Department of Biochemistry

News

Geena Ildefonso is newest Levi Watkins, Jr. Student Awardee

Jan. 9, 2021—Kudos to our newest Levi Watkins, Jr. Student Awardee, Geena Ildefonso (CPB, Quaranta Lab) for fostering a diverse environment that is encouraging to all. Way to go!

Michael Sheedlo is one of PMI’s 2020 Sidney Colowick Awardees!

Jan. 8, 2021—Congrats to PostDoc Michael Sheedlo (Lacy Lab) as one of PMI’s 2020 Sidney Colowick Awardees!

Angela Kruse earns coveted 2020 Human Islet Research Network Scholarship

Jan. 7, 2021—We have a winner! PostDoc Angela Kruse (Caprioli Lab) received one of only nine nationally awarded scholarships from the 2020 Human Islet Research Network.

Sarah Glass is Russell G. Hamilton Graduate Leadership Professional Development & Training Grant recipient

Jan. 6, 2021—Congrats to our stellar Sarah Glass, recipient of the Russell G. Hamilton Graduate Leadership Professional Development & Training Grant.

Richard Armstrong Mentoring Award Lecture Photos & Zoom Video

Jan. 5, 2021—Thank you to all who attended the Richard Armstrong Mentoring Award Lecture by Dr. Walter Chazin on Sept 11. Almost 200 people were on hand to celebrate scientific mentorship by our faculty members. Photos Zoom Video Recording

Congratulations Chuck Sanders, President-Elect of the Protein Society

Jan. 4, 2021—Congratulations to the new President-Elect of the Protein Society, Dr. Chuck Sanders! Founded in 1986, the Protein Society is an international, not-for-profit, scholarly society advancing research into protein structure, function, design and applications.

Old News Items

Teebro Paul (Marnett lab intern) was awarded both first AND second place at the 2024 Health Occupation Students of America International Leadership conference.

Dr. Tina Iverson received a 2024 Innovation Catalyst Fund Award. This award accelerates the maturation of faculty research ideas for market and community impact.

Xiaoyu “Lily” Yu (Kojetin lab) won the 2024 VICB Richard Armstrong Prize at the August 2 VICB symposium.

Dr. Jeffrey Spraggins has accepted the role of director of the Mass Spectrometry Research Center. Dr. Spraggins succeeds Dr. Richard Caprioli.

Click here for a great article on the career of Dr. Richard Caprioli which was published by the School of Medicine Basic Sciences.

Sabrina Van Ravenstein (Dewar lab) received a 2023-2024 Graduate School Travel Grant for “Resolution of precatenanes by Topoisomerase IIIa-RMI1-RMI2 during vertebrate DNA replication”

Kevin McCarty (Guengerich lab) is a recipient of the 2024 Dean’s Award for Exceptional Achievement in the School of Medicine Basic Sciences.

Dr. Doug Mitchell has accepted an offer to join BCHM/CHEM faculty as Director of VICB (Vanderbilt Institute of Chemical Biology).

Congratulations to Dr. Jeffrey Spraggins on being named a 2024 Chancellor Faculty Fellow.

Congratulations to the 2024 Travel Award recipients.

Congratulations to Dr. Tina Iverson on being named associate dean for faculty in the School of Medicine Basic Sciences.

Congratulations to Dr. Ray Blind and collaborators for making the cover of Science Signaling, AAAS journal, 28 May 2024 issue.

Congratulations to Dr. Marija Zanic who was promoted to Professor, Cell & Developmental Biology, Professor, Biochemistry, & Professor, Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering.

Click here to access the 2024 Commencement article in VUMC News. Dr. Jorge Rue Fernandez from the Cortez lab was featured. (Photo courtesy of VUMC News)

Dr. Neil Osheroff was awarded the Lillian B. Nanney Award for “Outstanding Service to the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine/Vanderbilt University Medical Center Community of Educators.”

Samantha Lisy (Ascano lab) received a 2023-2024 Graduate School Travel Grant for “Characterization of Novel 5’-Capped Cellular Transcripts Bound by Viral RNA Binding Protein IFIT1 Using PAR-dCLIP”

Dr. Ray Blind has been named associate director for diversity, equity, and inclusion at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center.

Dr. Tina Iverson and colleagues are featured in the Basic Sciences newsletter for their work on how bacterial motor powers bacterial chemotaxis, a key infectious process. Click here to read the full article.

Dr. Emily Hodges and former graduate student Dr. Tyler Hansen are featured in the Basic Sciences newsletter for their work on mechanisms of gene regulatory divergence between species. Click here to read the full article.

