Education Spotlight
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Commencement 2004 June 12, 2004 marked this year's 45th medical graduation on the Farm. Over 175 MD, PhD and MS students participated in the main ceremony held on the Dean’s Lawn. AIDS advocate Paul Michael Glaser was this year's Commencement speaker. View the 2004 Graduation Webcast |
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Profiles in Excellence
Graduating class of 2004 exemplifies leadership and commitment
Stanford University School of Medicine prides itself on producing the next generation of innovators in medicine and the biosciences, and this year's graduating class of 83 MD, 23 Masters, 63 PhD and 7 PhD/MD candidates is no exception. They are community activists, compassionate caregivers, dogged researchers and industry strategists who are already shaping the future of human health. Here is just a sampling of the achievements and ambitions of some of these exceptional individuals.
Jonathan Irish, PhD (cancer biology)
Cancer research has long sought a way to predict which tumors respond best to specific therapies. PhD candidate Jonathan Irish has propelled the field closer to this goal. Working in the lab of Garry Nolan, PhD, assistant professor of microbiology and immunology, Irish used a technology called arrayed flow cytometry to classify leukemia cancers according to their intracellular signals. After stimulating the cells to see how their signaling networks would respond, Irish observed differences that can be used to categorize several groups of patients. Reviewing the outcomes of these patients, he discovered that individuals within the same signaling group also shared a similar response to chemotherapy. Using this correlation, Irish defined a patient profile that could be used to predict how an individual with leukemia will respond to chemotherapy. Remaining at Stanford for his postdoctoral work, Irish will determine whether this model applies to lymphoma. He will continue his research with Nolan's lab and the lab of Ron Levy, MD, professor of medicine (oncology). Irish ultimately sees the molecular classification of tumors as leading to new and better-targeted drug treatments for patients with therapy-resistant tumors.
Grace Park, PhD (molecular pharmacology)
PhD candidate Grace Park has characterized a novel protein, named PRAS40, which is relevant to an important serine/threonine kinase known as Akt. Akt is involved in mediating insulin signaling, cell growth and cell proliferation, and is a potential target in the treatment of diabetes and cancer. By identifying and understanding the substrates of Akt, researchers hope to better understand how this protein directs different cell responses. Park concluded that PRAS40, a confirmed substrate of Akt, interacts with several important signaling proteins, likely regulating the timing of competing biochemical signals such as growth factors or insulin. After defending her thesis in July, Park will go on to apply her expertise as a management consultant with Mckinsey and Company, serving biotech, pharmaceutical and health-care companies.
Anna Martinez, MD
Anna Martinez does not just want to practice medicine; she wants to be an agent of change. Growing up in Fillmore, a small town in Ventura County, Calif., she saw firsthand the health-care disparities faced by those with little or no insurance. At Stanford, she spent much of her time helping disadvantaged populations, screening for high blood pressure, diabetes and cholesterol; educating parents on how to prepare their children for college; and conducting research on HIV-positive women suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. She will continue her training as an anesthesiology resident at the Oakland Alameda County Medical Center and later USC. As an anesthesiologist, Martinez wants to better prepare Spanish-speaking patients for surgery, a scary experience for many of them that is often made worse by language barriers and cultural misunderstanding. Ultimately Martinez sees returning with her husband and daughter to Ventura County where she hopes to serve as a role model for community youth. "I didn't know I could go into medicine especially after being a very young mom. People would tell me, 'You are not going to amount to anything,'" says Martinez. "It is hard to go against all of the obstacles that are put in your way. I will definitely be out there in the high schools and junior highs."
Farhad Imam, MD and PhD (biochemistry)
When it came to choosing between doing research and caring for patients, Farhad Imam found he couldn't give up either one. "There are specific instances in the clinic where you realize why being a doctor is so special. It's the human connection. It's being able to be there for somebody at a time when it is difficult and scary," says Imam. "On the flip side of that, at the bench you get to discover the unknown. When you solve a puzzle, it is an awesome feeling." Imam has found his niche in the complementary worlds of pediatrics and developmental biology. His PhD thesis explored the process of trachea and lung formation, specifically how primitive cells in the embryo migrate to form the lung's treelike structure and how they take on respiratory function. After completing a pediatric residency program at Children's Hospital of Boston, Imam plans to pursue a research fellowship. In the long term he'd like to be associated with an academic institution, where he could work in a clinic and conduct research relevant to his patient population.
Igor Brodsky, PhD (microbiology)
In the battle between pathogens and the human immune system, Igor Brodsky is interested in both. For his thesis project, Brodsky studied the mechanism of Salmonella virulence, focusing on a specific protein that Salmonella expresses to resist antimicrobial peptides -- small molecules that ward off infection. Brodsky's work showed that Salmonella has developed resistance to this immune defense. Next fall he will start his postdoctoral work in immunology at Yale University where he'll investigate the interaction between pathogens and dendritic cells. These specialized immune cells signal the presence of pathogens to T and B cells, which in turn mediate the body's response against specific invading agents. Brodsky plans on staying in academia and looks forward to running his own research lab. "I have been very lucky with the labs that I've worked in and the mentors that I've had," he says. "I'd like to be able to provide a supportive environment where people can learn and do research."
Michelle Monje, MD, PhD (neuroscience)
Three years into her medical studies, Michelle Monje found herself at a lab bench looking for answers. Not only did she find those answers but along the way she earned a PhD. Her journey began during her rotation in pediatric oncology. While working with children undergoing cranial radiation therapy, Monje became troubled by the fact this therapy damaged the children's ability to learn and remember. She entered the lab of Theo Palmer, PhD, assistant professor of neurosurgery, to investigate. Using rats, Monje found that treating the brain's inflammatory response to radiation improved its ability to make new neurons; studies are now under way to see if these new neurons translate into improved cognitive performance. Monje will spend the next year doing a medical internship at Stanford after which she'll pursue her neurology residency at Harvard University. "In neurology, there are so many devastating diseases. It is frustrating seeing kids in clinic and not being able to do anything to help them," says Monje of her plans to stay with academic medicine. "Going to the bench is a way to help them in the long term."
Max Diehn, MD, PhD (biochemistry)
While working in the lab of Patrick Brown, MD, PhD, professor of biochemistry, Max Diehn used DNA microarrays to study gene expression in a number of systems. In one project, Diehn worked with Glioblastoma multiforme, an aggressive type of brain tumor, to establish patterns of gene expression that could be used to assess patient prognosis. In another project, he identified secreted and surface proteins associated with a range of tumors including brain, breast, lung, stomach and liver. This work will help researchers develop novel cancer screens for early detection and better targeted therapies. Diehn also contributed to several bioinformatics projects, including a Web site called SOURCE. This online tool pools publicly available data on the human, mouse and rat genome into one comprehensive, searchable resource. Deihn will continue his training as a resident in radiation oncology at Stanford and looks forward to a career in translational medicine. "I'd like to see patients one day a week," he says. "The other four days I'd like to work in a lab on cancer research continuing my work in functional genomics and conducting clinical trials."
-- Pamela Lowney