The 2018 Commencement Exercises for the Elmezzi Graduate School of Molecular Medicine and the presentation of two honorary degrees took place May 24 at The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research. The honorary degrees, which are given to researchers who advanced biomedical research and improved medical treatment for patients, were presented to Mina Bissell distinguished scientist in the Division of Biological Systems and Engineering at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and Anthony Zador professor of biology and program chair for neuroscience at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
“The Elmezzi Graduate School of Molecular Medicine transforms physicians into scientists who cure disease,” said Annette T. Lee, dean of the Elmezzi Graduate School of Molecular Medicine. “Our two most recent graduates personify this mission through their research in inflammation and bone cancer and the promise of discovering new treatments for these conditions.”
The Elmezzi Graduate School of Molecular Medicine is a PhD program for physicians who wish to pursue careers in biomedical research. During their training, Elmezzi students conduct research in Feinstein Institute laboratories to advance biomedical knowledge, pursue new therapeutic approaches and diagnostic tools. During commencement exercises, students who completed their dissertation studies were granted the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, Molecular Medicine. This year, two graduate students received their degrees:
- Dr. Caroline Maloney, for her research repurposing the Food and Drug Administration approved drug, gefitinib, to prevent metastasis in osteosarcoma, a common form of bone cancer, after surgical removal of the tumor. Her thesis is titled: “The Role of Receptor Interacting Protein Kinase 2 in Macrophage-Promoted Invasion Metastasis in Osteosarcoma.”
- Dr. Ibrahim Mughrabi, for his work examining the FDA approved drug galantamine as a method to pharmacologically stimulate the vagus nerve to reduce inflammation. His thesis is titled: “The Suppression by Chronic Pharmacological Vagus Nerve Stimulation: In vitro and In vivo Evaluation of Galantamine in a Model of Auto-inflammation.”
Along with celebrating and recognizing this year’s graduates, Drs. Bissell and Zador were presented with honorary degrees, Candidate for Degree of Doctor of Science honoris causa. Bissell studies the role of extracellular matrix and microenvironment in regulation of tissue-specific gene expression, in particular in breast cancer, which has changed paradigms. Zador, studies how brain circuitry gives rise to complex behavior and is developing new methods to determine the complete wiring instructions of the mouse brain at single-neuron resolution using high-throughput DNA sequencing.
To find out more about the Elmezzi Graduate School of Molecular Medicine and its programs, click here.