postdoc press, issue 10

POSTDOC PRESS

“Happy 2016!

For postdoctoral

trainees, focusing

on a future career

is the ultimate

resolution.”

— Mauhamad Baarine, Ph.D.

2015 PDA Vice President

In This Issue

PDA Update & Elections

Postdocs & University

Service

Teaching Opportunities

Human Resources Q&A

Grants for International

Postdocs

Job Boards Pros & Cons

Spark Your Career in 2016.

Letter from the Vice President

Dear Postdoctoral Scholars and Fellows,

Happy 2016! I want to wish all of you a year full of productivity, success and career de-

velopment. The New Year is always a great opportunity to set and prioritize new goals.

For postdoctoral trainees, focusing on a future career is the ultimate resolution. This

Winter Issue is packed with articles to help inspire you with this challenge.

Given the growing number of postdocs and few academic positions, postdocs shouldn’t

limit their career options to academia. Last November, the College of Graduate Stu-

dents held their Annual Career Day, highlighting exciting career paths postdocs can

pursue in both private and public sectors. Meeting Ph.D. professionals with successful

careers in various fields proved that life beyond academia is possible.

To that end, your 2015 Postdoctoral Association (PDA) President, Dr. Nelson, recently

challenged all postdocs to complete an Individual Development Plan (IDP) on sci-

encecareers.org. I started it myself a year ago and have learned a lot. An IDP assists in

career and personal development, improves efficiency and provides a career plan that

you can discuss with your mentor. I encourage you all to complete an IDP online or use

the formats and guidelines provided by Dr. Krug that will help on setting objectives with

a timeline for monitoring your progress. Lastly, I congratulate the newly elected 2016

PDA officers and encourage our postdoc community to stay involved with the PDA to

make positive changes for postdoctoral training at MUSC.

MUSC Postdoctoral Association Quarterly Newsletter Issue 10, Winter: January 2016

POSTDOC PRESS Issue 10, Winter: January 2016 PAGE 1

Thanking you,

Mauhamad Baarine, Ph.D.

Spark Your Career Plans in 2016

In This Issue

MUSC Career Day

AAAS Science Policy

Tech Transfer Q & A

Travel Tips for

International Postdocs

Hiring Managers

2015 Postdoc

Accomplishments

Outgoing 2015 PDA Committee

President

Michelle H. Nelson, Ph.D.

[email protected]

Vice President

Mauhamad Baarine, Ph.D.

[email protected]

Treasurer & Secretary

Sverre Erik Aune, Ph.D.

[email protected]

International Affairs

Chair

Nishant Saxena, Ph.D.

[email protected]

Career Development

& Advocacy Chair Chantelle L. Ferland, Ph.D.

[email protected]

Mentoring Committee

Co-Chairs

Jennifer Bestman, Ph.D.

[email protected]

Torry Dennis, Ph.D.

[email protected]

Media, Website

& Outreach Chair

Sabina Wang Ph.D.

[email protected]

Faculty Liaison

Edward Krug, Ph.D.

[email protected]

MUSC Annual Career Day Vitria Adisetiyo, Ph.D.

Last Fall, the College of Graduate Studies held their Annual Career Day

showcasing a panel of Ph.D. holding scientists in diverse careers ranging

from law, government, writing, private foundations, tech transfer to the bio-

tech industry. The take home message: regardless of where your career

ambitions lie, being aware of the vast career options available to Ph.D. sci-

entists is important not simply for thinking about “back-ups” but for making

well-informed decisions regarding the best-fit career path that will allow your

unique strengths to flourish.

As basic scientists, most of us entered graduate school with our eyes set on

acquiring technical skills necessary for answering scientific questions. What

we may not have anticipated or appreciated along the way, is that we also

gained invaluable non-technical (aka “transferable”) skills from our Ph.D.

training which are applicable to academic and non-academic careers alike.

Transferable Skills

So what exactly are these transferable skills? Some of them, as highlighted

by White Consulting, LLC (http://www.whiteconsultingllc.com/fivetransferabl

eskillsphdholdersothersdont/), are so intuitive they bear repeating so that

we don’t take these skills for granted.

● Critical thinking & problem solving: It’s the nature of our work to not know

all the answers but we are trained to know how to find them.

● Data analysis & interpretation: These are the tools of our trade. We are

trained to extract patterns, identify significance and make logical conclu-

sions based on data.

Continued on page 3


KEEPING INFORMED: Career Options

Contact Us

Stay connected and contribute

by sharing your opinions and

ideas.

https://www.facebook.com/

MUSCPDA

Postdoc Press

http://

academicdepartments.musc.edu/

grad/post_doc_resources/PDA/

press/

Outgoing 2015

Editor-in-Chief

Vitria Adisetiyo, Ph.D.

[email protected]


● Resilience: Another aspect of our work is failure. Instead of quitting when

something doesn’t work out, we know how to troubleshoot to move forward.

Moreover, we know to handle negativity and use criticism as an opportunity

for growth.

● Working well independently and as part of a team: As scientists, we ma-

neuver between working independently on experiments to collaborative

work with our lab members or other labs on a daily basis. Working effective-

ly in these setting becomes second nature.

Non-Traditional Career Paths

Many of the Ph.D.s on the Career Day panel referred to their transferable

skills as key to successfully transitioning into their current career paths. Dr.

David Holman, a patent attorney in Washington D.C., stated that his scien-

tific background and critical thinking skills were assets in helping him quickly

and effectively sort through technical literature in order to assess whether a

new technology could be patented. Dr. David Kroll, a freelance scientific,

medical and education writer and contributor with Forbes.com, capitalized

on his strength in scientific writing (honed from years of writing successful

grants as a principal investigator) to pursue a career in science communica-

tion. Dr. Christina Cassetti wanted to stay involved in scientific research but

without having to write grants. As a program officer at the National Institute

of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, she found a career that allowed her to

keep abreast of emerging science in her field by serving as a funding advo-

cate for researchers.

Over and over, each member of the panel reiterated the same message:

there are extensive career options for a Ph.D. scientist inside and outside of

academia. In order to find the right fit, it is critical that you know your own

strengths, identify the aspects of your work as a scientist that you love and

be sure you are pursuing a career that will allow you to grow in those areas.

(Career Day Agenda: http://academicdep artments.musc.edu/grad/career-

information/Career%20Day%20Agenda%202015.pdf).

Individual Development Plan

Ok, so let’s get cracking. Dr. Krug and your PDA committee members have

reiterated the importance of creating an Individual Development Plan (IDP)

for your career. Let’s use this new year to take action starting with investing

the time to create an IDP! (IDP info: http://academicdepartments.musc.edu/

grad/career-information/IDP, http://myidp.sciencecareers.org/) ■

http://

academicdepartments.

musc.edu/grad/

post_doc_resources/

KEEPING INFORMED (Continued from page 2)

WRITERS

EMAIL US!

https://www.facebook.com/MUSCPDA

https://www.facebook.com/MUSCPDA

http://academicdepartments.musc.edu/grad/post_doc_resources/PDA




POSTDOC PERSEPCTIVES


From Pipettes to Science Policy Chantelle Ferland-Beckham, Ph.D.

