in public health/women's health and
preventive medicine research as a visiting scientist in Krishna Medical Centre, Lucknow, India. This
appointment in a clinical setting primarily involved human papillomavirus screening/cervical cancer control and
prevention in North Indian women. The research was successfully published in a reputed cancer
control/prevention journal, Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention. During her six-month tenure, Dr.
Pandey earned two certificates for her research contributions.
News Briefs
Students
Zinzi Blell, RN, (Microbiology & Immunology) was featured on Page
36 of the fall issue of the magazine for her alma mater, Yale University
School of Public Health. The article, “Lives in Public Health,” explores “the
variety, challenges and rewards of public health … in a photo essay of
YSPH alumni … around the globe.” http://www.pageturnpro.com/Yale-
School-of-Public-Health/45888-Yale-Public-Health--Fall-2013/default.html
Nicole (Nicki) Piemonte (Medical Humanities) was interviewed for an
article titled “Communication Grads Thrive in Ph.D. Programs,” online at
the Arizona State University (ASU) website
http://newcollege.asu.edu/whatsnew12/communication-degree-program.
The spotlight followed publication of the article, “Dissent Expression as an
Indicator of Work Engagement and Intention to Leave,” in the Journal of
Business Communication. The lead author is Professor Jeffrey Kassing who,
with his student co-authors, reported about the study in 2010 at the
convention of the National Communication Association. Meanwhile,
Piemonte’s master’s thesis at ASU, The Contradictions of Caregiving, Loss,
and Grief during Emerging Adulthood: An Autoethnography and Thematic
Analysis, won the thesis award for the Communications and Aging Division
of the National Communication Association. It was presented in Orlando in
November.
Faculty
Kenneth J. Ottenbacher, PhD, OTR, Rehabilitation Sciences professor, recently was named the
recipient of the 2013 American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) and American Occupational
Therapy Foundation (AOTF) joint President’s Commendation Award in honor of Wilma L. West. He will
receive the award, given rarely to honor a respected leader of the profession who has sustained contributions to
occupational therapy over a lifetime of service, at the annual AOTA conference in April. Ottenbacher, Russell
Shearn Moody Distinguished Chair in the School of Health Professions, is director the Center for Rehabilitation
Sciences and senior associate dean of the School of Health Professions. He also is associate director of the
Sealy Center on Aging.
David H. Walker, MD, Department of Pathology professor and chairman and director of the Center for
Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases, received the 2012 Distinguished Alumnus Award from
Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. The award recognizes distinguished career achievement in the
medical profession. Recipients are selected based on contributions to the field of medicine. Walker is a 1969
graduate of Vanderbilt University.
Faculty Retirees in 2012
Department of Preventive Medicine and Community Health
Get Access to the Graduate School Global Community
You may not know it, but UTMB has a new and better way to keep up with GSBS alumni all over the
world. Please visit the newly launched website and register to be a part of our community.
Get connected today by taking two simple steps:
1. Go to: www.alumni.utmb.edu
2. Login or Register – Once you’ve registered, you will receive a confirmation email welcoming you
to our community. Take time to tour the website to see the variety of news and events we have
available to you.
To protect your privacy, we will verify all community users before allowing access to certain areas
within the website. Allow two business days for approval to engage in the directory and class notes; once
approved, you will receive an email greeting noting your approved status.
Harvey Bunce, III, PhD, Professor and Chair, retired 8/31/12
Daniel Freeman, Jr, PhD, Professor, retired 12/31/12 (Biostatistics)
Chul Lee, PhD, Professor, retired 5/31/12 (No GSBS courses)
Gregg Wilkinson, PhD, Professor, retired 7/31/12 (Special Topics: Radiation Epidemiology)
Department of Pathology
Norbert K. Herzog, PhD, Professor and GSBS Associate Dean for Recruiting and Special Projects, retired
4/1/12; presently professor in the Department of Medical Sciences at the Frank H. Netter, MD, School of
Medicine at Quinnipiac (Conn.) University, which is just being established. [email protected]
Back to Top
Back to Top
Research
Discovery of mosquito virus could lead to new vaccines and drugs
A mosquito sample collected three decades ago in Israel’s Negev Desert has yielded an unexpected
discovery: a previously unknown virus that’s closely related to some of the world’s most dangerous mosquito-
borne pathogens but, curiously, incapable of infecting non-insect hosts.
