Students Receive Recognition Eight high achievers were honored at this year’s Anatomy and Cell Biology Spring Awards Ceremony and Reception held on May 1, 2012 in the MacEwen Conference Room. These students began the year with the same opportunities as all other students, but through a strong commitment and a desire to learn, proved to be outstanding students. They were selected by the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology faculty teaching teams to receive these awards based on superior academic achievement.
Dean David Johnsen, Dr. Michael Finkelstein, Amber Shimek, Lauren Harvey, Marlee Hansen, Dr. Paul Heidger, Dr. John Engelhardt, Dr. Darren Hoffmann, and Dean Cathy Solow Honorees were as follows: Henry J. Prentiss Award for Superior Achievement in Medical Gross Anatomy Bryan Cobb
W.R. Ingram Award for Superior Achievement in Medical Neuroscience Taylor Ridley
Award for Superior Achievement in Dental Gross AnatomyMarlee Hansen Michael W. Finkelstein Award for Superior Achievement in Dental Histology Marlee Hansen Amber Shimek Lauren Harvey Award for Superior Achievement in Student Teaching in Anatomy and Cell Biology John Fisher Mary J.C. Hendrix Graduate Leadership Award Jennifer Streeter Tung-Yang Wing Award for Superior Achievement in Anatomy and Cell Biology Graduate Education Eric Van Otterloo
Eric Van Otterloo Defends Thesis
Eric Van Otterloo with Thesis Chair, Dr. Robert Cornell (left) Eric Van Otterloo successfully passed his Ph.D. examination on Friday, April 6, 2012, in the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology. His thesis title was "Transcription Factor Activator Protein 2 in Development and Disease of the Neural Crest". Members of his thesis committee were chair, Robert Cornell from the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology; John Colgan and Adam Dupuy from the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Michael Henry, from the Department of Physiology and Frederick Domann, Jr., from Radiation Oncology.
Clayton Hazelett Defends Thesis
Clay Hazelett with Thesis Chair, Dr. Charles Yeaman (left) Clayton Hazelett successfully passed his Ph.D. examination on Thursday, March 22, 2012, in the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology. His thesis title was "Ral GTPases regulate biogenesis of cell polarity".Members of his thesis committee were chair, Charles Yeaman from the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology; Amit Choudhury and Adam Dupuy from the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Christopher Stipp, from the Biology Department and Mark Stamnes from the Department of Physiology.
Paul Kaminsky Defends Thesis
Paul Kaminsky with Department Head and Thesis Chair, Dr. John Engelhardt (left) Paul Kaminsky successfully passed his Ph.D. examination on Friday, February 10, 2012, in the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology. His thesis title was "Focal Adhesion-Kinase Signaling Regulates Highly Productive Transduction of Adeno-Associated Virus Through Integrin-Mediated Endocytosis”. Members of his thesis committee were chair, John Engelhardt from the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology; Amit Choudhury and Charles Yeaman from the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Kris Demali, from the Biochemistry Department and Mark Stamnes from the Department of Physiology. Dr. Kaminsky’s research focused on dissecting mechanisms of rAAV infection for application in gene therapy. Dr. Kaminsky received his B.A. in Biochemistry from Kenyon College and began the MST Program at the University of Iowa in 2005. During research in Dr. Engelhardt’s laboratory, Dr. Kaminsky received a three year NRSA from the National Institutes of Health entitled “Mechanisms of Integrin-Linked Transduction of Recombinant Adeno-Associated Virus”. Immediate future plans include continuing his M.D. training at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. Congratulations Dr. Kaminsky! Jinsil Kim Defends Thesis
Jinsil Kim with Department Head, Dr. John Engelhardt (left) and Dr. Paul Heidger (right) Jinsil Kim successfully passed her Ph.D. examination on Wednesday, January 18, 2012, in the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology. Her thesis title was "Identification of genes contributing to preterm birth: insights from genetic, transcriptomic, and epigenetic analyses". Members of her thesis committee were chair, Jeffrey Murray from the Pediatrics; John Engelhardt from Anatomy and Cell Biology, Michael Henry from Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Kimberly Leslie from Obstetrics and Gynecology and John Dagle from Pediatrics. |
About the Department
Established as the Anatomy Department in 1868, when The University of Iowa College of Medicine was first approved by the trustees, the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology has experienced extensive growth over its long history. Originally, it had one lecture hall that could accommodate 100 students, plus one room dedicated to microscopic anatomy and another to dissection, both in the basement. Since that time the department has expanded and moved several times. In 1997, the department was given its current name, which along with the greatly expanded laboratory space, better reflects its mission and research.
The Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology now serves three major functions: the performance of current topical research, the preparation of graduate students for scientific careers within academia and other related fields, and the teaching of anatomy of the human body to health professionals in training.
Research in the department is diverse and addresses problems in cell and developmental biology, neurobiology, cancer biology, and molecular biology. The department is also the administrative home of the University's Gene Therapy Center, an entity that funds and otherwise supports research in molecular medicine, with a particular emphasis on the development of genetic therapies for Cystic Fibrosis and other diseases.
