CBA is pleased to announce that Dr. Yutao Liu, Associate Professor, has been selected to receive one of three grants awarded in the Pilot Grant Program in Aging Research. His project investigates the role of arginase 1 and 2 in age-related eye pressure regulation.
Congratulations Dr. Liu! Another terrific start to the New Year!
Added 12/16/2020
CBA is pleased to announce that Dr. Yuqing Huo, Professor of Cellular Biology and Anatomy and member of VBC, has been selected for a pilot grant to conduct metabolic analyses of aortic vascular cells of aged mice with aortic aneurysm via scRNSseq approach.
Congratulations Dr. Huo!
Added 12/16/2020
CBA is pleased to announce that Dr. Qingqing Wei, Assistant Professor of Cellular Biology and Anatomy, has been awarded an NIH R01 from the National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive & Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). Her project entitled "The regulation and function of long non coding RNA in ischemic AKI: Role of GSTM3P1."
Congratulations Dr. Wei! A terrific start to the New Year!
Added 12/15/2020
Please join us in congratulating the receipients of the 2020 Augusta University Research Institute (AURI) research awards!
Congratulations to everyone on these exceptional achievements!
Added 10/29/2020
Dr. Mark Hamrick, George G. Weiss Research Professor and Regents' Professor, has been appointed Senior Associate Dean for Research at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University. In his new position, Hamrick will work closely with MCG Dean Dr. David Hess and other MCG research leaders to develop a plan to move MCG toward the top 50 in National Institutes of Health funding. Among the nation’s medical schools, MCG currently is ranked 73rd by the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research, with nearly $48 million in funding. However, research funding grew to over $65 million last fiscal year, which should move that ranking to somewhere in the 60s. He will work with MCG department chairs and center and institute directors to recruit and retain new federally funded research faculty and identify and develop new research collaborations across MCG departments, other AU colleges and with university and industry partners across Georgia and beyond.
Congratulations Dr. Hamrick!
Added 10/20/2020
CBA is pleased to announce that Dr. Patricia Schoenlein was selected by the MCG Class of 2023 as the recipient of the Educator of the Year Award! This is truly an honor – to have our student learners select one of our faculty for this distinction. Please join me in congratulating Dr. Schoenlein for her accomplishment!
Congratulations Dr. Schoenlein!
Added 10/20/2020
CBA is pleased to announce that Dr. Anna Edmondson, Professor of Cellular Biology and Anatomy, was presented the Award for Mentoring Excellence during the MCG Faculty Awards Ceremony October 15, 2020. Dr. Edmondson is a fantastic mentor to both students and faculty and is most deserving of this honor.
Congratulations Dr. Edmondson!
Added 10/15/2020
Dr. Zheng Dong, Regents' and Leon H. Charbonnier Endowed Chair of Cellular Biology and Anatomy, has been highlighted in the MCG Deans Diary for his recently published JCI paper regarding the kidney and autophagy.
Congratulations Dr. Hamrick!
Added 10/15/2020
Dr. Meghan McGee-Lawrence, Associate Professor, has been notified that her project "Osteocyte plasma membrane disruptions in skeletal adaption to loading and unloading" has been approved for funding by the Nationa Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and will be awarded effective October 1, 2020. Dr. Mark Hamrick is Co-I on the project for 5% FTE, as is Ms. Maribeth Johnson. Terrific Work!
Added 9/21/2020
CBA is pleased to recognize Dr. Anna Edmondson, Professor of Cellular Biology and Anatomy, who has been invited by the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) to join the USMLE Gross Anatomy and Embryology Test Material Development Committee. The NMBE is the group that assesses medical student preparedness and develops a uniform examination for students across the US (the United States Medical Licensing Examination). The test was formerly known as Step I of the USMLE. It is most prestigious that a member of our faculty has been invited to serve on this committee.
Congratulations on this appointment!
Added 9/18/2020
September is Women in Medicine Month. Celebrate with us by sharing the women at AU/MCG in medicine who inspire. Today, professor, educator and mentor extraordinaire, Dr. Anna Edmondson, has been recognized by the MCG Office of Faculty Success.
Congratulations to someone who inspires us during Women in Medicine month and everyday!
Added 9/15/2020
Dr. Meghan McGee-Lawrence and colleagues have been awarded an R13 grant to support an upcoming conference entitled: Marrow Adiposity: Bone, Aging, and Beyond – The 6th International Conference of Bone Marrow Adiposity Society.
