Fall 2020

Tune in Dec. 18, 6 p.m.

Virtual Ceremony

The UF College of Medicine will celebrate its master’s degree graduates with a virtual commencement ceremony Dec. 18 at 6 p.m.

Dark blue graphic that reads, "U-F College of Medicine Master's Degree Virtual Commencement Ceremony, December 18." Play Video

MEET OUR MS GRADUATES

Program director: Dr. Shinichi Someya

Anthony graduated from Orange Park High School in Orange Park, Florida, in 2011. He received his bachelor’s in sociology from the University of Florida with cum laude honors. He has a passion for music and art and hopes to combine this with his passion for helping people. He has worked at a nursing home as an activity aide and is currently a care consultant. After graduation, he hopes to use his master’s in medical sciences with a concentration in gerontology to help the older community.

Mentor: Dr. Michael Kilberg

Mario’s research focused on development of enzymology tools to help us study a severe neurological disease, asparagine synthetase deficiency (ASNSD), that affects brain development in the womb. ASNS makes asparagine, an amino acid that is one of the 20 amino acids that are the building blocks of all proteins. Currently, there is no readily available, simple enzyme assay for ASNS. Therefore, physicians cannot measure ASNS activity as a means for diagnosing ASNSD or monitoring ASNS activity in the afflicted children. Our laboratory’s goal is the development of an ASNS enzyme assay to address this limitation. Mario’s research has established such an ASNS enzymatic assay, using both purified ASNS protein as well as cultured skin fibroblasts isolated from an ASNSD afflicted child and his parents. After his graduation with a master’s degree, Mario was accepted into the UF College of Medicine Biomedical Sciences PhD program. Furthermore, as one of the top entrants into the 2020 class of the BMS program, he was awarded a Grinter Fellowship Award. Mario will continue his scientific education and training with the goal of pursuing a career in cancer research.

Program director: Dr. Shinichi Someya

Terra has spent the last several years pursuing her passion of working with older adults. Raised in Kentucky by her mother, father and two sets of grandparents, Terra believes that our older generations were the backbone of our country through many times of growth and despair. Being family-centered, Terra has spent much of her time working with the underserved while raising her children and continuing to seek further education. She found her passion in medical social work but wanted to pursue a second master’s in gerontology to further her educational and professional goals. With her passion for helping the elderly, learning to understand the pathology and causes of aging will be instrumental in the future. Terra’s goals are to work either in a local VA medical center or to open a practice as a geriatric social worker, working alongside a geriatrician to offer person-centered medical care to the aging population.

Major: Medical Sciences

Jamie McCone

Concentration: Gerontology

An alligator at the University of Florida's Lake Alice.

Program director: Dr. Shinichi Someya

Jamie received her bachelor’s of science in child development and family studies with a minor in psychology from Middle Tennessee State University. She decided to pursue a master’s in medical sciences with a concentration in gerontology to further her knowledge on the geriatric population. After graduation, she plans to pursue a career working with older adults to enrich their lives with programs that include physical, mental and social activities. Jamie is excited about her future working with the geriatric community and all of the enrichment she will be able to bring into their lives, but also all of the knowledge and love they will bring into hers. She also wishes to thank her husband and her family for all of the love and support they have given her these past two years.

major: Medical Sciences

Laura Montesano

Concentration: Forensic Medicine

An alligator at the University of Florida's Lake Alice.

Mentor: Dr. James Wynn

Newborns, particularly those born prematurely, have a substantial risk of severe infection (sepsis)-related death or lifelong sepsis-survivor morbidity. The most common problem that leads to death among neonates with sepsis is the failure of the lungs to work effectively. Hayley’s thesis targeted a new pathway that leads to lung injury in neonatal sepsis. Specifically, her work identified the proteins responsible for this tissue injury and opportunities to stop or reduce the damage by blocking these proteins. Her work provides a strong theoretical foundation for novel treatments in neonatal sepsis. After graduation, Hayley plans to pursue a career in academic medicine as a physician-scientist.

