NEWS
CURRENT SABER•IRACDA SCHOLAR NEWS
Congratulations to Elizabeth Ochoa, a Year 1 SABER Scholar who is co-first author on a paper just published online in STAR Protocols! (August 2024)
Congratulations to Elizabeth Ochoa, a Year 1 SABER Scholar who was recently awarded a grant as PI by the Texas Alzheimer’s Research and Care Consortium (TARCC). TARCC is a collaboration between eleven of the state’s leading medical research institutions, working to improve early diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of Alzheimer’s disease. The grant funding ($185,320) is for 2 years! (August 2024)
Welcome to Kristi Dietert, Courtney Johnson and Elizabeth Ochoa who are joining the program as Year 1 SABER Scholars on 01 July 2024! All three obtained their PhD degrees at UT Health San Antonio. Kristi completed her graduate studies last December and started postdoctoral training in the lab of Dr. Kevin Koronowski (Biochemistry & Structural Biology) in March 2024. Courtney completed her graduate studies in May 2023 and is a postdoctoral research fellow in the lab of Dr. Alex Mazin (Biochemistry & Structural Biology). Elizabeth, who is a postdoctoral fellow in the lab of Dr. Kevin Bieniek (Pathology & Lab Medicine/Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases) graduated in December 2022 and started her postdoctoral training in March 2023 on a NHLBI T32 postdoctoral fellowship, initially in the lab of Dr. Carrie Boychuk. (July 2024)
Congratulations to SABER Scholar Emily Lancaster, PhD, who has been offered, and has accepted a faculty position as an assistant professor of biochemistry (tenure track) at St. Mary’s University starting fall 2024! Emily, who will be starting as a Year 3 SABER Scholar next month, will be appointed jointly in the department of Chemistry & Biochemistry and the department of Biological Sciences. (June 2024)
Congratulations to Alisa Isaac, a Year 2 SABER Scholar who is first author on a paper just published online in Nature Communications! (April 2024)
Congratulations to Alisa Isaac, a Year 2 SABER Scholar who recently received funding from the Trauma Research and Combat Casualty Care Collaborative (TRC4) – an initiative of the University of Texas System for research she proposed on developing immunomodulatory materials for critical sized bone defect regeneration! The grant funding ($200,000) starts immediately and is for 16 months.! (April 2024)
Congratulations to Manpreet Semwal, a SABER Associate Scholar who has been offered, and has accepted a faculty position as an assistant professor of biology (tenure track) at Our Lady of the Lake University starting this fall! Manpreet, who is a third year postdoc will be completing postdoctoral training at the end of July. (February 2024)
Congratulations to Alisa Isaac, a Year 2 SABER Scholar who is first author on a paper recently accepted for publication in Nature Communications! (February 2024)
Congratulations to Bianca Romo, a Year 1 SABER Scholar who has received a Travel Award to attend the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2024 to be held in San Diego, CA in April. (February 2024)
Congratulations to Manpreet Semwal, a SABER Associate Scholar who was Chair, Organizing Committee for the 11th Annual San Antonio Postdoctoral Research Forum (9/19/2023, San Antonio, TX)
Congratulations to Alisa Isaac, a Year 2 SABER Scholar who is co-author on a paper published recently in the Journal of laryngology and Otology.
Congratulations to Nikki Clauss, a Year 1 SABER Scholar who is co-first author on a paper published recently in Molecular Psychiatry!
Congratulations to Alisa Isaac, a Year 2 SABER Scholar who is co-author on a paper published recently in Laryngoscope Investigative Otolaryngology!
Congratulations to Rogers M. Brown, II, a Year 3 SABER Scholar who is co-first author on a paper just published in Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience!
Welcome to Bianca Romo who joined the program as a Year 1 SABER Scholar on 01 August 2023! Bianca recently completed her graduate studies at Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH and started postdoctoral training in the lab of Dr. Ratna Vadlamudi (Obstetrics & Gynecology).
Congratulations to Ben Enslow who has been offered, and has accepted a faculty position as an assistant professor of biological sciences (tenure track) at St. Mary’s University, starting this fall! Ben, who is in Year 3 SABER•IRACDA Scholar, will be completing training on June 30th.
Congratulations to Carlos Rivera, a Year 3 SABER•IRACDA Scholar whose first author paper was recently published in Science Advances!
Welcome to Nikki Clauss who has just joined the program as a Year 0 SABER•IRACDA Scholar! Nikki is a postdoctoral research fellow in the lab of Dr. Lynette Daws (Cellular & Integrative Physiology).
