Congratulations to our GEPA Award Winners for 2024
Wednesday, November 20, 2024
SMD’s Office for Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs held their annual GEPA Awards Ceremony on November 6, 2024. With University, SMD, and Medical Center leadership in attendance, faculty, staff, and trainees were recognized for their outstanding work in research and mentoring.
“Your research, whether foundational, clinical, or translational, is truly transformative,” said Dr. David Linehan, URMC CEO and SMD Dean. “It directly impacts the health and well-being of our community, and it’s helping to shape the future of medicine and science globally.”
Rachel Lombardo - Robert L. and Mary L. Sproull University Fellowship
Steve Georas & Michael O’Reilly - Outstanding T32 Program Director Award
Future COVID Boosters Could Be Nasal: URMC Researchers Lead Study on Next-Gen Vaccines
Wednesday, October 16, 2024
Sore arms may soon rejoice—future COVID boosters could be delivered as a puff instead of a jab. Vaccine researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) are investigating whether nasal vaccines, already available for the flu, can be effective against COVID-19.
"Most of the time, the strains we select for vaccines aren't a perfect match, because the virus evolves faster than we can keep up," said David Topham, PhD, founding director of the University of Rochester’s Translational Immunology and Infectious Disease Institute and principal investigator of the new study. "We need vaccines that elicit cross-reactive immunity—immunity that doesn’t rely on which strain is circulating but still offers protection and prevents severe illness or hospitalization."
This study aims to set important benchmarks that could guide the development of COVID-19 nasal vaccines, which have the potential to strengthen the immune response in the respiratory system, where the virus initially attacks. A COVID-19 nasal vaccine is currently being tested in an early-stage clinical trial sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).
The new study will use data previously collected by a consortium that included Angela Branche, MD, co-director of the URMC Vaccine and Treatment and Evaluation Unit. This prior study, called COVAIL, compared single- and multi-strain COVID vaccines. Results published in Nature Medicine in 2023 showed that boosters don’t need to match a specific strain to provide protection.
Read More: Future COVID Boosters Could Be Nasal: URMC Researchers Lead Study on Next-Gen VaccinesAntibodies in mom’s breast milk are protecting babies
Thursday, October 3, 2024
“We would expect to find differences in antibody levels in different countries, due to different diseases circulating among areas of the world, but this is one of the first times that there’s been a head-to-head comparison for dozens of pathogens across several continents,” says lead author Kirsi Jarvinen-Seppo, a professor of pediatrics, of medicine, and of microbiology and immunology.
Read the full article in US News and World Report
Antibodies in Breast Milk Provide Protection Against Common GI Virus
Wednesday, September 11, 2024
A study led by researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center found that breast milk provides protection against rotavirus, a common gastrointestinal disease that causes diarrhea, vomiting and fever in infants. Babies whose mothers had high levels of specific antibodies in their breast milk were able to fend off the infection for a longer period than infants whose mothers had lower levels. The findings are expected to drive future research to improve infant health through optimized breastfeeding practices.
Read More: Antibodies in Breast Milk Provide Protection Against Common GI VirusMarissa Sobolewski: Nature, nurture, and neuroscience
Monday, August 12, 2024
How Uganda’s chimpanzees have shaped the assistant professor’s research journey
Marissa Sobolewski’s road to a scientific career began in Uganda’s Kibale National Park, home to one of the planet’s most diverse populations of primates and the filming location for the 2012 Disney nature documentary Chimpanzee and the 2023 Netflix series Chimp Empire. Learning to embrace scientific complexity while finding a community that values collaborative research has fueled Sobolewski’s drive to discover how the world around us impacts body and mind.
Starting her lab at the University of Rochester Medical Center in 2018, she is now an assistant professor of environmental medicine and of neuroscience as well as a member of the University’s Institute for Human Health and the Environment and the Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center. The Sobolewski Lab explores how the environment, including exposure to chemicals and other variables like stress, influences brain development and behavior. Studying how the environment influences molecular targets like hormones, epigenetic profiles, and neurotransmitter balance helps us better understand the environment’s role in conditions like ADHD and autism, ultimately improving risk assessment and protecting public health.