Researchers believe this attribute could make the Eilat virus a uniquely useful tool for studying other
alphaviruses, a genus of largely mosquito-borne pathogens that includes the viruses responsible for
chikungunya, Venezuelan equine encephalitis, western equine encephalitis and eastern equine encephalitis. In
addition, the researchers say, Eilat could also aid in the development of new alphavirus vaccines, therapies and
diagnostic techniques.
“This virus is unique — it’s related to all of these mosquito-borne viruses that cause disease and cycle
between mosquitoes and animals, and yet it is incapable of infecting vertebrate cells,” said University of Texas
Medical Branch at Galveston graduate student Farooq Nasar, lead author of a paper on the virus now online in
the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. “It’s a gift, really, because we can compare it to other
alphaviruses and figure out the basis of their ability to infect a variety of animals, including humans.”
Eilat was discovered in a virus sample that Joseph Peleg of Hebrew University sent to UTMB’s Dr. Robert
Tesh, an author of the PNAS paper and director of the World Reference Center for Emerging Viruses and
Arboviruses. The collection holds over 5,000 identified viruses and dozens of unidentified samples like the one
contributed by Peleg.
All the researchers knew about Peleg’s specimen was that it killed insect cells while leaving animal cells
untouched, a very unusual behavior. So they sent it to a lab at Columbia University that specializes in doing
highly intensive searches for the genetic material of viruses, a process called “deep sequencing.” As it turned
out, there were two new viruses in the sample. One virus killed insect cells, and the other — Eilat virus —
infected them without doing any harm.
Drs. Jigong Wang, Research Scientist I, left, and Jin Mo Chung in Chung’s lab.
“We were extraordinarily lucky to have that other virus in our sample, because without the cell death it
caused, we never would have done the work that led us to Eilat,” Nasar said. “Essentially, we found it by
accident.”
Eilat’s inability to grow in animal cells — even its genetic material cannot replicate in them — makes it
unique among alphaviruses, and it also makes it likely that the virus could be uniquely valuable to researchers
who study alphaviruses and work to protect humans and domestic animals from them. For example, the UTMB
researchers say, Eilat could be transformed into a vaccine against one of its dangerous relatives by making
changes to the genes that produce its envelope proteins, which are exposed on virus particle surfaces and
stimulate the critical parts of the immune response.
“We have taken the genes for the envelope proteins of very dangerous viruses like eastern equine
encephalitis and used them to replace the genes for Eilat’s structural proteins,” Nasar said. “That gives us
viruses that we can grow in insect cells that can’t do anything in vertebrate cells at all, but still produce
immunity against eastern equine encephalitis — they can be used to vaccinate animals, and hopefully someday
people.”
A variety of Eilat-based “chimeric viruses” — viruses made by combining genetic material from other
viruses — could be used to study the interactions between host cells and dangerous alphaviruses, leading to the
development of antiviral drugs. The viruses could also serve as the basis for new diagnostic tools that could be
deployed in an alphavirus outbreak. Because these chimeras, like Eilat, would not be able to infect vertebrates,
such research could be done without the elaborate and often cumbersome containment precautions needed for
working with pathogens like chikungunya, Venezuelan equine encephalitis, or eastern and western equine
encephalitis.
Other authors of the PNAS paper include research associates Rodion Gorchakov, Hilda Guzman and Amelia
Travassos Da Rosa, assistant professor Michael Sherman, and professors Vsevolod Popov and senior author
Scott Weaver, as well as Columbia University’s Gustavo Palacios, Nazir Savji and Ian Lipkin. This research
was supported by the National Institutes of Health.