As Ph.D. scientists, we are trained to accept that a ‘successful’ career in the biological sciences cumulates in the establish-

ment of a research program and a tenure-track faculty position at a prominent university. The reality is that this dream is real-

ized by only 15-20% of U.S. Ph.D.-holders leaving many of us to re-examine our interests and foster a new, non-traditional

career path outside the halls of academia. For me, this started with an unfamiliar sense of accomplishment felt after a day

spent talking to lawmakers about the federal investment in basic research during a scientific professional society’s Capitol

Hill Day. This experience revealed a strong interest in public policy and a desire to use the

analytical, communication and critical thinking skills I gained from the laboratory to shape

national policies that drive scientific discovery and Federal research funding. However,

taking the risk to leave the safety of academia to enter the unfamiliar world of science poli-

cy is easier said than done and required careful planning to develop the skills I would re-

quire to be successful off the bench.

Ultimately, I decided to apply for the AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellowship pro-

gram, one of the oldest and well-established structured programs that offer Ph.D. scientists

the opportunity to become immersed in policymaking in the Federal Government while

learning first-hand about the intersection of science and policy. After a long, competitive

selection process, I was selected for the 2015-2016 fellowship year and made the decision

to hang up my lab coat and embark down the unfamiliar path for a fellowship for which I had minimal formal training. I was

placed at the National Institutes of Health in the Office of Science Policy and Analysis for the National Institute of Dental and

Craniofacial Research (NIDCR). This office develops and coordinates NIDCR’s activities in the areas of science policy, stra-

tegic planning, federal reporting and legislative analysis.

One of my first assignments when I arrived in my office was to work on NIDCR’s Congressional Budget Justification, an an-

nual congressionally mandated report submitted to the Appropriations Subcommittee outlining the funding requests of the

institute and the institute’s research priorities for the upcoming Federal fiscal year.

This step away

from the lab has

provided me with

the broader

prospective of

research that I

was craving.

Continued on page 8

Lessons Learned About Leadership Skills

Ed Krug, Ph.D.

Let me start off with a disclaimer – I am not the biggest fan of the word “leader.” It

connotes to me that if you are not a “leader” you are a “follower” and I firmly be-

lieve that we all need to be leaders regardless of our title or career ambition. I

much prefer a word used by Liz Wiseman and Greg McKeown – “multiplier” -

someone who facilitates the creativity and productivity of others. Effective

“multipliers” accomplish more with less and in innovative ways based on knowing

how to motivate individuals to stretch themselves intellectually – a cornerstone of

effective mentoring.

My comments to follow are drawn from a number of

sources that mirror lessons I have learned from being a

Principal Investigator (PI) for 25 years and 10 years as

an administrator. I made my share of mistakes as PI,

but was fortunate to have had resilient people in my

lab, all of whom have gone on to successful careers. As

an administrator, personnel management issues top the

list of issues coming to my office, many of which relate

to poor communication or management skills.

Characteristics of an Effective Leader/Multiplier

● Lead by example – do not ask someone to do what you would not do yourself

(a parallel to the “Golden Rule”).

● Establish and communicate your intermediate and longer term goals for the

group, along with a timeline for achieving milestones towards those goals.

● Let everyone know your communication preferences, including mode of com-

munication (phone/email/“open door”) and your available/unavailable times. A

comparison of everyone’s Myers-Briggs preferences can go a long way in facili-

tating effective communication.

● Resist the urge to micromanage, jump to the interpretation of results and solve

every technical problem before others have the opportunity to make their own

attempt. Self-discovery is essential for long term success in any career.

Ed Krug, Ph.D., Associate Dean for Postdoctoral Affairs


Continued on page 6

Dr. Krug’s Korner

Dr. Krug is a Professor of

Regenerative Medicine and

Cell Biology and the Associ-

ate Dean for Postdoctoral

Affairs at MUSC. According

to the PDA Bylaws, as the

PDA Faculty Liaison, he is a

historian of issues surround-

ing postdoc training at

MUSC. This helps the PDA

strategize how to best ap-

proach solutions to persistent

problems. He also helps

bring outside expertise to

MUSC. Most problems facing

MUSC postdocs are univer-

sal on the national scale. Dr.

Krug has an extensive net-

work from participation in

national postdoc conferences

that can be used to trouble-

shoot solutions to common

problems. For any postdoc

related topics, he is the “go

to” expert at MUSC. Dr. Krug

is also considered a guest

advisor at PDA meetings;

the PDA has the freedom to

have postdoc-only sessions

for discussion of controver-

sial issues before bringing it

to Dr. Krug’s attention. ■

We all need

to be leaders

regardless

of our title or

career

ambition.

KRUG’S KORNER

● Know the career ambition(s) of those you supervise and help them find the re-

sources to achieve their goals. This includes challenging them intellectually,

giving constructive feedback and allowing sufficient time for them to discover

potential solutions to unanticipated results.

● Foster the development of your trainees as individuals – how will the rest of the

lab, department, committee members and peer reviewers be able to ascribe

their individual contributions to a larger project?

● Foster community and team work for the entire lab. Each person should have

defined responsibilities for the overall success of the group and should willingly

make each other’s duties easier (e.g., informing them when a common reagent

is getting low, rather than when one uses the last of it – and knowing how to

replenish that stock if the responsible individual is out of the lab).

● Contact your Human Resources (HR) representative for guidance and policies

for supervising staff and trainees. Frequently, HR is not consulted until there is a

much larger problem that might have been prevented or mitigated with their

assistance before hiring your first employee. Similarly, consulting with the ad-

ministrating officials for trainees can help prevent problems from arising.

● Lastly, keep some degree of personal distance from those you supervise/train.

There is an important distinction between being “friendly” and being a “friend” –

emotions related to the latter can complicate communication in the work envi-

ronment and lead to feelings of favoritism by others in the group. This is more of

an issue when the faculty member and trainee are rather close in age (< 8-10

years different) or with gender issues. How one decides to establish this distinc-

tion is highly dependent upon your personality, but the goal is to minimize any

conflicts from becoming personal. HR can often be a valuable source of assis-

tance on interpersonal management issues.

Suggested Resources

Making the Right Moves: A Practical Guide to Scientific Management for Postdocs and New Faculty, 2

nd Ed. Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Burroughs Well-

come Fund, 2006. (http://www.hhmi.org/sites/default/files/Educational%20Materials/Lab%20Management/Making%20the%20Right%20Moves/moves2.pdf)

Thomas Cech. Starting a Research Group in 1978: Are the Lessons Still Relevant (video). (http://www.hhmi.org/programs/resources-early-career-scientist-development)

Kathy Barker. At the Helm: A Laboratory Navigator (2nd

Ed.), Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, Cold Spring Harbor, New York, 2010.

Tips for Supervisors. Purdue University. (http://www.purdue.edu/hr/pdf/tipsForSupervisors.pdf) ■

Leadership Resources

BOOK: Multipliers: How the

Best Leaders Make Everyone

Smarter.

Liz Wiseman and Greg McKe-own. Harper Collins, New York, 2010.

COLLABORATION AND

TEAM SCIENCE: A FIELD

GUIDE. LM Bennett, H

Gadlin, and S Levine-Finley.

NIH Publication No. 10-7660

(2010). https://

ccrod.cancer.gov/confluence/

download/

attachments/47284665/

TeamScience_FieldGuide.pdf?

ver-

sion=2&modificationDate=1285

330231523&api=v2

BLOG: WHAT’S IN JOHN’S

FREEZER? Managing a Re-

search Team: A Dissection

http://

whatsinjohnsfreez-

er.com/2014/12/17/managing-a

-research-team-a-dissection/

LEAD YOUR DIVERSE

RESEARCH TEAM WHILE

MANAGING EFFECTIVLEY.

