Principal Investigators and Program Directors
Antiño R. Allen, PhD (Co-Principal Investigator)
Professor
College of Pharmacy
Associate Dean | Graduate School
Billy R. Thomas, MD, MPH (Co-Principal Investigator)
Neonatologist
Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology
College of Medicine
UAMS was awarded a grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences to fund an Initiative for Maximizing Student Development (formerly known as the Initiative for Maximizing Student Diversity) program. The IMSD Program was developed to increase the number of students from underrepresented groups (African Americans, Hispanic Americans, American Indians, Natives of the US Pacific Islands, individuals with disabilities, and individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds) graduating with doctorates in the biomedical sciences.
The IMSD program will provide students with an annual $30,000 stipend ($35,000 beginning August 1, 2024), and will pay tuition and fees for their first two years of graduate study in the Biomedical Informatics, Pharmaceutical Sciences, or Graduate Program in Interdisciplinary Biomedical Sciences Ph.D. programs. After two years, funding will be provided by the graduate program or faculty mentor. Students selected for the IMSD Program will participate in a six-week summer transition program consisting of lectures on various biomedical topics, career and developmental seminars, and a summer research rotation prior to the fall of their first year (Fall 2024 students will begin July 1, 2024). Students will receive funding and academic credit during this transition program. Additional benefits of the IMSD Program includes a formal mentoring program, a seminar series featuring nationally recognized minority scientists, and the development of a competency-based academic portfolio.
Students will be selected for the IMSD Program based on several criteria. Participants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents and accepted into the Graduate Program in Interdisciplinary Biomedical Sciences, Pharmaceutical Sciences, or Biomedical Informatics PhD programs. There is no minimum GPA or GRE for selection, but the Graduate School requires a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.70 on all undergraduate coursework attempted at a regionally accredited institution of higher education. The materials students submit for application to the Ph.D. programs will also be used for evaluation for the IMSD Program. Because students begin the program in July prior to the fall of their first year, it is highly recommended that all application materials are submitted to graduate programs early enough for consideration.
For more information, please contact Dr. Antino Allen at ARAllen@uams.edu or 501-686-7553.
This program is supported by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) of the National Institutes of Health under award numbers R25GM083247 and T32GM152782.
IMSD Mentoring Program
IMSD Participants
Lidia Belete
Interdisciplinary Biomedical Sciences (GPIBS) PhD Program
LeKivia Cobb, PhD Candidate
Interdisciplinary Biomedical Sciences (GPIBS) PhD Program
“Identifying Domains in the μ1 Protein that Mediate Reovirus Myocarditis”
Alexa Escapita, PhD Candidate
Interdisciplinary Biomedical Sciences (GPIBS) PhD Program
“Neurodevelopment in Infants and Toddlers with Critical Congenital Heart Disease”
Jaycee Hall
Interdisciplinary Biomedical Sciences (GPIBS) PhD Program
“The Role of the Mitochondrion in the Metabolic Stress Response to Burn Trauma”
Bria Hampton
Interdisciplinary Biomedical Sciences (GPIBS) PhD Program
“Defining the Role for PCK2 in T Cell Metabolic Plasticity in Glioblastoma”
Jessy Flores Hernandez
Interdisciplinary Biomedical Sciences (GPIBS) PhD Program
Brandon Hogland, PhD Candidate
Interdisciplinary Biomedical Sciences (GPIBS) PhD Program
“Cyclic dinucleotide-dependent signaling and pathogenesis in the relapsing fever spirochete, Borrelia turicatae”
Oliva LeBlanc
Interdisciplinary Biomedical Sciences (GPIBS) PhD Program
Clayton Matthews
Interdisciplinary Biomedical Sciences (GPIBS) PhD Program
Christoph Mora, PhD Candidate
Interdisciplinary Biomedical Sciences (GPIBS) PhD Program
“The Contributing Role of Immune Cells in the Onset of Diastolic Dysfunction”
Carol Morris, PhD Candidate
Interdisciplinary Biomedical Sciences (GPIBS) PhD Program
“Protection Against CNS Injury by Disrupting the CD47/SIRPα Axis”
Steven Murdock, PhD Candidate
Interdisciplinary Biomedical Sciences (GPIBS) PhD Program
“Utilizing Chimeric Gammaherpesviruses to Define Immune Stimulation and Pathogenesis”
Justin Pressley
Interdisciplinary Biomedical Sciences (GPIBS) PhD Program
“Drug-drug Interactions between Synthetic Cannabinoid Receptor Agonists and Psychiatric Medications in Mice: Implications for Drug Abuse and Toxicity”
Emily Robbs, PhD Candidate
Interdisciplinary Biomedical Sciences (GPIBS) PhD Program