Read More: Marissa Sobolewski: Nature, nurture, and neuroscienceAnnual Toxicology Retreat Held May 30, 2024
Thursday, May 30, 2024
The Toxicology Training Program’s annual retreat was held on May 30. Dana Dolinoy, PhD, Director of the University of Michigan Lifestage Environmental Exposures and Diseases (M-LEEaD) center, delivered the keynote address, titled “Toxicoepigenetics and the use of piRNA for precision environmental health research.”
The event also featured platform presentations by trainees Elizabeth Plunk, MS, Traci Pressley, MS, Garrick Salois, PhD, and Courtney Jackson, PhD, as well as a lively poster session with presentations from toxicology trainees.
- Marissa Skulsky, a first-year graduate student, and Dr. Christina Post, a postdoctoral fellow, won awards for Best Poster Presentation. Both are members of Dr. B. Paige Lawrence’s lab.
- Elizabeth Plunk, a graduate student in Dr. Ania Majewska’s lab, was awarded Best Platform Presentation.
- Adelaide Weidner, a graduate student in Dr. Olga Astapova’s lab, was awarded Most Inquisitive Student.
- The Mentoring Award was won by Philip Spinelli, a Senior Research Specialist in Dr. Martha Susiarjo’s lab.
- The 2023 William F. Neumann Award for Exemplary Scholarship and Citizenship was awarded to Elizabeth Plunk, a graduate student in Dr. Ania Majewska’s lab.
- Weiss Toxicology Scholar Awards were given to Catherine Beamish, advised by Dr. Matthew Rand, and Kristina Fenner, advised by Dr. B. Paige Lawrence.
- Robert Infurna awards for outstanding first-author research publications were given to:
- Dr. Janine Cubello, a postdoctoral associate in Dr. Marissa Sobolewski-Terry’s lab, for her work published as a graduate student in Dr. Margot Mayer-Proschel’s lab. Janine’s paper, titled “Maternal Iron Deficiency and Environmental Lead (Pb) Exposure Alter the Predictive Value of the Blood Pb Levels on Brain Pb Burden in the Offspring in a Dietary Mouse Model: An Important Consideration for Cumulative Risk in Development” was published in Nutrients in September 2023. Coauthors are Derick R. Peterson, Lu Wang and Margot Mayer-Proschel.
- Adelaide Weidner, a graduate student In Dr. Olga Astapova’s Lab. Adelaide’s paper “Paxillin regulates androgen receptor expression associated with granulosa cell focal adhesions” was published in Molecular Human Reproduction in May 2024. Coauthors are Anna Roy, Kenji Vann, Ariana C. Walczyk, and Olga Astapova.
Irfan Rahman, PhD Professor of Environmental Medicine, Public Health, and Medicine is being named an inaugural Highly Ranked Scholar by Scholar GPS
Wednesday, May 1, 2024
ScholarGPS celebrates Highly Ranked Scholars™ for their exceptional performance in various Fields, Disciplines, and Specialties. Dr. Rahman’s prolific publication record, the high impact of your work, and the outstanding quality of his scholarly contributions have placed him in the top 0.05% of all scholars worldwide.
Please see below the links for rankings and scholar profile
View your scholar profile and rankings
Listed below is a summary of the areas (and your ranking in those areas) in which Dr. Rahman has been awarded Highly Ranked Scholar status based on his accomplishments over the totality of your career (lifetime) and over the prior five years:
Highly Ranked Scholar - Lifetime |
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#7,492 |
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#293 |
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#20 |
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#10 |
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#13 |
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#46 |
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#53 |
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Ian Krout ’22M (PhD) on Honing Your Skills Beyond Research
Monday, February 26, 2024
Listen on Apple, Spotify, or YouTube Music.