Rick Parmely

https://

principalinvestigators.org/no-

124-lead-your-diverse-research

-team-while-managing-

effectively/

MYERS-BRIGGS

http://www.humanmetrics.com/

#Jung%20Briggs%20Myers%

20Types

KRUG’S KORNER (Continued from page 5)


http://www.purdue.edu/hr/pdf/tipsForSupervisors.pdf

https://ccrod.cancer.gov/confluence/download/attachments/47284665/TeamScience_FieldGuide.pdf?version=2&modificationDate=1285330231523&api=v2








http://whatsinjohnsfreezer.com/2014/12/17/managing-a-research-team-a-dissection/




https://principalinvestigators.org/no-124-lead-your-diverse-research-team-while-managing-effectively/





http://www.humanmetrics.com/#Jung%20Briggs%20Myers%20Types




INTERNATIONAL POSTDOC AFFAIRS

Tips for Traveling on a J1 Visa

Nishant Saxena, Ph.D.

It is very important for any visa holder in the U.S. to be very vigilant about their

visas while traveling on vacation or business out of the U.S. An effective way

to avoid any trouble or complications while re-entering the U.S. is to make a

checklist to ensure all the documents are in place well in advance before your

travel.

Here I am specifically talking about J1 scholars and the documents they need

to re-enter the U.S. in case they decide to leave the country for work or travel.

The following is my recommended checklist of the required documents that

should be reviewed before departing for vacation or business travel in order to

re-enter the U.S. without unforeseen issues:

● A Valid Passport

It is very common that people usually forget to check the expiration date on

their passport. It is very important to know the expiration date on your passport

so that you can renew it well in advance before your travel. A valid passport

with minimum six months of validity in the future is required for re-stamping of

a visa in case your visa is expired. Also a minimum of six months validity into

the future is recommended for traveling abroad.

● A Valid J1-Visa

Usually J1 visitors visiting the U.S. as exchange visitors work on lengthy pro-

jects and their stay is extended beyond their valid visas. It is important to

check the validity period of your stamped visa before departing the U.S. The

‘status of entry’ also needs to be checked to be sure of the number of entries

remaining. The U.S. generally gives multiple entries on J1 visas but there are

cases in which only two entries are granted with no entry remaining. In these

cases, it is important to obtain a re-entry permit to enter into the U.S. This can

be done by filing Form I-131, Application for Travel Document. It is important to

file this application well in advance of your planned trip. The application is

available on USCIS website.

● An Unexpired Form DS-2019

In the event of an expired visa, J1 scholars are issued the Form DS-2019 that

stands as a document for valid stay as a J1 scholar in the U.S.

Continued on page 8


It is important to obtain a

new DS-2019 from the

international affairs of

the concerned organiza-

tion should your DS-

2019 expire.

It is also important to

obtain a valid signature

on the Form DS-2019

from the Immigration Program Coordinator, Erin J. Huley (or other immigration

program advisor at MUSC). The signature is officially valid for one year or until

the ending date in ‘Question 3’ of the DS-2019, whichever is earlier. However, it

is recommended to get a new signature if the last signature was over six months

ago. Please write to Ms. Huley well in advance to get the travel signature to

avoid chaos at the last minute.

I hope that this article will help you to keep your J1 status active while you are

away for vacation or business. Have a very wonderful New Year. ■

POSTDOC PERSPECTIVES (Continued from page 4)

To say this has been a tremendous learning curve would be an under-

statement. Not only am I working on a scientific subject area with little

applicability to my research background, but I am also learning a large set

of knowledge surrounding the Federal government and how science and

public policy interact to influence federal funding for research. However,

although these last few months have been intense and at some times

overwhelming, overall this step away from the lab has provided me with

the broader prospective of research that I was craving and provided me

with experience I would have never had if I stayed at the bench. Most im-

portantly, the dynamic, fast-paced work of science policy has reinvigorated

my passion for science and has driven me to pursue a career in which my

scientific training is applied to solve the complex problems around scien-

tific funding and STEM education. ■

Dr. Ferland-Beckham is a 2015-2016 AAAS Science and Technology Poli-cy Fellow in the Office of Science Policy and Analysis at the National Insti-tute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, National Institutes of Health.

International Affairs Resources

MUSC CENTER FOR

GLOBAL HEALTH &

OFFICE OF

INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT

Rebeca Mueller

Program Manager

Harper Student Center

Suite SS454

45 Courtney Dr. MSC 203

Charleston, SC 29425

Phone: 843-792-2156

Email: [email protected]

http://globalhealth.musc.edu/

staff)

http://academicdepart-ments.musc.edu/esl/studentprograms/studenthandbook/Services/

http://academicdepart-ments.musc.edu/esl/studentprograms/studenthandbook/ Organizations/univwide.html

http://academicdepart-ments.musc.edu/immigrationservices/index.htm

________________________

Appointment Office Hours

Tuesday – Friday

1:30 pm – 4:00 pm

Email to make an appointment

INTERNATIONAL POSTDOC AFFAIRS (Continued from page 7)

To say this has been a tremendous learning

curve would be an understatement. Not only

am I working on a scientific subject area with

little applicability to my research background,

but I am also learning a large set of knowledge

surrounding the Federal government and how science and public policy

interact to influence federal funding for research. However, although these

last few months have been intense and at some times overwhelming,

overall this step away from the lab has provided me with the broader pro-

spective of research that I was craving and provided me with experience I

would have never had if I stayed at the bench. Most importantly, the dy-

namic, fast-paced work of science policy has reinvigorated my passion for

science and has driven me to pursue a career in which my scientific train-

ing is applied to solve the complex problems around scientific funding and

STEM education. ■

Dr. Ferland-Beckham is a 2015-2016 AAAS Science and Technology Poli-cy Fellow in the Office of Science Policy and Analysis at the National Insti-tute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, National Institutes of Health.

http://academicdepartments.musc.edu/immigrationservices/index.htm




Q & A: Tech Transfer at MUSC Vitria Adisetiyo, Ph.D.

Careers in scientific research typically get categorized into two disparate pools,

academia or industry. However, to stay competitive, more and more biotech

companies are expanding beyond the conventional in-house R&D model and

tapping into academia for innovative research. Facilitating this exchange of ideas

is the university tech transfer office. If you don’t already know about this re-

source on campus, it’s time you do. Dr. Jesse Goodwin, the Deputy Director of

The MUSC Foundation for Research Development (FRD) fills us in on the “411”

of tech transfer at MUSC.

Q: What is the MUSC FRD?

GOODWIN: The MUSC FRD serves as the university's technology transfer

office. Its responsibility is to facilitate the distribution of products and processes

developed by MUSC faculty, staff and students. Often, this involves patenting

research discoveries that have promise as a therapeutic and looking for a com-

mercial partner to develop it into a FDA approved drug, diagnostic test or device.

Q: How is the FRD relevant to postdocs?

GOODWIN: If a postdoc invents something during the course of his or her

research, or using MUSC resources, the invention is subject to the universi-

ty's intellectual property (IP) policy. The IP policy is sort of like the speed limit, it

applies even if you didn't know what it was. The IP policy obligates the inventors

to assign ownership of the invention to MUSC. In return, the university pays for

the patent costs and provides an office of professionals to help with the entire

process. Most academics are unfamiliar with how patenting works and how li-

censing a product to a company works, so having the FRD help is a benefit. Be-

sides, it saves the inventors tens of thousands of dollars in patent costs. The

other upside is that the IP policy specifies that money received by the university

for the invention is shared with the inventors and their labs. Postdocs are fre-

quently listed as inventors on the invention disclosures that my office receives.

