Three students in the USA College of Medicine’s Basic Medical Sciences Graduate Program were awarded this year’s Dean’s Predoctoral Fellowships. The one-year fellowship program offers up to three $30,000 awards annually to Ph.D. students with USA College of Medicine faculty as primary mentors.
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| Jenny Hewes |
“Patient data have revealed a gender paradox within the field. While females are at a higher risk for PAH, female patients develop a milder form of the disease than their male counterparts,” Hewes said. “Our preliminary studies are the first to reveal that cytokine production differs between males and females in a model of PAH. Our work is designed to examine this novel link between inflammation and the gender dimorphism reported in PAH patients.”
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| Rachel Rodenberg |
“Our lab previously observed that a rare cell population called γδ T cells are necessary for protection against ocular herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), and that there are multiple subsets of cells within the γδ T cell population,” Rodenberg said. “My studies will utilize single-cell RNA sequencing to analyze the entire transcriptome of the γδ T cell subsets in the HSV-1 infected cornea. In so doing, not only do we hope to uncover the mechanisms by which these cells provide protection against HSV-1, but also we hope to identify potential immunotherapeutic targets to treat HSK.”
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| Reece Stevens |
Reece Stevens works in the lab of mentor Ji Young Lee, M.D., Ph.D., professor of physiology and cell biology. He is studying how carbonic anhydrase IX (CAIX) signaling protects the pulmonary endothelial barrier. CAIX is an enzyme involved in maintaining intracellular and extracellular pH.
“The goal of my research project is to advance our understanding of acidosis on lung capillary injury and repair during infection,” Stevens said. “We aim to identify novel therapeutic targets that may improve the survival and long-term health of pneumonia patients.”
