Honors and Awards

2023

Alec Rodriguez was awarded a Chancellor’s Research Award at the Fall Staff Assembly!
Alyssa was promoted to Senior Associate Dean for Faculty in the Basic Sciences
Dr. Nathan Winn’s K01 was selected for funding!
Heather started her new faculty position at the University of Houston in their Health and Human Performance Department. We are so proud!

2022

Matthew Cottam defended his dissertation – congratulations Dr. Cottam!
Katie Volk’s individual F31 was funded!

2021

We are thrilled to have Jamie Garcia join our lab! And she was also awarded a spot on the METP training grant!
Maggie was selected as a 2021 Intersections Science Fellows Symposium Associate-what an honor!
Nathan received the AHA Fellowship grant!

2020

Monica received a spot on the GI Training Grant!
Elysa has received a spot on the Immunometablolism training grant!
We are excited to welcome our new grad student, Elysa in our lab!
Nathan and Katie’s review was published in JCI Insight!

2019

Matt was awarded an NIH F31 on the Weight Cycling project!
Heather and Maggie both received AHA Fellowships!
We are excited to have Monica, an Endocrinology Fellow as a part of our lab!
Maggie received a poster award at the 2019 Vanderbilt Diabetes Day!
Nathan was awarded an Early Career Research Grant by The Obesity Society!
Matt received the Dean’s Award for Exceptional Achievement in Graduate Studies!
We are excited to have Alec in our group as a new Research Assistant!
Kristin and Nathan’s paper on Impaired Insulin Signaling in C5 deficient models was published in AJP – Endocrinology and Metabolism.
We are so excited to have two new graduate students, Katie and Julia in the lab!
Heather’s review was published in Current Obesity Reports!
Kristin successfully defended her PhD and graduated – congratulations!
Merla‘s paper was selected for the AJP-Cell Physiology 2018 Paper of the Year award.
Reid‘s publication was featured in the VUMC reporter.

2018

Our work was featured in the Vanderbilt Basically Speaking newsletter.
We were thrilled to have Nathan join our lab.
Maggie was awarded the Advancing Science Award from the National Organization of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCCHe).
Arion’s work on CD8+ T Cells in adipose tissue was highlighted in a Vanderbilt Reporter article.
Reid was awarded a mini-sabbatical grant by the Vanderbilt Institute for Infection, Immunology & Inflammation (VI4) to pursue cross-disciplinary training.
We were extremely excited to have Heather join our lab.
Merla successfully defended her PhD! What a great presentation summarizing years worth of work on the role of iron-handling macrophages in adipose tissue.
Merla earned her Certificate in College Teaching at Vanderbilt Center for Teaching

2017

Reid’s paper was accepted to Molecular Metabolism.
Alyssa was honored as a Cornelius Vanderbilt endowed chair.
Reid successfully defended his PhD and graduated.
We were very excited to have Maggie (postdoc) and Matt (PhD student) join our lab.
Reid’s abstract was selected for an oral presentation at the 2017 AAI Immunology meeting.
Alyssa was appointed as Associate Dean of Faculty Development, Vanderbilt University Basic Sciences.
Merla and Reid were each awarded an “Engineering Immunity and Vanderbilt Center for Immunobiology” Travel Grant to attend the 2017 AAI Immunology meeting.

2016

Alyssa was a co-organizer of the 2016 Immunological Aspects of Obesity FASEB meeting.
Reid placed 2nd in the Management & Business Principles for Scientists’ Project Competition.
Kristin was awarded funding through the Immunobiology of Blood & Vascular Systems (HL069765) NIH Training Grant.
Reid placed 4th in the poster competition at the 2016 Immunological Aspects of Obesity FASEB meeting.

2015

Alyssa was selected to participate in the ELAM academic medicine program for women. Read about it here.
Reid’s image was chosen as the cover for the Journal of Leukocyte Biology October issue and the article was selected for an editorial highlight.
Reid was awarded an IES Travel Grant and a Graduate Student Travel Grant to attend to the 2015 International Eosinophil Society Symposium.
Alyssa was promoted to Full-Professor! We are SO proud of our boss!
Merla passed her Qualifying Exams and is now a PhD candidate in the MPB Graduate program!
Arion won 1st place and Reid won 3rd place for their poster presentations at the Boshell Research Day at Auburn University.
Reid was awarded an American Heart Association Predoctoral Fellowship.

2014

Kristin received funding from the Pharmacological Sciences training grant.
Merla‘s NRSA application was funded on its first submission!
We were thrilled to have Kristin join our lab.
Alyssa had her VA Merit grant successfully funded.
Takuya, a visiting student from Japan, joined our group.
Arion was awarded an K01 from NHLBI and promoted to Research Instructor – awesome job Arion!

2013

Arion was selected the Daryl Granner Vanderbilt Diabetes Scholar! The Reporter article can be found here.
Emily successfully defended her dissertation – congratulations Emily!
Arion was awarded a postdoctoral fellowship from Merck.
Reid passed his Qualifying Exam with flying colors!
Andrea received a perfect 10 on her NRSA – awesome job!

