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Dean Sean Taverna, Ph.D., presents awards at the Graduate School Spring Reception. Image by Nathan Tidwell

Graduate School Spring Reception Recognizes Top Performers

April 26, 2024 | The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Graduate School hailed faculty, staff and student successes at its Spring Awards Reception on April 18.

“This is a celebration of all the great work that happens in our Graduate School,” said Dean Sean Taverna, Ph.D., from Biomedical Research Center I’s Helen Guinn Adams Atrium.

Lance Benson, Katherine Deck and Carol Morris received Outstanding Achievement Awards. Benson and Deck’s achievements included their selection for an American Heart Association (AHA) Predoctoral Fellowship, which enhances the research and clinical training of gifted students enrolled in predoctoral or clinical health professional degree training programs. Morris was selected for a PhRMA Foundation Drug Discovery Fellowship, which supports students in advanced stages of drug discovery research.

Benson and Deck are both on the Graduate Program in Interdisciplinary Biomedical Sciences (GPIBS) — Pharmacology, Toxicology and Experimental Therapeutics track. Morris is in GPIBS — Neuroscience.

“A lot of years of work goes into this,” said Deck, who completed her undergraduate education at John Brown University. “I’ve gotten a lot of help from my lab and my mentors.”

“I’m very excited to be recognized for my hard work in the past year,” said Morris, a University of Central Arkansas graduate. “It’s very nice.”

The Excellence in Mentoring Award went to Shengyu Mu, Ph.D., an associate professor in the College of Medicine Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology. Mu mentored both Benson and Deck.

“I’m very happy for not only my students, but for all of the students,” Mu said. “I’m very lucky — we have the best here at UAMS.”

Another Excellence in Mentoring Award went to Morris’ mentor, Abdel Fouda, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology.

Benson was also recognized for the following achievements: American Physiological Society (APS) Research Recognition Award, International Society of Hypertension Young Investigator Award for Basic Science, AHA Trainee Advocacy Hypertension Early Career Award, and first place for APS Predoctoral Excellence in Renal Research Award. Morris also received an Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology Science Communication Fellowship.

Dannis Armikarina (Nursing Science Ph.D.) received an Achievement Award for an Arkansas Children’s Research Institute/Arkansas Biosciences Institute Nursing and Allied Health Grant.

“I’m excited, yet humbled and honored to be recognized among an outstanding group of graduate students,” said Armikarina, who earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Central Arkansas. “Being a nurse scientist, especially in the pediatric and health care transition topics, is my lifelong dream.”

Armikarina’s mentor is Laura Hays, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the College of Nursing.

Additional student achievements:

• Het Adhvaryu (GPIBS — Microbiology and Immunology): Merit Award at the Biology of Acute Respiratory Infection Gordon Research conference and accepted to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Graduate Partnerships Program at the NIH National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
• Aric Anloague (GPIBS — Cell Biology and Physiology): Third place in the graduate student category and third place in Outstanding Cancer Research at the 2024 UAMS Student Research Day
• Marina Avram (GPIBS — Master of Science): PinPoint, LLC Scholar Award
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  Graduate School faculty observe the awards presentation.Image by Nathan Tidwell

  Divyaswathi Citla-Sridhar (Clinical and Translational Sciences): Young Investigator Travel Award, Thrombosis and Hemostasis Summit of North America

• Bailey Cronin (Bioinformatics): Accepted to Touchscreen Training at Western University in London, Ontario
• Khandoker Usran Ferdous (GPIBS — Pathobiology): Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute Research Training and Education Core Travel Grant for the American Association for Cancer Research annual meeting, Best Overall Pick Award for poster presentation at the 2024 UAMS Surgery Research Symposium
• Rachel Hale (Health Promotion and Prevention Research): Third place in the Occupational Health Section Students/New Researchers Poster Competition at the 2023 American Public Health Association conference
• Heather Hunter (Nursing Science): 2024 Outstanding Alumni from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville Eleanor Mann School of Nursing
• Grishma KC (Pharmaceutical Evaluation and Policy): Top 5% poster finalist and top 5% medical devices poster finalist at ISPOR 2024
• Audrey Martinez (Health Promotion and Prevention Research): Maternal and Child Health Research scholarship
• Justin Pressley (GPIBS — Pharmacology, Toxicology and Experimental Therapeutics): Graduate Student Travel Award at the 2024 Behavior, Biology and Chemistry: Translational Research in Addiction conference
• Hayley Sabol (GPIBS — Cell Biology and Physiology): Best Poster Award at the 2024 Bone and Teeth Gordon Research conference
  

