The GSBS 2022 Alumni Career Symposium, hosted by the GSBS Office of Career Development, took place on November 1-2. The first day of the symposium operated virtually while the second day was held in-person at the UTHealth Houston Institute of Molecular Medicine (IMM).

On the first day of the symposium, attendees were able to listen to a talk given by GSBS alumnus Steven Nadler, PhD, titled “Attaining personal and scientific success in industry.” Nadler is the senior vice president and head of discovery and translational research at Aro Biotherapeutics.

The second day of the symposium featured the keynote lecture titled “Getting to the second mountain” given by GSBS alumna Rena D’Souza, DDS, MS, PhD, the director of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR). D’Souza spoke on her personal journey through a career in science, current obstacles in the scientific community, and the continued stride for diversity in research.

The Graduate School also invited three alumni to give presentations on their currents roles and to provide insight into their career paths.

• Morgan McKeller, PhD, talked about what it is like to be a senior medical science liaison at Amgen U.S. Medical Affairs.
• Kendra Carmon, PhD, presented on her role as an associate professor at the Institute of Molecular Medicine, UTHealth Houston.
• Hillary Caruso, PhD, spoke on her experience being the vice president of strategic operations at Castle Biosciences.

Other highlights from the 2022 Alumni Career Symposium include:

• A panel titled “Young alumni: A conversation on starting your career” featuring Jianji (Paul) Chen, PhD; W. Frank Lenoir, PhD; Sydney Moyer, PhD; and Tristen Tellman, PhD.
• A panel titled “Developing and maintaining a work-life balance” featuring Petra den Hollander, PhD; Brittany Ellis Jewell, PhD; and Jon Lyons, PhD.
• A panel titled “Work in the new normal” featuring Doug Botkin, PhD; Kimiya Memarzadeh, PhD; Gloria Sierra, PhD; and Jena Tavormina, PhD.
• Both virtual and in-person networking sessions.

The Office of Career Development would like to thank all of those who attended this year’s Alumni Career Symposium. The Graduate School recognizes all of the hard work and passion our students—both past and present—bring to the scientific community.

特别感谢现在的斯图dents who helped moderate discussions: Ulises Gonzalez, Paulina Horton, Mabel Perez-Oquendo, Rolando Vedia, and Tanvi Visal.

View photos of the event here:go.uth.edu/GSBS-ACS22-album