BMS Trainee Association

Fall 2024

Friday, September 6, 11 am - 1 pm
Location: BMS 3rd floor and SMED 142, School of Medicine
Meeting topic: BMS Trainee Association Welcome Event
Join us to visit the newly established BMS Trainee Lounge in SMED 279.  Dr. Detlef Heck, BMS Head of Department, will attend the meeting to review last year's pluses and minuses and discuss the association's expectations for the upcoming year.

Event Program
11-11:30 Introduction to the BTA
11:30-12:00 Pizza Luce & Social Time (Games)
12:00-12:30 Introduction to Faculty
12:30-1:00 Raffle Drawing & Social Time (Games) 

Wednesday, September 10, 1:15 - 2:15 pm
Location: SMED 263
Meeting topic: lunch meeting with Dr. Sabrina Scroggins to discuss her career as a researcher in academia.

Friday, September 20, Noon to 1 pm
Location: SMED 263
Meeting topic: lunch meeting with Wayne Gatlin, industry speaker.

Wednesday, September 25, 1:15 - 2:15 pm
Location: SMED 142
Meeting topic: lunch meeting with the AHC Research Seminar speaker-Kelly Lane, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Biology Teaching and Learning, UMN. Dr. Lane's talk, entitled "Genetic Essentialism in Undergraduate Biology; Narratives About Race and Gender" will discuss teaching undergraduate biology in the context of complex topics such as race and gender. This lunch is a great opportunity to meet Dr. Lane, and hear about her career path in science.

Tuesday, October 1, Noon - 1 pm
Location: SMED 142
Meeting topic: lunch meeting with the Boman Symposium speaker, Angela Panoskaltsis-Motari, PhD, Professor of Pediatrics UMN Medical School. Dr. Panoskaltsis-Motari's research involves tissue engineering, regenerating 3-D tissues in-vitro, using decellularized whole organ scaffolds with bioreactors, and 3-D bioprinting. This lunch is a great opportunity to meet Dr. Panoskaltsis-Motari and hear about her career path in science.

Wednesday, October 16, 1:15 - 2:15 pm
Location: SMED 142
Meeting topic:  lunch meeting with Betty Exintaris, PhD (Associate Dean Learning and Teaching) & Nilushi Karunaratne, PhD, (Senior Lecturer); Visiting Scholars from the Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash
University, Australia. Drs. Exintaris and Karunaratne are offering a seminar presentation titled, "From Lab to Classroom: Bringing Insights from Basic Electrophysiology to Health"

Wednesday, October 23, 1:15 - 2:15 pm
Location: SMED 142
Meeting topic:  Lunch meeting with AHC Research Seminar speaker, Jenny Sones, PhD, DVM, Associate Professor of Equine Reproduction, Colorado State University. Dr. Sones' research experience integrates veterinary science, the gut microbiome, and preeclampsia. Meet and greet Dr. Sones over lunch to discuss any questions you may have pertaining to her career path or research/professional expertise!

Wednesday, November 20, 11:00 - Noon
Location: SMED 134
Meeting topic: lunch meeting with Dr. Stuart McAfee, AHC Research Seminar speaker, Faculty Scientist, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Dr. McAfee's research experience expands many neuroscience and medical school education horizons. Join Dr. McAfee over lunch to discuss questions pertaining to his career path or research/professional expertise!

Wednesday, December 11, 1:15 - 2:15 pm
Location: SMED 142
Meeting topic: lunch meeting with Dr. Thomas Bastian. Dr. Bastian's research experience integrates neuronal development and metabolism. Meet and greet Dr. Bastian over lunch to discuss  questions pertaining to his career path or research/professional expertise!

Spring 2025

Wednesday, January 22, 1:15 - 2:15 pm
Location: SMED 142
Meeting topic: lunch meeting with Dr. Roger Ramirez Barrios, Associate Professor of Biomedical Sciences and Pathology, Virgina Tech. Meet and greet Dr. Ramirez Barrios over lunch to discuss questions pertaining to his career path or research/professional expertise! Prior to the lunch meeting, he will present his seminar titled, "Parasites and One Health: Using Molecular Tools to Address Intriguing Stories", as part of the AHC Seminar Series.

