This newsletter aims to facilitate communication within the Department of Human Genetics, and was conceived by the Research Retreat Committee in 2006. Please send items for the next edition to Linda Downes-Piazza at ldownes@vcu.edu.
Paulie Papavassiliou’s abstract was accepted for presentation at the American College of Medical Genetics National Meeting held this March.
Graduate Student Awards
In celebration of Black History Month, VCU is recognizing students who are in the process of making black history. The Department of Human Genetics presented an award to Ph.D. student, Latasha Redmond, at the Black History in the Making Program on February 15, 2007, at the Grace Street Theatre, 934 West Grace Street at 7:00 p.m. The Program is organized by the VCU Department of African American Studies. Please congratulate Latasha on her accomplishments!
The Department of Human Genetics has adopted a new graduate curriculum to be implemented the fall of 2007. The new curriculum was developed in hopes to better meet the needs of our Ph.D. and Masters of Human Genetics students whose main focus is research and the needs of our Masters of Genetic Counseling students whose main focus is clinical training and preparing to pass their board exams. The major change in the curriculum will be in the offering of two core Human Genetics courses be taught in consecutive semesters (Fall and Spring annually) and that these two courses be required for all Human Genetics Graduate students. These courses will give all our students a solid foundation in a variety of aspects of Human Genetics. The Ph.D. and Masters students will then be required to take one advance course in the area of mathematical and statistical genetics, molecular genetics or cytogenetics. These advance courses are to prepare students for an independent research career. It is recommended that any student who wishes to sit for the board exams take the advance cytogenetics course.
Dr. Judy Silberg recently had her paper on developmental change in the effects of genes and environment accepted for publication in Psychological Medicine.
Congratulations to Heather Creswick and her husband, Tom Veech, on the birth of their son, Hayden Gabriel Veech. He was born on January 20, 2007, at 10:50 p.m. weighing 6 lbs. 7 oz. and 19 inches.
Dr. Tim York has been granted an affiliate faculty position in the Department of Pharmacy and the Institute for Biomarker Discovery and Personalized Medicine at VCU.
Dr. Matthew Keller, a post-doctoral student in behavioral genetics, has accepted a position as assistant professor at the Institute for Behavioral Genetics, University of Colorado.
Dr. Lindon Eaves recently took part in a preparatory consultation on the social implications of genetics for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America in Chicago. He will be visiting the Queensland Institute for Medical Research, Brisbane, Australia, this summer to teach a workshop on new developments in the analysis of twin data.