Congratulations!
Added 8/25/2020
We are delighted to share great news that our CBA graduate student, Chandler Goldman, successfully defended his PhD thesis entitled: “Determining the Mechanism of Egali1arian-mediacted mRNA transport in Drosophila” on July 20, 2020. His work was mentored by Dr. Graydon Gonsalvez and his committee members were Drs. Jian-Kang Chen, Yutao Liu, Meghan McGee-Lawrence, and Sylvia Smith. Dr. Mark Hamrick served as a reader for the thesis. We are very proud of Chandler’s accomplishment and wish him the best in his future endeavors. Chandler is pursuing a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Georgia.
Congratulations Dr. Goldman!
Added 8/10/2020
The vision research group on campus (which includes several of our CBA colleagues:
Drs. Liu, Fan, Watsky, Zhang, Caldwell, Smith – and all of their hardworking lab members)
have learned that the P30 (Core Grant for Vision Research) will be awarded. This is
a 5 year award from NIH/NEI (National Eye Institute) to provide resources and support
for vision research.
Congratulations to all!
Added 8/4/2020
Dr. Anna Edmondson, Professor of Cellular Biology and Anatomy, has been selected as the 2020 recipient of the Medical College of Georgia Mentoring Award! This honor is well deserved. Dr. Edmondson has mentored 35 medical students for educational research projects and more in the 90 medical student teaching assistants. She has also helped establish the Pedagogy Interest Workgroup with graduate students interested in a career in medical Education.
Congratulations Dr. Edmondson!
Added 7/31/2020
Dr. Zheng Dong's VA merit renewal award entitled “Ischemic Kidney Injury and Kidney Repair” has received notice that it will be funded! This award will continue Dr. Dong’s VA research project through 2025!
Congratulations Dr. Dong!
Added 7/20/2020
We are delighted to share with you great news! Dr. Meghan McGee-Lawrence has been notified that her multi-PI R01 grant titled “Age-Related Kynurenine Accumulation Impairs miRNA and Hdac Epigenetic Regulation of the SDF-1 Axis Resulting in Bone Loss” has been awarded by the National Institute on Aging. The project is a collaborative effort with Dr. William David Hill.
Added 7/15/2020
We are delighted to welcome Dr. Jerry Guillot, Associate Professor and Dr. Morganne
Manuel, Assistant Professor as our newest colleagues in the Department of Cellular
Biology and Anatomy. Dr. Guillot joins us from Indiana University and Dr. Manuel recently
completed her PhD training at Louisiana State University. Both of our new colleagues
will be heavily involved in the teaching of medical students and will play key roles
as the new curriculum is implemented.
Congratulations and welcome!
Added 7/6/2020
Dr. Anna Edmondson has been promoted to Professor and Dr. Ming Zhang has been promoted
to Associate Professor. Dr. Edmondson plays a key role in the academic mission for
the university and Dr. Zhang is a retinal virologist whose studies are supported by
the National Eye Institute, NIH.
Congratulations on this exemplary accomplishment!
Added 7/6/2020
Dr. Carol Nichols, Professor of Cellular Biology and Anatomy has also assumed the
role of Assistant Dean for Curriculum: Foundations of Medicine. This duty, which is
conducted through the Office of Academic Affairs, MCG, reflects Dr. Nichols considerable
efforts in the design of the medical curriculum that is well underway. Congratulations
Dr. Nichols, we look forward to your continued leadership of our medical education
mission!
Added 7/6/2020
Effective July 1, 2020, two associate professors in our department, Dr. Yutao Liu
and Dr. Meghan McGee-Lawrence have been tenured. Dr. Liu is a geneticist whose work
is supported by NEI, NIH. Dr. McGee-Lawrence is a bone biologist whose research is
funded by National Institute on Aging, NIH. Both of these colleagues play key roles
in the education of our graduate students as well.
Congratulations on this outstanding accomplishment!
Added 7/6/2020
The International Society of Medical Educators has just named Dr. Anna Edmondson as
Chair of the IAMSE Nominating Committee. Dr. Edmondson is a long-time, active member
of this society and we thank her for enhancing MCG’s reputation in medical education
through her excellent leadership!
