Mikiten Graduate Symposium

This graduate student social will be led by Biomedical Engineering student Alia Mallah.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a broad and significant impact on society, affecting nearly all aspects of Healthcare, with huge increases in direct and indirect medical costs, fundamental changes in healthcare delivery models, and impulse for clinical research to attenuate disease symptoms and/or discover prophylactic measures against the virus. Self-isolation, research site closures, travel limitations, interruptions to the supply chain for the investigational product have impacted clinical trials, although pragmatic and impactful solutions to address the challenges/disruptions have been put in place. A broad overview of the drug development during the pandemic will be given, encompassing clinical trials conduct and quest for new therapies.

Do you want to learn to code? Do you want to use bioinformatics in your research? If your answer isn't "Yes", I want to convince you why it should be. In this talk, I will tell you how, after applying to my PhD program, I taught myself Bioinformatics and began the process of transitioning from a bench scientist to a "damp" (Wet/Dry-lab) biologist. This transition has opened up immense opportunities for me and, now, I want to share my expertise so that others can do likewise.

What is work-life integration? Isn’t the phrase supposed to be work-life balance? As much as we would like to achieve a balance between work and life, more often than not, one dominates the other. As graduate students, our primary focus is research. However, what activities can we do outside of research and the lab? How can we manage to have a life while being happy and healthy? What resources and strategies are there to make me-time a priority? How can I make the most out of graduate school? Samantha Yee, a 4th year Ph.D. student in the Risinger Lab at UT Health San Antonio in the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, provides her insight on and strategies for work-life integration while making the most out of graduate school.

The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree is a terminal degree designed to prepare students to become leaders in their field by generating new knowledge in a specific topical area of interest. PhD students are trained on how to investigate a current problem through the use of the research process and disseminate with the world. While the traditional career trajectory for a research-intensive PhD program is pursuit of a tenure-track faculty role, one must first consider his or her own passions, interests, and opportunities by knowing oneself and one’s next desired step. In this presentation, Dr. Tiffany Kelley PhD MBA RN, will share her story as an example of how to take the road less traveled and thrive in it. Dr. Kelley will share how she came to enter a PhD program at Duke University. She will briefly describe how important it is to advocate for your research interests and overcome obstacles while doing so. Kelley will also share how she unexpectedly discovered her next purposeful step to start an entrepreneurial venture post-PhD around the concept of knowing the patient. While stepping out of the traditional pathway was seen by some as a risk, Kelley knew that was the right step for her. Since that time, Dr. Kelley has developed a unique entrepreneurial and academic pathway that now includes her role at the University of Connecticut School of Nursing as the DeLuca Foundation Visiting Professor for Innovation and New Knowledge. Kelley will share her perspective on how one can find their own path by focusing on knowing oneself and knowing how best to share your professional knowledge with the world.

Are you someone who finds themself always feeling the need to follow the rules? Even more than that, are you someone who has ever found themself creating imaginary rules that may potentially be holding you back? If you're reading this abstract and wondering, what does creative disobedience have to do with science and what the heck are imaginary rules, then this talk is for you. Often times, we are so hyper focused on our studies, research, and the "path" that we experience tunnel vision on our professional journey. The goal of this talk is to share my experience with stepping far outside my comfort zone, taking a risk, and watching it pay off. By sharing my story, my goal is to teach others about why creative disobedience and letting go of imaginary rules are two incredibly important tools you can leverage as you embark on the age old question of "what is my next step?"

Marya Chaney will be speaking about what it’s like to transition from an academic researcher role to an industry/management role.

Starting a lab can be a daunting task and there are many ways to approach it. Dr. Price will talk about his own experience starting labs at two institutions. He will also discuss the advice he gives to new faculty in the Department of Neuroscience at UTD, where he is the chair.

This talk will focus on speakers career journey from undergrad to first industry job. The speaker will discuss the scenarios that helped shape her decisions to reach this goal and the challenges faced along the way. The speaker will also discuss her job and role at Merck.

When should you begin your post graduation job search? NOW! It’s never too early to begin. Tune in to this presentation to learn pointers for navigating today’s digital job market. Includes examples for using LinkedIn and other online career resources.

Being a good writer is essential to a successful career in academia. Did you know however that it can also open doors to careers in medical communications and science writing? This session will give an overview of the different types of writing careers for those with a penchant for communicating science.

Pramod will talk about his journey from a Ph.D. student to entrepreneur. He will discuss about what life is like as a startup. He will also discuss the potential career path in clinical molecular diagnostic field for Biomedical sciences graduate students.

An open platform for students to discuss, interact and socialize with fellow students at the graduate school. Everyone is welcome to share their thoughts, nostalgic hometown memories, discuss current events and what that means to you, the role of the international community in academic and industrial settings.

Alzheimer's is a disease and a disability with abilities. Persons with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) seem to vary from day to day in their recall of loved ones’ names and faces. Such erratic fluctuating cognition is often puzzling and stressful to caregivers. This paper explores the possibility of conceptualizing AD as a “trip back in time” to help care partners understand the variation in an AD person’s memory, behavior, and physical abilities. Clinical observations suggest that these individuals experience a cognitive, emotional, social, physical and functional time travel with AD.

The “trip back in time” paradigm uses aspects of Piaget’s theory of adult development in reverse, Reisberg and associates FAST and GDS, and other cognitive, behavioral, and affective research on AD. Using past research to indicate how persons with AD tend to time travel in their functional abilities, the conceptualization goes further to advance a non-linear time travel model of AD. This paradigm of AD as a “trip back in time” uses connecting loops spiraling downward to depict the fluctuating traveling of the person back and forth through time. Previous theoretical frameworks have tended to rely solely on fixed stage models of AD. The insight this model provides will hopefully increase gerontologist/caregivers’ understanding and provide new ways to develop strategies to enhance future care partnering techniques.

