School of Medicine Graduate Student Research Showcased at 14th Annual Dawn Marks Research Day

For the past 14 years, graduate students at Temple University School of Medicine (TUSM) have had the chance to show off their research accomplishments at the Dawn Marks Research Day. This year’s event, held on June 4 in Temple’s Medical Education and Research Building, attracted 200 attendees and featured 49 student poster exhibits and 11 oral presentations.

Following the presentations, Michael Autieri, PhD, Professor of Physiology and the Cardiovascular Research Center at Temple, was recognized with the Dawn Marks Memorial Award for his dedication to Temple’s graduate students. Dr. Autieri, a faculty member for more than 15 years, is actively involved in the Organ Systems and Translational Medicine research cluster in the Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program.

For the first time, a student received a travel award that was established in memory of the late Patrick Piggot, PhD, from the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, by his family and colleagues. The winner was Kirsten Hooper, a fourth-year PhD candidate working under the direction of Doina Ganea, PhD, Professor and Chair of Microbiology and Immunology at Temple.

The Research Day is held each year in honor of Dawn Marks, PhD, who was a full-time faculty member in Biochemistry for 31 years and served as Assistant Dean for Graduate Education from 1984 to 1998. She retired in 1999 and was a Professor Emeritus until her passing. During her tenure at Temple, Dr. Marks co-authored the still widely-used textbook, Basic Medical Biochemistry: A Clinical Approach.

The Research Day is organized by the TUSM Graduate Student Association, led by association President Jeremy Hill and Vice President William Rodemer.