Graduate Programs Bulletin Board
April
CVM Graduate Student of the Month
Petra Bizikova is a candidate for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Immunology, under the direction of Dr. Thierry Olivry and Dr. Sue Tonkonogy. Her research involves searching for the major target antigen in canine pemphigus foliaceus.
Petra holds a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from the University of Veterinary Medicine in Kosice, in the Slovak Republic. She worked as a staff Dermatologist and Internist in the Slovak Republic for several years. She came to the Veterinary Teaching Hospital at North Carolina Sate University where she completed an internship and residency in Veterinary Dermatology. Petra began her PhD studies in Immunology in 2008.
Petra aspires to obtain a position in academia as a Dermatologist with a strong interest in research and teaching. She would like to continue her research on canine pemphigus and atopic dermatitis. In addition, she would like to develop and grow an equine dermatology service that would provide more case diversity for student and residency training while broadening the opportunity for new clinical investigations in the field.
Petra loves horseback riding and hiking with her husband when they can get a couple of days off from work. They often drive to the Smoky Mountains, "nothing is better than a ten mile hike".
Defense Announcements
Eric Seiser is a candidate for the Doctor of Philosophy degree in Functional Genomics, under the direction of Dr. Matthew Breen.
"Molecular Classification of Canine Lymphoma Through the Use of Genomic Profiling"
- Wednesday, May 16, 12:30PM
- Centennial Biomedical Campus, RB 101
Graduates
Renae Greiner earned a Master of Science degree in the Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology Program in Fall 2011. She began a position this spring as a Fisheries Biologist for Western Pennsylvania Conservancy. Renae is currently working on a project with the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, "Unassessed Waters Initiative". She is involved in training university and private partners in field data collection on presence/absence of the native brook trout. This indicator species helps classify the previously unsampled water in Pennsylvania to help protect streams against teh repercussions of fracking and coal mining.
Natalie Cherry earned a PhD degree in Comparative Biomedical Sciences in spring of 2012, under the direction of Dr. Ed Breitschwerdt. She has accepted a position as General Supervisor and Staff Scientist at Galaxy Diagnostics in the RTP. Natalie will be testing for Bartonella species bacteria using an ePCR, or EnrichmentPCR, technique in both animal and humans. This testing platform is the most sensitive diagnostic test available for the detection of an active infection. Congratulations, Dr. Cherry!
Susan Irvin recently earned her PhD degree in Comparative Biomedical Sciences in the fall of 2011. Susan is now a postdoctoral fellow at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in Bronx, NY in the laboratory of Dr. Betsy Herold. One aim of the Herold Lab is to determine molecular factors, including contraceptive hormones, which contribute to a previously shown epidemiological link between human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and herpes simplex virus (HSV) infections in women. Susan’s initial focus is identifying the molecular mechanisms by which contraceptive hormones impact HIV infection.
Beth Overman recently earned her PhD degree in Physiology this fall semester. Beth will remain on board with NCSU as a Postdoc in the Biology Department in a new program that focuses on providing undergraduates with authentic scientific research experiences to enhance their learning in biology based programs, The Research PackTrack Program. Students who enter the program take courses on how to read, write, communicate science and spend a semester learning and becoming independent on basic laboratory techniques before they are placed in research labs around NCSU's campus where the student will work on their own independent project.
Teresa Green earned her PhD degree in Comparative Biomedical Sciences in Spring 2011. Dr. Green accepted a position as a postdoctoral fellow at the Environmental Protection Agency at Research Triangle Park, NC with the Integrated Systems Toxicology Division in February. Her research project involves in vitro and in vivo comparative studies of the bioavailability and toxicity health effects of silver nanomaterials.