KEEPING INFORMED: Human Resources


Continued on page 10


Jesse Goodwin, Ph.D.

Deputy Director of the MUSC

Foundation for Research

Development

Technology Development

Officer for the South Carolina

Translational Research

Institute

Dr. Goodwin came to MUSC

from a Boston-based Intellec-

tual Property search and

analysis firm where she

served as the Medical Device

Group Leader. Prior to that,

Dr. Goodwin completed a

post-doctoral fellowship at

the Harvard-MIT Division of

Health Sciences and Tech-

nology, where she was

awarded an NIH fellowship.

She holds a Ph.D. in Biomed-

ical Engineering from Stony

Brook University.

MUSC FRD INFO

& CONTACTS

http://

academicdepart-

ments.musc.edu/frd/about/

Q & A: TECH TRANSER

Q & A: TECH TRANSER (Continued from page 9)

Q: What are your specific roles in the FRD and how does your background as a Ph.D. come into play?

GOODWIN: My official title is "Deputy Director" ,

which sounds like I should wear a star-shaped sheriff's

badge or something. I wear a lot of hats, but the responsi-

bility that most people associate me with is managing the

invention disclosures and patent process for the universi-

ty. I essentially am part gate-keeper and part go-between

for researchers and patent counsel.

The FRD is small and when I started I was the only per-

son in that role. So, it was my responsibility to process

each invention disclosure received by every department

at MUSC. Part of that process is to determine whether or

not the invention is patentable, since patents have funny

rules. So, I talk to the researchers and get a general un-

derstanding of their invention, and then do a patentability

assessment. I see everything from monoclonal antibod-

ies, to new chemical entities, to spine devices. There is

no way that I'll ever be an expert in all of those things, but

my Ph.D. exposed me to a lot of different things through

the coursework that I was required to take.

For example, I had to take an imaging class in which I

learned to derive the fundamental equations that MRI is

based on. Being able to dig through the recesses of my

brain to vaguely recall what T1, T2 and pulse sequences

was very helpful when I first met with Joe Helpern. Fortu-

nately, I did really well in that class – I wish that I could

recall organic chemistry as well. I also spend a lot of time

explaining the patent system to researchers.

Q: How did you prepare for and exe-cute your transition from academia to your current career?

GOODWIN: After my postdoc, I decided to leave aca-

demics and went to work for an intellectual property con-

sulting firm that specialized in patent searches and land-

scapes.

The firm didn't require any experience with patents, but

instead was staffed with people with advanced degrees in

science and engineering. That job was tough at first. I had

to very quickly learn about how the patent system works,

how to search for them (which is tricky), and since my

project changed almost weekly, how to come up to speed

on a technology that I wasn't familiar with. Clients weren't

paying for me to learn about something, they expected the

staff to be an expert already.

One week I would be working on providing a detailed as-

sessment of every ablation patent filed in the U.S. and

Europe, the next week I would be looking into whether or

not a wound dressing infringed on another patent, and the

next I would be looking into balloon expandable stents.

I started as an entry level analyst, but I worked my way up

to running the entire medical device group, which generat-

ed over $1.5MM in revenue annually. While I worked my

way up, I learned to negotiate budget contracts, how to

manage staff, and how to streamline our processes. I was

fortunate that I had a great boss who helped me.

Managing staff was by far the hardest part – technology

and budgets are much simpler. My Ph.D. was useful with

understanding how to give presentations – I gave between

30-40 hour long talks to corporate engineers and execu-

tives while in that job, and how to organize data in a

meaningful way. Some of the patent landscapes that I

worked on had over a thousand patents that needed to be

classified and summarized in a meaningful manner.

Q: How can postdocs learn more or get involved with the FRD? Are there talks, seminars or internships?

GOODWIN: There are a lot of ways that postdocs can

learn more. FRD is open to interns, both paid and unpaid.

However, we generally need 10 hours a week, which is a

difficult commitment for a postdoc to make. But, we also

host a lot of seminars on the different aspects of technolo-

gy transfer. Continued on page 13


FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Better Sleep, Better Productivity


A Simple Stepwise Approach to Sleeping Better Gregory L. Sahlem, M.D.

If you are reading this article I’m guessing you are a pretty busy person and likely one who is always looking for ways to

function as optimally as possible. There is no more sure way to function better than to sleep better. If you either don’t sleep

well or you sleep fine but constantly find yourself sleepy during the daytime, you may benefit from implementing the following

five strategies:

1. Find Your Optimal Sleep Period

When we sleep matters as much as how much we sleep. There is a simple survey available that will predict your optimal

sleep window (http://www.cet.org/self-assessment).

2. Find Your Optimal Sleep Duration

The best sleep duration is one where you sleep soundly throughout the night, without catching yourself nodding off during

the daytime. If you find yourself laying in bed awake for more than 30 minutes each night, you are probably spending too

much time in bed. You might consider reducing your time in bed to the amount of time you actually sleep at night. Converse-

ly if you sleep like a rock, but are then sleepy during the daytime, you may not be sleeping enough and may want to increase

your time in bed.

3. Avoid Disrupting Your Sleep

Life in the modern world is full of innocuous disruptors of sleep. The two most common disruptors amongst high achievers

are spending too much time in front of a light box at night (aka your computer) and taking in too much caffeine. For those of

us who use computers in the evening there is a free software download to reduce the impact of screen time on sleep (http://

www.justgetflux.com). For those of us who drink more caffeine then we should (five monster energy drinks per day, or twelve

diet cokes fit that criteria), the rule of thumb is no more than the equivalent of 3 cups of coffee, no later than 11am.

4. Avoid the Insomnia Spiral

We all have periods of poor sleep. For many of us, the major difference between the insomnia going away versus becoming

more chronic, is getting off of our normal schedule. If you are in the midst of a period of poor sleep, the best thing you can do

is to stay on your old schedule.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Better Sleep, Better Productivity FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Better Sleep, Better Life FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Better Sleep, Better Life FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Better Sleep, Better Life


NATIONAL POSTDOC APPRECIATION WEEK


Continued on page #

The Importance of the Hiring Manager in a Non-Academic

Job Search

Bob Ross, Vice President, Chicago Research Group, Inc.

For postdocs contemplating the prospect of greener pastures within the non-

academic world, job search success hinges upon your ability to connect with the

“hiring manager”. In the previous issue of The MUSC Postdoc Press, I wrote

about why an overreliance on job-boards can be counter-productive to a well-

conducted job search. In this article, I present some introductory information

about the importance of making direct contact with hiring managers, which is an

effective alternative strategy that the savvy job seeker ought to be using.

So, who is this hiring manager? As the name implies, the hiring manager is the

person that has the ultimate hiring authority, and as such, your goal is to get your

foot in their door if you want to maximize your opportunities. Simply put, no mat-

ter how many people you talk to or how many hoops you jump through, all is for

naught if it does not somehow culminate in an interview with the hiring manager.

In every organization there is only one hiring manager who has responsibility for

the position that interests you. Depending on that organization’s size and struc-

ture, titles could run the gamut from owner, partner, supervisor, director, practice

-leader, VP or CEO. Whatever they’re called, they are the key decision maker

who wields the power or influence to approve, eliminate or create jobs. Their

presence may come into play at the beginning or the end of the hiring process.

Most often, they are a single person, but at times they may be multiple people

who serve on a hiring committee or board, yet function in a singular capacity.