Added 6/25/2020
Dr. Zheng Dong and his laboratory have been notified that their manuscript entitled:
p53/microRNA-214/ULK1 axis impairs renal tubular autophagy in diabetic kidney disease
has been accepted for publication in the Journal of Clinical Investigation. Dr. Zhengwei
Ma is first author.
Congrats to all!
Added 6/24/2020
Hannah Youngblood has been notified that her F31 pre-doctoral grant will be funded by the NEI! Hannah is a graduate student in the laboratory of Dr. Yutao Liu, Associate Professor, CBA. Hannah’s project is entitled "Effects of estrogen on trabecular meshwork regulation of intraocular pressure.”
Great job Hannah!
Added 6/18/2020
Dr. Graydon Gonsalvez has received an Augusta University Intramural Grant (IGP) for his project “Using proximity ligation to identify the components of a localization complex.”
Well done Dr. Gonsalvez!
Added 5/20/2020
Dr. Mark Hamrick has received a notice of grant award from NIH for his NIH R43 award titled “Novel small molecules for the treatment of sarcopenia.” This grant is an SBIR phase 1 award that seeks to commercialize discoveries that Dr. Hamrick and his collaborator Dr. Isales have made in aging research. Congratulations Dr. Hamrick!
Added 5/19/2020
Dr. Carol Nichols is the recipient of this year's Distinguished Career Award for Excellence
in Teaching and Educational Scholarship awarded by the International Association of
Medical Science Educators (IAMSE). This is an outstanding achievement and well-deserved
recognition of the tireless efforts Dr. Nichols has made toward medical education
at our institution and beyond.
Congratulations Dr. Nichols!
Added 5/14/2020
Ting Liu successfully defended her PhD thesis entitled: “Role of class III phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase in the renal proximal tubule” on April 17, 2020. Ting has been a fine member of the department and secured a pre-doctoral award from AHA to support her studies. Her thesis work was mentored by Dr. Jian-Kang Chen and her committee members were Drs. Zheng Dong, Adviye Ergul, Graydon Gonsalvez and Patricia Schoenlein and Dr. Sang-Ho Kwon served as the reader for the thesis.
Added 5/6/2020
Helen Kaiser successfully defended her PhD thesis entitled: “The role of kynurenine, a tryptophan metabolite that increases with age, in muscle atrophy” on April 16, 2020. Helen has been a great ambassador for the department and the university. Her thesis work was mentored by Dr. Mark Hamrick and her committee members were Drs. Carlos Isales, Yutao Liu and Meghan McGee-Lawrence and Dr. Graydon Gonsalvez served as the reader for the thesis.
Added 5/6/2020
Dr. Ellen LeMosy has mentored an undergraduate student Ms. Brooklyn Zwinklis, including
serving as a mentor for the AU CURS program. Just this past week, Dr. LeMosy received
the “High Five” Faculty Award for her exemplary guidance over the past year.
Congratulations Dr. LeMosy!
Added 4/23/2020
Several CBA colleagues have been notified of their receipt of an Exemplary Teaching
Award during the 2018-19 academic year: Dr. Carol Nichols, Dr. Patricia Schoenlein
and Dr. Graydon Gonsalvez as well as Dr. Thom Gaddy, Dr. Brett Szymik and Dr. DeLoris
Hesse from our MCG-UGA Athens partnership have been recognized for teaching excellence.
Congratulations to all. We appreciate all that you do for our medical education mission!
Congratulations Colleagues!
Added 4/23/2020
Dr. Jing Wang, Assistant Research Scientist in the laboratory of Dr. Sylvia Smith,
has been notified by Knights Templar Eye Foundation, Inc. of their intent to support
her research proposal: “Sigma 1 Receptor: a novel therapy for Retinopathy of Prematurity.”
ROP is a blinding disease of early childhood that damages the vasculature and neurons
of the retina. Thanks to collaboration and guidance from Dr. Ruth Caldwell, Dr. Wang
established a model of ROP in the lab. For her grant proposal Dr. Wang will be testing
whether activation of a unique protein, Sigma 1 Receptor, can rescue the vascular
disruption and loss of retinal neurons that characterize this devastating disease.
Her preliminary data are quite promising and with this new grant support she will
be able to continue these important studies.
Congratulations Dr. Wang!
