GRD Facts 

36th Annual GRADUATE RESEARCH DAY

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AWARD WINNERS 

photo of Rebekah Robinson

Rebekah Robinson

  • FISHER PHI KAPPA PHI AWARD

Graduate Program: MD/PhD, Doctor of Philosophy with a major in Genomic Medicine Presentation Title: Müller Glia Protect Against IL-6 Trans-Signaling Induced Barrier Dysfunction in Retinal Endothelial Cells

photo of Candee Barris

Candee Barris

  • JI CHENG MEMORIAL AWARD

Graduate Program: Doctor of Philosophy with a major in Vascular Biology

Presentation Title: Loss of Female Sex Hormones Does Not Induce a Mechanistic Switch for Development of Hypertension in Obese Female Mice

photo of Mostafa Khater

Mostafa Khater

  • Lowell M. Greenbaum Award for Excellence in Pharmacology Research

Graduate Program: Doctor of Philosophy with a major in Pharmacology 
Presentation Title:G Protein βγ Translocation to the Golgi Apparatus Activates MAPK Via PI3Kγ

photo of Dakota Poschel

Dakota Poschel

  • R. August Roesel Memorial Award
  • for Excellence in Biochemistry Research

Graduate Program: Doctor of Philosophy with a major in Biochemistry & Cancer Biology
Presentation Title: Osteopontin Blockade Immunotherapy Increases Cytotoxic T Lymphocyte Lytic Activity and Suppresses Colon Tumor Progression

photo of Kasey Belanger

Kasey Belanger

  • Virendra B. Mahesh Award for Research Excellence in Endocrinology

Graduate Program: Doctor of Philosophy with a major in Physiology 
Presentation Title: Mineralocorticoid Receptor (MR) Activation, Independent of Increases in BP, Drives Sex Differences in Tregs in Deoxycorticosterone Acetate (DOCA)-salt Rats

photo of Allen Hagan

Allen Hagan

  • Octavia Garlington Award of Instructional Design / Poster

Graduate Program: Master of Science with a major in Medical Illustration
Presentation Title: Patient Education Brochure for Roux-En-Y Gastric Bypass surgery

photo of Ben Brown

Ben Brown

  • Educational Multimedia Excellence Award

Graduate Program Alumnus:  Master of Science with a major in Medical Illustration
Presentation Title: Development of Immersive VR Gaming for Pediatric Education of Toxocariasis

photo of Mohamed Hussein

Mohamed Hussein

  • Georgia Cancer Center Award for Excellence in Cancer Research

Graduate Program: Doctor of Philosophy with a major in Molecular Medicine
Presentation Title: The Role of c-Jun in Enhancing TCR-T Function in Treatment of Hepatocellular Carcinoma

photo of Hannah Youngblood

Hannah Youngblood

  • James and Jean Culver Vision Discovery Institute Award for Excellence in Vision Research

Graduate Program: Doctor of Philosophy with a major in Cellular Biology & Anatomy
Presentation Title: Identification of Estrogen Signaling in the Aqueous Humor Outflow Pathway


EXCELLENCE IN RESEARCH  AWARDS

photo of Wendy Burnett

Wendy Burnett

  • Doctor of Philosophy with a major in Applied Health Sciences

Presentation Title(s): Assessing the Impact of COVID-19 on NIH funded researchers

photo of Andrew Stoddard

Andrew Stoddard

  • Master of Science with a major in Clinical Lab Sciences

Presentation Title: The Relationship Between Mucus and Infectivity of Bacteriophage MS2 in Droplets Upon UV254 Exposure

photo of Cheryl Elliott-Dawe

Cheryl Elliott-Dawe

  • Doctor of Philosophy with a major in Nursing

Presentation Title: Establishing Content Validity and Usability of Items for a Perioperative Synergy Index

photo of Kailea Manning

Kailea Manning

  • Master of Science with a major in Psychology

Presentation Title: Do Faculty Members Have a Mindset for Teaching?

photo of Manderley Recinos

Manderley Recinos

  • Master of Science with a major in Psychology

Presentation Title: The Role of Threat-Relevance in Arousal Produced by Cultural and Evolutionary Threats

photo of Henry Claussen

Henry Claussen

  • Doctor of Philosophy with a major in Biostatistics

Presentation Title: Modeling The Simultaneous Effects of Copy Number Variation and Methylation on Gene Expression Using Next Generation Sequencing Data

photo of Frederick Baker

Frederick Baker

  • Doctor of Philosophy with a major in Cell Biology & Anatomy

Presentation Title: In Vivo Proximity Biotin Labeling of Core Components of a Dynein-dependent mRNA Localization Complex

photo of Yanyan Xu

Yanyan Xu

  • Doctor of Philosophy with a major in Genomic Medicine

Presentation Title: Ethnic Differences and Heritability of Blood Pressure Circadian Rhythm in African and European American Youth and Young Adults

