The Eck Institute for Global Health has awarded seven Fellowships for the 2013-2014 academic year. Congratulations to Callan Driscoll, Quirine ten Bosch, and Victoria Smith who are all first time recipients. Renewing for this year are Lindsay Turnbull, Emily Williams, Nicholas Geraci, and Abigail Weaver.
The Institute has established a graduate student fellowship program to support students enrolled in the University of Notre Dame’s PhD program. Outstanding graduate students from across the University of Notre Dame and in association with the Indiana University School of Medicine – South Bend whose research is directed to questions that impact global health are eligible every year. The fellowship provides one year of financial support in the form of an annual stipend and health insurance during the student’s 3rd, 4th or 5th year. Students may renew their fellowship for an additional year, with two years being the maximum period of the fellowship. For more information contact the office or visit: http://globalhealth.nd.edu/service/graduate-student-fellowships/.
The new awardees for 2013-14 include:
Quirine ten Bosch, Department of Biological Sciences. Faculty Advisor: Edwin Michael – to study the occurrence of dengue epidemics as affected by a complex interplay of environmental and climate factors on mosquito vector populations, predator-prey dynamics between host and pathogen, immune interactions between the four serotypes, and human behavior.
ten Bosch received her Bachelor of Science in 2006 and Master of Science in 2009 from the University of Groningen Utrecht University.
Callan Driscoll, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences. Faculty Advisor: Joshua Shrout – to research the effects of calcium on the surface motility of pathogenic bacteria, which grow as surface-adhered communities called biofilms. Her research focuses on the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which is among the most common causes of nosocomial infections. This opportunistic pathogen causes life-threatening and recurrent infections. The bacterium is a well-known cause of chronic pulmonary infections in cystic fibrosis patients leading to irreversible tissue damage and, eventually, respiratory failure.
Driscoll received her Bachelor of Environmental Science from Creighton University in 2010.
Victoria Smith, Department of Biological Sciences. Faculty Advisor: Jeffery Schorey – to identify the mechanism by which the bacteria responsible for tuberculosis (TB), Mycobacteria tuberculosis, components are trafficked to exosomes and what role exosomes play during the course of an in vivo infection. Additional research with mycobacterial protein targets to exosomes is essential to develop the technology for a TB vaccine and could “pave the way” for others interested in this vaccine approach.
Smith received her Bachelor of Science in Microbiology from the University of Maine in 2009.
Current Eck Institute for Global Health Fellows who have been awarded a second year:
Lindsey Turnbull - Department of Biological Sciences. Faculty Advisor: Michael Ferdig.
Emily Williams - Department of Biological Sciences. Faculty Advisor: Patricia Champion.
Nicholas Geraci - Department of Biological Sciences. Faculty Advisor: Mary Ann McDowell.
Abigail Weaver - Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. Faculty Advisor: Marya Lieberman.
Congratulations to the Eck Institute for Global Health outgoing fellowship recipients:
Emmanuel Adu-Gyamfi received his PhD from faculty advisor, Robert Stahelin, Indiana University School of Medicine, and is now a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Robert Lamb at Northwestern University.
Ellen Flannery received her PhD from faculty advisor, Molly Duman-Scheel, Indiana University School of Medicine, and is now a postdoctoral fellow at the National Institute for Health.
Anthony Clemons continues pursuing his PhD at Notre Dame under faculty advisor David Severson, Director of the Eck Institute for Global Health and member of the Department of Biological Sciences.
Ling Sun is finishing her PhD at Notre Dame under faculty advisor Philippe Sucosky, Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering.