Advisor: Benjamin Alman, M.D. Location: LSRC A247 Dissertation Title: Macrophage Regulation of Mesenchymal Subpopulations During Healing

Advisor: Matthias Gromeir, M.D. Location: Nanaline #147 Dissertation Title: Lymphotropic Virotherapy Engages High Endothelial Venule and Dendritic Cell Inflammation in Tumor Draining Lymph Nodes to Mediate Cancer in Situ Vaccination

Advisor: Bruce Sullenger, Ph.D. Location: MSRBIII #1125 Dissertation Title: Directed Evolution and High Throughput Evaluation of the CRISPR sgRNA

"I hope to advance scientific discovery and innovation by promoting clear, accessible scientific communication. Strong science matters and so does how we share it."

"The most important lesson I’ve learned at Duke is how profoundly the training environment shapes your scientific mindset and productivity."

Advisor: Kris C. Wood, Ph.D. Location: Bryan Research Building, Auditorium 103 Dissertation Title: FANCM is Required for the PAX3::FOXO1-Driven Oncogenic Program in Rhabdomyosarcoma Zoom Details:  https://duke.zoom.us/j/98675494081?pwd=B7gEa4jMKvbYywkSfmi0kaIqag7YXT.1

Jude Raj, a graduate student in the lab of Kris Wood, PhD, received the Paul and Lauren Ghaffari Graduate Fellowship, which provides support to doctoral students pursuing oncology-related research. Running from September 2024 to January 2025, the fellowship provided a stiped of $5,000.

The student awardees were selected for their publication record, influence on the research direction of their laboratory, and noteworthy and distinctive contributions to the scientific and academic community.

Two PhD students in the Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology have been awarded 2025 American Heart Association Predoctoral Fellowships. 

Ko was awarded the fellowship for his research studying how low levels of androgens facilitate activation of a specific protein, resulting in increased tumor growth. He hopes to develop drugs that exploit this protein signaling process to inhibit prostate cancer cell growth.