Ben Enslow, MD, 1st place, Oral Presentation, UT Health San Antonio at the 10th Annual San Antonio Postdoctoral Research Forum (9/20/2022 San Antonio, TX)
Manpreet Semwal, PhD (SABER*IRACDA Associate Scholar), 1st place, Poster Presentation, UT Health San Antonio at the 10th Annual San Antonio Postdoctoral Research Forum (9/20/2022, San Antonio, TX)
PROGRAM (INCLUDING ALUMNI) NEWS
Congratulations to SABER alumna Sevan Alwan, PhD (Assistant Professor of Biochemistry & Structural Biology at UT Health San Antonio) who is MPI on a recent NIH R56 grant funded by NIAID in August 2024. The title of the grant is “Preclinical Testing of Potential Next-generation Antischistosomal Compounds.” (September 2024)
Congratulations to SABER alumna Courtney (Caroll) Alexander, PhD (Assistant Professor of Biology at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke) who is Contact PI/PD on a recent U-RISE T34 grant to UNC Pembroke funded by NIGMS which began in April 2024. The U-RISE program at UNC Pembroke, a Native-American serving, non-tribal institution and minority serving institution in rural southeastern North Carolina, aims to increase the number of diverse and disadvantaged students who pursue a terminal degree in biomedical or behavioral science and ultimately enter the biomedical research workforce. (August 2024)
Congratulations to SABER Alumna Lindsey Barron, PhD, who has been offered, and has accepted a faculty position as an assistant professor of biology (tenure track) at the University of the Incarnate Word (UIW) starting fall 2024! Lindsey, who completed training as an IRACDA Scholar in August 2021, had been working as a visiting assistant professor at UIW, first in the department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and latterly in the department of Biology. (June 2024)
Congratulations to SABER Alumnus Carlos Rivera, PhD, who is co-first author on a paper just published online in Nature Immunology describing work completed while he was in the SABER program. Carlos who completed training as an IRACDA Scholar in August 2023 will be promoted and start in a faculty position as an Instructor in the department of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics at UT Health San Antonio in September 2024. (June 2024)
Congratulations to SABER Alumnus Rogers Brown, II, PhD, who has been offered, and has accepted a faculty position as an assistant professor of biology (tenure track) at Austin College (Sherman, TX) starting this fall! Rogers, who completed postdoctoral training in August 2023, had been working as a visiting assistant professor at Our Lady of the Lake University during the 2023/24 academic year that just ended. (May 2024)
Congratulations to Rachell Booth, PhD (POC Member) whose S10 grant application was recently funded by NIH/NIDCD! (April 2024)
Congratulations to Miguel de la Flor, PhD (SABER Alumnus; 2020 Cohort) who was winner of the poster competition (postdoctoral fellow category) at the annual UT Health San Antonio Long School of Medicine Research Symposium held on 28 March, 2024! (April 2024)
Congratulations to Teja Guda, PhD, Research Mentor for Alisa Isaac (Year 2 SABER Scholar) who has recently learned that he has been promoted to full Professor, effective 01 September 2024! (February 2024)
Congratulations to SABER alumnus Brian Bui, PhD (2017 cohort) who is co-author of an article published in Bioactive Materials in 2021,that has recently received a prestigious best paper award from Bioactive Materials, an international, high-impact peer-reviewed research publication.
Congratulations to Teja Guda, PhD, SABER Research Mentor for Year 2 SABER Scholar Alisa Isaac. Dr. Guda was recently honored as UTSA 2023 Innovator of the Year!
Congratulations to Sevan Alwan, PhD, a SABER•IRACDA alumna who has been promoted to Assistant Professor/Research in the department of Biochemistry & Structural Biology at UT Health San Antonio, effective 09/01/23
Congratulations to SABER alumnus Carlos Rivera, PhD, 3rd place (UT Health San Antonio), Poster Competition at the 11th Annual San Antonio Postdoctoral Research Forum (9/19/2023 San Antonio, TX).
Congratulations to SABER alumna Briana Hauff Salas, PhD (Associate Professor of Environmental Science; Biology and Environmental Science Program Head at Our Lady of the Lake University) who is Project Director on a recent $5 million grant to OLLU from the USDA NextGEN program to help build the next generation of food, agriculture, natural resources and human sciences workforce. OLLU will use the $5 million, five-year grant to support “TExAS FAST: Texas Experiential learning and Scholarship Program for Food and Agricultural Science Training,” which began in fall 2023.
Congratulations to two SABER alumnae, Drs. Rheaclare Fraser-Spears (2015 cohort) and Dr. Briana Salas (2016 cohort), both of whom were recently promoted to Associate Professor (with tenure) at the University of the Incarnate Word and Our Lady of the Lake University respectively.
Congratulations to Dr. Ahmad Galaleldeen, Program Coordinator at St. Mary’s University for the SABER*IRACDA Program who was recently promoted to full Professor!
Congratulations to Mike de la Flor, a SABER•IRACDA alumnus who has received a Veterans Affairs (VA) award (3I01 BX003195-05A1S1) that will fund an additional two years of postdoctoral training in the O’Connor lab (department of Pharmacology) at UT Health San Antonio. This award is a Supplement to Dr. Jason O’Connor’s VA Merit Award.
Congratulations to Sevan Alwan, a SABER•IRACDA alumna who has been appointed to the faculty in the department of Biochemistry & Structural Biology at UT Health San Antonio as an Instructor/Research and whose first author article was recently published in PLoS Pathogens!
ALUMNI POSITIONS AFTER COMPLETION OF TRAINING
Emily Lancaster, PhD Assistant Professor of Biochemistry, St. Mary’s University (San Antonio, TX)
Benjamin T. Enslow, MD, Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences, St. Mary’s University (San Antonio, TX)
Rogers M. Brown, II, PhD, Visiting Assistant Professor of Biology, Our Lady of the Lake University (San Antonio, TX)
Charles S. Fermaintt, PhD, Assistant Professor at the University of the Incarnate Word. Educator conducting research in the field of cancer pharmacology (San Antonio, TX) https://www.linkedin.com/in/csfermaintt
Amanda Muñoz, PhD, Assistant Professor of Molecular Biology, Department of Biology and Chemistry, Texas A&M International University (Laredo, TX) https://facultyprofiles.tamiu.edu/faculty.aspx?email=amanda.munoz
Jeremy Stubblefield, PhD, Assistant Professor of Biology, Benedictine College (Atchison, KS) https://www.benedictine.edu/faith-life/bcyc/immersion/tracks/biology/index
Keith Ashcraft, PhD, Assistant Professor of Biology, Shriner University (Kerrville, TX) https://schreiner.edu/directory/ashcraft-keith/
Lindsey (Myers) Barron, PhD, Visiting Assistant Professor of Biology, University of the Incarnate Word (San Antonio, TX)