UTHSC College of Graduate Health Sciences Magazine - Spring 2023

GRADUATE HEALTH SCIENCES

THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE HEALTH SCIENCE CENTER SPRING

Pathway to Success

Help Fund Graduate Student and Postdoctoral Scholar Research

As a graduate student or postdoctoral scholar, did you ever need a small amount of money so that you could test your own hypothesis, generate preliminary data for your own grant application, publish your study, or present at a research conference?

In response to student self-directed research needs, the College of Graduate Health Sciences has established both restricted and endowed accounts to support UTHSC trainees studying in the areas of Biomedical Engineering, Biomedical Sciences, Dental Sciences, Epidemiology, Health Outcomes and Policy, Nursing Science, Pharmaceutical Sciences/Pharmacology, and Speech and Hearing Science.

To make a gift in support of student research today or to build for tomorrow, visit giving.uthsc.edu, then click on “Graduate Health” then “Give to the College of Graduate Health Sciences.”

UTHSC Chancellor

Peter Buckley, MD

Dean, College of Graduate Health Sciences

Donald B. Thomason, PhD

Associate Dean, Student Affairs

Isaac O. Donkor, PhD

Associate Dean, Postdoctoral Affairs

Monica M. Jablonski, PhD, FARVO

Associate Dean, Academic Affairs

John V. Cox, PhD

Assistant Dean, Academic Affairs

Larry L. Tague

Assistant Dean, Graduate Programs and Services

Felicia Washington, MHSA

Program Coordinator

Evan Coburn

Program Coordinator

Shanta Haynes

Vice Chancellor for Advancement

Brigitte Grant

Associate Vice Chancellor for Development

Bethany Goolsby, JD

Assistant Vice Chancellor for Strategic Initiatives and Advancement Services

Greg Harris

Assistant Vice Chancellor, Alumni and Constituent Engagement

Chandra Tuggle

Director of Alumni Programs

Terri Catafygiotu

Assistant Director of Alumni Programs

Blair Duke

Vice Chancellor for Communications and Marketing

Sally Badoud, MBA

Editors

Chris Green

Peggy Reisser, MASC

Contributing Writers

Chris Green

Janay Jeans

Peggy Reisser

Designer

Adam Gaines

Photographers

Jay Adkins

Caleb Jia

< Supporting Trainees

New program funds independent research

Presenting Findings Competition lets students display their work

>

Giving Back Alumnus helps students on their journey

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< Sharing Knowledge

Student pursues knowledge, shares with others

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Eligibility and other terms and conditions of employment benefits at The University of Tennessee are governed by laws and regulations of the State of Tennessee, and this non-discrimination statement is intended to be consistent with those laws and regulations.

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From the Dean

You come to a fork in the road; which way to go? At every step during their tenure with the College of Graduate Health Sciences, our students and postdoctoral scholars are challenged by the question of career path. Do they take a well-worn path, or choose another one, as Robert Frost wrote, “Because it was grassy and wanted wear.” The choices come with less or more uncertainty, because of what our trainees know about different paths. The theme of this issue, “Pathway to Success,” highlights the college’s ongoing projects to provide our trainees with knowledge about career possibilities and the tools to pursue those possibilities.

Our trainees are passionate about their science and the thrill of discovery. Careers that build on that passion are not limited to academia. Our “Career Insights” series, now well into its fourth year, has a major role in increasing awareness of career options by highlighting career directions that others, often alumni, have taken, and pointing out the challenges they have faced, as well.

What skills are necessary to support success in a career? A new initiative supporting small research projects helps our trainees develop a research question of their own. The independence of thought is an important step in their career path, regardless of where that path leads.

Communication skills are also critical, so we build these skills with events, such as the Three Minute Thesis (3MT™) competition, the Postdoctoral Research Showcase, Graduate Research Day, Quarterly Scientific Sessions, and individual degree-program series. Networking and team skills are also very important, and we continue to add and refine activities to enhance these skills, including program and student leadership in the Graduate Student Executive Council and the PhDA (the postdoctoral scholars’ equivalent), meetings with alumni, LinkedIn connections, and other opportunities that encourage participation by our trainees in the broader scope of the community.

The brief description here only scratches the surface of our goal to provide our trainees with a Pathway to Success. Thank you to everyone for your support of the College of Graduate Health Sciences!

With sincerest gratitude,

Donald J. Thomason, PhD Dean of the College of Graduate Health Sciences

From the Chancellor

Research and scientific discovery are critical to helping the University of Tennessee Health Science Center fulfill our mission to improve the health of the citizens of Tennessee and beyond.

Our students and postdoctoral scholars in the College of Graduate Health Sciences will carry this investigative mission into the future, making the lives and health of future generations of Tennesseans better. We are so proud of the work they do on our campus and the exciting and rewarding futures they will have when they graduate.

Dean Thomason and his team are working diligently to make sure they are equipped for their future careers. We are thrilled to see alumni from the College of Graduate Health Sciences share in this effort by offering insights from the roads they have traveled beyond academia. Connecting graduates with their futures is imperative for higher education today, and it is one the College of Graduate Health Sciences embraces.

In my time at UTHSC, I have been so impressed by our alumni, who are always ready to give of their time, talent, and funds to support those who come behind them. That speaks volumes for the education they received at UTHSC and the regard to which they hold their alma mater. It also speaks to their dedication to a brighter tomorrow instilled in them during their time at UTHSC.

As chancellor of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, I want to thank you for all you do for your university and for the wider world. Science is a key to a better tomorrow for us all. We are grateful for the part you play in ensuring that our students and trainees are ready to face the future.

Sincerely,

Peter Buckley, MD Chancellor The University of Tennessee Heath Science Center

ENROLLMENT TRENDS

The College of Graduate Health Sciences has experienced substantial growth over the past few years, bolstered by the addition of new programs, such as the MS in Laboratory Research and Management (MSLRM) and a track in the Biomedical Sciences program in Rehabilitation and Regenerative Science. Other programs have expanded as well, adding to our student body.

