PIBS Celebrates 25 Years of Excellence in Biomedical Sciences

On Wednesday, October 2, 2024, the Program in Biomedical Sciences (PIBS) marked its 25th anniversary with a celebratory event held at the Kahn Auditorium in the Biomedical Science Research Building (BSRB). The event brought together alumni, faculty, and students to reflect on the program's achievements and discuss future advancements in biomedical research, a reason to truly be proud and celebrate!

The day began with opening remarks from several distinguished leaders, including Dr. Zaneta Nikolovska-Coleska, Associate Dean for Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies; Dr. Karl Jepsen, Associate Dean for Research; Dr. Mike Solomon, Dean of the Rackham School of Graduate Studies; and Dr. Scott Barolo, Director for PIBS. These speakers acknowledged the program's growth, nurturing and dynamic environment, and contributions over the years, setting the stage for a day full of inspirational talks. As Associate Dean Dr. Zaneta Nikolovska-Coleska highlighted in her opening remarks: “Today, we celebrate not just the history of PIBS, but its thriving present and its promising future. It's a future built on the foundational efforts of our faculty, the drive of our students, and the continuous support of our alumni. These elements have allowed PIBS to grow, adapt, and excel in an ever-changing and rapidly evolving scientific landscape.”

The keynote address was delivered by PIBS alumnus, Dr. Feng Shao, a member of the inaugural PIBS cohort of 1999. Now serving as Deputy Director and Investigator at the National Institute of Biological Sciences in Beijing, Shao captivated the audience with insights into his groundbreaking research on the immune response and bacterial pathogenesis. His talk underscored the global impact of PIBS-trained scientists.

Thirteen additional PIBS Alumni representing a variety of cohorts provided speeches throughout the day. These distinguished alumni speakers consisted of:

• Dr. Kellie Breen Church (1999 cohort)
• Dr. Grace Kroner (‘14 cohort)
• Dr. Christina Valliantos (‘13 cohort)
• Dr. Aaron Seth Tooley (‘15 cohort)
• Dr. Aaron Koch (’12 cohort)
• Dr Aric Schultz (’11 cohort)
• Dr. Gisselle Velez-Ruiz (’05 cohort)
• Dr. Colleen Carpenter-Swanson (’12 cohort)
• Dr. Nicholas Silva (’12 cohort)
• Dr. Shayna Bradford (’12 cohort)
• Dr. Yasin Senbabaoglu (’07 cohort)
• Dr. Lauren Moore (’13 cohort)
• Dr. Cheryse Sankar (’03 cohort)

The talks covered diverse topics presenting their cutting-edge research, showcasing the breadth of work PIBS graduates are leading and wide placement seen across academia, industry, clinics, government and non-profit organizations. Their journey, accomplishments, and contributions to the field are exemplary and provide inspiration to our current scholars as they navigate their own paths. The alumni participation underscores the strength and continuity of the PIBS community.

The event concluded with a career roundtable, where invited alumni exchanged their experience and advice on navigating paths in academia, industry, foundations, nonprofit and government sectors. This was followed by a poster session and reception hosted in partnership with Biomedical Graduate Student Government (BGSG), providing opportunities for networking, celebrating the collective success of PIBS alumni, and sharing of on-going cutting-edge research by the current graduate students, the next generation of scientists. 

The three best selected poster participants were awarded with the Phyllis M. Wise awards and one poster presentation received People’s Choice award. The Phyllis M. Wise award is named after Dr. Phyllis M. Wise to honor and recognize her distinguished career and remarkable act of generosity to support doctoral students in biomedical science programs as they pursue their academic and research aspirations. 

The following poster presenters were awarded:

• 1st place: Paola Medina-Cabrera, 3^rd year Cancer Biology (mentors, Marina Pasca di Magliano and Benjamin Allen)
• 2nd Place: Chrystian Phillips, 5^th year Molecular and Integrative Physiology, (mentor: Suzanne Moenter)
• 3rd Place: Bretton Badenoch, 2^nd year Molecular and Cellular Pathology (mentors: Richard Miller and Sriram Chandrasakaren)
• People's Choice: Amanda Kucinskas, 2^nd year Molecular and Integrative Physiology (mentors: Erin Giles and Kanakadurga Singer)

Two poster presenters received Honorable Mentions: 

• Lindsey Lammlin, 4^th year Molecular and Integrative Physiology (mentor: Tristan Maerz)
• Zach Powers, 5^th year Microbiology and Immunology (mentor: Mary O’Riordan)

All activities throughout the day were a testimony of the continuing tradition of excellence and innovation that defines PIBS. Here’s to the next twenty-five years of groundbreaking discoveries, unparalleled education, and continued success!

View images of the PIBS 25 Anniversary event and reception.

View the program agenda for the full list of speakers and events. 

View the abstract book of poster presenters.