MSTP Blog
8th Annual Southeastern Medical Scientist Symposium
Nov. 28, 2018—by Maggie Axelrod (G2) The Southeastern Medical Scientist Symposium (SEMSS) is a regional American Physician Scientist Association (APSA) annual meeting designed to bring together trainees at all levels, from undergraduates to current MD/PhD students and residents, who are interested in pursuing careers as physician-scientists. The main goals of SEMSS are to strengthen the MD/PhD community...
Alumni Profile: Kevin D. Niswender, M.D., Ph.D. (’95)
Nov. 28, 2018—by Thao Le (G1) Appointments Associate Professor of Medicine Associate Professor of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics Education M.D., Medicine, Vanderbilt University Ph.D., Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University B.S., Colorado College Dr. Kevin Niswender earned his Bachelor of Science degree from Colorado College in Colorado Springs and his MD and PhD degrees from the Vanderbilt...
Honors and Awards – November 2018
Nov. 28, 2018— Cody Stothers (G3) and Camilo Bermudez (G3) received American Heart Association (AHA) Fellowships! Benjamin Reisman (G3) received an F30 NRSA Fellowship! Maggie Axelrod (G2) and Rachel Brown (G2) received 2nd and 3rd place, respectively, in best graduate/postdoctoral student talks at the annual Retreat for Cancer Research. Matt Madden (G2) tied for top graduate student...
Life in the MSTP – November 2018
Nov. 27, 2018—Josephine Sasmaya Bloodworth was born on 11/10/18 at 9:18 pm at 6 lb 15 oz. Congratulations, Melissa and Nathan Bloodworth (M4s)! Lindsay (G3) and Krystian (G4+) Kozek were thrilled to welcome baby Addison Michael Kozek, who was born October 26 at 8 lb 13 oz and 20 inches long. Congratulations! Dr. Maureen...
MSTPublications: November 2018
Nov. 27, 2018—Estrogen receptor-alpha (ESR1) polymorphism rs1999805 associates with asthma. Bloodworth MH*, Rusznak M*, Bastarache L, Wang J, Newcomb DC. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2018 Nov 15. pii: S1081-1206(18)31409-1. doi: 10.1016/j.anai.2018.11.005. [Epub ahead of print] As adults, women have higher rates of asthma and allergic disease as well as increased asthma severity compared to men. Pre or...
Life in the MSTP – October 2018
Oct. 31, 2018—Gabriella DiCarlo (G4) and Allan Sheahan were married October 6, 2018 in Nashville, TN! Bola Adebesin (M2), Thao Le (G1) and Yasminye Pettway (M1) enjoyed a family dinner a Gojo Ethiopian Cafe! Seven generations of Sutherland + guests convene for their traditional family dinner at Sitar. Caleb Ford (G3) and Chris Peek (G2) hiking in...
Honors and Awards – October 2018
Oct. 31, 2018—Katherine Konvinse (G4) won an award for the Best Trainee Abstract at the Pharmacogenomic Research Network Symposium at the American Society of Human Genetics annual meeting in San Diego. Congratulations Katherine! Luc Van Kaer, PhD, Advising College Leader for Stahlman-Thomas recently received two teaching awards including the Jack...
We’re all #MSTPStars!
Oct. 31, 2018—By: Caleb “labmate of Chris” Ford This month, I want to highlight the MSTP student whose lab bench is next to mine. We call him Chris Peek. If you talk to him about IL-12 or IL-23, your time will be lost for an hour. If you accidentally drop the word “microbiome,” find a seat because...
Double Feature: Kristen Noble – Alumna (Ph.D. ’12) and Associate College Advisor (Sutherland)
Oct. 31, 2018—by Ayesha Muhammad (G1) Dr. Kristen Noble is a 2nd year neonatology fellow, currently serving as an Associate Advisor for Sutherland College. She is also an alumna of the Vanderbilt Meharry Alliance MSTP, receiving her PhD from Susan Wente’s lab in 2012, where she studied proteins that regulate mRNA export, and MD from Meharry Medical...
Recap: 2018 Meeting of the American Society of Human Genetics
Oct. 31, 2018—by Abin Abraham (G2) and Ayesha Muhammad (G1) A number of current MSTP trainees attended the annual meeting of the American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG) this month at San Diego. The conference included over 9,000 people in attendance including graduate students, genetic counselors, and even start-up companies. Vanderbilt MSTP was well-represented with abstracts and...
Recap: Annual Meeting of the Biomedical Engineering Society
Oct. 30, 2018—by Michael Raddatz (G2) This October 17-20th, the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) had its annual meeting in Atlanta, Georgia. The conference addressed engineering solutions across the spectrum from sub-protein level biology to clinical medicine. Vanderbilt University was incredibly well-represented overall with 95 abstracts, the third most of any institution, and Professor Cynthia Reinhart-King winning the...
Senior Vice President at ABC News Gives Keynote Address at MSTP Leadership Workshop
Oct. 30, 2018—The MSTP Leadership Workshop (LW) I for junior graduate phase students was held on September 14th and attended by over 30 students in the graduate phase of training. The goal of this biennial workshop is to coach students on leadership competencies fundamental to success as a physician-scientist. As Dr. Chris Williams pointed out in his...
MSTPublications: October 2018
Oct. 30, 2018—Acinetobacter baumannii OxyR regulates the transcriptional response to hydrogen peroxide. Juttukonda LJ, Green ER, Lonergan ZR, Heffern MC, Chang CJ, Skaar EP. Infect Immun. 2018 Oct 8. pii: IAI.00413-18. doi: 10.1128/IAI.00413-18. [Epub ahead of print] Acinetobacter baumannii is a Gram-negative opportunistic pathogen that causes diverse infections, including pneumonia, bacteremia, and wound infections. Due to multiple...
We’re all #MSTPstars!
Oct. 16, 2018—Last month we started #MSTPstar: A running list of achievements in MSTP students’ ongoing quest to be adult humans! Here are a few of the fantastically wonderful normal things we did this month! Ben Fensterheim, Petria Thompson, Brad Reinfeld, and Katherine Konvinse wore matching shoes, and they looked good! Submit your #MSTPstar here!
Shade Tree Clinic: An opportunity for community service that drives MSTP professional development
Oct. 16, 2018—Shade Tree Clinic (STC), which currently provides free, comprehensive healthcare to approximately 350 patients in and around Nashville, has served to inspire and train medical students and MSTP students alike since its founding in 2004. Among the countless MSTP students who have served in leadership positions, a healthy majority (9/12) of those queried were enthusiastic...