Mentor: Dr. Astra Dinculescu

Tiffany’s project has focused on developing tools for treating blinding diseases, such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a devastating neurodegenerative disorder and a major cause of irreversible loss of vision in adults age 50 or older. This disease primarily affects the retina, a thin neuronal tissue located in the back of the eye. AMD causes the death of the photoreceptor neurons in the retina, and there is no current treatment to restore vision loss. The retina has one of the highest energy demands in the human body, with a fine-tuned, coordinated metabolism among different cell types. Photoreceptor neurons are especially susceptible to disease, since they are extreme consumers of energy. Moreover, inherited retinal diseases cause blindness due to mutations in more than 260 genes, the majority of which are expressed in photoreceptor cells. Tiffany’s project has focused on a treatment that could potentially extend the life and function of the remaining photoreceptor neurons using adeno-associated viral vectors as tools to deliver therapeutic reagents to the retina. This novel gene-therapy based approach holds promise for protecting photoreceptor neurons by modulating their metabolic resources. Beyond her research, Tiffany has motivated everyone around her to live up to high standards and do their best with every task they have to perform. Importantly, she has motivated everyone to become better people and believe in themselves. She displays intellectual maturity and independence, patience and respect toward science, and a willingness to help others. Tiffany will pursue further graduate studies toward a PhD degree in the biomedical field.

major: Medical Sciences

Trenton Shayne Nobles

Concentration: Gerontology

Trenton Nobles

Program director: Dr. Shinichi Someya

Trenton graduated from Marianna High School in Marianna, Florida, as valedictorian in 2014. He received his bachelor’s in biology with a concentration in health professions from Covenant College in Lookout Mountain, Georgia, where he also played baseball for four years. He has worked in the nursing home setting and is currently employed full time with Vitas Healthcare, a hospice company, to gain more experience in the medical field. Trenton is very involved in his church, volunteering for youth ministry and other events as needed. After graduation, he is looking at potentially going to PA school or going into health care administration.

Program director: Dr. Shinichi Someya

Inga is a Florida native who lives in the Seattle area. She is a repeat graduate of UF. In addition to her master’s of science in medical sciences (gerontology), she previously earned bachelor’s degrees in telecommunications (radio/TV news) and Asian studies from UF. She also holds a master’s degree in adult education from Troy University. Inga taught English in Japan and worked as a TV reporter/anchor/producer. She currently serves as an instructional designer building online business courses. Inga plans to combine her background in education and journalism with her gerontology degree. In the future, she hopes to teach and write about aging issues and diseases of aging. Inga and her family plan to continue volunteering for causes that benefit older adults. Ultimately, she would like to be involved in affordable housing for older people in the Pacific Northwest.

Major: medical Sciences

Isabella Simonsen

Concentration: Gerontology

An alligator at the University of Florida's Lake Alice.

Program director: Dr. Shinichi Someya

Isabella graduated from Astronaut High School in Titusville, Florida, in 2013. She then received her associate’s degree in psychology from Santa Fe College in 2016. She transferred to the University of Florida, where she received her bachelor’s in sociology, graduating cum laude. Isabella is now graduating with a master’s in medical sciences with a concentration in gerontology. After graduation, she plans to continue her education and receive a PhD in geriatrics. She hopes that her knowledge obtained at the University of Florida can allow her to assist the aging population and their families in achieving healthy and fulfilling lives.

Program director: Dr. Shinichi Someya

Kristin is a member of the Army reserves who earned her bachelor’s degree in health care Administration from Ashford University in 2016. Kristin decided to pursue a master’s in medical sciences with a concentration in gerontology in 2017 after her experiences with caring for older adults. Her overall goal is to improve the quality of life of the aging population by becoming a advocate for both older adults and caregivers.

Mentor: Dr. Mavis Agbandje-McKenna

Viral-based gene delivery has led to new medicines in the treatment of genetic diseases and is now a multibillion-dollar industry. Jennifer’s research was focused on tackling a remaining obstacle to this treatment, pre-existing immunity. People have a high percentage of antibodies to human bocaviruses, vectors based on which have shown promise for the treatment of cystic fibrosis. This limits treatment efficiency. Jennifer analyzed the structure of Gorilla bocavirus and its interactions with antibodies as a means to develop an alternative viral vector with similar tissue targeting, but reduced human exposure. Jennifer plans to work for a biopharma with a focus on developing virial vectors.