“Exploring the Effects of QseBC Signaling on Cell Wall Metabolism and Motility in Escherichia coli“
Taiquitha Robins, PhD Candidate
Biomedical Informatics PhD Program
“Advancing Real-time Risk Stratification: Evaluating the Associations between Comorbidities and Hospitalization Outcomes in Patients with Multi-morbidity”
Todd Spears
Interdisciplinary Biomedical Sciences (GPIBS) PhD Program
“The role of constitutively active pyrin inflammasome in bone marrow macrophages in the defense against Yersinia pestis infection”
Kamryn Thomas
Interdisciplinary Biomedical Sciences (GPIBS) PhD Program
Madison Trujillo, PhD Candidate
Pharmaceutical Sciences PhD Program
“Annatto Tocotrienols to Ameliorate Chemotherapy-Induced Reproductive Dysfunction”
IMSD Seminar Series
Justin Graham, PhD
Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences
Director, Honors Program, Fayetteville State University
&
Danielle Graham, PhD
Associate Professor of Microbiology
Department of Biological and Forensic Sciences, Fayetteville State University
“Planning the Perfect Picture”
February 20, 2024
Ramon Goings, PhD
Founder, Done Dissertation
Associate Professor, Language, Literacy, and Culture Doctoral Program
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
“Pushing Through Your Dissertation. Rising from rejection: Building your dissertation resilience toolkit”
October 30, 2023
Avery August, PhD
Professor of Immunology, Deputy Provost
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Cornell University
“Peoples Instinctive Travels and the Paths to Science”
August 31, 2023
Holly B. Rogers, MD
Co-Founder of the Center for Koru Mindfulness
Resilience & Wellness Seminar Series
June 15, 2023
Ramon Goings, PhD
Founder, Done Dissertation
Associate Professor, Language, Literacy, and Culture Doctoral Program
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
“The Systems and Strategies You Need to Finish Your Dissertation in Record Time”
March 6, 2023
Lisa M. Schwiebert, PhD
Associate Dean, Office of Postdoctoral Education
University of Alabama Birmingham
“The UAB IRACDA: Preparation & Career Exploration”
December 19, 2019
Linda C. Harris, PhD
Director of Postdoctoral Talent Acquisition
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
“From Manchester to Memphis: My Path from Research to Recruitment”
October 9, 2019
UAMS Graduate School Career Day
E. Dale Abel MD. PhD
Professor and Francois M. Abboud Chair of Internal Medicine at the University of Iowa, Carver Collee of Medicine
“Multifaceted Roles of Insulin Signaling in the Heart”
December 11, 2018
IMSD Student Choice Speaker
Cosponsored by the Department of Biochemistry
Ian Corbin, PhD
Associate Professor, Advanced Imaging Research Center Radiology,
University of Texas Southwestern
“A Novel Nanomedicine Strategy for Combating Liver Cancer with Fish Oils”
December 10, 2018
Co-sponsored by the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences
Alfredo Quiñones-Hinojosa, M.D.
William J. and Charles H. Mayo Professor and Chair of Neurologic Surgery
Mayo Clinic
“Becoming Dr. Q: An American Dream like No Other/Making the Case for Careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math”
March 6, 2018
I. Dodd Wilson
Robert E. McGehee Distinguished Lectureship
Kevan Shokat, Ph.D.
Professor, Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology
School of Medicine, University of California San Francisco
“Chemical Tracks for Drugging the Undruggable”
March 2, 2018
IMSD Student Choice Speaker
Co-sponsored by the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences
Chang-Guo Zhan, Ph.D.
Professor
Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences
University of Kentucky
“Drug Discovery and Development via Rational Design”
April 21, 2017
IMSD Student Choice Speaker
Co-sponsored by the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences
Cato Laurencin, M.D., Ph.D.
University Professor
Professor of Chemicals, Materials, and Biomedical Engineering
The University of Connecticut
“Regenerative Engineering: Convergence to Address Grand Challenges”
April 12, 2017
I. Dodd Wilson
Robert E. McGehee Distinguished Lectureship
Bryan Yamamoto, Ph.D.
Professor and Chair
Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology
Indiana School of Medicine
“Methamphetamine-Induced Neural Injury: Thinking Inside and Outside the Brain”
March 29, 2017
Rayford Auditorium
IMSD Student Choice Speaker
Co-sponsored by the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology
Patrick Schlievert, Ph.D.
Professor and Chair
Department of Microbiology
University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine
“Staphylococcal Superantigens are Kryptonite for Humans”
April 28, 2016
1:30 pm
Rayford Auditorium (Biomedical Research Center II Room 106-2)
IMSD Student Choice Speaker
Co-sponsored by the Department of Microbiology and Immunology
Winston E. Thompson, Ph.D.
