Greetings from a warm, sometimes hot Morgantown,

We welcome five new MD/PhD students this fall 2011 to the WVU MD/PhD Medical Scientist Program.

• John Cavendish - Biochemistry, West Virginia University
• Brandon Lucke-Wold - Neuroscience, Baylor University
• Linda Nguyen - Physiological Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles
• Philip Pifer - Chemistry, West Virginia University
• Zachary Wright - Biology, West Virginia University

As a group, these five achieved a GPA of 3.9 and a MCAT score exceeding 32.

Please also welcome Renee Seitz in her new position as the Assistant Director of HSC Graduate Education. In addition to coordinating the PhD programs at the HSC, Renee will also coordinate the WVU MD/PhD Medical Scientist Program. Renee was formerly the Director of Admissions for the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Congratulations to our new alumna, Nicole Bryan, M.D., Ph.D., and to 5th-year MD/PhD student, Audrey Jajosky. Nicole was hooded twice this past May at the School of Medicine Investiture and today is a resident in internal medicine here at West Virginia University. Audrey was just awarded a prestigious F31 Fellowship from National Cancer Institute. Also, congratulations to her mentor, Dr. Laura Gibson.

Later this month we are excited that Ian Conner, M.D., Ph.D. will join us for one of our luncheon meetings. Ian finished his residency training in Ophthalmology at the University of Cincinnati and has started a glaucoma fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh.

Courtney Pilkerton, with the help of Brandon Luck-Wold, has organized another informative and fun newsletter with an article by Ryan Turner, our 2011 APSA (American Physician Scientist Association) representative, an alumnus profile on Health Skinner, radiation-oncology resident at UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, and pictures of our MD/PhD students experiencing a brief period of relaxation outside of the laboratory. (I am going to regret that last comment.)

To all of you alumni, please send us news of your successes to highlight in the alumni spotlight. Also, we welcome your return to campus to engage and provide sage advice to our student.

Best Wishes,

Fred L. Minnear, Ph.D.
Administrative Coordinator, MD/PhD Medical Scientist Program
fminnear@hsc.wvu.edu