Alumni Profiles

William Buitrago, MD/PhD (Class of 1999)

MARC trainee dates of Support: June 1996-May1999.

Degrees Earned: BS Biology, Barry University, 1999; MD/PhD, Baylor College of Medicine, 2010

On-campus research: Effects of ethanol on survival and development of embryonic neurons in rats.

Off-campus summer internships: 1998, Baylor College of Medicine, TX: Role of granulocyte-maxrophage colony stimulating factor in langerhans cell histiocytosis; 1996, University of the West Indies, Kingston, Jamaica: Synthesis of a precursor of an anti-tumor marine alkaloid Shermilamine B; 1997, University of Florida: Effects of At 1 antisense oligonucleotides on renal angiotensin II receptors, renal function and blood pressure in normotensive rats.

Presentations at scientific meetings: National Minority Research Symposium, Miami, FL, Nov 13 – 17, 1996; National Minority Research Symposium, New York, NY, November 21-24, 1998; Southern Regional Honors Council, 1997 and 1998

Refereed Publications: Synthesis of a Precursor of an Anti-tumor marine Alkaloid: Shermilamine B. Proceedings, Eleventh National Conference on Undergraduate Research, Ashville, NC, Vol. V. p. 1751 – 1754;
Article Publication: Chronicle of Higher Education, May 22, 1998, A45.

Current Status: Non-Academic Career

Lisan Parker,PhD (Class of 1997)

MARC trainee dates of Support: June 1995-May 1997.

Degrees Earned: BS Biology, Barry University, 1997; PhD Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, 2003 (NIH MARC Pre-Doctoral Fellowship)
Post Doctoral Fellow, St Judes Children Research Hospital, TN. Dr. Parker is also the recipient of the UNCF/MERCK Post-Doctoral Fellow.

On-campus research: Thermo-sensitivity of non-venomous snakes (Dr Dan York)

Off-campus summer internships: 1996, 1997, University of Miami, FL: The Transgenic Stability of Protein Expression in Halobacterium salinarium; 1995, University of the West Indies, Jamaica: Effects of Novel Heterocyclic Compounds on the in vitro growth of Sweet Potato (Ipomoea batatas)

Presentations at scientific meetings: National Minority Research Symposium, Washington, DC October 13-17, 1995 (Poster); National Minority Research Symposium, Miami, FL November 13-17, 1996 (Poster); 6th Biennial Symposium on Minorities, the Medically Underserved and Cancer, Washington, DC, April 23-28, 1996 (Oral)

Refereed Publications: Winter Van A.M., Martinez L., Parker L.L., Talbot J. and G. Turner. (1999) Transgenic Stability of Membrane Protein Expression in Halobacterium salinarum. Cancer Research Therapy and Control 8:275-289.

Current Status: Research Non-Academic Career

Lenore Polo, PhD (Class of 1994)

MARC trainee dates of Support: June 1992-May 1994.

Degrees Earned: BS Chemistry, Barry University,1994; PhD Analytical Chemistry, Louisiana State University, 1999 (Board of Reagents Fellowship)

On-campus research: Solvation effects of DMSO on aspartate racemization (Dr George Fisher).

Off-campus summer internships: 1993, University of California at Berkley: Synthesis of 2-substituted acrylate analogs of amino acids.

Presentations at scientific meetings: NIGMS Minority Program Symposium, Atlanta, GA, November 3-6, 1993 (poster); Florida Academy of Sciences meeting, St. Petersburg, FL, March 26-28, 1993 (oral); American Chemical Society (ACS) Meeting, Florida Chapter, Orlando, FL, May 12-15 1993 (oral); 207th ACS National Meeting, San Diego, CA, March 13-17, 1994 (poster)

Current Status: Faculty Position

Efrain Garcia, PhD (Class of 2000)

MARC trainee dates of Support: June 1998-May 2000.

Degrees Earned: AA Chemistry, Miami Dade Community College, 1998; BS Chemistry, Barry University,2000
PhD Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, 2006 (2006: Service-free Graduate Fellowship; 2004, NIGMS MARC pre doctoral fellowship; 2004,Society of Neuroscience Fellowship)

On-campus research: Synthesis of Muscarinic Agonists (Dr John Boulos)

Off-campus summer internships: Baylor College of Medicine, 1999, Time Course Study of Apoptotic events induced by Camptothecin in Jurkat Cells

Presentations at scientific meetings: Society for Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science, Portland, OR, October 7-10, 1999 (poster); National Minority Research Symposium, Phoenix, AZ. November 11-13, 1999 (poster); American Chemical Society Meeting, San Francisco, CA, March 26-30, 2000 (poster)

Current Status: Research

Leisis Martino (Class of 2001)

MARC trainee dates of Support: June 1999-May 2001.