– Jim Kelly, Office of Public Affairs Back to Top
Pioneering Work May Lead to Chronic Pain Relief
People who suffer from chronic pain that doesn’t respond to
standard analgesic or opioid treatment may be closer to finding relief
in the near future thanks to the pioneering work of Jin Mo Chung,
professor of neuroscience and cell biology at the University of Texas
Medical Branch at Galveston.
Chung, who first came to UTMB as a postdoctoral fellow in 1977,
has focused on solving the riddle of neuropathic pain throughout his
career. After a short stint as an assistant professor at Seoul’s Yonsei
University, he returned in 1981 to join the UTMB faculty.
In 1992, he developed a model for studying chronically resistant
pain that has been accepted worldwide as one of the most widely used
standards in the field. The Chung Model uses a specific technique to
prepare laboratory mice for research on how pain impulses behave in
the spinal cord.
Chung’s research into the mechanisms of chronic pain, fundamentally different from acute pain, has two
main areas of focus: the mechanisms of neuropathic pain and the mechanisms by which acupuncture relieves
pain.
Neuropathic pain is different from other types of pain in that it originates from a malfunction of the nervous
system. Normal pain-relief measures don’t work to relieve it. It often manifests in unusual ways. Light touch,
for example, can cause intense discomfort, and tiny temperature changes may feel much larger. Caused by
either accidental or disease-induced spinal damage, this kind of pain has proven nearly impossible to treat.
Chung’s most recent grant from the National Institutes of Health for $1.7 million allows his research team to
examine what his previous research had proven is an important mechanism that causes neuropathic pain.
Under normal conditions, pain impulses coming into the spinal cord are processed through two kinds of
neurons, one that boosts their intensity and another that dampens that intensity — a kind of two-part volume
knob for pain signals. According to Chung’s data, nerve injury strengthens the effect of the “pain booster” nerve
cells, while weakening that of the “pain damper” nerve cells. The result: even the smallest impulse comes out at
full blast.
To figure out exactly how this process works, Chung is probing the electrical activity of the neurons in
question; testing whether two particular signaling molecules called free radicals are responsible for the neurons
responding differently to the same pain impulse; and testing the hypothesis that high levels of iron in the
inhibitory neurons are involved in depressing their activity.
The goal is to piece together a coherent picture of the causes of chronic neuropathic pain. Chung believes
that if his explanation proves out, it will open up a number of different avenues that could lead to treatments for
the condition.
– Office of Public Affairs
Back to Top
$7.6 million grant to study roles of infections and allergies in asthma
The asthma and allergy research effort at UTMB got a boost recently with a five-year, $7.6 million project
grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
Entitled “Signaling in Airway Inflammation,” the grant renews NIAID funding that, for the past five years,
has supported part of UTMB’s program focused on the role of respiratory viral infections and allergy in the
development of asthma.
“This is a real success story — a product of the unique multi-disciplinary and collaborative environment
here at UTMB,” said Dr. Allan Brasier, co-principal investigator on the grant. “The funding environment is
extraordinarily competitive now, and I think this renewal demonstrates the unique strength of our group. We’ve
been working together for more than10 years, and we have an exceptional history of very productive studies of
the underpinnings of asthma and other chronic diseases that affect millions of Americans.”
Dr. Roberto Garofalo, the grant’s other co-principal investigator, echoed Brasier’s comments.
“We focus in particular on lung inflammation, how it connects to childhood bronchiolitis and how that
relates to adult asthma severity,” Garofalo said. “Our accomplishments in those areas show the power of
collaborative, interdisciplinary work, bringing together different academic departments and centers of
excellence — UTMB’s Sealy Center for Molecular Medicine, Sealy Center for Vaccine Development, National
Heart, Lung and Blood Institute Proteomics Center and Institute for Translational Sciences.”
The researchers will pursue four inter-related projects centering on the biochemical processes that induce
inflammation in cells lining human airways. Human subjects will be involved in two of the projects. The first,
led by Garofalo and Dr. Antonella Casola, will examine severe early childhood infections by respiratory
syncytial virus, identified as a precursor for asthma; Garofalo and Casola will investigate genetic components
thought to make such disease more likely and test a therapy that could reduce the severity of RSV infection.