SUMMER 2020

virtual ceremony

Congratulations, UF grads!

The UF College of Medicine celebrated its master’s and doctoral degree graduates with a virtual ceremony Aug. 14.

MS-PhD commencement ceremony: August 14, 2020 Play Video

MEET OUR MS GRADUATES

MAJOR: Medical Sciences

Daniel J. Ciarleglio

Concentration: Medical Physics

Daniel Ciarleglijo

Faculty advisor: Dr. Izabella Barreto

Dan Ciarleglio has been working with our diagnostic imaging group in the department of radiology since spring 2019. He has participated in several research meetings and journal clubs and assisted with testing clinical equipment. He also worked on a research project evaluating clinical image quality of novel CT imaging scanners. His work is highly valuable in the field of neurological imaging, and the results of his findings will serve to make future recommendations for modifying imaging protocols for follow-up imaging of stroke patients. After completing his master’s degree in medical physics, Dan accepted a job offer to begin his clinical training in a diagnostic imaging medical physics residency program in New York City. We wish him and his family all the best!

Faculty advisor: Dr. Manuel Arreola

Ghayath is graduating from the non-thesis master’s program, which requires a small project (not original research) for graduation. He will look for employment opportunities upon graduation. Ghayath is a great individual.

MAJOR: Medical Sciences

Helen N. Davis

Concentration: Forensic Medicine

An alligator at the University of Florida's Lake Alice.

Program director: Dr. Lerah Sutton

Dr. Sutton and all of the faculty, staff and instructors of the forensic medicine program are very proud of our graduates and wish them the best of luck in all their future endeavors!

Mentor: Dr. Ann Progulske-Fox

Many bacteria are capable of going into a “dormant state” in response to certain stresses in which they are still alive but cannot be cultured. In this state, they are able to survive stresses that would normally kill them. For example, they become resistant to antibiotics. When their environment changes such as the removal of antibiotics, and they are no longer stressed, they can then resuscitate to their normal cultivable state and multiply. In the case of bacterial pathogens, this results in causing the same infection again. This dormant state has been investigated in only a few pathogenic bacteria. Nick has demonstrated the existence of this state in the oral pathogen, S. mutans, including conditions under which it likely encounters in the mouth as well as when it invades human cells. Nick will be entering the UF doctoral program in biomedical sciences for the fall semester 2020 and will continue his investigations of the dormant state in S. mutans.

MAJOR: MEDICAL SCIENCES

Ambra LaMoure Durbin

Concentration: Forensic Medicine

An alligator at the University of Florida's Lake Alice.

Program director: Dr. Lerah Sutton

Dr. Sutton and all of the faculty, staff and instructors of the forensic medicine program are very proud of our graduates and wish them the best of luck in all their future endeavors!

MAJOR: MEDICAL SCIENCES

David A. Friedman

Concentration: Genetics and Genomics | Thesis: The Functional Genomics of Fruit Firmness and ‘Crisp’ Phenotype in Southern Highbush Blueberry (Vaccinium Corymbosum Hybrid) Accessions Using Rna-Seq

David Friedman

Mentor: Dr. Balasubramani Rathinasabapathi

David Friedman worked with blueberries. His research focused on understanding why certain varieties of blueberries had firmer fruit than others. He approached it using transcriptomics methods. During his time at the laboratory, he learned how to propagate blueberries, evaluate the fruit for firmness and use RNA-Seq methods to identify genes that are differentially expressed between firm and not-so-firm fruits. He presented his work at the poster session of the Plant Biology 2019 meeting organized by the American Society of Plant Biologists.

Program director: Dr. Lerah Sutton

Dr. Sutton and all of the faculty, staff and instructors of the forensic medicine program are very proud of our graduates and wish them the best of luck in all their future endeavors!