.

JOB SEARCH: The Hiring Manager JOB SEARCH: The Hiring Manager

5. Improve Your Sleep Quality

A cool, dark, quiet sleep envi-

ronment is a good start, but

getting daily exercise, and

taking breaks to get outside

every day (and maybe even

see the sun) can be even

more helpful. ■

Dr. Gregory

Sahlem has

a longstand-

ing interest

in sleep and

chronobiolo-

gy since his

undergraduate studies. He

has worked in a number of

sleep laboratories as a sleep

technologist and as an insom-

nia physician in the MUSC

Sleep and Anxiety Treatment

and Research Program. He

also studied the role of sleep

and circadian rhythm based

treatments in mood disorders

and the potential application

of brain stimulation tech-

niques to sleep.

VIDEO OF RELATED TALK

http://academicdepart-ments.musc.edu/appletree/calendar/event/07/23/2015/L-College%20of%20Health%20Professions%20A207/T-Apple%20Tree/sleep-hygiene

SLEEP Continued (from page 11)


NATIONAL POSTDOC APPRECIATION WEEK (Continued from page 17)


Points Worth Noting

• Get started by realistically developing a list of organizations that you want to

work for. Get their attention by articulating your value proposition in terms of

what is it that you can specifically do for them and why they would want to hire

you.

• Usually titles connote who the hiring manager is, but in large, complex organi-

zations, accurate identification can be difficult. Making the effort to get it right the

first time is critical to forward progress.

• The hiring manager is typically guarded by officious gatekeepers who prevent

their boss from being encumbered by external distractions. That does not mean

that the hiring manager is inaccessible, but it does mean that conventional tech-

niques seldom work and you will need the wherewithal to adeptly maneuver

through obstructions.

• The quest for non-academic jobs is loaded with formidable competitors who

have many of the same employment objectives as yourself. An excellent way to

gain a competitive advantage over these candidates is by not doing what they’re

doing (e.g., job-boards) but instead doing what they’re not doing (contacting

hiring managers).

Since the topic of the

hiring manager is too

expansive to fit into a

newsletter article, I am

pleased to announce that

a self-directed, streaming

video program that I have

produced, entitled AC-

CESS (Advanced Career

Crossover Employment

Strategies for the Scienc-

es) will shortly be availa-

ble to MUSC postdocs next Spring. Be sure to keep an eye out for an email noti-

fication of its official launch. Program content will include strategies, insights,

resources and tutorials that will help you execute a more knowledgeable job

search that will improve and accelerate your chances of obtaining a career-

worthy position.

ACCESS Information

Info Video: http://vimeo.com/151434471 (Password: MUSC2468) ■

JOB SEARCH (Continued from page #) JOB SEARCH (Continued from page 12)

Continued from page #

Q & A Continued (from page 10)

I'm also the co-director of a

module of the Clinical and

Translational Science Award

grant, and under that mod-

ule, we're working on estab-

lishing a training curricula

that will be web-based.

Q: Aside from the MUSC FRD website, do you recommend oth-er tech transfer resources that can assist with obtaining and strengthening in-dustry

acumen?

GOODWIN: I'm probably

not the best person to an-

swer this because I have an

aversion to blogs and all

forms of social media but I

think that the Association of

University Technology Man-

agers (AUTM) website has a

lot of useful information and

also a job board. I went

through that site when transi-

tioning into tech transfer.

The National Council for

Entrepreneurial Technology

Transfer has free webinars

that are quite good

(ncet2.org). ■

https://exchange.musc.edu/owa/redir.aspx?SURL=m0Zhcd9fNYCBsJNVIkWM4wnu7iBadcdpZDbD1yo4Iv2W9MMdaBnTCGgAdAB0AHAAOgAvAC8AbgBjAGUAdAAyAC4AbwByAGcA&URL=http%3a%2f%2fncet2.org


GET INVOLVED WITH THE PDA (Continued from page 2)

SCIENCE REACHING THE PUBLIC

MUSC Researchers Help Identify the Origins of a Common Cardiac Defect

Sverre E. Aune, Ph.D.

Mitral valve prolapse (MVP)

affects 1 in 40 individuals,

making it one of the most

common human heart de-

fects. Progressnotes, MUS-

C’s medical magazine, re-

cently reported on its blog,

STAT, that MUSC was part

of a multi-national group that

has discovered genetic ori-

gins of MVP1. The investiga-

tors reported their results in

the journals Nature and Na-

ture Genetics2,3

. Their re-

sults identify a potential un-

derlying cause for MVP.

In a healthy heart, mitral

valves function as one-way

gates for blood-flow. In

MVP, the mitral valve bulges

backward into the left atrium,

causing blood to leak in re-

verse. In advanced cases,

arrhythmic heartbeats devel-

op, and stroke and heart

failure risks rise.

The group first examined

gene mutations in families

with MVP and then per-

formed a genome-wide as-

sociation study in over

10,000 subjects in the gen-

eral population.


The Possibilities and Pitfalls of CRISPR Gene Editing

Sverre E. Aune, Ph.D.

If you haven’t heard of CRISPR technology yet, it’s time to start listening. At the

same time much of the world was focused on the climate talks held in Paris last

month, the International Summit on Human Gene Editing met in Washington, D.C.,

to debate the merits and dangers of performing research to edit the genes of hu-

man cells1.

Humans have been altering DNA for decades. The summit committee focused

much of their debate on CRISPR technology, a new “molecular toolkit” that allows

researchers to perform single nucleotide changes with far greater accuracy and

precision than ever before2. CRISPR works by pairing a DNA nuclease enzyme

with an appropriate guide RNA that allows the genome to be cut at any location.

Genes can potentially be deactivated, activated, or changed entirely. This new

power has some medical researchers excited about its potential in treating disease.

Just last week, an American team reported the use of CRISPR to correct muscular

dystrophy in adult mice3. Others (including the trio who developed the technology

from a naturally occurring system in bacteria) are warning of the possibility of un-

foreseen side effects4.

The summit committee

members issued a joint

statement that acknowl-

edged the promise of

using CRISPR to edit

DNA in somatic cells

(those with non-

heritable genomes) in

order to treat disease, while stressing caution for its use in germline (heritable)

DNA. If the latter was performed in human embryos, heritable genetic alterations

could conceivably be introduced into the gene pool.



Continued: MUSC Researchers Help Identify the Origins of a Common Cardiac Defect

They identified a missense mutation in the DCHS1 gene and com-

pared it with work in Dchs1 mutant mice. They found that the gene is

essential for maintaining cell polarity during embryonic mitral valve

development. The missense mutation could lead to MVP and it’s bevy

of cardiac complications later in adulthood. With this new information,

the group now hopes to test targeted therapies to reverse the effects

of the gene mutation.

MUSC researcher Russell A. (Chip) Norris, Ph.D., who was a co-

senior author on the studies, recently spoke on South Carolina Public

radio about the study4. Roger R. Markwald, Ph.D. and Andy Wessels,

Ph.D. (both of the Department of Regenerative Medicine and Cell

Biology at MUSC) were also co-authors. ■

References

(1) Aune, S. (2015, Aug 28). Genetic Origin of Mitral Valve Prolapse. Retrieved from http://www.muschealth.org/pn/ STAT-A-Blog-for-Progressnotes/genetic-origin-of-mitral-valve-prolapse. (2) Durst, R., et al. (2015). Mutations in DCHS1 cause mitral valve prolapse. Nature, 525(7567):109-13. (3) Dina, C., et al. (2015). Genetic association analyses highlight biological pathways underlying mitral valve prolapse. Nat Genet., 47(10):1206-11. (4) Connor, B.. (2015, Nov 25). New (Heart) Research Related to Mitral Valve Prolapse. Retrieved from http:// etvradio.org/post/new-heart-research-related-mitral-valve-prolapse.

