https://www.uab.edu/medicine/pathology/news-events/archive/nci-grant-funds-new-cancer-research-opportunities-for-uab-and-samford-students 

Published: January 8th, 2024

by Hannah Buckelew

Elizabeth E. Brown, M.P.H., Ph.D., Endowed Professor of Cancer Pathobiology, Associate Director for Population Science, O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center, Molecular and Cellular Pathology, and Lalita Shevde-Samant, Ph.D., Associate Director for Education and Training, O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center, Professor, Molecular and Cellular Pathology, are co-leading a new research education program entitled UAB Enhancing Research in Cancer-related Health Professions (ENRICH)  with support from the National Cancer Institute. The R25 grant, anchored in the UAB Department of Pathology, will fund 30 master-level graduate students for an intensive 10-week summer program to engage in cancer research at UAB.

The goal of UAB ENRICH is to immerse students in the scientific process, foundational discovery and multidisciplinary translational frameworks for careers in cancer research.  The program will partner with the O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center, the UAB Physician Scientist Development Office and UAB Center for Clinical and Translational Science’s Training Academy to establish an innovative, 10-week in-person summer research experience for 30 master-level graduate students from a diverse spectrum of disciplines, including public health, basic sciences, health professions, nursing and pharmacy, from UAB and Samford University.

“Our comprehensive and focused approach is designed to stimulate curiosity of the scientific process among trainees to empower the next generation of cancer researchers,” says Brown.

At its core, ENRICH will offer a mentored research experience grounded in cancer-focused basic, clinical and population sciences, unified by its translational science theme. Program participants will learn complementary and transferrable skills such as communication, personal and professional development, rigor and reproducibility and research ethics.

“We want to establish a community of creative scientific thinkers who will be well-positioned to pursue additional training in their selected research-intensive pursuits,” says Samant. “This exposure to a diverse spectrum of cancer research disciplines can be translated to careers in academia, industry, government, non-profit organizations or other health systems.”

ENRICH will incorporate novel strategies in education and training, both in methods and content, to optimally prepare trainees for success and meet the demands of an evolving biomedical workforce. Applications for this program will open on January 15 and remain open until all ENRICH trainee positions are filled. Eve M. Phillips, MPH, will serve as the Program Manager for ENRICH. She has previous experience with summer programs through UAB Medical Student Summer Research Programs. Click here to learn more about program requirements.

https://www.uab.edu/medicine/pathology/news-events/archive/brown-receives-2024-graduate-deans-award-for-excellence-in-mentorship

Details
Written by: Hannah Buckelew
Published: April 23rd, 2024

Elizabeth Brown, Ph.D., M.P.H., Endowed Professor of Cancer Pathobiology, Division of Molecular and Cellular Pathology, Associate Director for Population Science, O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center, is a recipient of this year’s 2024 Graduate Dean’s Award for Excellence in Mentorship.

The Dean’s Excellence in Mentorship Award recognizes full-time regular UAB faculty members who have demonstrated exceptional accomplishments as mentors of graduate students and/or postdoctoral fellows.

Brown joined UAB in 2006 after completing graduate training in cancer epidemiology at Johns Hopkins University and a post-doctoral program in cancer epidemiology and immunogenetics at the National Cancer Institute (NCI). Brown accepted her first role as assistant professor in the UAB Department of Epidemiology, UAB School of Public Health, where she also worked as an adjunct scientist in the NCI’s Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics for four years. 

Not long after joining UAB, in 2008 Brown established the Integrative Molecular and Genetic Epidemiology (IMAGE) study of myeloma, to better understand the causes of multiple myeloma and the pre-malignant conditions that lead to this devastating blood cancer. Her time working with leaders in the field at NCI, together with the timing of the creation of a new consortium, the International Lymphoma and Epidemiology Consortium (InterLymph), influenced her to pursue research in multiple myeloma, a rare blood cancer. Today, she is one of the country’s most renowned researchers in multiple myeloma.

In the fall of 2022, Brown was named the second-ever holder of the Endowed Professorship in Cancer Pathobiology, in the Department of Pathology. Brown says her time educating and mentoring those in the field has been a true highlight of her academic career. 

“It’s an honor to be recognized for excellence in mentorship,” says Brown. “While at UAB, I have had the privilege of mentoring a wide spectrum of outstanding trainees from high school students to graduate-level students including medical students, postdoctoral fellows and early-stage investigators. Playing a role in mentoring and inspiring the next generation of translational and clinical researchers is truly a highlight of my academic career. I enjoy working with my mentees to ignite a spark of genuine enthusiasm for thinking about and doing great science and empowering them to exceed their comfort zones to think critically and creatively. The ‘aha’ moments are priceless.”

Please join us in congratulating Dr. Elizabeth Brown on her achievement and recognition for her contributions and mentorship of her students.