BY THE NUMBERS

325 students enrolled in Fall 2022

60% of students identify as female (National average: 40%)

30% of students are international

50% of students consider their racial classification as other than white

5 YEARS average time it takes for a student to receive a degree

New Trainee Support Initiative Helps Students and Postdocs Gain Research Experience and Independence

By Chris Green

Students and scholars in the College of Graduate Health Sciences are encouraged to do independent research projects in addition to the research they conduct with their mentors. Not only does it advance their training, but it also helps them in their future careers, showing employers they have the interest and initiative to move forward on their own.

For years, the college’s trainees struggled to acquire the funding they needed for their independent research, until faculty members recently stepped in to advocate for them, leading to a new initiative to support their projects.

“This is an opportunity for our students and postdoctoral scholars to be creative peripherally to their PI’s research support,” Dean Donald Thomason, PhD, says. “In particular, they can pursue that bright idea that would not be supported under the aims of the current funding. This not only highlights their creativity, but also is a demonstration of their independent thinking.”

Dean Thomas and Greg Harris, assistant vice chancellor for Strategic Initiatives and Advancement Services, began talking with alumni and discovered the issue resonated with them. “We learned that alumni are more interested in supporting student and scholar research than studentcentered programs,” Harris says. “Many of them saw the value in that because they either had been in a similar experience with their own research or they couldn’t do their own research because they couldn't find any funding.”

One of those alumni was Bill Kouns, PhD. While working toward his doctoral degree in biochemistry in the early 1990s, Dr. Kouns says his mentor, Lisa Jennings, PhD, let him conduct and present his own research on the side. Helping current students and scholars have the same experience is his way of repaying the freedom he had as a student researcher.

Isaac de Souza Araújo, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow, and Rachel Perkins, a fourth-year PhD student, received an award through the Trainee Support Initiative for a collaborative research project that combines the expertise of each of their labs.

“I love to see students have the support they need to go out and actually present their research, form those networks, and improve their communication skills,” Dr. Kouns says. “I feel like I owe a lot to Dr. Jennings and to the university for the great mentoring they gave me, and this is my way of paying her back and paying the university back for a great education and everything I got from UTHSC.”

By the close of 2022, Dr. Kouns, alumni, and foundations donated more than $100,000 for the initiative. Several alumni who are active with the college agreed to serve on a review committee to read and rank the student research applications. This includes Xudong “Sunny” Wu, PhD, a 2006 graduate in neuroscience, who thought being a reviewer would be a good way to help his alma mater and take part in a program that supports students and postdocs.

“This is obviously a good idea. It will help them gain some independence,” he says. “It might not be much money, but if I had that money when I was a graduate student, it would have been very, very nice.”

After the reviewers submitted their rankings, one student and two postdoctoral scholars were chosen to receive their requested budgets of $5,000-$10,000 to help them with conducting their research, publishing it, traveling to present it at conferences, or other needs.

Two of the recipients are Isaac de Souza Araújo, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Bioscience Research, and Rachel Perkins, a fourth-year PhD student in the integrated biomedical sciences program. They are working on a collaborative project they formed after conversations in a break room shared by their labs. “This whole idea came about over lunch,” Perkins said. “I was talking about my work, and he was talking about his work, and we saw some areas that overlap.”

Their research combines the expertise of their respective labs to study the mechanisms of WNT signaling in dental pulp stem cells in the regeneration of mineralized tissue. “With this being a brand-new collaboration, there were not any funds to do this project,” Perkins said. “My mentor works pretty much exclusively on bone and bone cancer; (Dr. Araújo’s) mentor works more on dental materials and revascularization.” Dr. Araújo added, “Since we are in different labs and in different fields, we didn't have the financial support to conduct that research.”

To both Perkins and Dr. Araújo, working on independent research is crucial for improving and demonstrating their self-sufficiency. “As we are looking to take our next steps, people will see that we can get funds and we are able to develop something in an independent way that could really contribute to science,” Dr. Araújo said.

The other award recipient, Mélanie Dacheux, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Physiology, also acknowledges the importance of independent research in advancing in her profession. “It’s a big step toward my own independence,” she said. “For my career, to receive my own funding is a crucial stage.”

Dr. Dacheux’s project is a spinoff of her principal investigator’s research, which focuses on the role of an enzyme called autotaxin in the tumor microenvironment of metastatic melanoma. Dr. Dacheux will investigate whether the results her team has found in mice can be applied to humans. She believes her research could have an important impact on cancer immunotherapy, and without this award, it would not be possible.

As the college plans to continue the trainee support initiative, Dr. Kouns hopes other alumni will see the value and choose to support it, so more students and scholars can get the aid they need. “I hope these alumni never forget where they came from,” he says. “UTHSC is a special school. I had a great experience there, and I just think you should be willing to help UTHSC be the best it can be, because it helped you become the best you could be.”

Postdoctoral Fellow Mélanie Dacheux, PhD, received an award for her independent research that stemmed from her principal investigator's cancer immunotherapy research.

Institute for Health Outcomes and Policy, Health Informatics Concentration, Has First Graduate

April Insco, PhD, RHIA, CHDA, CPHI, CCS, has the distinction of being the first student to graduate from the UTHSC Institute for Health Outcomes and Policy (IHOP) program with a concentration in health informatics.

“Completing a doctoral degree is a major accomplishment in itself, but to be the first one in this concentration makes me even more proud to have completed it,” she said.

The IHOP program is a collaboration between the College of Graduate Health Sciences and the College of Health Professions Department of Health Informatics and Information Management (HIIM). The interdisciplinary degree focuses on developing highly skilled professionals focused on improving the efficiency, quality, and security of today’s health care systems through data management. Graduates of the program are prepared to become researchers, scholars, teachers, thinkers, and planners in the demanding and changing field of health informatics and information management.

Dr. Insco obtained her bachelor’s degree and master’s degrees from the College of Health Professions HIIM program in 2011 and 2015. “In 2017, when UTHSC added a Health Informatics track to the IHOP program, it seemed like the perfect way to complete my educational pathway,” she said.

Though Dr. Insco is proud of her accomplishments, achieving them was not easy. “Honestly, there were many times throughout the program that I wasn’t convinced I would be able to finish,” she said.

Balancing a full-time career, professional association duties, a family, and schoolwork, left her feeling “very overwhelmed” at times, she said. Determination and friends and family helped her succeed.

