The GSO News Volume 2, Issue 2, December 2010 www.mcg.edu/gradstudies/students.htm Medical College of Georgia Graduate Student Organization The GSO News 1 Inside this Issue GHSU: MCG’s Name Change Bundles of Books SGS and GSO Launch Career Seminar Series Student: Ahmed El-Awady Student: Christina Wilson MCG Student Leadership Institute Alumni: Kris Dhandapani Feature Article: Racing to Save Lives Happenings 1 1 2 3 3 4 5 6 8 September 15th, 2010 marked a major turning point for the Medical College of Georgia as the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia approved a request from MCG to change its name to Georgia Health Sciences University (GHSU). The rationale behind this name change is based on how the mis- sion of MCG has broadened consider- ably since its founding as a medical college in 1828. As President Azziz has stated, “our ‘College’ is actually a ‘University’ with a focus not just in medicine but rather ‘Health Sciences’.” By continuing to refer to the institution at which we are enrolled as a ‘College’, Dr. Azziz feels this to be a “disservice in not highlight- ing the broad scope of our mission and ultimately affects the ability of MCG to be recognized for what it truly is.” Dr. Azziz has also stated that GHSU better defines MCG as what it is-“a compre- hensive health sciences university and a modern academic health center.” Furthermore, Dr. Azziz strongly feels that the name change will allow for the university to achieve the national recog- nition that is deserved with respect to competitive world rankings and reputation. Dr. Azziz points out that most similar institutions across the country have, at some point, changed their name to better reflect their true stature as health science universities, and MCG is no exception. The question that begs to be answered by many of us students is ‘Why change the name now?’ In communications that have been sent out to the entire MCG community we have been made aware that informal discussions of MCG’s name change have been ongoing for the last decade. MCG has consulted numerous research firms since 2007 to examine both local and nationwide per- ceptions of MCG. What was ultimately found was that while the local public had strong positive opinions of MCG, they did not consider MCG as a ‘univer- sity’. Likewise, more than 80% of those surveyed ‘strongly agreed’ that MCG as a name was associated only with the medical school. Further surveys of alumni and internal audiences showed a strong tie to the ‘Medical College of Georgia’ name and thus the resulting re- quest was made to the board of regents: GHSU: As a graduate student what does MCG’s name change mean to YOU Donations help provide books to needy children Colleen Carey Bundles of Books is a non-profit orga- nization whose mission is to improve the reading skills of underprivileged children through creating a joy of read- ing. The principle of this organization has been to provide books for children at Christmas, as an alternative to toys. …to “Bundles of Books”, pg. 2 Colleen Carey …to “Name Change”, pg. 4
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The GSO NewsVolume 2, Issue 2, December 2010
www.mcg.edu/gradstudies/students.htmMedical College of Georgia Graduate Student Organization
The GSO News 1
Inside this Issue
GHSU: MCG’s Name Change
Bundles of Books
SGS and GSO Launch
Career Seminar Series
Student: Ahmed El-Awady
Student: Christina Wilson
MCG Student Leadership
Institute
Alumni: Kris Dhandapani
Feature Article: Racing to
Save Lives
Happenings
1
1
2
3
3
4
5
6
8
September 15th, 2010 marked a major
turning point for the Medical College of
Georgia as the Board of Regents of the
University System of Georgia approved
a request from MCG to change its name
to Georgia Health Sciences University
(GHSU). The rationale behind this
name change is based on how the mis-
sion of MCG has broadened consider-
ably since its founding as a medical
college in 1828.
As President Azziz has stated, “our
‘College’ is actually a ‘University’ with
a focus not just in medicine but rather
‘Health Sciences’.” By continuing to
refer to the institution at which we are
enrolled as a ‘College’, Dr. Azziz feels
this to be a “disservice in not highlight-
ing the broad scope of our mission and
ultimately affects the ability of MCG to
be recognized for what it truly is.” Dr.
Azziz has also stated that GHSU better
defines MCG as what it is-“a compre-
hensive health sciences university and
a modern academic health center.”
Furthermore, Dr. Azziz strongly feels
that the name change will allow for the
university to achieve the national recog-
nition that is deserved with
respect to competitive world rankings
and reputation. Dr. Azziz points out
that most similar institutions across the
country have, at some point, changed
their name to better reflect their true
stature as health science universities,
and MCG is no exception.
