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Ph.D. candidates Thomas Williams and Katie Cruse along with Katie Ryan, Ph.D., and others recite the Affirmation of Scientists during the Graduate School Research Induction Ceremony Sept. 10. Image by Bryan Clifton

Graduate School Celebrates Next Group of Ph.D. Candidates

Sept. 28, 2026 | The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Graduate School’s research induction ceremony represents a significant milestone for students in their pursuit of a doctoral degree.

Students were presented white coats at the Sept. 10 event at the Fred W. Smith Auditorium on the 12^th floor of the Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute. These candidates have passed the Ph.D. qualifying exam and will now begin work on their dissertation.

“This is a wonderful occasion,” said Sean Taverna, Ph.D., dean of the Graduate School. “Receiving a white coat from their mentor symbolizes a student’s achievement in becoming an official Ph.D. candidate.”

“Students prepare intensely for their qualifying exams, which cover the first two years of graduate coursework, and passing it is a major accomplishment,” he continued.

Educators from the College of Health Professions, College of Medicine, College of Nursing, College of Pharmacy and the Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health comprise the faculty of the UAMS Graduate School.

Latrina Prince, Ed.D., Graduate School associate dean for academic affairs, introduced program directors, track directors, mentors, and students in the ceremonial donning of the white coats.

The ceremony concluded with students and faculty reciting the Affirmation of Scientists, an acknowledgement of the acceptance of the expected standards of honor and integrity.

Doctoral candidates expressed excitement about the road ahead.

“It’s a big step in the career of a scientist,” said Joseph Beard, a candidate in the Graduate Program in Interdisciplinary Biomedical Sciences Biochemistry and Molecular Biology track. “Instead of going to classes every day, I get to focus solely on research.”

For M.D./Ph.D. program candidate Mattie Nester, the ceremony represents a continued progression towards her goal.

“I’m officially halfway through the eight-year program, and I’m happy to get into the lab and do more research,” she said.

Taverna noted the role that mentors play in the success of a student.

“Choosing a mentor is the single most important decision a graduate student will make,” he said. “The mentor is a critical part of a student’s career, and the mentor-mentee relationship can often last a lifetime.”

Doctoral programs, program directors, track directors, Ph.D. candidates, and mentors follow:

Biomedical Informatics

Program Director: Horacio Gomez-Acevedo, Ph.D., associate professor in the College of Medicine Department of Biomedical Informatics

• Valentina A. Juncos (Horacio Gomez-Acevedo, Ph.D.)
• Nahiyan Bin Noor (Jonathan Bona, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Biomedical Informatics)
• Utkarsh Rai (Lawrence Tarbox, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Biomedical Informatics)

Environmental Health Sciences

Program Director: Gunnar Boysen, Ph.D., professor in the Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health Department of Environmental Health Sciences

• Scott Alsbrook (Igor Koturbash, M.D., Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Environmental Health Sciences)

Epidemiology

Program Director: Mohammed Orloff, Ph.D., associate professor in the College of Public Health Department of Epidemiology

• Ravi Upadhyay (Wendy Nembhard, Ph.D., dean of the College of Public Health)

Graduate Program in Interdisciplinary Biomedical Sciences (GPIBS)

Program Director: Karl Boehme, Ph.D., professor in the College of Medicine Department of Microbiology and Immunology

Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Track Director: Mari Davidson, Ph.D., professor in the College of Medicine Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

• Joseph Beard (Alicia Byrd, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology)
• Md Mahbub Hasan (Mohammad Rahman, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology)
• Shegufta Tasneem Neetole (Vladimir Lupashin, Ph.D., professor in the College of Medicine Department of Cell Biology & Physiology)

Cancer Biology

Track Director: Samantha Kendrick, Ph.D., professor in the College of Medicine Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

• Alex McDonald (Ricky Leung, Ph.D., associate professor in the College of Medicine Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology)
• Bethany C. Paxton (Jesús Delgado-Calle, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Cell Biology & Physiology)
• Emily Cox (Katie Ryan, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology)
• Katie Cruse (Brian Koss, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology)
• Thomas Williams (Brian Koss, Ph.D.)

