Rockville, Md. (Sept. 28, 2010)— The Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Inc. has selected three promising Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU) doctoral students to receive fellowships for the 2010-2011 academic year. The program established in 1988, comprises two Henry M. Jackson Fellowships and one Val G. Hemming Fellowship. Each fellow receives a stipend and travel support.
Diana Riner, a fourth-year graduate student in the Emerging Infections Diseases program, won the Val G. Hemming Fellowship. Riner works in the laboratory of Dr. Stephen Davies, focusing on the parasite Schistosoma mansoni. Interested in understanding the mechanism by which S. mansoni exploit the human immune system to facilitate its own development, Riner's data have led her to hypothesize that Schistosomes co-opt immune signals released by dead or damaged host liver cells in response to physical damage caused by the parasite. Riner's research into these innate immune signals could lend insights into the development of new drug targets and vaccine strategies for the treatment and prevention of schistosomiasis, the second most socioeconomically devastating parasitic disease after malaria. Nearly 200 million people worldwide are infected with the disease.
Norah Hibbits, recipient of a Henry M. Jackson Fellowship, is a sixth-year student completing her thesis project in Dr. Regina Armstrong's laboratory in the Neuroscience program at USU. Hibbits' research centers on mouse models of axon demyelination and remyelination. Central nervous system (CNS) demyelination can result in severe motor and cognitive deficits. Multiple sclerosis is a leading cause of CNS demyelination in humans. Hibbits' research aims to better understand factors that affect the cellular repair response to demyelination, research that will be helpful in identifying novel treatments for multiple sclerosis.
Sangeetha Rajesh, a fifth-year student in the Molecular and Cell Biology program, also received a Henry M. Jackson Fellowship. Rajesh works in the laboratory of Dr. Thomas Darling studying tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC), a genetic disorder with an incidence of 1 in 6,000. TSC patients develop tumors in multiple organs, such as brain, kidney, heart, lungs and skin. In her research on angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis in TSC skin tumors, she has identified proteins that stimulate blood and lymphatic vessels that may contribute to the development of these tumors. By using drugs to counteract these proteins, Rajesh hopes to develop new treatments for this devastating disease.
The Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine (HJF) is a private, not-for-profit organization established in 1983 and authorized by Congress to support medical research and education at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences and throughout the broader military medical community. For more information, visit www.hjf.org.
The Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, located in Bethesda, Md., on the grounds of the National Naval Medical Center, is a traditional U.S. academic health center with a unique emphasis on educating the next generation of health care providers and researchers in military medicine, tropical diseases, humanitarian assistance, as well as responses to disasters and other public health emergencies. USU's nationally ranked military and civilian faculty conduct cutting-edge research in the biomedical sciences and in areas specific to the DoD health care mission. For more information, visit www.usuhs.mil.