SCIENCE IN THE NEWS (Continued from page 14)

Continued: The Possibilities and Pitfalls of CRISPR Gene Editing

And that’s where things get sticky. While some are convinced that CRISPR should be used to create disease-free babies

(those without Down Syndrome, for example), the ethical implications of introducing designer genes into the human gene

pool are enormous. While a disease-free baby might be born from a genetically pre-screened embryo, so could a baby with

high IQ or only blond hair or bone marrow that matches that of a sick older sibling. Beyond that, the potential interaction of

such mutations with other genetic variants in the population or with the environment cannot yet be predicted. (The 1997 clas-

sic GATTACA elegantly elicits the moral quandaries of a possible post-mutant future.)

In additional to ethical issues, CRISPR science is still new and the technical methods are still being developed. Despite

CRISPR’s power, inaccurate gene editing still occurs in non-human experimental models, introducing off-target mutations

and incomplete editing into heritable DNA. The bird’s-eye issue is that CRISPR brings genetic therapy a large step closer to

the clinic, forcing the scientific community to ask the public if we are ready for it.

The summit’s closing message: CRISPR experiments should be allowed to continue, but not in humans. Not yet. ■

References

(1) Stein, R.. (2015, Dec 4). Scientists debate how far to go in editing human genes. Retrieved from http://www.npr.org/ sections/health-shots/2015/12/03/458212497/scientists-debate-how-far-to-go-in-editing-human-genes. (2) Travis, J.. (2015). Germline editing dominates DNA summit. Science, 350(6266):1299-1300. (3) Nelson, C.E., et al. (2015, Dec 31). In vivo genome editing improves muscle function in a mouse model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Retrieved from www.sciencemag.org. doi: 10.1126/science.aad5143. (4) Ledford, H.. (2015). CRISPR, the disruptor. Nature, 522(7554):20-24.

http://regmed.musc.edu/Faculty/NorrisR.htm

http://regmed.musc.edu/Faculty/MarkwaldR.htm

http://regmed.musc.edu/Faculty/WesselsA.htm

http://cba.musc.edu/

http://cba.musc.edu/

Vitria Adisetiyo, Ph.D. PIs: Dr. Joseph A. Helpern and Dr. Kevin M. Gray Dept. of Radiology Publication(s) Adisetiyo V, Helpern JA. Brain iron: a promising non-invasive biomarker of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder that warrants further investigation. Biomark Med. 2015; 9(5):403-6. Jelescu IO, Veraart J, Adisetiyo V, Milla S, Novikov DS, Fieremans E. One diffusion acquisition and different white matter models: How does microstructure change in human early development? NeuroImage 2015; 107:242-56. Grant(s)/Fellowship(s) 2015-2017 The Klingenstein Third Generation Foundation Fellowship in ADHD ($60,000/2 years); PI: Adisetiyo V. Award(s) Magna Cum Laude Merit Award & Trainee Educational Stipend Recipient: Adisetiyo V, Jensen JH, Tabesh A, Deardorff RL, Gray KM, Helpern JA. Psychostimulant treatment duration correlates with increased brain iron levels in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Oral: ISMRM Scientific Meeting 2015, Toronto. Abstract(s) Adisetiyo V, Jensen JH, Lee CY, Roberts DR, Spampinato MV, Helpern JA. Comparative analyses of magnetic field correlation imaging, quantitative susceptibility mapping and transverse relaxation rate R2* indices of brain iron in healthy adults. Poster: ISMRM Scientific Meeting 2015, Toronto. Lee CY, Nie X, Jensen JH, Adisetiyo V, Liu Q, Helpern JA. Differentiating micro-scopic field inhomogeneity induced relaxation from R2 and R2* relaxations with magnetic field correlation imaging. Poster: ISMRM

Mehreteab Aregay, Ph.D. PI: Dr. Andrew B. Lawson Dept. of Public Health Science Publication(s) Aregay M, Lawson AB, Faes C and Kirby R. Bayesian Multiscale Modeling for Aggregated Disease Mapping Data. Statistical Methods in Medical Research 2015; 0(0):1-20. Aregay M, Lawson AB, Faes C, Kirby R, Carroll, R and Watjou, K. Impact of Income on Small Area Low Birth Weight Incidence Using Multiscale Models. AIMS Public Health 2015; 2(4): 667-680.

Aregay M, Lawson AB, Faes C, Kirby R, Carroll, R and Watjou, K. Spatial Mixture Multiscale Modeling for Aggregat-ed Health Data. Biometrical Journal 2015; accepted.



KEEPING INFORMED: Human Resources BRAVO: Roll Out the High Fives! BRAVO: Roll Out the High Fives!


(In Alphabetical Order)

Sverre Erik Aune, Ph.D. PI: Dr. Don Menick Dept. of Cardiology Publication(s) Aune SE, Herr DJ, Kutz CJ, Menick DR. Histone Deacetylases Exert Class-Specific Roles in Conditioning the Brain and Heart Against Acute Ischemic Injury. Front Neurol. 2015; 6:145. eCollection 2015. Review. Herr DJ, Aune SE, Menick DR. Induction and Assessment of Ischemia-reperfusion Injury in Langendorff-perfused Rat Hearts. J Vis Exp. 2015; 101:e52908. doi: 10.3791/52908.

Pratik Yashvant Chhatbar, M.D., Ph.D. PI: Dr. WuWei Feng Dept. of Neurology Publication(s) Chhatbar PY, Ramakrishnan V, Kautz SA, George MS, Adams RJ, Feng W. Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Post-Stroke Motor Recovery Studies Exhibit a Dose-Response Relationship. Brain Stimulation. 2015; doi: 10.1016/j.brs.2015.09.002. Feng W, Wang J, Chhatbar PY, Doughty C, Landsittel D, Lioutas V-A, Kautz SA, Schlaug G. Corticospinal Tract Lesion Load – An Imaging Biomarker for Stroke Motor Outcomes. Annals of Neurol. 2015; 78(6): 860-70. Chhatbar PY, Feng W. Data Synthesis in Meta-Analysis may Conclude Different-ly on Cognitive Effect from Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation. Brain Stim. 2015; 8(5): 974-6.

Grant(s)/Fellowship(s) 2016-2017 South Carolina Translational Research Grant ($25,000); Co-PI: Chhatbar PY, PI: Feng W. 2015-2016 NIH StrokeNet (U10NS086490) - South Carolina Collaborative Alliance for Stroke Trials StrokeNet Fellow; $50,000, PI: Jauch EC. Award(s) Junior Investigator Travel Award: Chhatbar P, Kautz S, Feng W. Update on Meta-analysis of tDCS in post-stroke motor recovery. To be presented: International Stroke Conference 2016; Los Angeles, CA. Stroke Rehabilitation Award: Feng W, Enabore J, Kautz S, Adams R, Chhatbar P. Dose response relationship in transcranial direct current stimulation stroke motor recovery studies. Oral: International Stroke Conference 2015; Nashville, TN. Abstract(s) Chhatbar P, Lee H, Ovbiagele B, Lackland D, Adams R, Feng W. Racial disparities in stroke recovery: a meta-analysis. To be presented: International Stroke Conference 2016; Los Angeles, CA. Wang J, Chhatbar P, Feng W, Schlaug G. A novel VLSM-CST lesion load model is a superior predictor of motor outcomes of acute stroke patients. To be presented: International Stroke Conference 2016; Los Angeles, CA. Folsom J, Ezerioha N, Chhatbar P, Pawar S, Holmstedt C, Jauch E, Ovbiagele B, Adams R, Feng W. The impact of contrast based CTA/CTP brain attack protocol on kidney function. Poster: Int’l Stroke Conference 2015; Nashville, TN.