Degrees Earned: AA Mathematics, Miami Dade Community College, 1999; BS Mathematics, Barry University,2001; MSC Computer Science, Florida International University, FL 2004

On-campus research: Mathematical Model Tracing (Dr Jagadish)

Off-campus summer internships: Cornell University , NY: Deterministic and Stochastic Reaction Diffusion Model in a Ring.

Presentations at scientific meetings: Joint Mathematics Meetings, Washington, DC, January 19-22, 2000; SACNAS, Atlanta, GA, October 12-15, 2000; Joint Mathematics Meeting, New Orleans, LA, January 10-13, 2001; 34th Annual Meeting of the Florida Section of the Mathematical Association of America, Ft. Myers, FL. March 2-3, 2001.

Current Status: Research Non-Academic Career

Joel Rodriguez, PhD (Class of 1999)

MARC trainee dates of Support: June 1997-May 1999.

Degrees Earned: AA Psychology, Miami Dade Community College, 1997; BS Psychology, Barry University,1999; PhD Social Psychology, University of Michigan, MI, 2004 (NSF Award)

On-campus research: Knowledge of Standard Versus Americanized Spanish as a Predictor of Potential Business Success in Latin America (Dr. Frank Muscarella); Perception of Discrimination: A Non-Traditional Context( Dr. Lenore Szuchmann)

Off-campus summer internships: 1998, Yale University, CT: HIV Risk Behavior among Heterosexual College Students

Presentations at scientific meetings: National Minority Research Symposium New York, NY. Nov. 21 – 24, 1998; National Conference on Undergraduate Research, Salisbury, MD, 1998

Current Status: Faculty Position

Ana Marie Fernandez-Jimenez, PhD (Class of 1993)

MARC trainee dates of Support: June 1991-May 1993.

Degrees Earned: BS Biology, Barry University,1993; PhD Neuroscience, University of Miami, FL, 2000 (NIGMS MARC Pre-Doctoral Fellowship; Neuroscience Graduate Student)

On-campus research: Theophylline Effects On High Energy Phosphate Contents In Isolated Frog Muscles (Dr. Elizabeth Hays)

Off-campus summer internships: 1992: University of Miami VA Hospital: Lymphocyte homing receptor expression in leukemia

Presentations at scientific meetings: MARC/MBRS Symposium, Dorado, Puerto Rico, October 2-5, 1992; American Society Of Cell
Biology, Denver, Colorado, November 15-19, 1992

Current Status: Faculty Position

Karen Phillips, PhD (Class of 1995)

MARC trainee dates of Support: June 1993-May 1995.

Degrees Earned: AA Chemistry,Miami Dade Community College, 1993; BS Chemistry, Barry University,1995; PhD Organic Chemistry, Columbia University, 2000 (Haynes Minority Graduate Fellowship; NSF Minority Research Graduate Fellowship)

On-campus research: Synthesis of Agonists for Alzheimer's Therapy (Dr. John Boulos)

Off-campus summer internships: 1994: California Institute of Technology: Synthesis and Characterization of Merocyanines

Presentations at scientific meetings: American Chemical Society, 209th National Meeting, Anaheim, CA, April 2-6, 1995; National Minority Research Symposium, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, December 14-18, 1994

Current Status: Faculty Position

Wendy Saintval, PhD (Class of 2001)

MARC trainee dates of Support: June 1999-May 2001.

Degrees Earned: AA Mathematics, Miami Dade Community College, 1999; BS Mathematics, Barry University, 2001; PhD Mathematics, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY 2008 (2001- Teaching Assistantship, Full Tuition; 2003-ONR Ocean Acoustics Graduate Traineeship Award)

On-campus research: Chaos Theory (Dr. Mysore Jagadish)

Off-campus summer internships: 2000: California Institute of Technology:Optimizing robotic carangifrom propulsion; 2001: Renssalaer Polytechnic Institute, NY: Mathematical Problems in Industry

Presentations at scientific meetings: National Minority Research Symposium, Phoenix, AZ, November 11-13, 1999; Joint Mathematics Meetings, Washington, DC, January 19-22, 2000; National Minority Research Symposium, Washington, DC, November 8-11, 2000; Joint Mathematics Meeting, New Orleans, LA, January 10-13, 2001; 34th Annual Meeting of the Florida Section of the Mathematical Association of America, Ft. Myers, FL, March 2-3, 2000

Current Status: Research