Honors and Awards – July 2023
Yasminye Pettway (G4) was selected as the Vanderbilt Prize Student Scholar and will be mentored by the 2023 Vanderbilt Prize Scholar in Biomedical Science, Professor Dame Frances Ashcroft. The Vanderbilt Prize Student Scholar is someone who demonstrates excellent leadership qualities through their research and service to the scientific community and characteristics that exhibit outstanding potential to impact medicine through research during their careers.
Ansley Kunnath (G3) was awarded the 2023 Lacy-Fischer Interdisciplinary Research Grant for her project on “Audiovisual Plasticity in Cochlear Implant Users: An fNIRS-EEG Study.” This grant was a collaboration with Katie Berg, a clinical audiologist and Ph.D. student in the Hearing & Speech Department. Through their combined expertise in audiology and neuroscience, Ansley and Katie will explore changes in neural activation patterns following cochlear implantation by purchasing a state-of-the-art simultaneous EEG-fNIRS recording cap. This will be the first study to evaluate longitudinal changes in combined EEG and fNIRS activity, as well as behavioral correlates of audiovisual integration, in the cochlear implant population. Ultimately, this work will expand our understanding of the neural mechanisms of multisensory integration and hearing restoration.
Allie Lake (G3) and Matthew O’Neill (M4) received the Basic Sciences Dean’s Award Award for Exceptional Achievement in Graduate Studies which is awarded to students for their high academic and scientific achievement and for the originality, significance, and rigor of their dissertation research.
Congratulations to our new M1 students who received their white coats at the White Coat Ceremony and officially began their journey to become physicians!
Jerome Arceneaux (Meharry Medical College) has been appointed to the SNMA Board of Directors as Region X Director!
Ayaka Suguira (M4) and Camille Wang (M4) received P.E.O Scholar Awards and were profiled in this article in the VUMC Reporter!