Awards, Endowments, and Scholarships (College of Medicine)
For decades the Guild has provided awards, endowments, and scholarships to both medical students and biomedical graduate students in the College of Medicine to acknowledge the best and the brightest students.
The Thomas and Emily Maren Award
This award continues the tradition that began in 1999 to honor Dr. Thomas Maren, Graduate Research Professor Emeritus and founding chair of the Pharmacology and Therapeutics Department, by his wife, Emily Sabah-Maren. The award will be given to The Equal Access Clinic Network beginning in May 2019. It reflects on the Marens’ desires to promote quality medical student education and healthcare for the under-served.
Biomedical Science Graduate Student Awards
Link to Biomedical Sciences website
2019-2020 WINNERS
Medical Guild Graduate Research Award
This competition was established in 1975. One student from each of area of Biomedical Sciences (BMS) concentration is nominated to present their research. A BMS faculty panel determines the ranking of the awards.
Eligibility: Senior-level graduate students from Biomedical Sciences
Gold Award Winners
Patrick Kellish (Cancer Biology)
Mentor: Maria Zajac-Kaye, Ph.D.
“Priming immunity against small cell lung cancer (SCLC) with oncolytic virotherapy”
Kristen Skruber (Molecular Cell Biology)
Mentor: Eric Vitriol, Ph.D.
“Determining how Profilin1 controls the assembly, organization, and dynamics of the actin cytoskeleton”
Silver Award Winner
Jacob Andring (Biochemistry & Molecular Biology)
Mentor: Robert McKenna, Ph.D.
“Teaching an Old Enzyme New Tricks: Cu-Carbonic Anhydrase, A Nitrite Reductase”
Bronze Award Winners
Kelly DeMars (Neuroscience)
Mentor: Eduardo Candelario-Jalil, Ph.D.
“Blocking BET Proteins is Neuroprotective in Ischemic Stroke”
Lance Denes (Genetics)
Mentor: Eric Wang, Ph.D.
“Microtubule-based Transport is Required to Distribute RNA and Nascent Protein in Skeletal Muscle”
Chao Xie (Pharmacology and Therapeutics)
Mentor: Jeffrey Martens, Ph.D.
“Gene Therapeutic Reversal of Olfactory Impairment in Bardet-Biedl Syndrome”
Ashley Zuniga (Immunology and Microbiology)
Mentor: Dorina Avram, Ph.D.
“Dual roles of E3 Ubiquitin Ligase Hectd3 in the regulation of NFĸB and Inflammasome signaling to inhibit inflammation and malignancy in the gut”
2020 Advancement to Candidacy Award Recipients
Established in 2012 to recognize 3rd year graduate students in the Biomedical Sciences (BMS) who have successfully passed their qualifying examinations over the current academic year and excelled in their academic and research performance since enrolling in their studies. Biomedical Science faculty members representing the areas of concentration determine the award recipients.
Eligibility: Biomedical Science graduate students who have risen to candidacy this year.
Joseph Dean (Immunology and Microbiology)
Mentor: Dr. Liang Zhou
Adithya Gopinath (Neuroscience)
Mentors: Dr. Habibeh Khoshbouei and Dr. Wolfgang Streit
Eric Helm (Immunology and Microbiology)
Mentor: Dr. Dorina Avram
60th Anniversary Gift
To commemorate our 60th anniversary, the Guild has endowed the Equal Access Clinic Network with a $250,000 gift. This endowment should annually yield approximately $9,000 and grow with each year*. This is our first “forever” gift! To read the article, click here: Dr-Gator-Summer-2019.
*Growth is dependent upon the stock market