Malay Choudhury, Ph.D. PI: Dr. Deepak Bastia Dept. of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Publication(s) Choudhury M, Zaman S, Jiang JC, Jazwinski SM, Bastia D. Mechanism of regulation of ‘chromosome kissing' in-duced by Fob1 and its physiological significance. Genes Dev. 2015; 29(11):1188-201.



KEEPING INFORMED: Human Resources BRAVO (Continued from page #) BRAVO (Continued from page 16)


Renee Cottle, Ph.D. PI: Dr. Hai Yao Dept. of Clemson University-Medical University of South Carolina Bioengineering Program Publication(s) Cottle RN, Lee CM, Archer D, Bao G. Controlled delivery of β-globin-targeting TALENs and CRISPR/Cas9 into mammali-an cells for genome editing using microinjection. Scientific Reports 2015; 5: 16031.

Kendrea L. (Focht) Garand, Ph.D., CScD, CCC-SLP, BCS-S, CBIS PI: Dr. Bonnie Martin-Harris Dept. of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Publication(s) Martin-Harris B, McFarland D, Hill EG, Strange CB, Focht KL, Wan Z, Blair J, McGrattan K. Respiratory-swallow training in patients with head and neck cancer. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2015; 96(5): 885-893. Bonilha HS, Focht KL, Martin-Harris B. Rater methodology for stroboscopy: a systematic review. J Voice. 2015; 29(1):101-108. Grant(s)/Fellowship(s) 2016-2017 Stroke Recovery Research COBRE Discovery Pilot Project ($30,000); Novel training approach for treatment of swallowing impairment in patients with refractory dysphagia after stroke; Co-PI: Garand (Focht) KL, PI: Martin-Harris B. Award(s) Induction into Alpha Eta National Honor Society – May Graduation Ceremony Participant, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s Research Mentoring Network: Lessons for Success Completed MUSC Fellowship in Clinical and Translational Research Ethics Certificate Program Abstract(s) Blair J, Garand (Focht) KL, Cooke M, McGrattan E, McKelvey K, Martin-Harris, B. Intradisciplinary care: standardization to maintain quality across the continuum of care of the dysphagic patient. To be presented: 2014 American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Annual Convention; November 12-14, 2015; Denver, CO. Garand (Focht) KL, Hill EG, Pearson W, Amella E, Martin-Harris B. Quantifying nor-mal swallow physiology across the adult lifespan. To be presented: 2015 American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Annual Convention; November 12-14, 2015; Denver, CO. Dawood Y, Focht K, Hazelwood J, Humphries K, Martin-Harris B, Strange C, Hill E, Paoletti L. COPD is associated with swallowing impairment. Poster: American Thorac-ic Society International Conference; May 15-20, 2015; Denver, CO. Focht KL, Hill EG, Pearson W, Amella E, Martin-Harris B. Aging effects on oropharyn-geal swallowing: a pilot study. Scientific paper: 23

rd Annual Meeting of Dysphagia Re-

search Society; March 12-14, 2015; Chicago, IL. Blair J, Focht KL. Swallowing rounds: case based learning and collaboration. Panel: South Speech Language Hearing Asso-ciation Convention; February 26-28; Myrtle Beach, SC. Martin-Harris B, McFarland D, Hill EG, Strange CB, Focht KL, Wan Z, Blair J, McGrattan K. Respiratory-swallow training in head and neck cancer. Poster: Otolaryngology Research Meet & Greet & Eat; February 6, 2015; Charleston, SC. Garand KL. SLP role in assessment and management of PLS/ALS. Presentation: Neurogenic Interest Group, University of South Carolina; December 7, 2015; Columbia, SC (via AdobeConnect). Focht KL, O’Rourke A. Effects of myasthenia gravis on voice, speech, and swallowing. Presentation: Carolinas Chapter of Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America’s Annual Members Meeting; November 7, 2015; Winston-Salem, NC.





Salih Gencer, Ph.D. PI: Dr. Besim Ogretmen Dept. of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Publication(s) Tirodkar TS, Lu P, Bai A, Scheffel M, Gencer S, Garrett-Mayer E, Bielawska A, Ogretmen B, Voelkel-Johnson C. Expression of Ceramide Synthase 6 Transcriptionally Activates Acid Ceramidase in a c-Jun N-Terminal Kinase (JNK)-Dependent Man-ner. Journal of Biological Chemistry 2015, 290 (21): 13157-67.

Award(s) 2015 Who’s Who in America - Outstanding achievement (69

th Edition).

ASBMB 2015 Graduate/Postdoctoral Travel Award for EB 2015 Conference, Boston, USA 15

th FEBS Young Scientist’s Forum Award, FEBS 2015, Berlin, Germany

MOKAD’s Best Young Researcher Award, The 3

rd EACR-Sponsored Anticancer

Agent Development Congress, Izmir, Turkey. "IBC’s Top 100 Scientists-2015", International Biographical Centre; Cambridge, England. Best Study and Travel Award, 50

th Southeastern Regional Lipid Conference

(SERLC), Cashiers, NC, USA.

Recognized Reviewer Status by The Editors of Critical Reviews in Oncology/Hematology, Elsevier, Amsterdam, Netherlands. 98 publication citations in 2015 (according to Google Scholar)

Lillianne Harris, Ph.D. PI: Donald Menick Dept. of Medicine-Cardiology Publication(s) Harris LG, Wang SH, Mani SK, Kasiganesan H, Chou CJ, Menick DR. Evidence for a non-canonical role of HDAC 5 in regulating the co-repressor sin3a complex. Nucleic Acids Research. 2015; doi: 10.1093/nar/gkv1496 Renaud L, Harris LG, Mani SK, Kasiganesan H, Chou JC, Baicu CF, Van Laer A, Akerman W, Stroud RE, Jones JA, Zile MR, Menick DR. HDACs Regulate miR-133a Expression in Pressure Overload–Induced Cardiac Fibrosis. Circulation: Heart Failure. 2015; 8: 1094-1104. Harris L, Herr D, Kasiganesan H, Wang S, Menick D. Histone Deacetylase Inhibition Improves Cardiac Function and Attenuates Adverse Tissue Remodeling Post Myocardial Infarction with Upregulation of Wisp-1 (Abstract 143). ISHR 2015. Journal of Molecular and Cellular Cardiology 2015; p 51. Award(s) Dept. of Medicine Research Symposium-Outstanding Research Presentation, Medical University of South Carolina. February 20, 2015 (Charleston, SC).

