Temitope (Temi) Adedeji, Ph.D., a Visiting Fellow in the Wade group received an NIH Emerging Global Leader Award (K43) from the NIH Fogarty International Center.

Adriana Alexander, Ph.D., a postdoctoral IRTA fellow in the Reproductive Developmental Biology Group led by Humphrey Yao, Ph.D., won a Postdoctoral Research Associate (PRAT) Program fellowship from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) in 2023. The program provides 3 years of funding for postdoctoral researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) or U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Ciro M. Amato III, Ph.D., won an NIH Pathway to Independence Award, or K99/R00 grant for his proposal entitled, “Defining the role of Sf1 in urethra closure. “ Reproductive & Developmental Biology Laboratory, Dr. Humphrey Yao, mentor, 2023.

Craig J. Burd, Ph.D., won an NIH Pathway to Independence Award, or K99/R00 grant for his proposal entitled, “Chromatin Dynamics of Endocrine Disruptor Compounds on Estrogen Receptor Function.” Laboratory of Molecular Carcinogenesis, Dr. Trevor Archer, mentor, 2012.

Kathrine Burns, Ph.D., won an NIH Pathway to Independence Award, or K99/R00 grant for her proposal entitled, “Endometriosis and Environmental Endocrine Disrupting Chemical Exposure.” Laboratory of Reproductive and Developmental Toxicology, Dr. Kenneth Korach, mentor, 2013.

Johnathan T. Busada, Ph.D., a member of the Molecular Endocrinology Group led by John A. Cidlowski, Ph.D., won a Postdoctoral Research Associate (PRAT) Program fellowship from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS). The program provides 3 years of funding for postdoctoral researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH. His research interest is in the cellular and physiological processes that maintain tissue homeostasis and suppress inflammation in the stomach, and how disruption of these processes leads to inflammatory disease, metaplasia, and eventually gastric cancer.

Melike Caglayan, Ph.D., a visiting fellow in the Mechanisms of DNA Synthesis Group, headed by Samuel Wilson, M.D., won the coveted National Institutes of Health (NIH) Pathway to Independence Award, also known as the K99/R00 award.

Kin Chan, Ph.D., a member of the Chromosome Stability Group, headed by Michael Resnick, Ph.D., won an NIH Pathway to Independence Award, or K99/R00 grant from the NIEHS. He will continue to work on on studies aimed at understanding the molecular basis of mutations in cancer.

Saurabh Chatterjee, Ph.D., won an NIH Pathway to Independence Award, or K99/R00 grant for his proposal entitled, “Free Radical Mechanism in Obesity Potentiation of Environmental Hepatotoxicity.” Laboratory of Toxicology and Pharmacology, Dr. Ronald Mason, mentor, 2011.

Tracy Clement, Ph.D., a member of the Gamete Biology Group led by Mitch Eddy, Ph.D., won an NIH Pathway to Independence Award, or K99/R00 grant from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. She studied the role of an actin-related protein (ARP) in spermatid development and male fertility.

Amanda Conway, Ph.D., an NIEHS Intramural Research Training Award (IRTA) fellow, was selected for a Postdoctoral Research Associate (PRAT) Program fellowship from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS). The program provides 3 years of funding for postdoctoral researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) or U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Conway’s term, which begins Oct. 1, will allow her to continue doing research at NIEHS under the mentorship of Raja Jothi, Ph.D., head of the Systems Biology Group.

Shannon L. Farris, Ph.D., a member of the Synaptic and Developmental Plasticity Group headed by Serena Dudek, Ph.D., won an NIH Pathway to Independence Award, or K99/R00 grant from the National Institute of Mental Health. She will continue to work on project involves identifying cell-type specific RNA transcripts important for encoding social memories in the brain, which may provide insights for the treatment or prevention of disorders, such as schizophrenia, and for those on the autism spectrum.

Bret Freudenthal, Ph.D., a member of the DNA Repair and Nucleic Acid Enzymology Group, led by Samuel Wilson, M.D., won an NIH Pathway to Independence Award, or K99/R00 grant from the NIEHS. His research is on utilizing advanced macromolecular crystallography to study DNA polymerases in DNA repair.