  The Spring Awards Reception is one of two hosted by the Graduate School each year.Image by Nathan Tidwell

• Reham Sewilam (GPIBS — Biochemistry and Molecular Biology): 3MT competition first place and People’s Choice Award, first place for Outstanding Graduate Cancer Research, and second place for outstanding poster in the graduate student category at 2024 UAMS Student Research Day; American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Travel Grant; Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute Cancer Research Training & Education Core Travel Grant
• Kennith Swafford (GPIBS — Biochemistry and Molecular Biology): Third place Bhuvan Award for Excellence in Biochemistry Graduate Research at 2024 UAMS Student Research Day

Robert Eoff, Ph.D., a professor in the College of Medicine Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, was named Graduate School Faculty of the Year. Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology education coordinator Kathy Carlson was named Graduate School Staff of the Year.

Faculty members who mentored students graduating this Spring received Mentor Awards.

“We have great collaboration between mentors and students,” Taverna said. “It’s a key component of the academic experience.”

“Mentoring is the fun part of the job,” said Angus MacNicol, Ph.D., a professor in the College of Medicine Department of Neurobiology and Developmental Sciences. “I had three students, and they bonded together and helped each other get through the graduation process.”

The Mentor Awardees are:

• Lisa Brents, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, for mentoring Brian Parks (GPIBS — Pharmacology, Toxicology and Experimental Therapeutics)
  

  Martha Rojo, Ph.D., with her Mentor Award presented by Steven Chasteen.Image by Nathan Tidwell

• Clare Brown, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health, for mentoring Robert Ray (Health Systems and Services Research)
• Paul Drew, Ph.D., professor and vice chair in the Department of Neurobiology and Developmental Sciences, for mentoring Kalee Holloway (GPIBS — Neuroscience)
• Holly Felix, Ph.D., professor in the College of Public Health, for mentoring Melanie Thomasson (Health Systems and Services Research)
• Tara Johnson, M.D., assistant professor in the College of Medicine Department of Pediatrics, for mentoring Alexa Escapita (GPIBS — Neuroscience)
• Sara Jones, Ph.D., assistant professor in the College of Nursing, for mentoring Matthew Harmon (Nursing Science)
• Jia Liu, Ph.D., associate professor in the College of Medicine Department of Microbiology and Immunology, for mentoring Naiha Ahmad (GPIBS — Microbiology and Immunology)
• Vladimir Lupashin, Ph.D., professor in the College of Medicine Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, for mentoring Zinia D’Souza (GPIBS — Cell Biology and Physiology)
• Angus MacNicol, Ph.D., professor in the College of Medicine Department of Neurobiology and Developmental Sciences, for mentoring Jewel Banik (GPIBS — Neuroscience), Katherine Bronson (GPIBS — Biochemistry and Molecular Biology) and Juchan Lim (GPIBS — Neuroscience)
• Robert E. McGehee, Jr., Ph.D., distinguished professor in the College of Medicine Department of Pediatrics, for mentoring Whitney Norris (Clinical and Translational Sciences)
• Wendy Nembhard, Ph.D., professor and chair of Epidemiology in the College of Public Health, for mentoring Danielle Booth (Epidemiology)
  

  Mick Tilford, Ph.D., with his Mentor Award.Image by Nathan Tidwell

• Intawat Nookaew, Ph.D., associate professor in the College of Medicine Department of Biomedical Informatics, for mentoring Taylor Wadley (GPIBS — Pathobiology)
• Martha Rojo, Ph.D., assistant professor in the College of Nursing, for mentoring Steven Chasteen (Nursing Science) and Whitney Norris (Clinical and Translational Sciences)
• Mark Smeltzer, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, for mentoring Mara Campbell (M.D./Ph.D.)
• Mick Tilford, Ph.D., professor in the College of Public Health, for mentoring Robert Ray (Health Systems and Services Research)
• David Ussery, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Biomedical Informatics, for mentoring Sangam Kandel (Biomedical Informatics)