Edward Zastawny will give an overview of the medical science liaison position including the challenges and benefits of the job. The Senior Medical Science Liaison (Senior MSL) role is a field-based position and reports to the Director, Medial Science Liaisons (Americas). The Senior MSL provides fair balanced, objective, scientific information and education about Santen’s product(s) through peer-to-peer interactions with thought leaders, investigators, and other healthcare providers to better patient outcomes. The Senior MSL ensures communications regarding Santen products are fair balanced, truthful and not misleading. The Senior MSL will develop and maintain professional relationships with internal and external stakeholders to provide complex medical and scientific support for Santen initiatives in selected therapeutic areas. The Senior MSL demonstrates expertise and knowledge of products, patient treatment trends, clinical trials, and scientific activities within disease state areas of interest. The Senior MSL role incorporates additional responsibilities including training and/or mentoring of other MSLs, and leadership roles on cross-functional projects. Medical reviewer of all materials for uveitis (sirolimus), wet AMD (carotuximab).

Being in graduate school is stressful enough, and being a graduate student amidst COVID-19 pandemic is a whole new level of distress! As a fifth year Ph.D. student, I had extensive timeline and professional plans for 2020 that revolved around completing my Ph.D. and the future after that. When COVID-19 pandemic prompted, causing non COVID related labs to be shut down and all the events being cancelled, I saw months of hard work and planning being shattered. I was looking forward to many things including giving an oral talk at American Association of Immunologists conference in Hawaii in May 2020 (which is considered an honor) for which I had received three different awards, and had worked so hard for. From being very anxious and stressful in the beginning, in the past few months, I have adapted and incorporated few changes in my graduate school life that has helped me to keep my sanity intact and still be productive. At the end of the day, I remind myself that just like the pandemic, with time the panic and situations I am facing will come to plateau too!

3D printed anatomical models have been present in various health care applications for some time but are beginning to see broader use as the technology becomes both more sophisticated and accessible. This session will discuss the different uses of 3D printed anatomical models in health care, from classroom to clinical practice. It will also cover the different types of printing used to make models, their strengths and weaknesses, and the options available for creating and printing your own models.

I'll discuss my career path from a researcher to a patent lawyer; other career options in technology transfer for PhDs; what preparation is needed.

Innovation is something that we feel as graduate students we participate in daily, yet translation and commercialization outside of academia can feel out of reach. In our 30 minutes together, I will outline the life science innovation communities in Texas, how and when to access them, and what resources can be helpful early in your journey. By the end of the session, I hope attendees will feel personaly invited to participate in life science innovation and how to build community to help you achieve your personal and professional goals.

Dr. Madungwe will speak on lessons he has learned moving from academia to the pharma industry as a young scientist. He will provide tips on how to navigate the transition with insights for graduate trainees, postdoctoral fellows and international students.

This presentation will include an overview of life science consulting, my experience at Putnam Associates, some of the typical projects you expect to work, how to apply to life science consulting, and some of the exit opportunities after life science consulting

Join us for some quick tips on improving and polishing your CVs & resumes! Learn about the difference between a CV and a resume, when to use each one, how to describe your experiences using PAR statements and formatting guidelines.

Typically, scientists are viewed in a less than positive light when they transition away from the bench to careers outside of academia. However, there is considerable evidence that the expertise of those with advanced degrees in STEM is needed at every stage of policy design, implementation, and oversight. Dr. Prince will discuss the importance of shaping your experiences as a graduate student to prepare for a career in science policy after receiving your PhD.

The broad steps in moving a medical innovation from idea to a patient with an emphasis on how it occurs from an academic environment. Perspective on the industry process will also be covered.

Starting a business as a student isn't as scary as it seems. In fact, as a student you have access to variety of incubators, business plan mentors, competitions, and ventures that you would not have access to after graduation. There was certainly a time when mixing business with science was frowned upon, but in today's world, having experience with a business or start up can add a lot of value to your resume.

As someone who took the plunge, I want to share with you the variety of opportunities around you, so that if you want to take that first step and start a business, you know where to begin.

Ever wonder what Airplanes and Atoms have in common? Well Dr. McConnell loves both of them - and they have both influenced her career as a clinical medical physicist. She will speak about her journey from an entirely different career in aerospace to a PhD in medical physics, her role as a resident, and now her role as an Assistant Professor. Her advice to students is "Don’t treat graduate school as school. Treat it as a career. Network with as many people as you can, get involved on campus, and treat your research as your product. Market yourself and your work. And don’t forget to have fun!"

Dr. Hinojosa-Laborde has conducted research in both an academic laboratory and a military laboratory. She will present how research conducted in a military and academic laboratory are similar and different.

Just when you think you have everything figured out, BAM! COVID-19! Work-life balance is already a very tricky (and some would argue unattainable) goal. However, trying to achieve work-life balance in the middle of a global pandemic seems absolutely insurmountable. This presentation will try to breathe some socially-distanced fresh air towards the notion that hope is not lost and will encourage you to celebrate small victories. Although pandemic life is challenging as we attempt to continue science full-time from home and navigate many new uncertainties, prioritizing responsibilities and setting up transparent expectations will help facilitate balance. Hear the personal experiences of Dr. Bridget Ford, an Assistant Professor at UIW and UT Health San Antonio GSBS alum, on how to enact these among other approaches in the pursuit of balancing work and life during a global pandemic.

An open discussion on the black lives matter movement and the potential impact on academe.

What comes up when you Google your own name? Own your digital presence by putting your best foot forward through a personalized website. Tune into this presentation to learn about designing a website to showcase your talents as a biomedical scientist. Includes discussion of resume writing.