Biochemistry’s Dr. Kaitlyn Browning is featured in the VU News “Dare to Grow” article, as part of the V150 Celebration. The article includes a link to a YouTube video: https://news.vanderbilt.edu/2024/04/26/watch-these-class-of-2024-students-use-dare-to-grow-passion-to-help-others/

Dr. David Cortez will receive the 2024 Hans Neurath Award from The Protein Society. The Hans Neurath Award sponsored by the Hans Neurath Foundation, honors individuals who have made a recent contribution of exceptional merit to basic protein research. To read more click here.

Dr. Juan Carvajal Garcia (Merrikh lab) has been named 2024 VI4 Trainee of the Year.

Dr. Richard Caprioli has been appointed Standford Moore Professor of Biochemistry, Emeritus, in the Department of Biochemistry, and Director Emeritus of the Mass Spectrometry Research Center, in the School of Medicine, Basic Sciences

Dr. Vito Quaranta has been appointed Professor of Pharmacology, Emeritus, and Professor of Biochemistry, Emeritus, in the Departments of Pharmacology and Biochemistry, in the School of Medicine, Basic Sciences

Dr. Katrin Karbstein has accepted an offer to join BCHM as a Professor of Biochemistry, Ingram Professor of Cancer Research, Co-Leader of the Cancer Cell Biology Program at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center (VICC)

Dr. Rahul Bhowmick has accepted an offer to join BCHM as an Assistant Professor of Biochemistry.

Dr. Walter Chazin was featured in a nice write-up by The Biophysical Society. To access the article, click here.

Congratulations to the Osheroff Lab whose 2019 paper is being honored by ACS Infectious Diseases as “one of the most highly read and cited articles” from the first ten years of the journal! E.G. Gibson, B. Bax, P.F. Chan, and N. Osheroff, “Mechanistic and Structural Basis for the Actions of the Antibacterial Gepotidacin against Staphylococcus aureus Gyrase”

Dr. Jennifer Pietenpol will be presented with the 2024 ASCO “Science of Oncology” Award at the 2024 ASCO Annual Meeting. The ASCO Foundation, recognize researchers, patient advocates, philanthropists, teachers, and global oncology leaders who have reshaped cancer care around the world with the Society’s highest honors. Click here to learn more.

Dr. Walter Chazin has been appointed Senior Associate Dean of Biomedical Research Education & Training.

Congratulations to Dr. Samantha P. Beik on being awarded the John G. Coniglio 2024 Prize in Biochemistry.

Congratulations to former graduate student Dr. Tata Kavlashvili on being named a Damon Runyon Fellow by the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation.

Congratulations to Xiaoyu (Lily) Yu from the Kojetin lab as winner of the new Provost’s Pathbreaking Discovery Award. This award recognizes doctoral students who exhibit exceptional academic excellence in areas such as publications, awards, patents, and other forms of national/international distinction.

Congratulations to adjunct faculty member Dr. Steven Damo on being named Interim Assistant Dean of the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics and Chair of Life and Physical Sciences at Fisk University

Dr. Manny Ascano (along with Dr. Alissa Weaver, CDB) was awarded a grant from the National Science Foundation (a joint effort with the NHGRI) for their project titled “Characterization of the Biogenesis, Uptake, and Cellular Response to the Ribonucleoprotein Cargoes of Extracellular Vesicles using EV-CLASP”

Dr. Yongjian Huang (Kuriyan lab) received a Seeding Success Grant from the Office of the Vice Provost for Research and Innovation for his proposal “Development of Conformational Selective Nanobodies to Facilitate Structural Studies of Intact HER Receptors.”

Dr. Kevin Schey has been appointed the Stevenson Chair in

Biochemistry

Dr. Bruce Carter has been appointed the Natalie Overall Warren Chair in Biochemistry

Basically Speaking ran a great retrospective on Dr. F. Peter Guengerich

Congratulations to Jenny Tran (Brown Lab) on your American Heart Association (AHA) Predoctoral Fellowship and for receiving the Ethel M. Wilson Scholarship from Vanderbilt University. This scholarship recognized excellence in research conducted by promising graduate women.

Congratulation to Dr. Jonathan Brown, newly elected member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation.

Dr. Douglas Kojetin has been named the new Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) for the Department of Biochemistry effective January 1, 2024.

Montana Young (Hamm Lab) earned “Best First-year Talk” at the Department of Pharmacology retreat on October 13.

Xiaoyu (Lily) Yu (Kojetin lab) earned the “Best Poster” award at the 8th Gateway NMR Conference held at the University of Notre Dame.

Congratulations to Dr. Manny Ascano on joining the VI4 (Vanderbilt Institute for Infection, Immunology and Inflammation) Executive Committee.