Congratulations Graduates!
The Vanderbilt IMSD is pleased to congratulate three members of the program who completed their Ph.D degrees this spring.
Christian Gonzalez at Vanderbilt Commencement 2013
Christian Gonzalez completed his dissertation research in the laboratory of Tim Cover in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology. His dissertation was entitled “Structural and function of the Helicobacter pylori VacA p33 domain.” Christian is moving to the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston where he will begin a postdoctoral position in the laboratory of Peter Christie in the Department of Microbiology.
Jennifer Rojas attends the Ph.D hooding ceremony
Jennifer Rojas completed her Ph.D degree under the mentorship of Kevin Niswender in the Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics. Her dissertation was entitled “Obesity Dyslipidemia: The Effect of Central Nervous System Neuropeptide Y on Hepatic Lipoprotein Metabolism.” Jennifer is assuming a postdoctoral position in the laboratory of Michael Scwartz, Diabetes and Obesity Center of Excellence, at the University of Washington.
Freddy Pruitt celebrates after his successful defense with mentor, Simon Hayward.
Freddy Pruitt recently defended his thesis research entitled “A Role for Estrogen Receptor and the Estrogen-Regulated Protease Cathepsin D in Stromally-Driven Prostatic Carcinogenesis.” Freddy completed his Ph.D in Cancer Biology in the laboratory of Simon Hayward. Freddy will be undertaking a postdoctoral fellowship at John Hopkins University in the laboratory of John Issacs in the Departments of Pharmacology and Oncology.
Joanna Allen at the May 2013 Commencement
The Vanderbilt IMSD program also congratulates Johnna Allen, a member of our former postbac program, who completed her Ph.D degree in the laboratory of Terry Dermody, Department of Microbiology and Immunology. Johnna is current a fellow in the Office of Science Training and Diversity, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. Her dissertation at Vanderbilt was entitled “Finding the Sweet Spot: The Role of Carbohydrate Binding in Reovirus Neuropathogenesis.”