Thankful for your support
As we celebrate the spirit of Thanksgiving, I would like to extend my deepest gratitude for the hard work and dedication that you bring each day to the School of Medicine Basic Sciences. I am consistently reinvigorated by our community’s outstanding and collaborative efforts to catalyze scientific exploration.
I hope the break is a time for us all to reflect our shared accomplishments and to recharge. Thank you for everything you do.
Warm regards,
John Kuriyan
Dean of Basic Sciences, School of Medicine
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Kimryn Rathmell appointed NCI director
Kimryn Rathmell, chair of the Department of Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, will be appointed Director of the National Cancer Institute. Rathmell will become the NCI’s 17th director and only the second woman to hold this position. She was chosen to serve in this role by President Joe Biden.
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Lawrence Givens promoted to assistant dean
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Four among top one percent of cited researchers
Dan Roden (Medicine), Jeffrey Rathmell (Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology), James Crowe Jr. (Pediatrics), and Mark Denison (Pediatrics) are among the world’s most highly cited researchers according to the global analytics firm Clarivate.
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Lau named 2023 Cohen Innovation Fund awardee
Ken Lau (Cell and Developmental Biology) has been selected to receive a one-year research award from the Stanley Cohen Innovation Fund. The award will support groundbreaking and paradigm-shifting research in single-cell genomics.
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Powers receives highest VA honor
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McLean receives 2023 EAS Award
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Riedmann named Godschalk Research Fund inaugural recipient
The inaugural award of the Zenobia and Mark Godschalk Research Fund has been presented to Kyle Riedmann (Cell and Developmental Biology), a graduate student in the lab of Julie Bastarache (Medicine).
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Cambronero earns NACC Rising Star Award
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McDonald earns Karpay Award
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Kojetin appointed DGS for biochemistry
Doug Kojetin (Biochemistry) has been named the new director of graduate studies for the Department of Biochemistry. He succeeds Manny Ascano (Biochemistry).
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Li and Nakagawa promoted
Congratulations to Bingshan Li and Terunaga Nakagawa on their promotions to professors of molecular physiology and biophysics!
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Fresh-from-the-oven grads
The following graduates successfully defended their dissertations this past month:
- Cell and Developmental Biology: Caroline Cencer, Ph.D.; Gillian Fitz, Ph.D.
- Human Genetics: Timothy Scott, Ph.D.
- Microbe-Host Interactions: Sirena Chau Tran, Ph.D.
- Molecular Pathology and Immunology: George Xu, Ph.D.
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The recipe box of life
In his most recent column Vice Dean Chuck Sanders (Biochemistry) describes some of what separates us from our closest phylogenetical relatives.
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Hinton to join JCP board, Keystone Program
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Beasley to serve on AARC member council
Heather Beasley (Antentor Hinton Jr. lab) was elected to serve on the Associate Member Council of the American Association of Cancer Research.
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2023 BRET Winter Showcase
From beautiful original compositions to witty comedy, the Office of Biomedical Research Education and Training gives students, postdocs, staff, and faculty the opportunity to step into the spotlight during its fifth annual Winter Showcase, scheduled for Dec. 14 at 6:00 p.m. in Langford Auditorium.
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Data and Drinks Seminars
Ever wonder what the careers of biomedical Ph.D.'s look like in the first 10 years after graduation? Come hear key findings from the Office of Biomedical Research Education and Training recent publication in FASEB BioAdvances that explores the diverse careers of nearly 1,500 Ph.D. biomedical sciences alumni over the last 20 years.
Two identical sessions are planned:
- Nov. 30 at 3:30–4:30 p.m. in 208 Light Hall
- Dec. 7 at 3:30–4:30 p.m. in 208 Light Hall
Advance registration is requested so the organizers can plan for fun drinks and snacks accordingly. Yes, there will be slides, but there will also be beverages, snacks, and discussion!
Sponsored by the BRET Outcomes Team and the ASPIRE Program.
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BRET 360°second edition now published!
The Office of Biomedical Research and Education Training publishes an annual report titled BRET 360° to summarize accomplishments and ongoing projects for internal and external audiences interested in their work. BRET invites you to learn about their efforts to enhance trainees development, support postdoc and graduate students’ training, and serve the needs of faculty in the biomedical research community at Vanderbilt.
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Seasonal reminder
The holiday season tends to come with an increase in petty theft from labs and offices. Please be aware of your personal belongings and refrain from leaving unsupervised laptops, mobile phones, purses, etc., where they might be easily taken. Campus authorities should be informed if you see someone walking through a secure area without an ID badge. Campus Police can be reached at (615) 322-2745. The VandySafe app is also available for download for quick contact with campus police, virtual walks home, and other safety-related options.
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ARC Program
The Advancing Research Careers (F99/K00 and UE5) is part of the National Institutes of Health’s efforts to promote diversity within the biomedical research workforce and is designed as a structured program to enhance participation of trainees from diverse backgrounds as they transition from predoctoral research training to postdoctoral research and career development.
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Fridge and freezer inventories
Most energy is wasted during door openings, so knowing where your sample is in your fridge/freezer can keep the door opening time to a minimum.
A fridge/freezer inventory not only improves sample access speed but also reduces the likelihood of misplacing samples.
Consider creating an electronic, searchable inventory.
Thank you to the Center for Structural Biology for this month's Green Tip!
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Have a job opening you’d like to promote? Send us a link or a description and contact info, and we’ll post it here for three issues. Renew postings anytime!
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About this issue's bannerThis amazing image of sarcomeres in a cardiac myocyte was taken by former graduate student Aidan Fenix from the lab of Dylan Burnette (Cell and Developmental Biology). Fenix labeled the actin filaments and obtained the raw data by using structured illumination microscopy, and Burnette made a color projection from it, shown here.
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Catch up on Basic Sciences news!We regularly update our website with some of the latest VU Basic Sciences news stories. Check it out.
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About the newsletterThis newsletter recognizes the achievements and latest discoveries of students, postdocs, faculty, and staff associated with Basic Sciences departments, centers, and cores or who carry out basic biomedical research at Vanderbilt.
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Help friends and family keep up with Basic Sciences!
Basic Sciences has a number of communication avenues that you or your loved ones can use to keep up with what's going on here. If they're not already getting the Reading List, Vital, and Lab-to-Table Conversations announcements, send them to our subscription center!
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Keep up with biomedical science seminars
To receive weekly email notices about upcoming seminars focused on the biomedical sciences, please email Tracy O'Brien. To submit your event for the weekly email, send it to the "bioseminar" email address.
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Send us your news Got an announcement or an upcoming event? Did we miss out on celebrating you or your lab's successes? Let us know!
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