Faculty advisor: Dr. Bryan Schwarz

Megan has been developing a detailed peak skin dose calculation script for utilization in interventional fluoroscopy and cardiology suites at UF Health. In-room measurements, specifically characterizing radiation absorption of the table and pad, combined with scripts which parse information from actual patient exams will yield detailed estimates of the skin dose patients experience during these exams. With the recent installation of a third-party, dose-tracking software at UF Health, the overall goal of the work is to utilize Megan’s calculated peak skin dose and compare it to the skin dose calculated by the software to quantify the accuracy of the dose-tracking software for future applications.

Faculty advisor: Dr. Ramzi Salloum

Dr. Hawkins’ work primarily involves quality improvement initiatives related to blood transfusion practices for preterm neonates, as well as the variable descriptions and meaning of patient safety indicators after elective surgery. His goal is to improve transfusion decisions in the neonatal intensive care unit. He also aims to improve the reporting of infections after surgery to Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in order to improve hospital quality ranking/metrics. In terms of awards during his research fellowship, he was inducted into the Gold Humanism Honor Society and the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society. He was also fortunate to present at many national surgical meetings and has 25 peer-reviewed publications. He is finishing his general surgery residency at UF and then will receive pediatric surgery fellowship training at UF as well. He plans to be an academic pediatric surgeon after completion of his training.

MAJOR: MEDICAL SCIENCES

Kenzie Kay McKay

Concentration: Forensic Medicine

An alligator at the University of Florida's Lake Alice.

Program director: Dr. Lerah Sutton

Dr. Sutton and all of the faculty, staff, and instructors of the forensic medicine program are very proud of our graduates and wish them the best of luck in all their future endeavors!

Mentor: Dr. Joanna Long

Qingqing “Emily”’s research focused on a protein, Adhesin P1, used by bacteria to adhere to tooth surfaces and form biofilm plaques leading to dental caries. In her work she was able to identify key amino acid residues important to protein assembly which may underpin the formation of protein fibrils important to biofilm stabilization. Protein fibril formation is observed in both biofilm formation and neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease. Identifying key regions of the proteins leading to fibril formation can aid in the development of drugs to inhibit fibril formation. Emily will be continuing her research on this critical protein as a doctoral candidate in Dr. Long’s lab this fall.

Faculty advisor: Dr. Wesley Bolch

Bonnie earned her bachelor’s degree in nuclear engineering from the University of Florida through a joint engineering program agreement with the University of the Virgin Islands. Bonnie’s master’s degree project in medical physics supports an ongoing collaboration between UF and Rapid Dosimetry, whose primary mission is to support radiopharmaceutical companies in their development of new agents for systemic cancer therapy. Bonnie has been supported on an R43 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) award from the company that is funded by the National Cancer Institute. In her work, she has implemented a new multi-region model of the brain — originally constructed by UF medical physics alumnus Dr. Nelia Long — within the cranial vault of the new mesh-type computational anatomic model of the adult male and female phantoms. Furthermore, she has inserted within each phantom mesh-type models of the lacrimal glands. This tissue is of interest to the dosimetry of alpha-emitter radiopharmaceuticals that target the prostate-specific membrane antigen (PMSA), as unfortunately the lacrimal glands naturally expressed PMSA along with cancerous prostate cells. Bonnie’s work will allow for improved organ dosimetry for those therapies as well as diagnostic radiopharmaceuticals that localize non-uniformly within the sub-structures of the human brain. Bonnie will be progressing to the medical physics doctoral program, where she will continue to work under an SBIR contract with Rapid Dosimetry. She will work with Dr. John Aris in the UF Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology on 3D cellular-level tissue models of several organs and tissues of interest to normal organ toxicity avoidance in radiopharmaceutical therapy of cancer.