The question that begs to be answered
by many of us students is ‘Why change
the name now?’ In communications
that have been sent out to the entire
MCG community we have been made
aware that informal discussions of
MCG’s name change have been ongoing
for the last decade. MCG has consulted
numerous research firms since 2007 to
examine both local and nationwide per-
ceptions of MCG. What was ultimately
found was that while the local public
had strong positive opinions of MCG,
they did not consider MCG as a ‘univer-
sity’. Likewise, more than 80% of those
surveyed ‘strongly agreed’ that MCG
as a name was associated only with
the medical school. Further surveys of
alumni and internal audiences showed
a strong tie to the ‘Medical College of
Georgia’ name and thus the resulting re-
quest was made to the board of regents:
GHSU: As a graduate student what does MCG’s name change mean to YOU
Donations help provide books to needy childrenColleen Carey
Bundles of Books is a non-profit orga-
nization whose mission is to improve
the reading skills of underprivileged
children through creating a joy of read-
ing. The principle of this organization
has been to provide books for children
at Christmas, as an alternative to toys.
…to “Bundles of Books”, pg. 2
Colleen Carey
…to “Name Change”, pg. 4
The GSO News 2
This organization, founded by Mr.
Chuck LaMarsh in 1996 serves chil-
dren in both the Augusta, GA area and
through Mr. Lamarsh’s son, the Boston,
MA area. Last year, approximately 150
children in the Augusta area were served
through generous donations from area
businesses and individuals who believed
in the concept. This year, Bundles of
Books is hoping to double this number.
Dr. Carol Campbell, a professor here
at MCG, and Dr. Kevin Frazier, Vice
President of Student Services at MCG,
became interested in helping the
Bundles of Books organization and
recruited a few students to help her in
this endeavor. To them, they saw this
as an opportunity not only to help out
the community, but for individuals in
the academic and medical professions to
reflect upon the influence that reading
has had in getting them to where they
are today.
Over a 1 week period, collection booths
were set up in the library and student
center during lunch period-and manned
by students from all schools-, donations
ranging from spare pocket change to
more generous amounts allowed for the
total amount raised on campus to be
$258.69. This total collected will allow
for Bundles of Books to purchase ‘book
bundles’ for 18 children with some
spare change left over. Although this is
the 1st year of MCG’s participation, the
positive outcome has provided for the
possibility to be involved again in the
future and hopefully double, if not fur-
ther increase, what we as a community
can provide to this organization.
*Special thanks to Medical Illustration
students Julie Coats and Megan
Gullotto who provided the artwork
which was used for on campus promo-
tion purposes. O
SGS and GSO Launch Career Seminar SeriesColleen Carey
The School of Graduate Studies (SGS)
along with the Graduate Student Orga-
nization (GSO) has recently launched a
new seminar series to provide informa-
tion on career opportunities, paths and
choices to graduate level students. The
first installment of this series, “What to
look for when searching for a post doc-
toral fellowship; a perspective from St.
Jude Children’s Research Hospital”, was
presented by Dr. Linda Harris, Associ-
ate Director of Academic Programs for
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
on November 3rd.
The turnout of students for this seminar
proved to be mostly BIOMED PhD’s,
those most likely to pursue a post doc-
toral position, however attendees ranged
from 1st years up to those students
getting ready to defend. The session pro-
vided by Dr. Harris contained informa-
tion that was applicable to all students
in attendance. The goal that Dr. Harris
has in visiting schools to do special
seminars as these is that of post doctoral
recruitment and making sure that not
only are graduate students aware of the
opportunities available at St. Jude, but
also to help students to prepare to begin
a post doctoral position search wherever
they may be interested.
Dr. Harris’ presentation began with
an overview of the facility and area
surrounding St. Jude, which is located
in Memphis, and then segued into a
more general set of steps to take when
searching for a post doctoral fellowship.
These steps are outlined briefly here:
1) Choose an institution that is a place
where you would want to work, i.e.
ability for translational research to be
directly applied, array of research areas,
2) Choose a mentor carefully, someone
who not only are you compatible with
but that also has your bet interests
at heart, 3) Choose a project that is
interesting to you but that also allows
for you to continue to learn new skills
and techniques, 4) Choose an institu-
tion with laboratory and core facilities
that may benefit your research, 5) Select
a position while keeping in mind the
scientific infrastructure. Be aware of the
interactions occurring around you, spe-
cifically the abundance of collaborations
and continuing education opportunities
such as seminar series, 6) determine
if the position you are applying for is
institutionally supported. That is, are
there facilities dedicated to post doc-
toral fellow affairs? Are good benefits
provided to post doctoral fellows? And
finally, 7) choose a position in a location
that meets the desires that are impor-
tant to you.
Now that you know how to seek out a
post doctoral position that is best for
you, when should you begin looking for
one? Dr. Harris suggests beginning to
seek out positions of interest in your last
year of thesis work. Interviews should
be conducted about 6 months before
your defense. With regards to St. Jude,
Dr. Harris shared that each year there
are about 60-80 post doctoral fellowship
openings, so opportunities are available.
