GDBBS Awards Banquet 2016


The 7th Annual GDBBS Awards Banquet was held on September 22, 2016 at the Druid Hills Golf Club.

Download the Event Program (PDF)

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

Graduate Career Award

Marc Schureck, BCDB, PhD

Advisor: Christine Dunham, PhD

Student Teaching Award

Arielle Valdez, NS, MD/PhD

Advisor: Gary Bassell, PhD

Career Teaching Award

Alicia Cutler, BCDB

Advisors: Grace Pavlath, PhD & Anita Corbett, PhD

Student Leadership Award

George Inglis, GMB

Advisor: Andrew Escayg, PhD

Outreach/ Community Service Award

Christopher Lewis, IMP, MD/PhD

Advisor: Jacques Galipeau, MD

Student Mentor Award

Michelle Giddens, NS

Advisor: Randy Hall, PhD

Faculty Mentor Award

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