Faculty advisor: Dr. Bo Lu

The usage of pencil-beam-scanning (PBS) proton beam provides better dose coverages on treated tumors and reduces doses to normal organs nearby treated tumors for patients who underwent the radiation cancer treatments. To assure accurate delivery of each planned doses of each patient, the accuracy of each field with a complex planned spot-scanning pattern was verified through a procedure of patient-specific quality-assurance. Measurements of delivered dose distribution for each field were conducted by using a 2-dimensional ionization-charmer array. Each chamber has a size of ~5.0mm in-diameter. Each measurement was compared with its corresponded calculated distribution. The passing rate of measurement points must be more than 95% between measured and calculated doses within a tolerance of 3%-3mm. The goal of this thesis is to investigate the root causes of failed ~6% over 2,500 measurements; were performed the period of first two years in a gantry room of UF Health Proton Therapy Institute. The user errors; was believed to be the only root cause, was found to only 2% of total 6% failed measurements. Additional root causes are identified to be related the >3.0% per mm of depth dose gradients along the beam path, and the effect of finite-size of used detector. A house-built 3-dimensional Gamma-index analysis toolkit resolves about ~2% failed measurements due to the depth dose gradient. Remain of ~2% failed measurements shows similar dose deviations due the finite-size effect in the 1D simulated distribution. This thesis provides the insight of actual root causes for failed measurements, and also foreseen the need of convolution for the detector-size effect for removing false indications of non-accurate dose delivery. The results of this thesis indicates that planned doses of treated patients were accurately delivered in this PBS proton beamline.

MAJOR: MEDICAL SCIENCES

Haley Lynn Russo

Concentration: Forensic Medicine | Thesis: Comparing Decomposition: Interspecies Variation within Postmortem Interval Estimation Using Total Body Score and Accumulated Degree Days

Haley Russo

Mentor: Dr. Lerah Sutton

Haley Russo’s thesis work involved an exploration of methods of the postmortem interval estimation between humans and animals, an important continuation of ongoing research at the UF Maples Center for Forensic Medicine. She will use her degree and research work in her new position as a medicolegal death investigator for the city of Chicago.

Faculty advisor: Dr. Stephanie Leon

CT scanners used for medical imaging help us “see” the different organs and tissues in the body, but they don’t actually identify what those substances are. Some tissues that look very similar on CT scans do have differences at the molecular level — for example, benign vs. malignant tumors — and it would be very helpful if we could gain enough additional information about these materials to tell them apart. If a CT scan is modified to use two different X-ray energies instead of just one, it is possible to identify the effective atomic number and electron density of materials in the body, which can be used to better identify and differentiate tissues. This technology exists but is still investigational. Colin’s project assessed how accurate and reproducible this technology is and identified potential sources of error that might affect the measurements. He won a second-place award for his student presentation at the Spring 2020 meeting of the Florida Chapter of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM), had two posters accepted at the 2020 national meeting of the AAPM and has submitted a paper for publication. He was also awarded a summer internship with the Food and Drug Administration. These are phenomenal accomplishments for a master’s student. We are very excited that Colin will be returning to UF in the fall to continue on as a doctoral student in medical physics!

Mentor: Dr. Arun Srivastava

In recent years, very exciting results have been obtained in curing a blood clotting disorder, hemophilia, using an engineered virus, AAV, that is not known to cause any disease in humans. This engineered virus, called a vector, is used to deliver a gene to the liver that allows blood clotting to occur. However, this treatment, called gene therapy, has been used only in adult hemophilia patients. Children are not eligible because their liver is still growing and dividing up until 10-12 years of age, and the delivered gene gets diluted out and is lost. Also, a second injection of AAV vector is not possible because of antibody formation. To potentially overcome this problem, Jakob created a synthetic AAV gene with which repeated delivery may be possible without triggering antibody formation. This safe and effective strategy may lead to a permanent cure of hemophilia in children. Jakob is currently completing his internship at Lacerta Therapeutics, an AAV gene therapy company in Alachua, Florida, and I hope to be able to recruit him back to my laboratory as a biological scientist. I am also encouraging Jakob to enroll in our doctoral program. Jakob’s long-term plans include becoming an integral part of an AAV gene therapy company or starting his own company.

Program director: Dr. Lerah Sutton

Dr. Sutton and all of the faculty, staff and instructors of the forensic medicine program are very proud of our graduates and wish them the best of luck in all their future endeavors!

