Distinguished Scientists Seminars

DSS Logo

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.

 



Fall 2024 Distinguished Scientists Seminar Schedule

Date/Time Speaker Host and Department Location
August 29, 2024, at 4 p.m.

Andrey Grigoriev, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Biology, Rutgers-Camden, The State University of New Jersey

“Surprises of ribosomal RNA”

Glen Borchert, Ph.D.

Pharmacology

Medical Sciences Building, 1st Floor Auditorium

September 12, 2024, at 2 p.m.

Eric Schmidt, M.D.
Chief, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Physician, Massachusetts General Hospital; Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, University of Colorado School of Medicine

*Charles M. Baugh Lecture begins at 2:00 p.m.

“The Endothelial Glycocalyx During Health and Critical Illness”

Troy Stevens, Ph.D.

Physiology & Cell Biology

Medical Sciences Building, 1st Floor Auditorium

September 26, 2024, at 4 p.m.

 

Swapnil Sonkusare  , Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Molecular Physiology and Biological Physics, University of Virginia School of Medicine

"Calcium signaling nanodomains in systemic and pulmonary vasculature”

Mark Taylor, Ph.D.

Physiology & Cell Biology

Medical Sciences Building, 1st Floor Auditorium

October 10, 2024, at 4 p.m.

Jay Kolls, M.D.
John W. Deming Endowed Chair in Internal Medicine; Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics, Tulane University School of Medicine

"Th17 Cells and Mucosal Immunity

Robert Barrington, Ph.D.

Microbiology & Immunology

Medical Sciences Building, 1st Floor Auditorium

 

October 24, 2024, at 4 p.m.

Joel Andrews, PhD
Manager, BioImaging Core Facility, USA Health Mitchell Cancer Institute, Whiddon College of Medicine


"Light Sheet and Beyond: Advanced Fluorescence Microscopy in the Bioimaging Core Facilities"

Office of the Associate Dean for Research

Medical Sciences Building, 1st Floor Auditorium

November 7, 2024, at 4 p.m.

Brandt Eichman, Ph.D.
William R. Kenan, Jr. Chair, Professor and Chair, Department of Biological Sciences; Professor, Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University College of Arts & Science

Aishwarya Prakash, Ph.D.

Biochemistry & Molecular Biology

Medical Sciences Building, 1st Floor Auditorium

November 14, 2024, at 4 p.m.

John P. Wise, Sr., Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Louisville, School of Medicine

 

Richard Honkanen, Ph.D.

Biochemistry & Molecular Biology

Medical Sciences Building, 1st Floor Auditorium

December 5, 2024, at 4 p.m.

Lorena Saelices Gomez, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Center for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases- Biophysics, O’Donnell Brain Institute, UT Southwestern Medical Center

Luis del Pozo-Yauner, Ph.D.

Pathology

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