The second, headed by Dr. Sanjiv Sur, will look at a key mechanism by which pollen provokes asthma and
allergy attacks. Each pollen grain induces airway cells to produce large quantities of destructive molecules
called reactive oxygen species, which in turn generate a powerful inflammatory response. Sur has identified a
cellular receptor that’s critical to this process and will be working to detail its actions in humans.
The two other projects in the program will be led by Brasier and Professor Istvan Boldogh. Brasier’s
investigation will follow up on his longtime interest in the relationship between inflammation and the immune-
system regulatory protein NF-kappa B, exploring a novel inflammatory response that’s mediated by a molecule
whose modulation may offer a new way to mitigate the exaggerated host responses to RSV infection. Boldogh,
an expert in DNA repair, will follow up on his recent discovery that a key DNA-repair enzyme can actually
generate harmful reactive oxygen species and inflammation.
Previous efforts by the group produced 52 multi-authored publications during the last five years, and
involved eight pre-doctoral and 14 postdoctoral fellows in groundbreaking asthma research.
– Jim Kelly, Office of Public Affairs
Back to Top
Research Shows Diabetes Drug Improves Memory
An FDA-approved drug initially used to treat insulin resistance in diabetics has shown promise as a way to
improve cognitive performance in some people with Alzheimer’s disease.
Working with genetically engineered mice designed to serve as models for Alzheimer’s, UTMB researchers
found that treatment with the anti-insulin-resistance drug rosiglitazone enhanced learning and memory and
normalized insulin resistance. The scientists believe that the drug produced the response by reducing the
negative influence of Alzheimer’s on the behavior of a key brain-signaling molecule.
The molecule, called extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), becomes hyperactive in the brains of
Alzheimer’s patients and in mice at a disease stage corresponding to mild cognitive impairment in human
Alzheimer’s. This excessive activity leads to improper signaling between neurons, interfering with learning and
memory.
Rosiglitazone brings ERK back into line by activating what’s known as the peroxisome proliferator-
activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) pathway, which interacts with genes that respond to both PPARγ and ERK.
“This drug appears to restore the neuronal signaling required for proper cognitive function,” said internal
medicine professor Larry Denner, lead author of a paper describing this work in the Journal of Neuroscience. “It
gives us an opportunity to test several FDA-approved drugs to normalize insulin resistance in Alzheimer’s
patients and possibly also enhance memory. It also gives us a remarkable tool to use in animal models to
understand the molecular mechanisms that underlie cognitive issues in Alzheimer’s.”
ERK dysfunction in the Alzheimer’s mouse model was discovered several years ago by neurology associate
professor Kelly Dineley, senior author of the paper. But putting together the protein, gene and memory pieces of
the puzzle required a multidisciplinary translational research team including animal cognitive neuroscientists,
biochemists, molecular biologists, mass spectrometrists, statisticians and bioinformaticists.
“We were extraordinarily lucky to have this diverse group of experts on our campus who could coalesce to
bring such different ways of thinking to bear on a common problem,” Denner said. “It was quite a challenge to
get all of these experts communicating in a common scientific language. But now that we have this team
working, we can move on to even more detailed and difficult questions.”
Now the UTMB research team and other investigators across the world are starting clinical trials to
investigate the value of therapies for insulin resistance in early-stage Alzheimer’s disease in humans.
Other authors of the Journal of Neuroscience paper are predoctoral fellows Jennifer Rodriguez-Rivera and
Jordan Jahrling, research associate Sigmund Haidacher, scientist Russ Carmichael, assistant professors Rovshan
Sadygov, Jonathan Starkey and Heidi Spratt, and professors Bruce Luxon and Thomas Wood. This research
was supported by the National Institutes of Health, the American Health Assistance Foundation, the Sealy
Foundation for Biomedical Research, the Emmett and Miriam McCoy Foundation, the Cullen Trust for Health
Care and Jerry and Winkie Mohn.
– Molly Dannenmaier, Office of Public Affairs