The University of Toledo

Congratulations to Cancer Biology track students, Nneka Mbah and Kaitlyn Dvorak, on their election to the Board of the University of Toledo Council of Biomedical Graduate Students (CBGS) for the 2013-2014 school year!

Board Secretary - Nneka Mbah, 3rd year
Cancer Biology Representative - Kaitlyn Dvorak, 1st year

Congratulations to Gaurav Mehta for winning first prize for his oral presentation entitled "SWI/SF Chromatin Remodeling Enzymes in Transcriptional Regulation of Pathological Cardiac Hypertrophy," co-authored by Jian Wu and Dr. Ivana de la Serna, at the 40th Annual Pharmacology Research Colloquium, June 7, 2013, at Wayne State University.  Mr. Mehta placed first out of thirteen oral presentations.  The colloquium was attended by students, faculty and staff from Michigan State University, University of Michigan, University of Toledo, and Wayne State University.  Gaurav is mentored by Dr. Ivana de la Serna.

Kari Lavik, member of the Dr. Kathryn Eisenmann's lab, has been awarded the 2013 MGRS AWIS (Association for Women in Science) Award for the top woman in a STEM field.

Kari Lavik received 2nd Place for Oral Presentation at the 2013 Midwest Graduate Research Symposium, The University of Toledo, Toledo, OH held April 20, 2013,  organized by the Graduate Students Association (GSA).
Title of Presentation:  "A Collaborataive Role for N-WASP and mDia Formins during Stage 1 and 2 of Invadopodia Formation".  Congratulations Kari!

Gaurav Mehta, member of the Dr. Ivana de la Serna’s lab, took 1st place for Oral Presentation at the 2013 Midwest Graduate Research Symposium, The University of Toledo, Toledo, OH held on April 20, 2013, organized by the Graduate Students Association (GSA).
Title of Presentation:  "SWI/SNF Chromatin Remodeling Enzymes in Transcriptional Regulation of Pathological Cardiac Hypertrophy".  Congratulations Gaurav!

Meghan Wyse, member of the Dr. Kathryn Eisenmann's lab, took 2nd Place for Oral Presentation at the 2013 Graduate Research Forum, The University of Toledo College of Medicine, Toledo, OH on March 22, 2013.  Total of 52 students participated from all four tracks in the Biomedical Science Program and College of Pharmacy in the Graduate Research Forum 2013.  Congratulations Meghan!

Congratulations to Cancer Biology track students, Gaurav Methta, Archit Trivedi and Nneka Mbah on their election to the board of the University of Toledo Council of Biomedical Graduate Students (CBGS) for the 2012-2013 school year!

Board President - Gaurav Mehta, 3rd year
Board Treasurer - Archit Trivedi, 3rd year
Cancer Biology Representative - Nneka Mbah, 2nd year

Archit Trivedi, 2nd year Cancer Biology graduate student, took second place at the Univ. of Toledo Midwest Graduate Research Symposium held March 24, 2012.  The symposium was organized by the UT Graduate Student Association and featured presentations from graduate students represented by 25 invited midwestern universities.  This is the first time a student from the Health Science campus has won an award at the symposium. 

Mr. Trivedi is a second-year PhD student in Dr. Ivana de la Serna’s lab.  The title of his presentation was, “BRG1 cooperates with MITF to promote melanoma survival”.  Co-authors were Srinivas Vinod Saladi (Cancer Biology alumni) and Dr. de la Serna.  Congratulations Archit on a great accomplishment!

Jessica Arden, Dr. Kathryn Eisenmann's lab, has received the 2011/2012 Satellites and Retirees Scholarship award for the Cancer Biology track of the Biomedical Sciences program.  Jessica is a MD/PhD student and has completed her first two years of medical school and recently passed her Step 1 exams.  She is currently a full-time student in the Eisenmann lab investigating the role formins play in directing the aggressive type of brain cancer cells, glioblastoma, to spread within the normal brain tissue.  Congratulations Jess!