Announcements

We are thrilled to welcome the new cohort of Cell and Molecular Biology graduate students! We are excited that these talented individuals chose to embark on an exciting journey of scientific discovery in our graduate program here at the John A. Burns School of Medicine.

Our incoming graduate students come from diverse backgrounds, bringing with them a wealth of experiences and perspectives that will undoubtedly enrich our community. As we all know, graduate studies can be both challenging and incredibly rewarding. Let’s make sure to offer our support, guidance, and encouragement to these new students. Whether it’s sharing insights from our own research, lending a helping hand with coursework, or simply being a friendly face in the lab, every gesture counts in building a collaborative and nurturing environment.

To our new students, we encourage you to embrace the opportunities that await you. Our faculty members are internationally recognized experts in their fields, and our campus is equipped with top-notch facilities. Take full advantage of the resources available, engage in stimulating discussions, and, most importantly, don’t hesitate to ask questions – curiosity is the fuel of scientific progress. We’re excited to see the innovative research and discoveries that will emerge from your your efforts.

Once again, a warm welcome to our new Cell and Molecular Biology graduate students! Here’s to a year filled with growth, collaboration, and groundbreaking achievements.

Michelle Tallquist, PhD, Professor
Cell and Molecular Biology Graduate Program, Chair
University of Hawaii

When: Thursday Aug 24, 2023 ⋅ 11am – 1pm (Hawaii-Aleutian Standard Time)
Where: Sullivan Center, 701 Ilalo Street. Honolulu, HI 96813 View map
What to expect:
Introductions and Welcome
Useful information on:
Cancer Center Opportunities
Parking, IDs, etc.
Environmental Health and Safety Office
…and some fun:
Bingo with Amazon or Food Land gift cards as prizes
To go lunches will be provided after the session!
We hope to see you there!

Cell and Molecular Biology Ph.D. Student Katie Lee was Selected for the prestigious George Orton and Mona Marie Elmore ARCS Award in Medicine. This $5,000 award will be given in May 2022. The ARCS Scholar Award provides unrestricted grants to outstanding U.S. scholars in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and health fields.

The non-profit ARCS Foundation Inc. comprises 15 chapters across the nation working to keep the United States competitive in STEM fields. Since its founding in 1974, the totally volunteer Honolulu Chapter has provided more than $2.3 million in unrestricted grants to 548 University of Hawai‘i graduate students, providing annually a dozen $5,000 awards to students in the university’s Colleges of Natural Sciences, Engineering, and Tropical Agriculture; Schools of Medicine, Nursing and Ocean and Earth Sciences and Technology; and Institute of Astronomy. More at https://www.uhfoundation.org/impact/research/gift-endows-arcs-advancing-science-awards.

Katie Lee was born and raised in Hawai’i, I have lived on this island my whole life. I developed an interest in science with encouragement from my parents and teachers that culminated in a B.S. degree in biochemistry at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa. During my undergraduate studies, I was fortunate to be accepted into the CURE program at the Cancer Center which kicked off my career in research. I joined Dr. Peter Hoffmann’s laboratory to study melanoma and continued this with the INBRE program. After graduation, I was accepted into the Cell and Molecular Biology program at JABSOM as a Ph.D. student and immediately joined Dr. Ralph Shohet’s laboratory studying cardiovascular disease. My thesis project examines cardiac metabolism using mice missing a key glycolytic enzyme that was shown to increase in expression after cardiac injury.