Liz Garcia-Peterson, Ph.D., a postdoctoral IRTA fellow in the Gene-Environment Interaction in Disease and Aging Group led by Xiaoling Li, Ph.D., won a Postdoctoral Research Associate (PRAT) Program fellowship from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS). The program provides 3 years of funding for postdoctoral researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) or U.S. Food and Drug Administration. She is going to study gut microbiota homeostasis and inflammation.
Highly competitive research fellowships earned by NIEHS trainees

Natalie Gassman, Ph.D., a member of the DNA Repair and Nucleic Acid Enzymology Group, headed by Samuel Wilson, M.D., won the National Institutes of Health Pathway to Independence (PI) Award, also known as the K99/R00 program, to continue her studies on DNA damage and repair.

Symielle Gaston, Ph.D., is one of five recipients of the 2019 William G. Coleman Jr., Ph.D., Minority Health and Health Disparities Research Innovation Award. This program, run by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, provides one year of support for potentially high-impact projects by NIH researchers. Gaston works in the lab of Chandra Jackson, Ph.D., who leads the NIEHS Social and Environmental Determinants of Health Equity Group.

Cassandra K. Hayne, Ph.D., a postdoctoral IRTA fellow in the Nucleolar Integrity Group led by Robin E. Stanley, Ph.D., won the NIH Pathway to Independence (PI) Award from NIGMS’s special K99/R00 program called MOSAIC. She will continue her studies on regulation of pre-tRNA maturation.

Joonas A. Jaemsen, Ph.D., a visiting fellow of the DNA Repair & Nucleic Acid Enzymology Group led by Samuel H. Wilson, Ph.D., won an NIH Pathway to Independence Award, or K99/R00 grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. He is going to continue the study of nucleic acid enzymes and DNA repair.

Anne Marie Jukic, Ph.D., a member of the Reproductive Epidemiology Group led by Allen Wilcox, M.D., Ph.D., won an NIH Pathway to Independence Award, or K99/R00 grant from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Her research is on the effects of vitamin D on fertility and early development.

Lee Langer, Ph.D., won the prestigious Postdoctoral Research Associate (PRAT) Program fellowship from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences. The fellowship began Sept. 1, 2016. Langer will receive three years of financial support, and travel funds to further pursue his postdoctoral research in stem cell biology. He is a member of the Chromatin and Gene Expression Group headed by Trevor Archer, Ph.D.

Elizabeth M. Martin, Ph.D., an NIEHS Intramural Research Training Award (IRTA) fellow, was selected for a Postdoctoral Research Associate (PRAT) Program fellowship from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS). The program provides 3 years of funding for postdoctoral researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) or U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Martin’s term, which begins Oct. 1, 2019, will allow her to continue doing research at NIEHS under the mentorship of Paul Wade, Ph.D., head of the Eukaryotic Transcriptional Regulation Group.

Monica C. Pillon, Ph.D., a visiting fellow of the Nucleolar Integrity Group led by Robin Evans Stanley, Ph.D., won an NIH Pathway to Independence Award, or K99/R00 grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. She is going to continue her study of pre-ribosomal RNA processing and the regulation and molecular mechanisms of ribosome biogenesis.

Saniya Rattan, Ph.D., a postdoctoral IRTA fellow in the Reproductive and Developmental Biology Group led by Humphrey Yao, Ph.D., received a Postdoctoral Research Associate (PRAT) Program fellowship from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS). The program provides 3 years of funding for postdoctoral researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) or U.S. Food and Drug Administration. She will continue doing research on the effects of endocrine-disrupting chemicals to the female reproductive system.
Highly competitive research fellowships earned by NIEHS trainees

Steven Roberts, Ph.D., won an NIH Pathway to Independence Award, or K99/R00 grant for his proposal entitled, “Environmentally-modulated cytosine deamination in genome instability and cancer.” Laboratory of Molecular Genetics, Drs. Michael A. Resnick and Dmitry Gordenin, mentors, 2013.

