UNT Health Science Center logo
GSBS Spring 2011 Alumni Newsletter
 
Dear Alumni,
 
Greetings!  I hope you all had a very healthy and prosperous beginning to 2011. I’m pleased to announce that we have added four new out-of-state members to the Graduate School Alumni Association Board this year.  They are: Jordan Seene, MS, Tucson, AZ; Raymond Duncan, PhD, Overland Park, KS; Martin Taylor, PhD, New Albany, OH; and Matthew Woolard, PhD Shreveport, LA.  
 
The board met in the fall and set a goal of 100% of board members giving to the GSBS Annual Fund.  We’ve had wonderful participation and are currently at 80% of the board giving.  Many alumni have also contributed their time and dedication by attending our fall events, including the GSBS Open House in January.
 
In this issue you will find information regarding many exciting upcoming events.  Research Appreciation Day will be held on April 1.  The GSBS Job Search Series will continue through the spring semester.  The GSBS Awards Ceremony will be held on May 6, followed by Commencement on May 14. Our alma mater depends greatly on alumni participation in these events.  If you would like to take part in any of our upcoming events or would like to become more involved in the GSBS Alumni Association, please feel free to contact me. 
 
Thank you,
 
Ginelle Gellert
GSBS Class of 2003
President, GSBS Alumni Association
 
P.S. Reconnect with your fellow alumni on Facebook & LinkedIn today! 
 
 
 GSBS Alumni Spotlight - Maurice Williams, PhD, MPH
 
1)       What are your current position and responsibilities?
 
I am currently a Medical Science Liaison (MSL) working through the Medical Affairs Company.  MSL’s typically hold advanced degrees: PhD, MD or Pharm D. My responsibilities as an MSL are to serve as a field-based scientific educator and internal scientific resource for Ethicon, a Johnson & Johnson Company. The MSL role includes acting as a strategic adviser with a focus on education, clinical advancement and relationship building with physicians.
 
2)       How have your degrees from UNTHSC helped you in your career?
 
I received my PhD in Integrative Physiology and gained invaluable experience at analyzing, communicating and presenting scientific data.  In this job role, excellent scientific aptitude is critical to productive interactions with thought leaders, research pioneers and authorities in a given therapeutic field. My education at UNTHSC has provided me with the necessary written and oral communication skills to excel in my role as a MSL.


3)      Do you have advice for other GSBS alumni who want to further their career?
 
Individuals with PhDs are sometimes perceived as too narrowly focused and insufficiently patient centered. To further your career and become an MSL, you simply need to continue developing your presentation skills, interpersonal communication skills and knowledge of the clinical trials process. Communication skills are the number-one challenge that limits the success of some individuals applying for MSL roles.
 
 
Robert Carter III, MPH (’00), PhD (’96), with President Barack Obama in the Oval Office
 
Major Carter currently serves as the Assistant Director for Research & Technology Medical Systems in the Medical Directorate within the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology at the Pentagon. In addition to his duties at the Pentagon, Major Carter serves as a White House social aide. Social aides provide military support for White House ceremonies and social events hosted by the President and First Lady and serve as an extension of the President and First Lady in their roles as official host and hostess of the United States. Major Carter recently returned from a six-month assignment in Afghanistan. The UNT Health Science Center received a United States flag from Major Carter that flew over the camp in Afghanistan where he was posted. The flag is displayed outside the Office of Human Resources.
 
 
 
 
Alumni Milestones in 2010 
  • Rebecca Deaton, PhD, gave birth to her third baby boy, Jacob Anthony Deaton, on January 26, 2010 in Hong Kong. Her family (husband, David, and sons Will, 4, David, 2, and new baby Jacob) have been living abroad in Hong Kong since August 2008. They are enjoying their adventures in Asia, and Will and David are excited about their new little brother.
  • Cheryl Lowe, MS, a 2009 graduate of the Forensic Genetics program, started a new job on March 1 at The Genetic Testing Laboratories, Inc. in Las Cruces, NM, working as a DNA Analyst I.
  • Ginelle Gellert, PhD, and her husband, Adam, announce the birth of their second son, Seth Parker Gellert. Seth arrived at 1:35 p.m. on May 7 weighing 5 pounds, 10 ounces. The Gellert family also includes big brother, Emerson.
We want to help alumni keep in touch, so if you have new contact information or professional and personal updates that you'd like to share, please email them to alumni@unthsc.edu.
 
 
In Loving Memory
 
We’re saddened to report that a current PhD candidate, Dr. Gil Scarnati (TCOM ’90), passed away on February 11. For more information, please see Dr. Scarnati’s obituary. He will be greatly missed. 
 
 
 
 
 
Alumni Involvement Opportunities
 
Research Appreciation Day - Friday, April 1
The Graduate School’s Research Appreciation Day planning is in full swing and in need of about 10 more judges for the big day. There will be a morning session from 8:30 a.m. to noon and an afternoon oral session from 2:00 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. The need is greatest during the morning. The abstract categories will be Aging/Alzheimer's Disease, Cancer, Cardiovascular, Cellular and Molecular Science, Eye/Vision, Immunology, Microbiology/Infectious Disease, Neuroscience, Proteomics and Genomics, General Biochemistry, Receptor Pharmacology and Drug Delivery, and Other. Please email Dr. Gwirtz at Patricia.Gwirtz@unthsc.edu if you can participate or have any suggestions.
 
GSBS Job Search Series Alumni Panel - Wednesday, April 20
This event for our Graduate School students will provide them with information on non-traditional careers for scientists. Dr. Clifford Mintz will be the guest speaker, and we'd like to have an alumni panel from noon to 1 p.m. Please email James.Renfro@unthsc.edu if you can join this panel.
 
 
Kudos Report
 
GSBS hosted an open house for new student recruitment in January. Kudos to Pat Cappelletti, Dr. Sara Taylor, Dr. Scott Krueger and Dr. Maurice Williams for representing GSBS alumni! 
 
 
 
Graduate Student Association Update
 
Dear Alumni,
 
We had an excellent fall, with the GSA putting on 2 social events and a fundraiser -- and raising over $2,000 for the Alzheimer’s Association.  We put together the largest team in UNTHSC history with over 40 students and faculty.  This spring, the GSA has decided to focus its energy on raising money and awareness for the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life.  We have decided to open up the GSBS team to alumni with the hope of showing our community UNTHSC’s commitment to the diseases that we aim to cure.  We believe, with the help of our alumni, that we can set a new record for involvement and charitable donations.  With your help, the GSA is committed to making this year’s relay for life the best yet.
 
Have a great spring, and we hope to see many of you representing UNTHSC at the Relay for Life.
 
Ethan Poteet
President, GSA
 
 
Save the Date! Relay For Life is April 15-16, 2011
 
We will be located at the LaGrave Field, 300 Northwest 6th Street, Fort Worth. We hope you will join us Friday evening, April 15 at 6:00 p.m. as we “Celebrate, Remember and Fight Back.” You can form a team, join an existing team, make a donation or just come out and enjoy the evening with us. Come join the fun!
 
The Relay For Life of Fort Worth web page is www.relayforlife.org/fortworthtx All funds raised support the American Cancer Society for Research, Education, Advocacy and Services within our community. For more information go to www.cancer.org
or call the 24-hour help line at 1-800-ACS-2345.
  
 
 Graduation
  • Commencement is Saturday, May 14, at 3:00 p.m. at TCU’s Daniel Meyer Coliseum.
  • The GSBS Awards Ceremony is Friday, May 6, at 6:00 p.m. in the MET building. 
Congratulations to our future alumni!
 


This page last updated Mar 10, 2011
bottom frame