Mark Andrew Johnson, Ph.D. PIs: Dr. Donald Menick and Dr. Patrick Woster Dept. of Drug Discovery & Biomedical Sciences Award(s) 2015 Winner, Cambridge HealthTech Institute 10th Annual Drug Discovery Chemistry Poster Competition April 21-23, San Diego, CA





Tonisha Kearney-Ramos, Ph.D. PI: Dr. Colleen Hanlon Dept. of Neuroscience and Dept. of Psychiatry Grant(s)/Fellowship(s) 2015 NIH-NIDA T32 Drug Abuse Training Postdoctoral Fellowship; Director: McGinty J. Award(s) NIDA Diversity Travel Award to attend NIDA-NIAAA Mini-convention at 2015 Annual Society for Neuroscience Meeting in Chicago, IL 1

st place award for oral presentation in Postdoctoral/Medical Resident Division at 2015 Perry V. Halushka MUSC Research

Day

Chih-Ying (Cynthia) Li, Ph.D. PIs: Dr. Kit Simpson and Dr. Craig Velozo Dept. of Healthcare Leadership and Management, Division of Occupational Therapy Publication(s) Balasubramanian CK, Li CY, Bowden MK, Duncan PW, Kautz SA, Velozo CA. Dimensionality and item-difficulty hierarchy of the lower-extremity Fugl-Meyer assessment in individuals with sub-acute and chronic stroke. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation 2015; in press. Li CY, Waid-Ebbs JK, Velozo CA, Heaton SC. Factor Structure and Item Level Psycho-metrics of the Social Problem Solving Inventory Revised- Short Form in Traumatic Brain Injury. Neuropsychological Rehabilitation: An International Journal. 2015; doi: 10.1080/09602011.2015.1044458

Sarah Logan, Ph.D. PIs: Dr. Robert Adams and Dr. Daniel Lackland Dept. of Neurosciences Publication(s) Logan SL, Carpenter LC, Leslie RS, Garrett-Mayer E, Hunt KS, Charles J, Nicholas JS. Aberrant Behaviors and Co-occurring Conditions as Predictors of Psychotropic Polypharmacy among Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology. 2015; 25: 323-36. Logan SL, Swenson CC. Children as Victims: Preventing and Reporting Child Maltreatment and Abuse. The Oxford Handbook of Behavioral Emergencies and Crises. 2015; doi: 0.1093/oxfordhb/9780199352722.013.6. Hong I, Simpson AN, Logan S, Woo HS. Longitudinal Trends in Fall Accidents in Community Dwelling Korean Adults: the 2008 – 2013 Korean Community Health Survey. Annals of Rehabilitation Medicine; Accepted. Grant(s)/Fellowship(s) American Heart Association (AHA) Fellowship, AHA's Strategically Focused Research Network on Disparities in Heart Dis-ease and Stroke: Wide Spectrum Investigation of Stroke Outcome Disparities on Multiple Levels (WISSDOM); Advisors: Ad-ams R and Lackland D. Award(s) Membership to The White House, Office of Science Technology Policy, Cancer Diagnostics for Sub-Saharan Africa Project; Monitoring and Evaluation Steering Committee International Child Health, America Academy of Pediatrics Conference: Kuppuswamy V, Logan SL, Summer A, Ranga-nathan D. Effect of a Home-Based Intervention By Trained Community Health Nurses on Immunization Rates, Exclusive Breastfeeding, Growth Parameters, and Hospitalizations for Respiratory and Diarrheal Illness - a Pilot Randomized Con-trolled Trial. American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) National Conference & Exhibition. October, 2015. Washington, DC Abstracts(s) Logan SL, Simpson A, O’Neil C, Stockin N, Mintzer JE, Simpson K. A Comparison of Advanced Models of Prescrip-tion Drug Utilzation with Application to a Large Commercially Insured Population of Patients with Dementia. International Conference on Health Policy Statistics. Rhode Island, 2015.





Simpson A, Logan SL, Dubno J, Kazley AS, Simpson K. Effects of Covariate Selection for Propensity Score Models on Multi-ple Outcomes in Non-Treatment Cohort Studies. International Conference on Health Policy Statistics. Rhode Island, 2015. Spratt EG, Logan SL, Papa CE, Asunda B, Gborkpah R, Yeboah NA, Mamani S, Swenson CC, Edwards CE, Miller B, Addo YO. Pilot Study: Home Visitation Interventions for Malnutrition in Rural Ghana. Darby Children’s Research Institue and Pedi-atric Research Day Conference, Charleston, SC, March 2015. Harris K, Papa C, Newton J, Flynn K, Blaylock K, Hunter T, Cook B, O’Connor A, Herrin J, Ruffing L; Borisko E, Edwards C, Anastopoulo T, Logan S, Corvette G, Key J, Spratt E. Piece It Together: Exercise and Wellness Program for Young Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Mild Neurodevelopmental Disorders. The Perry V. Halushka 2015 MUSC Research Day.

Michelle H. Nelson Ph.D. PI: Dr. Chrystal Paulos Dept. of Microbiology and Immunology Publication(s) Nelson MH, Diven MA, Huff LW, Paulos CM. Harnessing the Microbiome to Enhance Cancer Immunotherapy. J Im-munol Res. 2015; 2015:368736. Review. Bowers JS, Nelson MH, Kundimi S, Bailey SR, Huff LW, Schwartz KM, Cole DJ, Rubinstein MP, Paulos CM. Dendritic Cells in Irradiated Mice Trigger the Functional Plasticity and Antitumor Activity of Adoptively Transferred Tc17 Cells via IL12 Sig-naling. Clin Cancer Res. 2015; 21(11): 254657. Nelson MH, Kundimi S, Bowers JS, Rogers CE, Huff LW, Schwartz KM, Thyagarajan K, Little EC, Mehrotra S, Cole DJ, Rubinstein MP, Paulos CM. The inducible costimulator augments Tc17 cell responses to self and tumor tissue. J Immunol. 2015; 194(4):173747. Nelson MH, Paulos CM. Novel immunotherapies for hematologic malignancies. Immunol Rev. 2015; 263(1):90105. Review. Award(s) 1

st place award for oral presentation in Postdoctoral/Medical Resident Division at 2015 Perry V. Halushka MUSC Research

Day

Mara Lennard Richard, Ph.D. PI: Dr. John Zhang Dept. of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology and Immunology Publication(s) Sato S, Lennard Richard M, Brandon D, Jones Buie JN, Oates JC, Gilkeson GS, Zhang XK. A critical role of the transcription factor fli-1 in murine lupus development by regulation of interleukin-6 expression. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2014; 66(12):3436-44.

Lennard Richard ML, Nowling TK, Brandon D, Watson DK, Zhang XK. Fli-1 controls transcription from the MCP-1 gene promoter, which may provide a novel mechanism for chemokine and cytokine activation. Mol Immunol. 2015; 63(2):566-73. Award(s) 1st Place Department of Medicine Research Day, Poster Presentation 2015

Brian Sherman, Ph.D. PI: Dr. Aimee McRae-Clark Dept. of Psychiatry, Addiction Sciences Division Grant(s)/Fellowship(s) 2016 Specialized Center of Research (SCOR) on Sex and Gender Factors Af-fecting Women’s Health –Pilot Project Award: Gender differences in the effect of approach bias modification on cue-reactivity in individuals with cannabis use disorder; PI: Sherman B. ■





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JANUARY

23: Salsa Dancing Night,

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25: Reel Big Fish (Band),

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27: MUSC Career Work-

shop “Implementing an

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velopment Plan”, BEB

112 (3-4:30p)

28-29: MUSC Responsi-

ble Conduct of Research

& Career Development

Retreat, 1st floor Library

EL room 109 (8a-4:30p)

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27: GSA Spring Cocktail

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Bay (7-10p)

MARCH

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30: Brews & Blues Beer

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