photo of Hesam Khodadadi

Hesam Khodadadi

  • Doctor of Philosophy with a major in Molecular Medicine

Presentation Title: Effects of Cannabidiol (CBD) Treatment in a Mouse Model of Alzheimer’s Disease Through Regulation of TREM2

photo of Wonjo Jang

Wonjo Jang

  • MD/PhD, Doctor of Philosophy with a major in
  • Neuroscience

Presentation Title: An Inactive Receptor-G Protein Complex Maintains the Dynamic Range of Agonist-Induced Signaling

photo of Emily Burns

Emily Burns

  • Doctor of Philosophy with a major in
  • Physiology

Presentation Title: Renoprotective Effect of CD14 on Female Dahl Salt-Sensitive Hypertension

photo of Caleb Padgett

Caleb Padgett

  • Doctor of Philosophy with a major in Vascular Biology

Presentation Title: Mechanisms of Vascular Dysfunction in Obesity-Induced Circadian Disruption

photo of Selma Ozturk

Selma Ozturk

  • Master of Science with a major in Public Health

Presentation Title: Assessment of Socioeconomic and Demographic Factors on Low Birthweight in The United States

photo of Madhuri Rudraraju

Madhuri Rudraraju

  • UGA Clinical & Experimental Therapeutics Award

Presentation Title: Akt-Independent Effects of Triciribine on ACE2 Expression in Human Lung Epithelial Cells: Potential benefits in Restricting SARS-CoV2 Infection

THE GRADUATE SCHOOL AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE IN RESEARCH 

photo of Shannon Barwick

Shannon Barwick

  • Doctor of Philosophy with a major in Cellular Biology and Anatomy

Presentation Title: Sigma1 Receptor (Sig1R) Activation in the RhoP23H/+ (P23H) Mouse Model of Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP) Improves Visual Function and Retinal Structure

photo of Katie Anne Fopiano

Katie Anne Fopiano

  • Doctor of Philosophy with a major in Physiology

Presentation Title: Vascular Rarefaction and Perivascular Fibrosis Contribute to the Development of Left Ventricular Diastolic Dysfunction in HFpEF

 

photo of Bari House

Bari House

  • Master of Science with a major in Psychology

Presentation Title: Phone Separation Anxiety and Test Performance

photo of Taylor Kress

Taylor Kress

  • Doctor of Philosophy with a major in Vascular Biology

Presentation Title: HIV-Associated Hypertension is TNFα Dependent in Male Mice

photo of Marissa Seamon

Marissa Seamon

  • Doctor of Philosophy with a major in Neuroscience

Presentation Title: Niacin Supplementation Benefits Parkinson’s Disease Patients, Altering the Cytokine Profile and Toxic α-Synuclein in Plasma 

photo of Kimberly Strotz

Kimberly Strotz

  • Master of Science with a major in Public Health

Presentation Title: Population Demographics and Socioeconomic Impact on Birth Control Selection

 
 

AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE IN RESEARCH BY POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWS

photo of John Henry Dasinger

John Henry Dasinger

  • 1st Place Presentation Winner

Department: Physiology 

Poster Title: Dietary Protein Source Contributes to the Risk of Developing Maternal Syndrome in the Dahl Salt-Sensitive Rat

photo of Reem Atawia

Reem Atawia

  • 1st Place Oral Presentation Winner

Department: Vascular Biology Center

Poster Title: CLDN17–/– Mice Exhibit Delayed Growth and Leaky Blood Vessels

photo of Robert Batori

Robert Batori

  • 2nd Place Presentation Winner

Department: Vascular Biology Center

Poster Title: The Role of PFKFB3 in Mediating Endothelial Dysfunction in Obesity

photo of Ellen Gillis

Ellen Gillis

  • 2nd Place Oral Presentation Winner

Department: Physiology 

Poster Title: Plasma Volume Expansion is Impaired in Pregnancy After Recovery From Ischemia Reperfusion Injury

photo of Qiuhua Yang

Qiuhua Yang

  • 3rd Place Presentation Winner

Department: Vascular Biology Center

Poster Title: Disruption of Endothelial Pfkfb3 Ameliorates Diet-Induced Murine Metabolic Syndrome

photo of Ahmet Alptekin

Ahmet Alptekin

  • 3rd Place Oral Presentation Winner

Department: Georgia Cancer Center 

Poster Title: Pulsed Focal Ultrasound as a Non-Invasive Method to Deliver Exosomes in the Brain/Stroke

 

Best in Session Award Recipients

Best in Session Award Recpients

 


Pictured in front row left to right: Dakota  Poschel, Caleb Padgett, Candee Barris, Katie Anne Fopiano

Pictured in back row left to right: Jacob Kumro, Rebekah Robinson, Taylor Kress, Frederick Baker,  John Henry Dasinger

(Not pictured: Zsuzsanna Bordan, Kailea Manning, Manderley Recinos, Anik Tuladhar)