Wednesday, January 31, Noon-2 pm
Location: SMED 142
Meeting topic: lunch meeting with Erica McMahon, MS,  Technical Supervisor at DiaSorin, McMahon will present a talk about her career as a scientist in the private sector. DiaSorin is a biotechnology company.

Wednesday, February 5, 1:15 - 2:15 pm
Location: Room 142, School of Medicine
Meeting topic: lunch meeting with Dr. Mustafa al'Absi, Professor and Director, Duluth Global Health Research Institute, Medical School, Duluth campus. Meet and greet Dr. al'Absi over lunch to discuss questions pertaining to his career path or research/professional expertise! Prior to the lunch meeting, he will present his seminar titled, "Unraveling Stress Response Dysregulation in Addiction, Appetite Control and Relapse Dynamics", as part of the AHC Seminar Series.
 

Wednesday, March 5, 1:15 - 2:15 pm
Location: SMED 142
Meeting topic: Meeting topic: lunch meeting with Dr. Lisa Savage, Professor of Psychology, Binghamton University, NY. Meet and greet Dr. Savage over lunch to discuss questions pertaining to her career path or research/professional expertise! Prior to the lunch meeting, she will present a seminar titled, "Long-term neurobiological consequences of adolescent alcohol binge-type alcohol exposure", as part of the AHC Seminar Series.

Wednesday, March 19, 1:15 - 2:15 pm
Location: SMED 142
Meeting topic: lunch meeting with Dr. Steven Graves, Assistant Professor of Pharmacology, University of Minnesota Twin Cities. Meet and greet Dr. Graves over lunch to discuss questions pertaining to his career path or research/professional expertise! Prior to the lunch meeting, he will present a seminar titled, "Methamphetamine, neurodegeneration, and seeking behavior", as part of the AHC Seminar Series.

Wednesday, April 2, 1:15 - 2:15 pm
Location: SMED 142
Meeting topic: lunch meeting with Dr. Tara LeGates.

Wednesday, April 16
Location: 
Meeting topic: No lunch meeting. AHC Seminar Speaker joining via Zoom only.

Wednesday, April 30
Location: SMED 142
Meeting topic: No lunch meeting. AHC Seminar Speaker joining via Zoom only.

Wednesday, May 14, 1:15 - 2:15 pm
Location: SMED 142
Meeting topic: TBD

Wednesday, May 28, 1:15 - 2:15 pm
Location: SMED 142
Meeting topic: lunch meeting with Dr. Doug Bremner.

FALL 2023

Friday, August 25th, Noon - 1pm
Location: SMED 279, School of Medicine
Meeting topic: Kickstarter Trainee Association Meeting for academic year 2023-24
Join us to visit the newly established BMS Trainee Lounge in SMED 279.  Dr. Detlef Heck, BMS Head of Department, will attend the meeting to review last year's pluses and minuses and discuss the association's expectations for the upcoming year.

September 13, Noon - 1 pm
Guest: Harald Junge, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Neuroscience, UMN Medical School, Twin Cities campus
Location: SMED 279
Meeting topic: Lunch with Dr. Junge to discuss his science and learn about his career as a scientist in the academic field.

October 4, Noon - 1 pm
Guest: Michael Olin, PhD, Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology/Oncology, UMN Medical School, Twin Cities
Location: SMED 279
Meeting topic:  Lunch meeting to meet and greet Dr. Olin, who is this year's Annette Boman Cancer Research Symposium Speaker. Dr. Olin has a diverse training background and is doing outstanding work in tumor research. 

October 11, Noon - 1 pm
Guest: Ronald Drew Etheridge, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Cellular Biology, Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, University of Georgia
Location: SMED 279
Meeting topic: Meet and greet Dr. Etheridge who has worked with some very interesting parasites like Toxoplasma gondii,  and he will be speaking on his work with Trypanosoma cruzi during his seminar later in the day. This is a great opportunity to speak with someone doing fascinating work! 

