GDBBS Awards Banquet 2016
The 7th Annual GDBBS Awards Banquet was held on September 22, 2016 at the Druid Hills Golf Club.
Student of the Year Awardees
Paul Donlin‐Asp, BCDB
Advisor: Gary Bassell, PhD
Katelyn Ponder, CB
Advisor: Larry Boise, PhD
Michael Christopher, GMB
Advisor: David Katz. PhD
Ryan Martinez, IMP
Advisor: Brian Evavold, PhD
Lalita Priyamvada, MMG
Advisor: Jens Wrammert, PhD
Kendra Quicke, MMG
Advisor: Mehul Suthar, PhD
Scott Cordova, MSP
Advisor: Hyunsuk Shim, PhD
Lukas Hoffman, NS
Advisor: Sam Sober, PhD
Carolyn Ayers, PBEE
Advisor: Berry Brosi, PhD
Award Recipients
Marc Schureck, BCDB, PhD
Advisor: Christine Dunham, PhD
Arielle Valdez, NS, MD/PhD
Advisor: Gary Bassell, PhD
Alicia Cutler, BCDB
Advisors: Grace Pavlath, PhD & Anita Corbett, PhD
George Inglis, GMB
Advisor: Andrew Escayg, PhD
Christopher Lewis, IMP, MD/PhD
Advisor: Jacques Galipeau, MD
Michelle Giddens, NS
Advisor: Randy Hall, PhD
Adam Marcus, BCDB & CB, PhD
Distinguished Alumni Award
Jing Chen, PhD
Jing Chen, PhD, is Professor of Hematology/Medical Oncology, Director, Division of Basic and Translational Sciences, and Associate Director of Research, Division of Hematology at Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University School of Medicine.
He received his Ph.D training in Dr. Haian Fu's laboratory (1997-2001) in Biochemistry, Cell and Development Biology Program of GDBBS at Emory University, and was trained as a HHMI Postdoctoral Fellow in Dr. Gary Gilliland's laboratory at Harvard Medical School before joining Winship Cancer Institute in 2004.
Dr. Chen is interested in the signaling basis of pathogenesis and disease development of human cancers. His current research focus is to further the molecular understanding of cancer metabolism and identify key metabolic enzymes as novel anti-cancer targets.
Dr. Chen has published many seminal papers in top journals including Cancer Cell, Molecular Cell, Nature Cell Biology, Nature Chemistry, Nature Communications, Science Signaling, PNAS, JCI and Blood etc.
Dr. Chen received many prestigious awards including American Cancer Society (ACS) Scholar Award, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) Scholar Award, Georgia Cancer Coalition (GCC) Distinguished Cancer Scholar Award, and Winship 5K Scholar Award.
Special Thanks
On behalf of the Graduate Division of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, I would like to express my sincerest appreciation to all of you that took time out of your busy schedules to help us celebrate the achievement of students and faculty at this 7th Annual GDBBS Awards Banquet.
To all faculty, students, and staff: thank you for your continual efforts to make the GDBBS among the most successful programs in modern biological and biomedical research and a true model for interdisciplinary training.
The GDBBS Staff and I would like to give special thanks to Dean Lisa Tedesco and the James T. Laney Graduate School for continuing to provide the resources for the funding of this event.
This event would not be as special if we did not have the financial contributions of our alumni, including Bill and Cathy Rice, Paul Orser, and Margaret and Thomas Lew. Thank you for your efforts and for taking the time to come and celebrate with us. We are particularly happy to have more alumni with us for this year's event.
I would especially like to thank the GDBBS and LGS staff members, Monica Taylor and Robin Harpak, along with Mary Moore and Katie Busch, for your continued efforts to organize this special occasion.
Sincerely,
Nael A. McCarty, PhD
Marcus Professor of Cystic Fibrosis Department of Pediatrics
Director, GDBBS