Mentor: Dr. Rolf Renne

Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is the causative agent of numerous cancers, specifically Kaposi’s sarcoma, primary effusion lymphoma and multicentric Castleman disease. Circular RNA (circRNA) is a novel and unusual class of non-coding RNAs that is formed by a process known as backsplicing. Non-coding RNAs regulate biological processes by a variety of mechanisms without encoding proteins. In 2018, our group discovered the first viral circular RNAs including a KSHV a circRNA from its viral interferon regulatory factor gene (vIRF4). Circular vIRF4 (circ-vIRF4) is highly expressed in KSHV tumors, suggesting that it may contribute to KSHV-dependent tumor formation. Soleil’s thesis project focused on the characterization and functional analysis of this newly discovered circ-vIRF4 RNA molecule in the context of viral infection. To accomplish this, she applied state-of-the-art genetic engineering techniques to generate a KSHV mutant virus that lacked the ability to make circ-vIRF4. After successfully creating the mutant viral genome, she recovered infectious virus and produced infected cells in culture to compare them with cells infected with the original virus. She made a really surprising finding in that the virus that could not make the vIRF4 circRNAs anymore indeed made a number of novel circular RNAs, strongly suggesting that this viral gene locus contains a feature that leads to the formation of circular RNAs. She further compared the viral and cellular gene expression profiles of virus infected cells using both RT-PCR and Next Generation sequencing techniques. Bioinformatic data analysis revealed that multiple viral and host genes showed differential expression in the circ-vIRF4 mutant virus, suggesting important roles for circ-vIRF4 function in regulating viral transcription, replication, innate immunity and potentially cancer development. To our knowledge, this is the first time that a circular RNA encoded by a virus that causes cancer in humans has been studied by genetics in the context of viral infection. In addition to her successful thesis research and class work related to the master’s program in medical sciences, Soleil gained experience in biotechnology by taking a hands-on certificate course in the manufacturing, quality control and regulatory aspects for gene therapy vectors for human therapy in the UF Biotechnology Center in Alachua, Florida. Furthermore, she presented her work as a poster at the 22nd International Workshop on Kaposi’s Sarcoma Herpesvirus and Related Agents in New York City in June 2019. Her work is expected to be submitted for publication later in 2020 and Soleil will be the lead author of this innovative study. Her work has been supported by a National Cancer Institute Program Project grant.

Program director: Dr. Shinichi Someya

Annalicia earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Florida International University, graduating with summa cum laude distinction in 2017. Ann decided to pursue a master’s degree in gerontology while she prepares to apply for medical school. Her ultimate goal is to be a geriatrician who positively affects both the body and mind. While practicing, Ann would love to conduct research to investigate the effects of music and art on the memories of the elderly, placing particular emphasis on individuals with Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative illnesses. Her overall goal is to improve the quality of life of the aging population.

SPRING 2020

COMMENCEMENT REMARKS

Dear class of 2020 graduates,

I join with you today in celebrating and recognizing the successful completion of your academic studies, which has earned you a master’s degree!  The journey has been a remarkable one, and the scientific knowledge and training you have received during your graduate studies will undoubtedly open up new opportunities in your future career paths and empower you to benefit and enrich the lives of others. 

To earn a master’s degree in the demanding fields of the medical sciences requires commitment, years of hard work and great sacrifice. That is why I ask you to never forget, and please stay connected with, those who helped and supported you through this years-long effort: your family, friends, fellow students, and faculty.  I am proud to have you as a lifelong member of our Gator Family.  Congratulations on reaching this important milestone, and I wish you all the best in your future endeavors!

With respect and admiration,

Thomas Rowe signature

Thomas C. Rowe, Ph.D.
Associate Dean for Graduate Education

CLASS OF 2020

A message from the interim dean

Joseph A. Tyndall, M.D., shares a special message with the UF College of Medicine's new MS graduates.

Doctor Tyndall wearing a white U-F Health lab coat in front of a U-F Health backdrop Play Video

CLASS OF 2020

A message from the president and keynote speaker

UF President Kent Fuchs and pro athlete and Gator great Thaddeus Bullard (aka Titus O'Neil) share words of congratulations with graduates of the class of 2020.