“Having a good friend in the program with you, a good adviser, and a supportive family helped me overcome that challenge,” she said. “Continued words of encouragement and support during the last five years gave me what I needed to move forward and complete the program and my dissertation.”

The IHOP Health Informatics concentration is an online program. Additionally, the pandemic canceled events that would have happened in person, such as graduate

research seminars, which meant fewer opportunities to connect with colleagues face to face.

However, even those challenges did not stop Dr. Insco from cultivating strong relationships in the program with fellow students and faculty. “Before the pandemic, I was able to attend graduate research day and was able to meet another student in the program and see how students further along in their programs presented their work.” Dr. Insco also participated in online seminar courses. “I enjoyed the seminar course, as it provided me with the ability to present to the class each week, which I think was very helpful in preparing me to present for my oral defense,” she said.

During her time in the IHOP program, Dr. Insco became president-elect of the Tennessee Health Information Management Association (THIMA) and served as president of the state health information management association. “I am especially proud of that achievement,” she said.

Dr. Insco is an associate professor in the associate-level HIM program at Roane State Community College. Since receiving her doctorate, Dr. Insco now has a goal of being promoted to a full professor. She is also collaborating with her academic adviser, Rebecca Reynolds, EdD, RHIA, FAHIMA, to have her research articles published.

Student from Eritrea Finds Success in Researching Obesity in Women

By Chris Green

With Lidya Gebreyesus’ passion for studying female health, it was fitting that she was one of two women to win prizes at the Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition sponsored in December by the College of Graduate Health Sciences and the Graduate Student Executive Council.

Gebreyesus is a second-year student in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences. She moved to Memphis from the northeast African country of Eritrea in 2021 to study at UTHSC. The culture shock of moving to a new country impacted Gebreyesus at first, but she was able to form connections to make it easier.

“People are friendly when you reach out and say hi to them,” she said. “I started meeting people who relate to my challenges. They have helped me grow, and hopefully I have done the same for them.”

Gebreyesus has family in Tennessee, which is what initially drew her to the state. When she started looking into graduate schools, she said there were multiple factors that led her to UTHSC.

“I was drawn to a lot of the research at UTHSC, especially the research on HIV, which I’ve focused on in the past, and the obesity research that I’m working on now,” Gebreyesus said. “I also liked how diverse the departments were, which told me there would be a lot of diverse people there.”

Gebreyesus has always been interested in studying minority populations and people researchers tend to overlook. Under the mentorship of Maxwell Gyamfi, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Gebreyesus studies obesity in females as they age, a topic she said is often ignored.

“A lot of the research on obesity tends to focus on males,” she said. “The little research that has been done on obesity in females has concluded that females tend to be resistant to obesity, but they were focused on younger subjects. Obesity, particularly severe obesity, and its associated risks, such as cardiovascular disease and hypertension, is actually quite high in females that are older, in their pre-menopausal or menopausal age. So, there is a really big difference between males and females, and sometimes they need to be studied exclusively.”

The annual Three Minute Thesis competition, which challenges PhD and master’s degree students to present their thesis and research in three minutes with one PowerPoint slide, came around at the right time for Gebreyesus. She attended the 2021 competition, just a few months into her first semester at UTHSC, and was excited to learn about the research happening in the college in such simple terms. She did not plan to compete the very next year, but when the sign-ups opened, she had just finished writing her research paper and had recently given her first seminar in front of her department.

“I just thought this would be a good time for me to summarize my work,” Gebreyesus said. “I didn’t expect to win, I just thought it would be good exposure and a good experience for me.”

Even after giving her three-minute presentation, Gebreyesus did not expect to win. She thought her chances were ruined when she stumbled over a word, but her friends reassured her that she did well.

“When I was announced as the people’s choice, I was grateful for that alone, but then they announced I won first place, and I was honestly surprised,” she said. “I saw the other presentations, and there were a lot of great ones, so it felt surreal.”

Gebreyesus’ presentation, titled “Pregnane-X receptor: The Genetic switch to turn off Obesity in menopausal Women,” won her a cash prize, along with a trip to Tampa, Florida, in March to compete in the regional 3MT competition at the Conference of Southern Graduate Schools’ annual meeting. Gebreyesus did not make it to the finals in that competition, but “it was such a rewarding experience that I don't even consider that I lost,” she said. “There were over 50 students from different schools in the competition, and they were all great speakers. It was amazing to learn about the research they are doing.”

UTHSC's second-place winner, Rachel Perkins, also won a cash prize and the opportunity to join Gebreyesus on visits with alumni, where the winners share their research and make important network connections. Perkins’ project was titled “WNT5B in Osteosarcoma Stem Cells,” and her mentor is Susan Miranda, PhD, associate professor in the College of Medicine’s Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Biomedical Engineering.

“I am working in a field that still has a lot of unanswered questions: what causes osteosarcoma, how to treat it, and how to improve the lives of pediatric patients who are diagnosed with it. In addition, the treatment regimen and survival rates for children diagnosed with osteosarcoma have not changed for the last 4 decades, which is why the work I do with Dr. Miranda is so important to me,” Perkins said. “Furthermore, I’m honored to have received second place in the 3MT competition because it’s so important in a research career to be able to briefly communicate your area of interest in both scientific and lay language, and this competition is a fun way to practice that skill.”

“Conveying a convincing message succinctly is challenging, especially when that message is about highly technical research and is intended for a lay audience,” said Donald Thomason, PhD, dean of the College of Graduate Health Sciences. “The 3MT competition helps the students develop that skill so that they can communicate about their work with any audience.”

While studying obesity has led to success for Gebreyesus, she sees it as just a starting point in her research. She hopes to branch out to study the gut microbiome and how it affects both obesity and a person’s overall health. At the end of the day, her goal is to make a difference with her research.

“Research goes on for years and years before it can bring any meaningful solution, but it's just what a science is – one added information over the other that eventually brings a little change,” she said. “I would just like to be a part of a positive change for female health.”

PhD Student Dedicated to Serve, Mentors Future STEM Professionals

By Janay Jeans

Perri Johnson, MS, started building objects out of Legos at an early age. Now, he is working toward a PhD in biomedical engineering while leading and serving in the UTHSC and Memphis community.