Furthermore, for those who
…to “Seminar Series”, pg. 7
...from “Bundles of Books”, pg. 1
The GSO News 3
CURRENT STUDENT SPOTLIGHT
Ahmed El-AwadyNamita Hattangady
Ahmed El-Awady is a first year student
of the Biomedical Sciences, Ph.D.
program in Dr. B. Baban’s laboratory
in the Department of Oral Biology.
Ahmed’s research focuses on the peri-
odontal ligament fibroblasts (PDLFs)
and their potential role in chronic peri-
odontitis, specifically with regards to the
progression of the “inflammatory front”
into the deeper tissues. His studies also
focus on the cross-talk between PDLFs,
in both healthy and diseased states, and
immune T cells to elucidate what con-
stitutes protective and destructive host
response in periodontitis.
Ahmed is originally from Cairo, Egypt,
where he practiced as a periodontist
before joining MCG’s PhD program.
His experience in periodontics and
research made him realize the signifi-
cance of translating the clinical needs
into research projects. He believes that
the graduate program at MCG will allow
him the time to fully commitment to
gaining the necessary scientific knowl-
edge and experience that he aspires to
achieve.
Ahmed already has two first author
publications in the Journal of Periodon-
tology and Tissue Engineering Part C:
Methods. Outside of school, Ahmed is a
family man and enjoys spending his free
hours with his wife and son. He also en-
joys reading, participating in sports and
travel whenever he gets the opportunity.
In the future, Ahmed wishes to estab-
lish a career in academics and hopes to
apply his research experience in clinical
periodontics while also contributing
towards advancement in education in
periodontics. The GSO wishes Ahmed
all the best for his future endeavors!
phot
ogra
phy
by A
hmed
El-A
wad
y
Christina WilsonNamita Hattangady
Christina Wilson is a student of
Biomedical Sciences, Ph.D. in the
program of Neuroscience. She is a fifth
year graduate student and a part of the
research laboratory of Dr Alvin Terry
Jr. in the Department of Pharmacology
and Toxicology. The objective of Chris-
tina’s research is to evaluate a variable
prenatal stress model as a valid drug
discovery platform for schizophrenia.
Christina chose to join the Terry Lab
because of her keen interest in neuro-
psychiatric illnesses and the treatment
of associated cognitive deficits.
Christina is native to Augusta and chose
MCG based upon the wide ranging
areas of research as well as having an
impressive graduate program. While at
MCG, she has had two first author pub-
lications and shares authorship on sev-
eral additional manuscripts. Christina
has been the recipient of many awards
while at MCG including: Award for
Excellence in Research at the Graduate
Research Day 2010, the Pharmacology
and Toxicology Graduate Symposium
Award and a travel award.
Besides her academic achievements,
Christina has been actively participating
in several student body groups and has
held the posts of Vice President of the
Graduate Student Organization 2008-
09, Student Government Association
representative 2009-10, and Graduate
Council Student Representative. She
has also been a part of the Society of
Neuroscience, and has participated in
various community service and local
fund raising programs.
Christina’s advice to fellow students is as
follows, “Graduate school life is full of
ups and downs. Just hang in there- the
rewards are worth it.” The GSO wishes
Christina the best in all her future
endeavors! O
O
phot
ogra
phy
by D
avie
s Agy
ekum
The GSO News 4
‘The Medical College of Georgia School
of Medicine’ will be renamed as simply
‘The Medical College of Georgia’ and
the remaining ‘Schools’ will be renamed
as such: ‘College of Allied Health Sci-
ences’, ‘College of Dental Medicine’,
‘College of Graduate Studies’, and ‘Col-
lege of Nursing’.
Now that the new naming has been
approved and will be implemented
on February 1, 2011, there are many
changes that students should be aware
of, specifically the following:
1) Your MCG email address. Although
your current mcg.edu email address will
continue to work for a few months after
the effective date of the name change,
all students will be transitioned to new
ghsu.edu email addresses. Assistance
will be available for notifying all of your
contacts of the new email address. For
any questions on this matter please do
not hesitate to contact Information
Technology & Services.
What to do until the switch?
What has been suggested to make your
contacts, collaborators, etc. aware of the
upcoming name change are the use of
new GHSU Marks and Signatures that
have been made available. These are
available for download at http://www.
mcg.edu/identity/ghsu/ and questions
about using or obtaining these graphics
should be directed to ghsutaskforce@
mcg.edu
2) Your diploma. From February 1
onward, graduates will be presented
with a newly designed diploma bearing
the Georgia Health Sciences University
name; however graduates of the classes
of 2011-15 will be offered the option
Graduate students chosen to partici-pate in the inaugural class of MCG’s Student Leadership InstituteColleen Carey
What is it that defines a leader?
