Distinguished Scientists Seminars
The Distinguished Scientists Seminar (DSS) program comprises invited talks by leading
scientists from outside institutions. Speakers are selected to complement the Graduate
Training Program in the College of Medicine and cover a wide range of cutting-edge
biomedical research. Seminars are held monthly during the fall and spring semesters.
One seminar per semester is
reserved for the Charles M. Baugh Lecture featuring a nationally/ internationally
recognized scientist.
Nominations for seminar speakers should be forwarded to departmental representatives
on the DSS Committee. If the speaker is approved, the DSS representative notifies
the faculty nominator that the speaker has been approved, gives them a list of available
dates, and the
faculty member then invites the speaker.
Spring 2025 Distinguished Scientists Seminar Schedule
| Date/Time | Speaker | Host and Department | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 23, 2025 |
Dr. Qianben Wang "mRNA 3′UTR-Targeted Therapy Overcomes Cancer Immune Evasion by Restoring MHC-I Expression” |
Debanjan Chakroborty, Ph.D. Mitchell Cancer Institute |
Medical Sciences Building, 1st Floor Auditorium |
| February 20, 2025 | Dr. Martha A. Alexander-Miller Professor, Microbiology and Immunology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine |
Rusty Elliott, Ph.D. Microbiology & Immunology |
Medical Sciences Building, 1st Floor Auditorium |
| March 6, 2025 | Dr. Morayma Reyes-Gil Vice Chair of Pathology for Research at the Cleveland Clinic |
Mohammad Barouqa, Ph.D. Pathology |
Medical Sciences Building, 1st Floor Auditorium |
| March 20, 2025 | Dr. Afshin Beheshti Professor, Surgery and Computational and Systems Biology Director, Space Biomedicine Program Associate Director, McGowan Institute of Regenerative Medicine University of Pittsburgh |
Simon Grelet, Ph.D. Biochemistry & Molecular Biology |
Medical Sciences Building, 1st Floor Auditorium |
| March 27, 2025 | Dr. Johnny Wise Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Pediatric Research Institute, Neurotoxicology, University Of Louisville |
Aishwarya Prakash, Ph.D. Biochemistry & Molecular Biology |
Medical Sciences Building, 1st Floor Auditorium |
| April 3, 2025 | Dr. Stephanie Page Pediatric Research Institute, Neurotoxicology |
Brian Fouty, Ph.D. Internal Medicine |
Medical Sciences Building, 1st Floor Auditorium |
|
April 10, 2025 **Charles M. Baugh Lectureship** |
Dr. Andrea Sant Professor of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Rochester Medical School |
Rusty Elliott, Ph.D. Microbiology & Immunology |
Medical Sciences Building, 1st Floor Auditorium |
| April 17, 2025 | Drs. Levin and Buck Weill Cornell Medicine Graduate School of Medical Sciences |
Tom Rich, Ph.D. Pharmacology |
Medical Sciences Building, 1st Floor Auditorium |
DSS Committee
Meghan Hermance, Ph.D.
Committee Chair
Department of Microbiology & Immunology
mhermance@southalabama.edu
Amy Nelson, Ph.D.
Department of Physiology & Cell Biology
arnelson@southalabama.edu
Brian Fouty, M.D.
USA Health Physician Enterprise
bfouty@health.southalabama.edu
Glen Borchert, Ph.D.
Department of Pharmacology
borchert@southalabama.edu
Simon Grelet, Ph.D.
Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
sgrelet@southalabama.edu
Debanjan Chakroborty, Ph.D.
Mitchell Cancer Institute
dchakroborty@southalabama.edu
Amber Bokhari, M.D.
USA Health Physician Enterprise
abokhari@health.southalabama.edu