October 25, Noon - 1 pm
Guest: Jordan Lewis, PhD, MSW, Department of Family Medicine and Biobehavioral Health | Memory Keepers - Duluth Discovery Team
Location: SMED 263
Meeting topic: Meet and greet Dr. Lewis who is a trained community psychologist. His research focuses on Indigenous cultural generativity within Alaska Native (AN) communities, and he met with trainees to discuss his approach to AN healthy aging.

December 13, Noon - 1 pm
Guest: Jeongsik Yong, PhD, Associate Professor, UMN Biochemistry Molecular Biology and Biophysics
Location: SMED 263
Meeting topic: Lunch with Dr. Yong to discuss his science and learn about his career as a scientist in the academic field.

SPRING 2024

January 10, 1 - 2 pm 
Speaker: Abigail Johnson, PhD, RD, Assistant Professor, Division of Epidemiology & Community Health, UMN School of Public Health
Location: SMED 398
Meeting topic: Coffee and conversation with Dr. Johnson to discuss her research and her career path in academia.

January 24, Noon - 1 pm
Speaker: Adam Bress, PharmD, MS, Associate Professor, Health University of Utah
Location: SMED 263
Meeting topic: Dr. Adam Bress, AHC Research Seminar speaker, is an Associate Professor of Population Health Science at the School of Medicine at University of Utah. He will present a talk titled "Optimizing antihypertensive treatment in 2024 to prevent cardiovascular disease and dementia." He is a cardiovascular clinical scientist and population scientist with a very successful funding record. 
Join us to learn about his science and his career path in academia.

February 7, Noon - 1 pm
Speaker: Casey Dorr, PhD, Investigator Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute’s Department of Nephrology Assistant Professor, University of Minnesota Department of Medicine, Renal and Hypertension Division, Co-director CTSI Pathways to Research Program (PReP) and Advanced Pathways to Research Program (A-PReP). 
Location: SMED 263
Meeting topic: Dr. Dorr will meet with the trainees to discuss careers in his field.

February 28, Noon - 1 pm
Speaker: David Stenehjem, PharmD, BCOP, Associate Department Head and Associate Professor, Department of Pharmacy Practice and Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Duluth campus
Location: SMED 263
Meeting topic: Lunch with Dr. Stenehjem to discuss his science and learn about his career as a scientist in the academic field.

Monday, March 4, Noon - 1 pm
Speaker: Dr. Mark Sanders, Program Director at the Imaging Center, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
Location: SMED 263
Meeting topic: Lunch with Dr. Sanders who will come to discuss his career at the UMN Imaging Centers with the trainees.

Seminar presentation: 3 - 4 pm
Dr. Sanders will present his talk "Frontiers in Imaging in Technologies and Strategies for Bioimaging at the University Imaging Centers". The event is hosted by Clara Smoniewski, PhD, Research Professional 4, Office of Research Support, University of Minnesota Medical School, Duluth campus. This is an excellent opportunity for our trainees to meet Dr. Sanders to learn more about his research and career path.
Zoom room link

March 13, Noon - 1 pm
Speaker: Taihung (Peter) Duong, PhD, Professor of Anatomy, Cell Biology & Physiology and Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine
Location: SMED 263
Meeting topic: Lunch with Dr. Duong to discuss his science and learn about his career as a scientist in the academic field.

March 27, 2:15 - 3  pm
Speaker: Anna L Peters, MD, PhD, Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati, OH
Location: SMED 263
Meeting topic: Coffee and conversation with Dr. Peters to discuss her research and her career path in academia.

April 10, 1 - 2 pm
Speaker: Sarah Lacher, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Biomedical Sciences, UMN Medical School, Duluth campus
Location: SMED 263
Meeting topic: Coffee and conversation with Dr. Lacher to discuss her research and her career path in academia.