Before joining the college, Johnson, from St. Louis, Missouri, earned a dual degree in mathematics and mechanical engineering from Indiana University and Purdue University. As his undergraduate years were ending, he was unsure of whether to choose an engineering or clinical path, but after hearing of a graduate research assistant opportunity in biomedical engineering at UTHSC, Johnson said it was God leading him to pursue engineering in Memphis.

Now, he is studying in the UTHSC Graduate Health Sciences and University of Memphis Biomedical Engineering joint graduate program, which offers master’s and PhD degrees in biomedical engineering. He earned his master’s degree from the program in December 2022.

“I am pushed outside of my comfort zone every day, and although it can be challenging, I enjoy it, and it forces me to grow,” Johnson said. “I think this is where God wants me, and as long as I can do something that gives him glory, that’s all that matters.”

His athletic experience, including playing football for the University of Indianapolis, also increased his passion for studying biomedical engineering and biomechanics. “I have played sports my entire life and I gained a love for understanding how the body works,” he said. “When I arrived here and learned about biomechanics, it was the perfect combination of engineering and kinesiology, which is what I really enjoy.”

Johnson is a graduate research assistant in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Biomedical Engineering in the UTHSC College of Medicine. Under his advisor, Denis DiAngelo, PhD, professor in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, he is conducting research focusing on the care of tibial bone stress injuries of recreational runners and military personnel.

“The standard care clinicians provide is to prescribe a walking boot to immobilize and reduce loads on the lower limb and allow it to heal. However, there is no research that examines the mechanical loading of the tibia, and if patients can’t flex their calf muscle, they experience muscle atrophy,” he said. “Dr. DiAngelo and his previous PhD student had been working on an alternative device, and we have been able to prove that the device reduces the load on the tibia. We are hypothesizing that it will allow healing, reduce the associated muscle atrophy, and possibly shorten the recovery period.”

In addition to his academic achievements, Johnson serves as the Graduate Health Sciences representative on the 2022-2023 executive board of the Black Student Association, an interdisciplinary organization for all students that serves to provide many opportunities such as health fairs, mentoring events, and community service.

He also serves in the community with Kingdom Community Builders, a Christian non-profit community development organization serving in the inner city of Memphis.

“At Mission Church, I’m on a team that partners with Kingdom Community Builders, and they are engaging with people in the community, providing tutoring for students, mowing grass, and helping with any technical issues in their homes,” Johnson said. “Our team gathers to lead devotionals every month, and we engage and share the gospel with children in Orange Mound.”

Johnson is also involved in mentoring the next generation as a member of the West Tennessee STEM Hub at the University of Memphis, which provides communityengaged programs and serves as a resource to increase students’ interest in STEM fields. In this role, he teaches middle school students about opportunities in the health sciences.

“The STEM hub visits many Memphis-Shelby County Schools, assists teachers, and implements STEM concepts to students who don’t have access to it,” he said. “I’m teaching various health science concepts, career avenues, and helping broaden their understanding of the resources that are available to them.”

After graduating in 2026, Johnson hopes to build and test affordable prosthetics. “Being in this graduate program exposed me to biomechanics, a field I had never heard of before,” Johnson said. “And what God has placed on my heart is having a lab to design prosthetics, potentially with 3D printing, to minimize the costs for families and evaluate how the implementation of prostheses influences movement.”

PhD student Perri Johnson with his adviser, Dr. Denis DiAngelo, received the Lee & Jennie Beaumont Endowment Scholarship for studies in the field of arthritis and connective tissue disease in November 2022.

Student Leader Sets Sights on Improving Health Outcomes

By Janay Jeans

After studying biology during her undergraduate years, Bianca Jackson, MPH, discovered her interest in the field of public health is improving health outcomes on a larger scale.

“I learned about how we can use data to improve health outcomes, as well as doing a grounded approach of talking to people within the community to understand the social determinants in order to get to the core of how these chronic diseases and morbidities are impacting them,” Jackson said. “I arrived at UTHSC because the professors in this specific program are interested in improving health outcomes by utilizing their various research skills and there is a large focus on helping the community around us.”

Jackson, from Memphis, is pursuing a PhD in health outcomes and policy research with an emphasis in health informatics and information management. She also served as a student representative on the Graduate Student Executive Council, becoming a voice and representative for the Graduate Health Sciences student community.

For her exceptional leadership and support at UTHSC, Jackson was recently honored during the 2023 Black Student Association awards ceremony, an annual event to celebrate the achievements and leadership of student leaders from each college.

“It was awesome to be in a room of people that look like and share the same interest as me. Although we are in different fields, our ultimate goal is to help others and improve the health of others,” Jackson said. “To see the accolades and how dedicated they are to fulfilling that goal, and it was amazing to learn about everyone’s accomplishments, service, and leadership at UTHSC.”

Before joining the college, she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in biology from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and her Master of Public Health degree with a concentration in health systems management from the University of Memphis.

Her research experience includes qualitative and quantitative research, clinical research, health technology assessment development, and evidence evaluation, analysis, and synthesis. Her dissertation focuses on the use of machine learning to predict lung cancer risk using electronic health record data. Machine learning is a concept used in various areas, and Jackson finds it interesting to apply it to health care.

“The same way that credit card companies are looking at data and seeing which demographics are most likely to use their card or feature, we are taking that same concept and applying it to patients, and trying to identify who may be likely to develop lung cancer,” she said. “Although the programming and coding are complex, the idea is the same. It’s one of the most interesting things. This is something that is utilized across other industries, but we are able to apply it to health outcomes and see how we can improve the health of others.”

“We see that lung cancer is one of the deadliest cancers, and that it is most prevalent within this southern region, and I am diving into how we can improve the outcomes of those with lung cancer, identify the risks, and prevent the incidence of lung cancer within our community and in our region,” she said. “Using that data, we can understand what is causing this, specifically within individuals in Tennessee, who is at greater risk, how it is impacting patients in Memphis compared to Nashville or Knoxville, and applying the knowledge of health informatics to improving those outcomes of people within my community as well as across the state.”