Ask any one of the graduate students
selected to participate in MCG’s Stu-
dent Leadership Institute (SLI) and it’s
likely that each will give you a different
answer. Although Webster’s diction-
ary defines a leader as one who “goes
before to guide or show the way; directs
some action, opinion or movement;
has the authority to precede and direct;
is followed by others in conduct”, etc.
what is perhaps the main thing that
these students have taken away from
this course is that there are many myths
about leaders/leadership which can
alter the definition of a leader that each
individual has.
The course was divided into six 1.5 hour
sessions consisting of lectures on general
leadership concepts followed by presen-
tations from various leaders on MCG’s
campus. Topics of the sessions included
‘Social and Cultural Issues in Health-
care’, ‘Leadership in Academic Health
Sciences Centers’, ‘Legal Issues and Pub-
lic Relations’, and ‘Professionalism and
Social Responsibilities’. Additionally, all
students were separated into ‘leadership
work teams’ to conceive, plan and pres-
ent a project that enhances the campus
or local community. These projects were
then presented in the final session and
scored by a panel of judges. All propos-
als were then shared with the Provost’s
staff and other campus leaders, with the
top scoring projects being given consid-
eration for start-up funding.
The Student Leadership Institute was
developed and directed by Dr. Kevin
Frazier, Vice President for Student Ser-
vices and Development, with the goal of
“equipping student leaders with
…to “Leadership”, pg. 7
phot
ogra
phy
by D
r. Pa
tric
ia C
amer
on
School of Graduate Studies participants in the 2010 Student Leadership Institute along with Dr. Patricia Cameron
...from “Name Change”, pg. 1
…to “Name Change”, pg. 9
The GSO News 5
2nd Annual Graduate Student
Organization Fall Camping Trip
Hamilton Branch State ParkSeptember 10-12, 2010
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHTKris DhandapaniColleen Carey
Kris Dhandapani, aside from being an
MCG Alumni, is a core faculty member
in the Department of Neurosurgery.
Dr. Dhandapani grew up in Vernon,
CT (a suburb of Hartford). He obtained
his B.S. and M.S. from the University
of Connecticut with a concentration
in Physiology and Neurobiology. Dr.
Dhandapani then earned his Ph D.
from MCG, in Molecular Medicine
under Dr. Darrell Brann. Upon comple-
tion of his Ph D. in 2003, Dr. Dhan-
dapani remained at MCG in a postdoc-
toral research associate position in the
Institute of Molecular Medicine and
Genetics for a year before continuing to
a postdoctoral research fellow position
with the Department of Neuroscience
at the University of Connecticut Health
Center. In 2005, Dr. Dhandapani ac-
cepted a position as Assistant Professor
in the Department of Neurosurgery
here at the Medical College of Geor-
gia. In 2010 he was awarded Associate
Professor.
The research in his lab is based in
translational neuroscience with two
major goals: (1) to elucidate the cellular
mechanisms underlying neurovascular
injury following hemorrhagic stroke
and traumatic brain injury and (2) to
develop novel therapeutic agents which
may translate into clinical practice.
Particularly, the lab is exploring novel
therapeutic approaches to limit the size
of blood clots in the brain following
intracerebral hemorrhage with an ulti-
mate goal of establishing a clinical trial
based on this research within the next
several years.
When asked about his most rewarding
experience at MCG, Dr. Dhandapani
stated “Teaching and training students
is something I value, so watching my stu-
dents develop in to productive scientists
is very rewarding. I was very fortunate to
have outstanding mentors in my own
Collage by Colleen Carey
…to “Dhandapani”, pg. 9
The GSO News 6
Racing to Save LivesSamuel Herberg
On September 26, Jason Covar (Tech-
nician in Dr. Atherton’s lab) and I
participated in the second edition of the
ESI Ironman 70.3 Augusta as mem-
bers of The Leukemia & Lymphoma
Society’s Team In Training program
(http://www.teamintraining.org/). More
than 3,100 professional and age group
athletes swam for 1.2 miles in the Savan-
nah River, biked for 56 miles in both
Georgia and South Carolina, and finally
ran for 13.1 miles right in the heart of
our city. But for Jason and I it wasn’t
only about racing. Together with all our
Team In Training Georgia teammates
including Mayor Copenhaver, we raised
over $350,000 for the Leukemia and
Lymphoma Society and thus made a
huge contribution to help saving lives -
one mile at a time.
Since its inception in 1988, The Leu-
kemia & Lymphoma Society’s Team In
Training program has prepared more
than 390,000 people (approximately
40,000 participants annually) to achieve
their dream of completing a challenging
endurance event, e.g., marathon, half
marathon, triathlon, century bicycle
ride or hike adventure.
And, in that time, participants have
raised over $950 million to support
blood cancer research and patient ser-
vices. The enormous success of this pro-
gram has helped make possible advances
in blood cancer therapies and
…to “Racing”, pg. 7
Graduate Students ‘Scare up’ some funHalloween 2010