Added 4/20/2020
Devi Boggupalli successfully defended his thesis entitled “Defining the Role of Tropomyosin1C
in Cargo Transport in Drosophila.” He completed this in the midst of our ramp down
and so only his thesis committee members were permitted to attend in late March. We
are very proud of Devi’s accomplishment and wish him the best in his future endeavors.
Devi’s thesis advisor is Dr. Graydon Gonsalvez. Congratulations to Devi and thanks
to his thesis committee members and Dr. Gonsalvez!
Added 4/6/2020
Dr. Zheng Dong has been notified that his NIH/NIDDK Ro1 grant "Kidney Injury by Cisplatin and Renoprotective Strategies" has been renewed. This grant originated in 2010 and will be funded through 2024!
Congratulations on this terrific accomplishment!
Added 2/27/2020
Dr. Zheng Dong has been notified that his VA Senior Research Career Scientist award has been renewed for seven years.
Added 2/3/2020
Great News! Dr. Zheng Dong has been appointed Associate Editor for the American Journal of Physiology – Renal Physiology. His appointment is effective January 1, 2020.
Congratulations Dr. Dong on this notable achievement!
Added 1/8/2020
Congratulations to Graduate Research Assistant Helen Kaiser (Dr. Mark Hamrick’s lab) who presented her 3 Minute Thesis today in Atlanta at the Board of Regents meeting. Helen’s presentation was well received by the Regents and others in the audience. She is an excellent representative of Augusta University and the Department of Cellular Biology and Anatomy.
Added 1/8/2020
Two of our graduate students successfully defended their thesis and received their
diploma for the PhD degree at the Augusta University graduation ceremony on December
13, 2019.
Jingwen Cai presented a seminar describing her project “The Role of Glaucoma-Related
Genes in Schlemm’s Canal Endothelial Cells” on August 27, 2019. Jingwen was mentored
by Dr. Yutao Liu. She successfully defended her research project to her thesis committee,
which included, Dr. Mitchell Watsky, Dr. Sylvia Smith, Dr. Mark Hamrick, and Dr. Kathryn
Bollinger, Dr. Xingjun Fan served as a reader for the thesis.
Jessica Pierce presented a seminar describing her project “"Investigating the Role
of the Hdac3 Co-Repressor Complex in Glucocorticoid Signaling-Mediated Bone Marrow
Lipid Storage with Age" on October 24, 2019. Jessica was mentored by Dr. Meghan McGee-Lawrence.
She successfully defended her research project to her thesis committee, which included,
Dr. Wendy Bollag, Dr. William Hill, Dr. Mark Hamrick, and Dr. Xing-Ming Shi, Dr. Graydon
Gonsalvez served as a reader for the thesis.
Congratulations Drs. Cai and Pierce!
Added 12/16/2019
Graduate Research Assistant and Graduate SGA President Mackenzie Hagan (Dr. Meghan McGee-Lawrence lab) received an ASBMR Fund for Research and Education Young Investigator Award at the ASBMR 2019 Annual Meeting for the abstract, "Impaired pericellular matrix production and selection for enhanced cell membrane repair with aging may impair responses to mechanical loading in the aging skeleton." Mackenzie Hagan is pictured here receiving the award with the ASBMR 2019 President Bart Clarke, M.D. Congratulations Mackenzie!
Added 12/3/2019
Dr. Sang-Ho Kwon has received a $1.7 million dollar grant from the National Institute
of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) to study the role of exosomes
in kidney damage. Dr. Kwon is researching the role that exosomes play to repair damage
and restore function in acute kidney injury.
Congratulations on this wonderful achievement!
Added 11/5/2019
CBA graduate student Jessica Pierce, successfully defended her thesis today and received a unanimous vote from her committee to graduate "With Distinction." The title of her dissertation is "Investigating the Role of the Hdac3 Co-Repressor Complex in Glucocorticoid Signaling-Mediated Bone Marrow Lipid Storage with Age." Jessica is a member of Dr. Meghan McGee-Lawrences lab.
Congratulations Jessica on this wonderful accomplishment!
Added 10/25/2019
Dr. Mark Hamrick was presented the 2019 Augusta University Research Institutes (AURI)
Distinguished Researcher Award at the research celebration held at Fat Man's Mill
on Friday, October 18th, 2019.
Congratulations on this very prestigious honor!
Added 10/21/2019