Jackson said she values the flexibility of the program and the support the faculty members provide for students. “They have always been supportive, by collaborating and being willing to share ideas or work on a project with you as a fellow colleague, and I think that is empowering. You want to know that, as a student, you’re doing the right things and preparing to become your own researcher.”

After graduating, Jackson will pursue consulting in the field of health economics and outcomes research and plans to apply the research and analytical skills she received from the program to improve health outcomes in many therapeutic areas.

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Biomedical Sciences Program Grown, Prospered Under Immunologist’s Leadership

By Peggy Reisser

When Elizabeth Fitzpatrick, PhD, became the program director of the Integrated Biomedical Sciences program in the College of Graduate Health Sciences in 2016, the graduate program had five basic science tracks – Microbiology, Immunology, and Biochemistry; Neuroscience; Cancer Developmental Biology; Cell Biology and Physiology (now Molecular and Translational Physiology); and Molecular and Systems Pharmacology (now Pharmacology, Addiction Science and Toxicology).

As she turned over the reins of the program to new leadership last November, the program now has seven tracks and serves approximately 112 students. Two new tracks – Genetics, Genomics, and Informatics, and Regenerative and Rehabilitation Sciences – were added under her watch. “We brought in new disciplines to expand our appeal to students,” she said.

Operating in partnership with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, the program recruits students, so they can join a faculty member’s lab at UTHSC or St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, she said. This gives them exposure to a wide range of research areas, all with the potential of making a difference in people’s lives.

The program also expanded its partnerships with international institutions, welcoming its first cohort of students from China in 2017, as part of a partnership established with Harbin Medical University.

The pandemic halted recruitment of international students. However, numbers are rising again. Dr. Fitzpatrick said international students now make up approximately 35% of the students in the program.

“We have a very diverse program in our student body, as well as in the fields a student can experience,” she said.

“A lot of our students come from the Mid-South region, although we get students from as far away as Michigan, New York, California,” she said.

“We are attracting people who are interested in biomedical sciences,” Dr. Fitzpatrick said. “They are interested in a wide variety of careers after graduating,

some of them just want to go straight into industry. Some of them want to go into government and work in FDA labs or NIH labs. Others want to pursue the postdoctoral fellowships and follow a traditional academic route. A lot of them come into the program with an open mind and are interested in exploring a variety of career opportunities.”

Other careers for graduates of the program include scientific writing, working with patent lawyers, regulatory agencies, traditional lab research, and grants management. “There's really a variety of careers that someone can pursue,” she said.

Dr. Fitzpatrick is an associate professor in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Biochemistry, and the assistant director of the Regional Biocontainment Laboratory on the Memphis campus. An immunologist, she decided to leave her position at the helm of the Integrated Biomedical Sciences program to devote more time to her own research.

She’s proud not only of how the program has grown, but of how so many students have grown with it.

“It’s been nice to see the program get larger,” she said. “I think there is a greater awareness of the importance of graduate students to the faculty members’ labs at UTHSC and St. Jude.”

“Really, the most rewarding thing is just watching the students progress through the program,” Dr. Fitzpatrick said. “You know, seeing them come in and they're not quite sure what they want to do or they're nervous about getting into a lab, exams, and everything. Seeing them grow in confidence and become great presenters and do great science, and just become more confident in their laboratory skills, their speaking, and their writing skills has been really gratifying.”

New Leaders of Biomedical Sciences Program Look to the Future

By Janay Jeans

UTHSC College of Medicine professors Susan Miranda, PhD, and Max Fletcher, PhD, recently joined the College of Graduate Health Sciences as the new directors of the Biomedical Sciences Program.

Prior to becoming directors of the program, Dr. Fletcher, associate professor in the Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology in the College of Medicine, served as the director of the program’s neuroscience research track, which gives training from 43 faculty members at UTHSC and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Dr. Miranda, associate professor in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery in the College of Medicine, has served as the director of the program’s cancer developmental biology research track for seven years.

“I enjoy getting to know those students and helping them with their path,” Dr. Miranda said. “When this opportunity arose, I wanted to do the whole program. It gives me a chance to meet more students with more diverse projects and meet the other tracks.”

Dr. Miranda has served at the university as an esteemed professor in the College of Medicine for nine years. She previously served on the faculty in the orthopaedic department at the University of California, Los Angeles. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in nutritional sciences from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Doctor of Philosophy in molecular biology from the University of California, Los Angeles.

“One of my goals is to bring in quality candidates and do great recruiting so we can improve the program even more,” Dr. Miranda said. “I am hoping to meet more people and bring in more future scientists.”

2023 Postdoctoral Research Showcase

The annual Postdoctoral Research Showcase held in January consisted of eight platform presentations and 20 poster presentations, which were judged by College of Graduate Health Sciences faculty members. “The quality of the science was outstanding, and all who presented should be proud of their accomplishment,” said Monica Jablonski, PhD, FARVO, professor and associate dean of Postdoctoral Affairs. The event’s keynote speaker, Kendra Hotz, PhD, professor of population health at Rhodes College, shared perspectives on health inequity in Memphis.

Here are the winners of the scientific presentations and travel awards:

PLATFORM PRESENTATIONS

1st place – Dr. Mélanie Dacheux, Department of Physiology; Dr. Gabor Tigyi, mentor

2nd place – Dr. Xiangiun Zhang, Department of Clinical Pharmacy; Dr. Junling Wang, mentor

3rd place – Dr. Qianqian Li, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences; Dr. Jianxiong Jiang, mentor

4th place – Dr. Fekede Kumsa, Department of Pediatrics; Dr. Arash Shaban-Nejad, mentor

POSTER PRESENTATIONS

1st place (tie) – Dr. Yang Xie, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences; Dr. Wei Li, mentor

1st place (tie) – Dr. Abdul Majid, Department of Physiology; Dr. Djamel Lebeche, mentor

2nd place – Dr. Jin Wang, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Biochemistry; Dr. Elizabeth Fitzpatrick, mentor

3rd place – Dr. Mohd Salman, Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology; Dr. Tauheed Ishrat, mentor

4th place – Dr. Doaa Maria, Department of Ophthalmology; Dr. Monica Jablonski, mentor

TRAVEL AWARDS

1st place – Dr. Praghalathan Kanthakumar, Department of Physiology; Dr. Abedowale Adebiyii, mentor

2nd place – Dr. Yaganeh Madadi, Department of Ophthalmology; Dr. Siamak Yousefi, mentor

3rd place (tie) – Dr. Kellie Brown, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Biochemistry; Dr. Elizabeth Fitzpatrick, mentor

3rd place (tie) – Dr. Mélanie Dacheux, Department of Physiology; Dr. Gabor Tigyi, mentor

CoGHS Alumnus Strives to Help Students Decades After Graduating

By Chris Green

Joseph Tarnowski, PhD, has led a successful career since graduating from the College of Graduate Health Sciences in 1979. Now, as he prepares to retire, he is dedicated to helping students achieve their own success.

