OUTSTANDING DISSERTATION AWARD RECIPIENTS
The Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation Award is given to the outstanding Doctoral
Dissertation in the Graduate College. All applicants are screened through an initial
departmental evaluation process. Each department then nominates one
dissertation to compete for this prestigious award at the Graduate College level.
The Research and Graduate Student Affairs Committee of the Graduate Council is
responsible for the selection of this award. The Doctoral Dissertation award winner
is announced annually at the HSC Campus Awards Ceremony where they are
presented with a certificate and a cash award.
2015
Florence Garman, Ph.D.
“”Mechanism of the Generation and Maintenance of Neutralizing, Toxin-Specific
Responses to Anthrax Vaccination”
Mentor – Judith A. James, M.D.
2014
Gina Griffith, Ph.D.
“”Cationic Antimicrobal Protein 37 kDa and Corneal Would Healing”
Mentor – Anne Pereira, Ph.D.
And
Brett Herzog, Ph.D.
“Podoplanin Protects High Endothelial Venule Integrity in Lymph Nodes and
Maintain Blood and Lymophatic Vessel Separation”
Mentor – Lijun Xia, Ph.D.
2013
Christopher Conrady, Ph.D.
“Type I Interferons: Innate Control of Viral Infection”
Mentor – Shibo Li, Ph.D.
2012
Nasir Mustaq, Ph.D.
“Measuring Nicotine Dependence among Smokeless Tobacco Users”
Mentor – Laura Beebe, Ph.D.
Junie P. Warrington, PhD.
“Microvascular Mechanisms for Whole Brain Pediation Therapy-Induced Cognitive
Impairment”
Mentor – William E. Sonntag, Ph.D.
2011
Tabitha Garwe, Ph.D.
“Directness of Transport to a Level I Trauma Center: Impact on Mortality in
Patients with Major Trauma”
Mentor – Linda Cowan, Ph.D.
Allison Farrand, PhD
“Characterization of the Membrane Recogition Mechanism of the CholesterolDependent Cytolysins”
Mentor - Rodney Tweten, Ph.D.
2010
Tamara Potapova, Ph.D.
“Mechanisms that Control the Directionality of Mitotic Transition in Somatic Cells”
Mentor – Gary Gorbsky, Ph.D.
2009
Manoj Thapa, Ph.D.
“Chemokines and Chemokine Receptors That Mediate Immune Defense to Genital
Herpes Simplex Virus Type 2 (HSV-2) Infection”
Mentor – Daniel J. Carr, Ph.D.
2008
There were no entries this year because Dean Tomasek elected to change the
award to reflect the current year. These nominees/winners became the 2009
winners.
2007
Guiyuan Li, Ph.D.
“The AKT Isoforms in Retina”
Mentor – Robert E. Anderson, Ph.D.
2006
Robert S. Welner, Ph.D.
“Restriction of Lymphoid Progenitors to the T cell Lineage”
Mentor –Paul W. Kincade, Ph.D.
2005
Preeti Mangesh Tendolkar, Ph.D.
“Enterococcus Faecalis Biofilms: Analysis of the Roles on Enterococcal Surface
Protein, Esp, and a Newly Identified Genetic Locus”
Mentor –Nathan Shankar, Ph.D.
2004
Leann Godderz, Ph.D.
“The Stoichiometry and Intermolecular Interactions of the V(D)J Recombinase”
Mentor –Karla Rodgers, Ph.D.
2003
Heather Hickman, Ph.D.
“Major Histocompatibility Complex Class I Peptide Characterization Before and
After Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection”
Mentor –William Hildebrand, Ph.D.
2002
Jasper Yik, Ph.D.
"Palmitoylation of the Asialoglycoprotein Receptor"
Mentor –Paul Weigel, Ph.D.
2001
Lynn E. Hancock, Ph.D.
“Identification of Characterization of an Enterococcus Faecalis Polysaccharide
Genetic Determinant and the Contribution of the Capsular Polysaccharide to the
Biology of the Organism”
Mentor –Michael Gilmore, Ph.D.
2000
Sean Bauman, Ph.D.
“Dendritic Cells in the Afferent Phase of Anticryptococcal Cell-Mediated Immune
Responses”
Mentor –Juneann Murphy, Ph.D.
1999
Melissa R. Arbuckle, Ph.D.
“Early Events in Lupus Humoral Autoimmunity”
Mentor - John Harley, Ph.D.
1998
Hester Doyle, Ph.D.
“The Role of Chemokines during the Expression Phase of an Anticryptococcal
Cell-Mediated Immune Response”
Mentor – Juneann Murphy, Ph.D.
1997
Yuichiro Takagi, Ph.D.
“Biochemical Characterization of RNA Polymerase II Elongation Factor Elongin”
(SIII)”
Mentor – Joan Conaway, Ph.D.
1996
Patricia Benton, Ph.D.
“Characterization of a K562 Cell Model of Persistent Poliovirus Infections”
Mentor – Richard Lloyd, Ph.D.
1995
Zhao-Ming Dong, Ph.D.
“Modulation of Leukocyte Migration by Cryptococcal Polysaccharides and the
Mechanism Involved”
Mentor – Juneann Murphy, Ph.D.
1994
Ali Shilatifard, Ph.D.
“Sulfation of the AIDS Virus and the Biochemistry of Sulfatases in Animals and
Humans”
Mentor – Richard Cummings, Ph.D.
1993
Jimmy Ballard, Ph.D.
“Molecular Characterization of the Lethal Alpha Toxin from Clostridium Septicum”
Mentor - Rodney Tweten, Ph.D.