Professor and Chair
Department of Physiology
“How Mentoring Impacts the Science of Disease”
November 12, 2015
3:00 pm
Rayford Auditorium (Biomedical Research Center II Room 106-2)
Co-sponsored by the Department of Physiology and Biophysics
Carolina B. Lopez, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Pathobiology
University of Pennsylvania
“Defective viral genomes as primary triggers of antiviral immunity in the lung”
November 5, 2015
1:30 pm
Rayford Auditorium (Biomedical Research Center II Room 106-2)
Co-sponsored by the Department of Microbiology and Immunology
Kristy Nicks, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Mayo Clinic
“Osteoporosis Research: From Bone Biology to Health Disparities”
April 16, 2015
3:00 pm
Rayford Auditorium (Biomedical Research Center II Room 106-2)
Co-sponsored by the Department of Physiology and Biophysics
Jorge I. Rodriguez, Ph.D.
Research Assistant Professor
Clemson University
“Fabrication of Miniature Drug Screening Platform Utilizing Low-Cost Bioprinting Technology”
January 29, 2015
3:00 pm
Rayford Auditorium (Biomedical Research Center II Room 106-2)
Co-sponsored by the Department of Physiology and Biophysics
James Hildreth, M.D., Ph.D.
Dean, College of Biological Sciences
Professor, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology
Professor of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine
University of California at Davis
“HIV-1: Subversive Mechanisms in Transmission and Pathogenesis”
Thursday, October 30, 2014
1:30 pm
Rayford Auditorium (Biomedical Research Center II Room 106-2)
Co-sponsored by the Department of Microbiology and Immunology
De’Broski Herbert, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Division of Experimental Medicine
University of California at San Francisco
“Trefoil factors regulate mucosal Type 2 immunity”
Thursday, April 11, 2013
1:30 pm
Rayford Auditorium (Biomedical Research Center II Room 106-2)
Co-sponsored by the Department of Microbiology and Immunology
Jessica Bohonowych, Ph.D.
Medical University of South Carolina
“Extracellular Heat Shock Protein 90 (eHSP90): A Potential Modulator of the Stromal Microenvironment in Prostate Cancer”
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
3:30 pm
Rayford Auditorium (Biomedical Research Center II Room 106-2)
Co-sponsored by the Interdisciplinary Biomedical Sciences graduate program and the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology
Arturo Casadevall, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor of Microbiology and Immunology and Medicine
Chair, Department of Microbiology and Immunology
“Mammal, Martians, and Dinosaurs: nihilistic thoughts on the origin of microbial virulence”
Thursday, April 12, 2012
1:30 pm
Rayford Auditorium (Biomedical Research Center II Room 106-2)
Co-sponsored by the Department of Microbiology and Immunology
Carl Hart, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Departments of Psychology and Psychiatry
Columbia University
“Methamphetamine: Tempering Hysteria with Data”
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
3:30 pm
Rayford Auditorium (Biomedical Research Center II Room 106-2)
Co-sponsored by the Interdisciplinary Biomedical Sciences graduate program
Sarah England, Ph.D.
Professor
Departments of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics and Obstetrics and Gynecology
University of Iowa
“Do ion channels play a role in determining pregnancy duration?”
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
3:15 pm
Rayford Auditorium (Biomedical Research Center II Room 106-2)
Co-sponsored by the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology
Craig Cameron, Ph.D.
Professor
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
The Pennsylvania State University
“NS5A: The Swiss army knife of the hepatitis C virus”
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
12:00 pm
Rayford Auditorium (Biomedical Research Center II Room 106-2)
Co-sponsored by the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Raphael Valdivia, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Director of Graduate Studies
Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology
Duke University Medical Center
“The Cell Biology of Chlamydia infections: unique lessons of how a pathogen co-opts the cytoskeleton and organelle function to modulate immunity”
Thursday, September 16, 2010
1:30 pm
Rayford Auditorium (Biomedical Research Center II Room 106-2)
Co-sponsored by the Departments of Physiology and Biophysics and Microbiology and Immunology
Emmanuel Akporiaye, Ph.D.
Providence Portland Medical Center
Portland, Oregon
“Modulation of the tumor microenvironment: Role of Mitocans”
Thursday, April 22, 2010
1:30 pm
Rayford Auditorium (Biomedical Research Center II Room 106-2)
Co-sponsored by the Department of Microbiology and Immunology
Kunle Odunsi, Ph.D.
Professor and Research Program Director
Department of Gynecologic Oncology
Roswell Park Cancer Institute
Buffalo, NY
“Conventional, regulatory and Th17 cells in the immunologic response to human ovarian cancer”
Thursday, April 8, 2010
1:30 pm
Rayford Auditorium (Biomedical Research Center II Room 106-2)
Co-sponsored by the Department of Microbiology and Immunology