Ian Krout, a 2022 graduate of our Toxicology Ph.D. program, currently serves as a postdoctoral fellow at Emory University School of Medicine and an assistant professor at Kennesaw State University.
In this episode, he discusses his current role as a bench scientist, primarily focusing on sequencing and data analysis, contributing to research investigating how pesticide exposure may interact with the gut microbiome to influence the progression of neurodegenerative diseases.
Reflecting on his academic career, Krout explains how he discovered the Toxicology program at the University of Rochester and why he chose it for his graduate training, highlighting the program's focus on collaboration, interdisciplinary work, and professional development. He also shares his experience in finding the right postdoctoral opportunity, emphasizing the importance of setting goals, seeking feedback from committee members, and exploring research that aligns with one's interests.
Krout offers advice to graduate students, encouraging them to maximize their educational experiences by leveraging available resources and embracing opportunities for personal and professional growth.
Key Takeaways
Intentionality in Career Planning: Take a deliberate approach to identifying and applying for postdoctoral opportunities. Setting clear goals and aligning them with your career aspirations helps you prioritize programs that offer meaningful advancement opportunities.
Utilizing Resources: Use the resources available at academic institutions; from career talks and workshops to faculty committees, you can gain valuable insights and personalized feedback on potential career paths.
Networking and Collaboration: Engage with your peers and faculty members in the academic community. Prioritize a collaborative environment and foster connections and partnerships with those around you. Be proactive in your engagement and take the initiative to maximize your learning and networking opportunities.
Reflective Practice: Introspection is crucial for your academic development and personal growth. Seize opportunities to develop and hone your skills beyond research so you can adapt to new roles and responsibilities, becoming a more well-rounded scientist.
Living in the Moment: Remember to appreciate the present while focusing on future goals. Enjoy your academic journey by finding a work-life balance that allows you to approach your studies enjoyably and sustainably. Value your holistic development as both a person and a scientist.
Key Quotes
- 06:56: "...the Toxicology program...being really unique and opposed to the other programs that I looked at and the fact that they focused on collaboration and interdisciplinary work as opposed to competition and sort of trapping yourself in one discipline, which I found with a lot of the other graduate schools I looked at. And so with that focus on collaboration, it made the program really welcoming and it made it so that interdisciplinary work could occur between labs, between graduate students even.
- 08:38: " I made it a point to try to take advantage of any career professional development opportunities that came my way. And a lot of that happened through myHub with Eric Vaughn and Elaine Smolock at the Writing Center. I participated in a number of career talks and professional development workshops that really allowed me to see the breadth of opportunities that were available for PhDs and hone in my own career aspirations. So utilizing all of these things made me just a more well-rounded scientist, not only because professionally I looked better, but I was taking the skills that I learned in things such as leadership and management workshops back to the bench."
- 09:00: "I also took part in the science communication group Thinkers and Drinkers, where we were able to focus on how do we communicate our science to individuals outside of the scientific field. So, not only was I doing the research, but I was working on how to communicate that research to others to make it so that my Ph.D. was not only at the bench but was also interactive with translating that research to individuals who are the constituency of the research that we're completing."
- 13:09: "Knowing what my goals were and knowing what I wanted to achieve in the next three and next five years really made it so that I could sort through my options as next steps and find something that fit my role."
- 21:08: “Don’t be afraid to reach out to people like Eric and Elaine. If you have an idea or you have something you need help with, they're amazing and more than willing to help. … reach out, get involved, do as much as you can."
Irfan Rahman, PhD interviewed by Scientific American on Smoking compromises immune health even in former smokers
Wednesday, February 14, 2024
A new study found persistent effects of smoking on the adaptive immune system, but how this translates to health risks remains unclear
Read More: Irfan Rahman, PhD interviewed by Scientific American on Smoking compromises immune health even in former smokers