President Fuchs wears graduation attire in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium Play Video

meet our ms graduates

Major: medical Sciences

Rubin Daniel Acosta

Concentration: Gerontology

Alligator head poking out of swamp water

Program director: Shinichi Someya​, PhD

Rubin is a first generation born in the United States. He is the first in his family to get a degree, and now through hard work and the support of his family, he has completed his master’s degree in Gerontology. He is grateful, humble, and appreciative of the support and encouragement he’s received from his family. Rubin’s degree will support his current career and academic goals. In 2008, he started as a certified occupational therapy assistant. He completed his bachelor’s degree in Health Administration in longterm care in 2017. He completed his licensure requirements with the Department of Health for nursing home administration in 2019. Now with the skills and knowledge he has developed through his new degree, he will set out to make a difference in the skilled nursing field. Today he joins his wife as a Gator and wants to thank the University of Florida, his professors, and his family.

MAJOR: MEDICAL SCIENCES

Richard Joseph (Joe) Dragone

Thesis: Effects of Aging on Risky Decision Making and Brain Functional Connectivity in a Rat Model

Joe Dragone headshot

Mentor: Barry Setlow, PhD

In Joe’s thesis work, he used a rat model to investigate how risky decision making changes at advanced age. He showed that, similar to aged humans, aged rats are more risk-averse than their young adult counterparts. He then used functional MRI to show that aged rats exhibit changes in connectivity between brain regions that regulate risky decision making. His results reveal potential brain mechanisms by which decision making changes over the lifespan.

MAJOR: MEDICAL SCIENCES

Alexis Morgan Fohn

Thesis: Melanocytes in the Leptomeningeal Region of the Fetal Sheep Cerebral Cortex

Alexis Fohn headshot

Mentor: Charles Wood, PhD

Alexis performed research in Dr. Wood’s laboratory aimed at better understanding the response of the late-gestation fetus to stress. She discovered the presence of melanocytes (pigment-producing cells) in the fetal brain. She discovered that exposure of the fetus to stress increased pigmentation in the fetal brain. While the role of the brain melanocyte is not known, Alexis established that it is a cell that is involved in the fetal stress response and may be an important part of the process by which the fetus readies for a normal and successful birth.

Major: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Eliot M. Gunn

Thesis: Zinc Finger Production, Purification, and Direct Delivery: Targeting an Oncogenic Super-Enhancer of TAL1 in Jurkat Cells

Eliot Gunn headshot

Mentor: Jorg Bungert, PhD

Eliot project focused on protein engineering and gene regulation, generating synthetic DNA-binding proteins that can be directly delivered to human cells. These proteins bind to and neutralize specific DNA-regulatory sequences in the genome. Eliot generated three different proteins that target a super-enhancer driving high-level expression of Tal1 in leukemia. Our collaborators at the University of Washington (St. Louis) have shown that expression of the synthetic DNA-binding protein reduced expression of Tal1 and decreased proliferation of leukemic cell lines. He generated two additional proteins, the first expressed the DNA-binding domain together with a repression domain that would confer long-term inhibition of Tal1 expression. The second expressed the DNA-binding domain together with a single chain antibody specific for the transferrin receptor, which is frequently expressed on the surface of leukemic cells. Eliot was able to show that the protein with the repression domain exhibited high affinity interactions with the regulatory DNA-sequence in the Tal1 super-enhancer.

MAJOR: MEDICAL SCIENCES

Emily A. Jacobs

Concentration: Gerontology

Alligator head poking out of swamp water

Program director: Shinichi Someya​, PhD

Emily Jacobs is originally from Long Island, New York where she earned her bachelor’s degree in Recreation Therapy in 2014 and became certified as a Therapeutic Recreation Specialist. Emily works as a Recreation Therapist for individuals living with various stages of dementia in a memory support community. Obtaining a master’s degree in Gerontology will greatly benefit her approaches to maximizing quality of life for those across the spectrum of dementia and related diseases.

MAJOR: MEDICAL SCIENCES

Kaitlyn Grace Laventure

Concentration: Forensic Medicine

Kaitlyn Laventure

Program director: Lerah Sutton, PhD

Kaitlyn Laventure knew from a very young age that she wanted to attend the University of Florida and be a Gator. She received her bachelor’s degree in Criminology from UF in 2018. From there, she decided to continue her education at UF and pursue a master’s degree in Forensic Medicine. After graduation in May 2020, she plans to obtain a job working in federal law enforcement, as law enforcement is something she has been passionate about since the beginning. She is enthusiastic about forensic medicine and hopes to utilize everything she’s learned throughout her master’s degree in her future career.