Dr. Tarnowski’s decades-long career in the biopharmaceutical industry began essentially as a back-up plan. Before attending UTHSC, where he received his doctoral degree in biochemistry, he aspired to become a medical doctor, inspired by his family doctor whom he admired. But, while completing his undergraduate degree at Southeast Missouri State University, Dr. Tarnowski met his future mentor, Edsel T. Bucovaz, PhD, a biochemistry professor who was on a recruiting trip for UTHSC.

“Dr. Bucovaz was speaking about the graduate programs, and I said, you know, that’s maybe something I should do, because at that time the odds of getting into medical school were not in my favor,” Dr. Tarnowski said. “I was really inspired by hearing Dr. Bucovaz speak, and I wanted to do my graduate work as part of an integrated biomedical sciences program, so I chose the (then) University of Tennessee Center for the Health Sciences over others I was considering.”

Dr. Tarnowski received a teaching fellowship from the university, which paid his tuition and gave him a small stipend for teaching classes while he was there. After graduating, he became a postdoctoral

fellow in biochemistry at Roche Institute of Molecular Biology in Nutley, New Jersey, where he learned how the pharmaceutical industrialization process worked. Seeing how medicines are developed from a concept to a drug solidified Dr. Tarnowski’s decision to work in the industry rather than being an academician.

Over the next few decades, he worked in senior positions at a handful of pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. He joined GSK, formerly GlaxoSmithKline, in 2010, first as its senior vice president of Biopharm Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Controls (CMC) R&D, and then as senior vice president to build innovative Cell and Gene Therapy CMC Platforms in 2016. Over the course of his career, he has held critical roles in the manufacturing, process development, registration, and launch of several FDA and internationally approved human therapeutic products including Roferon® A, Alpheron N®, Fiblast® Spray, CEPRATE® SC Stem Cell Concentration System, Natrecor®, Erbitux®, Orencia®, Yervoy®, Nulojix®, Eperzan®/Tanzeum®, Nucala®, and Strimvelis®. He holds about a dozen patents and several patent applications for biologic products, the first of which was granted when he was a graduate student in Dr. Bocuvaz’s laboratory.

With all those achievements under his belt, Dr. Tarnowski began reflecting on his life and his career, and he decided to begin sharing his good fortune with the next generation of scientists.

“It was challenging being a graduate student. You were one step away from being impoverished,” Dr. Tarnowski said. “At the time, being in science was a male-dominated profession, and I witnessed women in programs who struggled with figuring out how to advance their careers with pressures and concerns for getting married and raising a family.”

In 2004, Dr. Tarnowski and his wife Deborah, who worked as a research associate in the 1970s with Leonard Share, PhD, in UTHSC’s physiology labs, established two scholarships for students in the College of Graduate Health Sciences. One, the Edsel T. Bucovaz Endowment, is a general scholarship for students of biomedical sciences. The other, the Tarnowski Family Endowment, is awarded to women who are pursuing a career in science.

“I would not have achieved today had I not had the guidance, the mentorship, and the opportunities UTHSC provided. I got a free education, had a great mentor, have had a great career, and so that is why I made the decision with my wife to give back,” he said.

Since setting up those scholarships, Dr. Tarnowski has made other generous gifts, including a recent donation to support the launch of a student research program. Some of those gifts were matched with funds from the GSK Foundation’s matching gifts program. He has also given back more than just monetarily. He has connected the College of Graduate Health Sciences with GSK so the company could provide the college with equipment it no longer uses. The company has also hosted students at its research center in Pennsylvania, showing them around the labs and providing them with important industry connections. Connections were made with Diversity Talent leaders so future graduates may consider working for GSK in part for the values. Other connections were made with the Dental, Medical, and Pharmacy schools with clinical development programs and the consumer health care division, which is now called Haleon.

Dr. Tarnowski also serves on the College of Graduate Health Sciences Advisory Board, providing guidance on issues of importance to the trainees and faculty in the college. He has visited the college and held discussions with the students and scholars to share his experiences and provide guidance to them. Dr. Tarnowski’s support stems from the hope that more people will enter the scientific field, in either an academic career or an industry career.

“An academic career is good, vital, and important, but I also want students to know there's also incredible science going on in industry,” he said. “We do discovery research all the way through development to find new medicines trying to establish genetic linkage to causation of disease. So, there's incredible knowledge and data and powerful science going on now that wasn’t available decades ago, and I want to make sure that I'm an advocate for that.”

2022 Career Insights Series

The Career Insights Series gathers students and postdoctoral scholars to listen to and connect with esteemed professionals in their chosen fields. The eight events held in the last year featured topics including “Medical Education: An Industry Hidden in Plain View,” “Women in Science,” and “Career and Family Life in Boston.”

College Trainees Meet with Alumni Nationwide

Dean Donald Thomason and Greg Harris, assistant vice chancellor for Strategic Initiatives and Advancement Services, have traveled with students and postdoctoral scholars to many locations nationally, networking with alumni, and discussing recent developments and initiatives in the college. Recently, the college held an alumni mixer hosted by alumnus Dr. Gary Gao at his home in San Diego, California. Other sites included Northern and Southern California, Research Triangle in North Carolina, Boston, Philadelphia, and Texas. Future visits will include the same cities plus the New York City and New Jersey area.

Scholars Meet with Delegates from Chinese Embassy to U.S.

Graduate Health Sciences students had the opportunity in August to visit with representatives from the Education Department at the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the United States. The delegation from the embassy was in Memphis to meet with UTHSC leadership, researchers, and faculty from the College of Graduate Health Sciences, where a third of the students are international and at least half of those are from China.