Yesenia Rodriguez, Ph.D., a member of the NIEHS Genomic Integrity and Structural Biology Laboratory, DNA Repair & Nucleic Acid Enzymology Group, won the prestigious NIH Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00). Dr. Rodriguez hopes to be able to continue her research in understanding how DNA packaging into chromatin affects DNA repair as a tenure-track researcher. She is also interested in science administration, where she can make a difference by directing the trajectory of biomedical research on a broader scale.

Ramendra Saha, Ph.D., a member of the NIEHS Synaptic and Developmental Plasticity Group, headed by Serena Dudek, Ph.D., won the prestigious NIH Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00) from the National Institute of Mental Health. He is going to continue studying immediate early gene transcription induced by neuronal activity.

Natalie Saini, Ph.D., won an NIH Pathway to Independence Award, or K99/R00 grant for her proposal entitled, “Burden and signatures of somatic mutations in genomes of healthy individuals.” Genome Integrity & Structural Biology Laboratory, Dr. Dmitry Gordenin, mentor, 2018.

Virginia Savy, Ph.D., a postdoctoral visiting fellow in the Reproductive Medicine Group led by Carmen J. Williams, M.D., Ph.D., won a National Institutes of Health (NIH) Pathway to Independence Award, also known as the K99/R00 award, in 2023.

Natale R. Sciolino, Ph.D., an IRTA fellow of the Developmental Neurobiology Group led by Patricia Jensen, Ph.D., won an NIH Pathway to Independence Award, or K99/R00 grant from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. She is going to study the locus coeruleus-norepinephrine (LC-NE) circuits in feeding.

Minsub Shim, Ph.D., won an NIH Pathway to Independence Award, or K99/R00 grant for his proposal entitled, “The role of COX-2 in skeletal development and osteoarthritis.” Laboratory of Molecular Carcinogenesis, Dr. Thomas Eling, mentor, 2011.

Danielle R. Stevens, Ph.D., won an NIH Pathway to Independence Award, or K99/R00 grant for her proposal entitled, “Phthalates and Phthalate Alternatives and Early Human Cardiometabolic Development ”. Epidemiology Branch, Dr. Kelly K. Ferguson, mentor, 2023.

Kristen Upson, Ph.D.., a member of the Women's Health Group led by Donna Baird, Ph.D., won an NIH Pathway to Independence Award, or K99/R00 grant from the National Institute of Nursing Research. She will continue her work focusing on toxic metals and the behavioral and biological factors that may increase these environmental contaminants in the body.

Li Wang, M.D, Ph.D.,won an NIH Pathway to Independence Award, or K99/R00 grant for his proposal entitled, “Chromatin Modulation in Cardiogenesis and Environmentally-Induced Heart Defects.” Epigenetics & Stem Cell Biology Laboratory, Dr. Guang Hu, mentor, 2015.

Emily Werder, Ph.D., a postdoctoral IRTA fellow in the Chronic Disease Epidemiology Group led by Dale Sandler, Ph.D., won a National Institutes of Health (NIH) Pathway to Independence Award, also known as the K99/R00 award, in 2023.

Shannon Whirledge, Ph.D., a member of the Molecular Endocrinology Group, led by John Cidlowski, Ph.D., won the National Institutes of Health Pathway to Independence (PI) Award, also known as the K99/R00 program, to continue her study on the interaction between estrogens and glucocorticoids in the uterus.

Mathew Young, Ph.D., won an NIH Pathway to Independence Award, or K99/R00 grant for his proposal entitled, “The Roles of Polymerase Gamma Accessory Subunit Gene Mutations in Human Disease.” the Laboratory of Molecular Genetics, Dr. William Copeland, mentor, 2013.

Fei Zhao, Ph.D., a member of the Reproductive Developmental Biology Group led by Humphrey Yao, Ph.D., won an NIH Pathway to Independence Award, or K99/R00 grant from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. He studied how the reproductive tract system is established and develop into a functional organ supporting fertility.