Cell Biology & Physiology

Track Director: Melda Onal, Ph.D., assistant professor in the College of Medicine Department of Cell Biology & Physiology

• Anisha Neupane (Ryan Allen, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Cell Biology & Physiology)
• Shafina Jahan (Roy Morello, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Cell Biology & Physiology)

Microbiology and Immunology

Track Director: Mark Manzano, Ph.D., assistant professor in the College of Medicine Department of Microbiology and Immunology

• Jessy Hernandez Flores (Craig Forrest, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology)
• Lidia Ketema Belete (Clay Jackson-Litteken, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology)
• Shelton L. Zeltner (Craig Forrest, Ph.D.)

Neuroscience

Track Director: Angela Odle, Ph.D., assistant professor in the College of Medicine Department of Neuroscience

• Dakota Redling (Kimberly Stephens, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology)

Pharmacology, Toxicology & Experimental Therapeutics

Track Director: Abdel Fouda, Ph.D., assistant professor in the College of Medicine Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology

• Mohamed Abdelhamed (Abdel Fouda, Ph.D.)

Health Promotion & Prevention Research

Program Director: George Pro, Ph.D., associate professor in the College of Public Health Department of Health Behavior and Health Education

• Ariel Maureen Morrow (Jennifer Callaghan-Koru, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Health Behavior and Health Education)
• Ashley E. Spotwood (George Pro, Ph.D.)
• Brittany L. James Wilkerson (Tiffany Haynes, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Health Behavior and Health Education)

Health Systems & Services Research

Program Director: Jure Baloh, Ph.D., associate professor in the College of Public Health Department of Health Policy and Management

• Abdullah A. Alharthi (Stephen Bowman, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management)
• Micah Bolin (Jure Baloh, Ph.D.)
• Toni Wall Jaudon (Clare Brown, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management)
• Wilberforce Twinamatsiko (Michael Thomsen, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management)
• Zihan Wang (Mick Tilford, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management)

M.D./Ph.D. Program

Program Directors Sara Shalin, M.D., Ph.D., professor and chair of the College of Medicine Department of Dermatology; Jesús Delgado-Calle, Ph.D.

• Amie Adriana Brint (Ruud Dings, Ph.D., associate professor in the College of Medicine Department of Radiation Oncology)
• Cole Bolen (Angus MacNicol, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Neuroscience)
• Mattie R. Nester (Jesús Delgado-Calle, Ph.D.)
• Milla Reddick (Angus MacNicol, Ph.D.)

Nursing Science

Program Director: Martha Rojo, Ph.D., assistant professor in the College of Nursing

• Erickson Feliciano (Martha Rojo, Ph.D.)
• Heather Hunter (Corey Nagel, Ph.D., associate professor in the College of Nursing)
• Lakyn Webb (Jocelyn Anderson, Ph.D., associate professor in the College of Nursing)

Pharmaceutical Evaluation & Policy

Program Director: Laura Gressler, Ph.D., assistant professor in the College of Pharmacy Department of Pharmaceutical Evaluation & Policy

• Batool Khattab (Laura Gressler, Ph.D.)
• Mahima Saini (Jacob Painter, Pharm.D., Ph.D., MBA, professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Evaluation & Policy)

Pharmaceutical Sciences

Program Director: Nukhet Aykin-Burns, Ph.D., associate professor in the College of Pharmacy Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences

• Chimezie Finian Nwadinigwe (Darin Jones, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences)
• Daniel Stuckey (Darin Jones, Ph.D.)
• Pritam Saha Podder (Amanda Stolarz, Pharm.D., Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences)
• Joyeeta T. Khan (Amit Tiwari, Ph.D., professor and associate dean of research and graduate studies in the College of Pharmacy)
• Saloni Sood (Amit Tiwari, Ph.D.)