Counselor Yun Zhang and Attaché Yiwei Fang from the embassy capped off their morning visit to UTHSC by meeting with four students. “It’s very nice talking and sharing their experiences,” Zhang said. “We want to know how UTHSC is conducting their international engagement with China and what the Chinese Embassy can do for this.”

In-Person Recruiting Ramps Back Up

With the easing of pandemic restrictions, Isaac Donkor, PhD, associate dean for Student Affairs and Recruitment, has been coordinating in-person recruiting events, a transition from the virtual events during the pandemic. Although virtual events still occur, it is important to have the face-toface contact. Pictured is Dr. Donkor speaking to the Science Club at Florida Memorial University, where Rose Stiffin, PhD, (Biochemistry ’95) chairs the Department of Health and Natural Sciences.

Inaugural White Coat Ceremony

The College of Graduate Health Sciences held its first White Coat Ceremony on November 14, 2022, for the graduate students who had advanced to degree candidacy in the previous academic year. Isaac Donkor, PhD, associate dean for Student Affairs and Recruitment, presided over the ceremony involving the students, mentors, family, and friends. Monica Jablonski, PhD, associate dean for Postdoctoral Affairs, addressed the attendees about the importance of mentors in the development of research scientists. As John Cox, PhD, associate dean for Academic Affairs, read the names of the candidates, each received their white coat from their mentor.

Congratulations to our 2022 Graduates!

SPRING 2022 GRADUATES

PhD

Anthony Brown

Mehdi Chaib

Ankur Dashputre

Jessica Defenderfer

Nancy Farrell

Elizabeth Garfinkle

Pamela Louise Harris

Michelle Harrison

Jianzhong Hu

April Marie Insco

Fatemeh Keramatnia

Mingqi Li

Violeta Pellicer Morata

Advait Bhaskar Shetty

Amber Lynne Smith

Jin Wang

Jason Weesner

Taylor Leigh Wilson

MS

Sean Acosta

Augusta Acquaah

Courtney Andrews

Austin Brown

Jamie Dallas

Avery Alexandra Dargie

Olivia Madison Fox

Bailey Gaddis

Dana Gerler

Micah Goode

Emily Hood

Kathryn Lee Howie

Michael Thomas Jacobs

John Hamed Jafarian

Meykael Jenkins

William Kerr

Harisankeerth Mummareddy

Emma Norman

Robert Sheppard

Sachin Dilip Tadphale

Carl Thompson

Ioanna Borissova Ulrich

Shruthivani Velrajan

Whitney H. Vrazel

Noah Alexander Webb

Taylor Rae Plunkett White

Stephen Mark Wigger

MDS

Shanetha Collier

Anna Claire Compton

Mark Williams Crumpton

Meghan Gahm

Donald Mauney

David McNutt

Kaitlin Polk

FALL 2022 GRADUATES

PhD

Brittany Correia Chapman

Ian Fraser Chapman

Patrick Devlin

Amal Haji Assa

Xian Han

Andrew B. Stiemke

Nicole Vita

MS

Mohamad Bittar

Dana Justine Curlin

Philopatir Ghattas

Perri Johnson Jr.

Sydney Joseph

Jindpreet Kandola

Harmaneek Sidhu

MDS

Charly Edwards

Evan Tatford

Lydia Watson

Thank You for Your Membership in the 1911 Society

The University of Tennessee Health Science Center’s 1911 Society recognizes philanthropic support, which is critical to our mission of educating students, conducting innovative research and improving health outcomes.

Named for the year the Health Science Center was founded, the 1911 Society celebrates the generosity of our community. Membership in the 1911 Society is granted across multiple levels: Annual Giving Partners, who make a donation of $100 or more in any given fiscal year; Sustaining Partners, who give annually at any amount for five or more consecutive years; and Lifetime Partners,

ANNUAL GIVING PARTNERS

Ammaar H. and Aliza Abidi

Victoria and aul Taylor Akins

Jodine C. Anderson

Karen Anjanette Baskerville

Robert E. and Myra P. Baughn

Michael E. and Sandra Bogard

Kennard D. and Cynthia A. Brown

Nageshwar Rao Budha

Tabitha Leshay Camper and Randy Camper

Angela H. and Bradley C. Cantrell

Lacretia Shanae Carroll

James A. and Margaret Carson

Ann and Ted Cashion

Kelly and Wes Caudle

Megan R. Charowski

Jinqiu Chen and Ye Jin

Agnes and Thomas H. Costello

Holly Couch

William Max Couch, Jr.

Harry S. and Alice Courtney

Patricia and Dwight Cowan

Ronald L. Cowan

Jon Russell and Susan Daugherty

Elizabeth Davis-Lee and Ernest Lee

David J. and Anne Lancaster DeNuccio

Stewart E. Dismuke

Thuydung Do

Mary Ellen Duffy

Ruth Ross Edmonds

Janet T. and Marshall B. Elam III

Joshua A. and Faye Evensky

Nancy and Mike Farrell

Elizabeth A. Fitzpatrick

who make cumulative commitments of $25,000 or more during their lifetime to any college, program, or fund at UTHSC.

The Office of Advancement wishes to thank all donors for their commitment to the College of Graduate Health Sciences and to the university. For details go to giving.uthsc.edu/1911. To make a gift, please visit giving.uthsc.edu/give or call 901.448.5516.

We are grateful to the following donors for their support through June 30, 2022.

Naomi Marie Gades and Leonardo Llames

Li Gao

Yuan Gao and Claire Lee

Mohammad Najib Ghadri

Robert D. Gillespie

Yuqing Gong

Rampurna Prasad Gullapalli

Xiaobin Han

Edward W. and Jane S. Hankins

Marion and Carl Hare

Gregory and Lindsey Harris

Margaret Thorman Hartig

Jay Dee Hunt III and Suzanne Bronk Hunt

Monica Jablonski

Susan and Dick Jacob

Sumita Jain

Himangi Ravindra Jayakar and Jeetendra Reddy Eswaraka

Lisa Kyle and David K. Jennings

Franck and Wendy Stewart Kalume

Bobby V. and Rebecca T. Khan

Samer Khouli

Grant Thomas King

William C. Kouns

Anand Krishnamurthy

Patricia and Joseph J. Krzanowski, Jr.