April 24, 12:15-1:15 pm
Speaker:  Jacques Wadiche, PhD, Professor, Department of Neurobiology, Heerskink School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham
Location: SMED 263, School of Medicine
Meeting topic: Lunch meeting with Dr. Wadiche to discuss his research and his career path in academia.

May 8, 1 - 2 pm
Speaker: Teresa M Dunn, PhD, Professor and Chair, School of Medicine, Biochemistry, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD
Location: SMED 263
Meeting topic: Coffee and conversation with Dr. Dunn to discuss her research and her career path in academia.

May 22, 1 - 2 pm
Speaker: Janelle Taylor, PhD, Professor, Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto, Canada
Location: SMED 3263
Meeting topic: Meet and greet the speaker whose AHC Seminar talk discusses "Borderlands of Aging, Dementia, Care and Ethnography"
 

FALL 2022

November 16, 2022, 1-2 pm
Location: SMED 398
Meeting topic: Association initial meeting

November 30, 2022, 1-2 pm
Location: SMED 398
Meeting topic: 3-minute thesis practice

December 7, 2022, 1-2 pm
Guest: Laurie Read, PhD, Professor of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Buffalo, State University of New York
Location: SMED 398
Meeting topic: Coffee hour with Dr. Read
 

SPRING 2023

January 18,  2023, 1-2 pm
Lunch guest: Kyoko Yoshida, PhD, Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. 
Location: SMED 398
Meeting topic: TBD

February 1,  2023, 1-2 pm
Lunch guest: Dr. Martin Phillips
Dr. Martin Phillips is a chemist and human health assessor at the US Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics (US EPA/OPPT).
Location: SMED 398
Meeting topic: Career path for National agencies and Networking

February 15, 2023, Noon-1 pm
Guest: Ezequiel Marron Fernandez de Velasco, PhD, Assistant Professor of Pharmacology, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
Seminar Title: "GIRK channel contribution to mood and substance use disorders"
Location: SMED 398
Meeting topic: Career Development and Opportunities

March 1,  2023, 1 - 2 pm
Guest: Laura Schulz, PhD, Director of the Institute for Women’s Health and Associate Professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology, University of Missouri
Location: SMED 398
Meeting topic: Career Development and Opportunities

March 15, 2023, Noon-1 pm
Guest: Jeffrey Hunger, PhD, Assistant Professor of Social Psychology, Miami University
Location: SMED 398
Meeting topic: Career Development and Opportunities

March 29,  2023, Noon-1 pm
Guest: Ryan Hunter, PhD, Associate Professor of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
Location: SMED 398
Meeting topic: Career Development and Opportunities

April 19,  2023, Noon-1 pm
Guest: Detlef Heck, PhD, Professor and Chair of the Department of Biomedical Sciences, UMN Medical School, Duluth Campus
Location: SMED 398
Meeting topic: BMS Trainee Association planning meeting for 2023-24

May 3, 2023, Noon-1 pm
Guest: Mark Dunnenberger, PharmD, Director of Pharmacogenomics, NorthShore University Health System
Location: SMED 398
Meeting topic: Career Development and Opportunities

May 17, 2023, Noon-1 pm
Guest: Melissa Walls, PhD, Associate Professor of American Health at Johns Hopkins University and Director of the Great Lakes Hub of the JHU Center for American Indian Health
Location: SMED 398
Meeting topic: Career Development and Opportunities

May 31, 2023, Noon-1 pm
Guest: William Coetzee, DSc, Professor of Pathology, New York University
Location: SMED 398
Meeting topic: Career Development and Opportunities

June 14,  Noon - 1 pm
Guest: virtual session with Kimberly Barnholdt, Senior Director at Genentech  
Location: SMED 398
Meeting topic: Careers in the industry sector

July 12,  Noon - 1 pm
Guest:   virtual meeting with Parul Sikand Pall, PhD, Principal Scientist at Merck
Location: SMED 398
Meeting topic: Careers in the industry sector and how to navigate the system for visas and other immigration requirements as an international candidate