The Upstate College of Graduate Studies held its 23rd annual Biomedical Sciences Retreat; featuring groundbreaking research presented by top scientists in their fields, an introduction to different labs and projects happening here at Upstate, and the presentation of white coats to the incoming class as they begin their journey in medical research. 

Incoming Upstate graduate students pose with their new white coats.

A day of presentations featured a pair of keynote addresses; the first from Thomas E. Shenk. PhD; James A. Elkins Professor of Life Sciences, Emeritus, Molecular Biology, Princeton University. His lab’s discovery of the impact of sirtuins, a human protein, on viruses has led him to create a biotech company working to develop new antiviral therapies to help cure a wide range of infections and also help prevent the development of drug resistance. When Upstate Associate Professor of Microbiology and Immunology Eain Murphy, PhD introduced his former mentor and colleague, he highlighted not only his decades of scientific accomplishments but also his dedication to the education of future scientists. 

Thomas E. Shenk. PhD; James A. Elkins Professor of Life Sciences, Emeritus, Molecular Biology, Princeton University (right) poses with Eain Murphy, PhD, Associate Professor of Microbiology and Immunology (left).

Featured as well was Kurt R. Weiss, MD, Associate Professor and Vice-Chair of Translational Research University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. In a presentation about his efforts to better understand sarcomas, cancerous tumors that arise in the musculoskeletal tissues, he talked about his personal experience surviving bone cancer and the researchers whom he credits with saving his life. How can you achieve success in medical research? “Press on,” was the advice he was given by a mentor and the advice he credits with helping him push through rejected papers and missed funding opportunities to achieve success. 

Kurt R. Weiss, MD, Associate Professor and Vice-Chair of Translational Research University of Pittsburgh Medical Center delivering the talk entitled "From Bench To Bovie: Musculoskeletal Oncology Translational Research”.

Many Upstate researchers presented the discoveries happening in their labs currently; like long-time professors like Stewart Loh, PhD explaining their decades of work developing protein switches that can be used to detect diseases, kill infected or diseased cells, and more. 

Newer additions to the university, like Darwin Babino, PhD who just joined the Center for Vision Research in the last few months as an assistant professor of ophthalmology and visual sciences presented as well; Babino is developing new approaches to retinal analysis and vision restoration using AI and machine learning. 

“The event showed the wide range of outstanding research across the university with a special emphasis on the importance of graduate students in driving that research forward,” said Mark Schmitt, PhD, dean of Graduate Studies. “We all look forward to it every year.” 

Schmitt presented the incoming class with their official white coats; a meaningful symbolic step in their careers. Shervin Razavi was one of the students who received his coat and is excited to start his MD/PhD program. 

Shervin Razavi, a MD/PhD student who presented a poster on his research at this year's Biomedical Sciences Retreat.

“I'm really excited about the research that I'm doing. I think it's a privilege to be working with really great minds in our science department. Exploring ideas, having a bit more freedom to do what I want to do.” Razavi comes from the University of Vermont with a degree in mathematics. “I definitely want to be a physician-scientist in some capacity, so the program is a good fit.” 

Interested in learning more about Upstate’s graduate studies program? Learn more here.