News

The Department of Toxicology & Cancer Biology is excited to announce internal Graduate Student and Post-Doctoral Scholar Fellowship Opportunities for the Spring 2021 semester. All current graduate students and post-doctoral scholars in the department are eligible and encouraged to apply. Please review the attached documents regarding the award categories and criteria. The submission deadline for all opportunities is November 30, 2020.

Henrietta Lacks’s “HeLa” cells continue to influence scientific discovery even after her death from cancer in 1951. These cells have been used to study cancer growth, learn more about viruses, and study drug effects on the body. They even helped develop the polio vaccine.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Sept. 3, 2020) – The Society of Research Administrators International will be presenting its 2020 Hartford-Nicholson Award to University of Kentucky faculty Nathan Vanderford. 

The Society of Research Administrators International will be presenting its 2020 Hartford-Nicholson Award to University of Kentucky faculty Nathan Vanderford. Vanderford, an assistant professor in the Department of Toxicology and Cancer Biology in the UK College of Medicine, will receive the award at the SRAI Virtual Annual Meeting in October. He was chosen for the award due to his advocacy, dedication and continuous contributions of knowledge to SRAI as the editor-in-chief of its Journal of Research Administration.

The survey below is entirely voluntary. We are creating a way for students to anonymously self-report a positive COVID status for themselves or having had close contact with an individual who has a positive COVID status. It was developed to assist faculty in the Department of Toxicology and Cancer Biology in determining the need to have classes in-person or online. COVID testing results are protected by HIPAA and faculty may not be contacted by contact tracers.

Congratulations to all of our doctoral students that have passed their Qualifying Exams! Pratik Thapa (Mentor: Dr. Qiou Wei) Jenni Ho (Mentor: Dr. Daret St. Clair) Yanning Hao (Mentor: Dr. Qiou Wei) Xiaojing Cui (Mentor: Dr. Ying Liang) Sapta Ganguly (Mentor: Dr. Vivek Rangnekar) Alston Zhang (Mentor: Dr. Xiaoqi Liu) Special thanks to the mentors committee members that assisted all of our students.

The events of the several months have brought the ideals of Diversity, Inclusion & Equity to a fine focus. Our Department recognizes that we can improve and we are committed to doing so. Our ultimate goal is to foster an environment where diversity of all types is recognized and respected, and where we can all feel comfortable being our most authentic selves. The mission of DTCB remains to train the future generations of scientists and to produce high quality biomedical research.

We are pleased to announce that Dr. Jian Fu has been appointed to serve as a member of the NIH Innate Immunity and Inflammation Study Section, for the term beginning July 2020 and ending June 2024. NIH study section members are selected on the basis of their demonstrated competence and achievement in their scientific discipline as evidenced by the quality of research accomplishments, publications in scientific journals, and other significant scientific activities, achievements and honors.

Congratulations to Dr. Alexandra Arenas on a Successful Defense! Dr. Arenas successfully defended her PhD thesis on July 9, 2020. Also, congratulations to her mentor, Dr. Haining Zhu, and her other committee members. A special thanks to the outside examiner, Dr. Henry LeVine.

Dr. Jeremy Johnson has successfully defended his Ph.D. dissertation, "Examination of the Role of AMP-Activated Protein Kinase as a Therapeutic Modality for Triple Negative Breast Cancer." Congratulations to him, Dr. Mark Evers (mentor), committee members, and outside examiner. Also, thank you all who attended the seminar via Zoom during these unusual circumstances.

Lung cancer is a complex and devastating disease, especially in the Commonwealth. In fact, Kentuckians are twice as likely as the rest of U.S. citizens to develop squamous cell carcinoma and small-cell lung cancer, both of which are very serious cancers that typically have low survival rates.

We are pleased to announce that we are still accepting applications for our Master's of Forensics Toxicology & Analytical Genetics program. The Master’s in Forensic Toxicology & Analytical Genetics program is a professional degree program, which educates and prepares students to enter the workforce as working professionals. The program curriculum contains two internships, which provides our students with hand-on experiences necessary to exit the program and be competitive in the job market.

Congratulations to Dr. Diane Begemann on successfully defending her PhD thesis on March 25, 2020. We could also like to thank and congratulate her mentor, Dr. Natasha Kyprianou, her committee members, and outside examiner.

Dr. Daret St. Clair was nominated and selected as the recipient of the University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine Distinguished Alumna Award for Achievement for her pioneering work in molecular biology and free radical biology, and for her efforts as a mentor and role model to the next generation of cancer biologists.

As the oldest girl of nine children, Jazmyne Barney always knew she served an important role in her family. She was the “mom of the sibling group,” as she calls it, and because of this, she felt she had the responsibility to succeed so her siblings could have someone to look up to.

Congratulations to Dr. Peter Van Wie on successfully defending his dissertation, "The role of neural precursor cell expressed developmentally down-regulated protein 9 in enhanced aggressiveness of hexavalent chromium transformed bronchial epithelial cells." Thank you to all of the faculty that have supported and advised him during his PhD program.

Congratulations to Martina Lin (Mentor: Dr. Chengfeng Yang), Stephanie Bryant Rock (Mentor: Dr. Mark Evers), Chaohao Li (Mentor: Dr. Xiaoqi Liu), Nick Howard (Mentor: Dr. Isabel Mellon) and Tanner DuCote (Mentor: Dr. Christine Brainson) for successfully passing their qualifying exam. Thank you to all of the faculty who served on the committees and for their continued support.

We are pleased to announce that Ms. Aria Byrd is the recipient of the 2019 Rising Star Award from the Women in Medicine and Science (WIMS). Each year, WIMS recognizes faculty and trainees who encourage and support women in their academic and professional endeavors in the UK College of Medicine. Congratulations, Aria!

Congratulations to Dr. Daret St. Clair on being the recipient of the 2019 Leadership Award from the Women in Medicine and Science (WIMS). Each year, WIMS recognizes faculty and trainees who encourage and support women in their academic and professional endeavors in the UK College of Medicine.

Our Toxicology & Cancer Biology program is interdisciplinary, whose faculty are leaders in their fields and use cutting edge approaches to investigate oxidative stress, genetic instability, metabolism and epigenetics and their relationships to cancer and other human diseases. Students can choose to be trained in areas that have an emphasis on either Toxicology or Cancer Biology, or identify projects that integrate the two areas.