Cherisa Tisdale Lewis

Wei Li and Xiaochen Sun Li

Carol Likens

Bailey and Laura Lee Lipscomb

Jon H. and Carol J. Lowrance

Shuyu E. Lui

Yanjun Ma and Stephen Wesley Clark

Anobel Maghsoodpour

Bintu Marong

Jeddie L. Maxwell

Annie Xiaoyan Mo and Brian Zhang

Helen C. and Wells Moorehead

Vahe Nakashyan and Martina Emilova Elenkova

Diane Todd and Jim Pace

Steven B. and Rita Peggs

Richard D. and Patricia A. Peppler

Rada Petrinjac-Nenadic and Zeljko Nenadic

Suresh Potharaju and Samadhana Jyothi Mortha

Ning Quan

Cheryl O Quinn

Ashwin Raj and Sheetal Shetty

Beverly Ross and Richard Townsend O'Kel

Thomas M. Saba

Sivatej Sarva

James B. and Audrey M. Selecman

William W. and Ella Shelton

Carl Peter Simkevich

Richard A. and Jillian Smith

Vincent D. and Connie D. Smith

Jacob A Sparks

Terry M. and Jeri Spence

Ansley Grimes and John Stanfill

Cheryl C. and William D. Stegbauer

Rose Mary Stiffin

Sam and Suzanne D. Suliman

Yichun Sun

Joseph Tarnowski

Donald B. and Laura Ann Malinick Thomason

Rebecca Ann Uhlmann

Orli Michaela Weisser-Pike and Stephen J. Pike

Shelley Irene White-Means

Mona N. and Sammie J. Wicks

Loretta A. and Tavari Williams

Christy Wilson and Bahram Dahi

David Wong

Xudong Wu

Yinan Wu

Qihong Zhou and Ying Xu

Zao Cheng Xu

Jiwei Yang

Hong Yuan and Xiaofeng N. Zhu

SUSTAINING PARTNERS (CONSECUTIVE YEARS OF GIVING)

FOUNDATION PARTNERS (20+ YEARS)

David J. and Anne Lancaster DeNuccio

Xiaobin Han

CORNERSTONE PARTNERS (10 – 19 YEARS)

Victoria and Paul Taylor Akins

Kennard D. and Cynthia A. Brown

Elizabeth A. Fitzpatrick

Margaret Thorman Hartig

Lisa Kyle and David K. Jennings

Diane Todd and Jim Pace

Yichun Sun

Donald B. and Laura Ann Malinick Thomason

ARCHWAY PARTNERS (5 – 9 YEARS)

Jodine C. Anderson

Robert E. and Myra P. Baughn

Ruth Ross Edmonds

Nancy and Mike Farrell

Naomi Marie Gades and Leonardo Llames

Edward W. and Jane S. Hankins

Marion and Carl Hare

Susan and Dick Jacob

Carol Likens

Anobel Maghsoodpour

Richard D. and Patricia A. Peppler

Sylvia Kay Puryear

Anthony S. and Erica L. Rowe

Thomas M. Saba

Orli Michaela Weisser-Pike and Stephen J. Pike

Mona N. and Sammie J. Wicks

Jiwei Yang

LIFETIME PARTNERS (CUMULATIVE LIFETIME GIVING)

Benjamin G. and Bridget Burris

Victoria and Paul Taylor Akins

Rampurna Prasad Gullapalli

Jack Hou and Kortne King Frederick

Susan and Dick Jacob

Lisa Kyle and David K. Jennings

Bobby V. and Rebecca T. Khan

Casey Laizure and Joanna Hudson Laizure

June H. Larrabee

Bailey and Laura Lee Lipscomb

Judy and Willie E. Martin, Jr.

Allison and Preston Dallas Miller, III

Helen C. and Wells Moorehead

Eric R. and Melody B. Nease

Steven B. and Rita Peggs

Richard D. and Patricia A. Peppler

James B. and Audrey M. Selecman

Vincent D. and Connie D. Smith

Cheryl C. and William D. Stegbauer

Kendra and Charles Andy Vondran, Jr.

Mona N. and Sammie J. Wicks

Robert J. and Deede S. Wyatt

Leave Your Legacy

Have you thought about the legacy you will leave behind?

With a Planned Gift, you can:

• Simplify your estate for your family

• Reduce the tax burden applied to your assets

• Benefit causes you hold dear

Legacy donors become members of the Hershel “Pat” Wall Legacy Society

Dr. Wall’s more than 50 years of dedication to UTHSC as a student, faculty member, and administrator are unsurpassed. His legacy will live forever, as will the impact made by our donors.

For more information about planned gifts to UTHSC and Legacy Society membership, contact Bethany Goolsby at 901.448.5516 or estateplans@uthsc.edu

THANK YOU FOR BEING A LEGACY SOCIETY MEMBER!

College of Graduate Health Sciences Advisory Board

Dr. Lisa Jennings, Chair

MLM Medical Labs, LLC

Advisor/Consultant

Dr. Gary Gao

Med Data Quest

Founder

Dr. Dean Gillespie

Thermo Fisher Scientific

Senior Biosciences Account Manager Life Sciences Solutions

Dr. Viraj Ichhaporia

EMD Serono

Cellular and Molecular Biologist

Dr. Bill Lester

Amgen US Medical Senior Medical Science Liaison

Cardiovascular Therapeutic Area

Dr. Chikezie Madu

Memphis-Shelby County Schools

Advanced Placement/ Dual Enrollment Biology Instructor

Dr. Clive Mendonca Trinity Life Sciences Consultant

Ashwin Raj Lyft Head of Ride Share

Dr. Rose Stiffin

Florida Memorial University

Associate Professor Chemistry, Chair, Department of Health and Natural Resources

Dr. S. Joseph Tarnowski

GSK

Senior Vice President

R&D Medicinal Science and Technology

Cell and Gene Therapy

Drs. Wells and Helen C. Moorehead

Dr. Susan and Mr. Dick Jacob

Dr. June H. Larrabee

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