Lab Alumni 2006 to 2007


   Jennifer DeCuir (2006 or 2007) has finished year one of the combined MD/Ph.D. program (MSTP) at Columbia University in the summer of 2007.   We don't know what lab she'll end up in, but check back and we'll let you know (we do know that it will be epidemiology related!)


   Christopher Ford (B.S. 2007, MA 2007.) is in the Ph.D. program in Biological Sciences and Public Health at Harvard University.  Chris is working on Mycobacterium tuberculosis in the lab of Dr. Sarah Fortune for his dissertaion work.  His work in our lab was recently published.  To see the abstract, click here.  He and Dan Weinberger will be at all the Red Sox home games


   Kenny W. DeFontes III is in the MD program at Johns Hopkins University.  I'm certain Kenny will end up as an infectious disease physician or a gastroenterologist; after all those years working on Helicobacter pylori, what else would he do!


  Jessica Nelson (aka Saba Nelson to a few close friends!!) did the NIH post-bac program for one year.  As of fall 2008, Saba is enrolling as a Ph.D. student at Yale University.  Her work while here at W&M landed her on a paper published in August 2008, check it out here.

  Hillay Schwab worked for an endodontist in Richmond and begins VCU dental school in fall 2008!

  Courtney St. Clair is in the Ph.D. program in the Microbiology Department at Emory University.  She's hoping to break into the CDC while she's in Atlanta!

  Cat Paules is pursuing her MD at the University of Nebraska.  We always knew Cat was a Corn Husker at heart!!  Cat's work was recently published; click here for the abstract.

  James Swetnam is working in a structural biology lab at NYU medical for a couple of years before applying to graduate school!

  Alex Sledd is in the combined MD/MPH program at Tulane University in New Orleans.  If you see her wearing beads around Mardi Gras, be sure to ask how she got them!  See you on Bourbon Street Alex!!

   Robert Simmons (2007) has left the country!  He is back  in St. Petersburg Russia studying and working for a year before applting to graduate schools in the area of evolutionary biology.  You can always remember Rob's birthday because it is the same as mine (and the same as George W. Bush - man!, don't we hate to admit that we share anything in common with him!!)

Cara Wilder graduated in May 2006 and is entering a Ph.D. program in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at Oregon State University.  Not certain whose  lab she'll end up in, but after her rotations, she'll let us know!


Amina Egal-Roble is another 2006 graduate from our lab.  Amina was awarded a Fullbright Fellowship for 2006-2007.  She will be working in Senegal and studying the interactions between AIDS and nutrition.  Amina will begin graduate school at Oxford University in the fall of 2007.


Jonathan Snider finished in 2006 as well.  He is in medical school  at the University of Michigan.  We convinced Jon the mascot for UMichigan is the Fighting Wombat.  Please don't tell him the truth!  Last word from Jon, he was in a psychiatry rotation.......that's such a straight line, even I won't touch it!!


Jeff Burket is now enrolled in medical school at University of Virginia and a 2nd Lt. in the US Army.  After finishing his honors thesis and defense, med school will be cake for him!  He and Lauren are now married!!


Robert Pitts is another 2006 class member.  Robert spent the summer of 2006 in Buenas Aires Argentina studying Chagas Disease.  Shortly after that he did his Fullbright Fellowship to Zimbabwe doing research on Group B Streptococcal disease in neonates.  He then working at NIH for a year.  Robert enters UC San Francisco med school in 2008.

George Liechti finally competed his MS degree!  He was two years late, but on July 30, 2007, he successfully defended his thesis.  Next, finishing the manuscript for publication!   He has already begun his Ph.D. program in the Microbiology department at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville.  He is still working on Helicobacter pylori!!  He is in Joanna Goldberg's lab there.