2012

Congratulations to Andrea for passing her Candidacy Exam with flying colors!!
Emily was awarded an American Heart Association Pre-doctoral Fellowship award.
Reid joined our lab and received funding from the METP training grant.
Corey successfully defended his thesis and now has his Master’s Degree.
Dario successfully defended his dissertation and is now Dr. Gutierrez! Congratulations Dario – we’re so proud of you!!
Emily and Arion each won 1st place for their poster presentations at Boshell Research Day at Auburn University (March 1st).

2011

Emily and Arion each won 2nd place for their poster presentations at the Southeast Lipid Research Conference – congratulations!
Dario’s paper was accepted to Diabetes.
Jeb was awarded a postdoctoral NRSA.
Andrea won first place for her poster presentation at Boshel Diabetes Research Day!
Arion was awarded a postdoctoral fellowship from the American Diabetes Association.

2010

Emily passed her Qualifying Exam – congratulations Emily!
Dario’s abstract was accepted for an oral presentation at the European Macrophage and Dendritic Cell Society meeting.
Mike was awarded an American Heart Association postdoctoral fellowship!
Corey was accepted to complete a summer intership at the NIH.
Alyssa was featured in the American Diabetes Assocation Forefront magazine.

2009

Bonnie Surmi graduated! Congratulations Dr. Surmi.
Dario was selected as a Travel Award recipient for a Keystone conference.
Bonnie Surmi won the 2009 Vanderbilt Diabetes Scholar Award in the graduate student category! www.mc.vanderbilt.edu/diabetes/drtc/ScholarsAwards2009.php www.mc.vanderbilt.edu/reporter/index.html
Arion and Corey were accepted to attend the Metabolic Syndrome Course at Vanderbilt this summer.
Mike’s abstract was chosen for an oral presentation at the Obesity Society meeting this fall.
Dario passed his Qualifying exam!
Mike Puglisi won the Postdoc Oral Presentation at the MPB retreat.
Bonnie Surmi won the Graduate Student Poster Presentation at the MPB retreat.
Arion Kennedy was selected for a postdoc position on the METP grant.
Emily was selected for a graduate student position on the Cellular, Biochemical, and Molecular Sciences (CBMS) Training Program.
Corey Webb was accepted into the Master’s of Laboratory Science Program!
Alyssa was promoted to Associate Professor!
Bonnie Surmi’s abstract was selected for an oral presentation at the ATVB conference in DC, and she received a travel award from the graduate school to attend the meeting.
Mike Puglisi received a third place award for his poster presentation at the Boshell Diabetes Research Day at Auburn University.

2008

Saraswathi Viswanathan was awarded an American Heart Association Scientist Development Grant. Congratulations Saras!!
The Hasty Laboratory was selected by a donor to the American Diabetes Association to be the recipient of their generous gift.
Alyssa was selected to be highlighted as the Vanderbilt Diabetes Research and Training Center Featured Investigator for November 2008 www.mc.vanderbilt.edu/diabetes/drtc/
Marnie Gruen, Dario Gutierrez, and Alyssa Hasty submitted an abstract to the Obesity Society meeting that was selected to be presented in their Plenary Oral Abstract Presentation session (only 7 of 1000 submitted abstracts were chosen for this honor).
Alyssa Hasty was selected to receive a travel award for the NIH Workshop on the Establishment, Maintenance, and Turnover of Fat Depots.
Dario was selected for a graduate student position on the Molecular Endocrinology Training Program (METP) grant.
MIke was selected for a postdoctoral position on the METP grant.
Kimberly Coenen was chosen as only graduate student to receive the Vanderbilt Diabetes Center Scholar Award.
Bonnie Surmi was awarded a pre-doctoral fellowship from the American Heart Association
Kimberly Coenen successfully defended her dissertation on February 8th, and has gone on to begin her post-doctoral fellowship in the laboratory of Dr. Mac Buchowski.
www.mc.vanderbilt.edu/diabetes/drtc/drtc_news2008.php

2007

Kimberly Coenen was awarded a pre-doctoral fellowship from the American Heart Association.
Alyssa Hasty was awarded a Career Development Award from the American Diabetes Association.
Alli Antar successfully defended her dissertation in April and is now doing well in her post-doctoral fellowship with Dr. Larry Chan at Baylor.
Marnie Gruen successfully defended her Master’s thesis.
Michelle Plummer successfully defended her Master’s thesis.
Alyssa Hasty was awarded the Young Investigator Award from the Vanderbilt Digestive Diseases Research Center.
Dario Gutierrez was awarded a Director’s Award Scholarship to the Interdisciplinary Graduate Program at Vanderbilt.

2006

Alyssa Hasty was awarded the Young Investigator Award from the Vanderbilt Digestive Diseases Research Center.
Robin Atkinson was accepted into medical school.