MAJOR: MEDICAL SCIENCES

Jessica Lewis

Concentration: Molecular Cell Biology | Thesis: The Role of USF1 in the Regulation of Lipogenesis and Breast Tumor Progression

Jessica Lewis headshot

Mentor: Daiqing Liao, PhD

Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer type and the second-leading cause of cancer-related mortality in American women. New treatments are urgently needed to improve survival for patients with breast cancer. Jessica Lewis’ thesis work highlights a potential oncogene that promotes breast tumor growth and disease progression. On the basis of this important work, scientists may one day develop effective therapies by targeting this oncogene to combat breast cancer. We are proud of Jessica’s dedication to this critical area of scientific research and celebrate her accomplishments. Jessica will continue her scientific research career in pharmacogenomics in Japan. We wish all the best for Jessica as she embarks on her new journey.

MAJOR: MEDICAL SCIENCES

Sharon Gail Montani

Concentration: Gerontology

Alligator head poking out of swamp water

Program director: Shinichi Someya​, PhD

Sharon is a social worker and a registered nurse with a master’s degree in nursing. She has worked with older adults in long-term care and long-term care regulatory settings for her entire career. She is currently a board certified advanced nurse executive, and board certified in gerontological and pain management nursing. Sharon is a Director of Nurses at the Texas Masonic Retirement Center in Arlington, Texas. She plans to continue in her current role.

major: medical sciences

Corey Michael Moran

Thesis: Overexpression of Plaque Associated Proteins Pleiotrophin and Midkine Alter Amyloid Beta Deposition in Alzheimer’s Disease Models

Corey Moran headshot

Mentor: Todd Golde, MD, PhD

The work Corey did reveals that two proteins (called midkine and pleiotrophin) that co-accumulate in the Alzheimer’s disease brain along with beta-amyloid, can regulate both the amount of amyloid deposition and its location in the brain. The deposition of beta-amyloid is thought to cause Alzheimer’s disease, so finding two proteins that regulate its deposition opens up new biology and also suggests that these proteins may be new therapeutic targets. As there is no approved therapy that slows down or prevents Alzheimer’s disease, these initial studies open up a whole new approach to thinking about the role of these and other beta-amyloid associated proteins, and possibly leveraging this insight into new therapeutic strategies.

major: medical sciences

Jordan Caroline Moretta

Concentration: Pharmacology | Thesis: Loss of Arl13b in Olfactory Sensory Neurons Leads to Age Related Olfactory Impairment

Jordan Moretta headshot

Mentor: Jeffrey Martens, PhD

Jordan Moretta is the first graduate of our department’s newly created master’s program in Pharmacology & Therapeutics. Jordan is an extremely talented young scientist whose work has focused on understanding the mechanisms of how the olfactory system is maintained and eventually lost with age. She has identified an important protein in cilia of olfactory sensory neurons that, when lost, leads to early aging of the olfactory system and results in loss of smell. Her work will result in multiple publications and form the foundation of new grant proposals from our laboratory. Following graduation, Jordan will be entering medical school.

Major: Medical sciences

Tameishia Latrice Olden

Concentration: Forensic medicine

Tameishia Olden headshot

Program director: Lerah Sutton, PhD

Tameishia Olden is from Texas and has 12 years of experience in criminal justice and social services. She has an AS in Natural Sciences and Mathematics with a concentration in Biology, AAS in Environmental, Safety and Security Technologies, BA in Social Science, BS in Business Administration with a concentration in Computer Information Systems, Master of Security Studies along with a graduate certificate in Terrorism and Counterinsurgency Studies, and now an MS in Medical Sciences with a concentration in Forensic Medicine from the University of Florida. Tameishia will continue to work on her dissertation for the Criminal Justice PhD program at Texas State University. Tameishia is currently a Revenue Officer with the Internal Revenue Service and hopes to secure a position with a federal agency in a public health role.