BMI Weekly News- July 20, 2020
BMI Weekly News
July 20, 2020
News
• Congratulations to IM PhD Student Ashley Anderson on completing her thesis dissertation and earning her PhD degree (Advisor: Dr. Philip Pellett). Dr. Anderson will soon join a laboratory at the University of Virginia to study the fundamental causes of systemic lupus erythematosus.
• Congratulations to Jack D. Sobel, M.D., on being awarded the title of Dean Emeritus by the WSU Board of Governors. Dr. Sobel is a Distinguished Professor of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, and has appointments as Professor of Biochemistry, Microbiology & Immunology and Gynecology & Oncology, on being awarded the title of dean emeritus. The Board of Governors honors Professor Sobel with dean emeritus title: Link
• Dr. Flossie Wong-Staal, a renowned Molecular Virologist
A remembrance by Dr. Raghavendar Thipparthi
I was shocked and deeply saddened to learn that Dr. Flossie Wong-Staal, an esteemed Retrovirologist had passed away on July 8th at Jacobs Medical Center in La Jolla, CA due to pneumonia. Her contributions to the field of HIV are immeasurable. Dr. Wong-Staal was the first person to clone the HIV genome, which laid the foundation for the development of subsequent therapeutic strategies to combat HIV/AIDS. She was also named as Top 10 Women Scientists Of The ‘80s with 7800 citations in the field of Virology/Molecular Biology between 1981 and 1988 (ref 1). Over her career, Dr. Wong-Staal accumulated numerous accolades; she was an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine (1994), honored as one of the top 50 female scientists by Discover Magazine (2002), ranked #32 of the "Top 100 Living Geniuses" in a Daily Telegraph listing (2007); and inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame along with Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor in 2019 (refs 2-4).
In addition to her many important scientific contributions, perhaps her greatest legacy to the scientific community was her dedication to training new scientists. At the height of the HIV research revolution, it was the dream of many PhDs to work in Dr. Wong-Staal’s lab. I achieved my dream by joining her lab at UC San Diego, CA as a Post-Graduate Researcher in 1990, and left as Research Assistant Professor in 2000. She successfully mentored numerous PhD students and postdoctoral fellows and maintained a large research lab (~20 post-docs) with unlimited resources. At the beginning, I was hesitant to work with the HIV virus directly. She understood my concerns and suggested a list of projects that would have minimum exposure to the virus. We had full freedom to work on our own schedules and at our own pace, but in return, Dr. Wong-Staal held her trainees to the highest standards. She was straightforward, intelligent, thorough, and dedicated. She valued and respected the researchers she mentored. This comradery led to maximum productivity and mutual trust. In fact, many people from her lab have settled in reputable positions nationally and internationally.
Flossie also had a passion for life. She was fond of arranging summer beach picnics, farewell parties, baby showers, and would treat the entire lab for lunch on Chinese New Year. She was considerate, down to the earth, and willing to go the extra mile to help her trainees not only on a professional level, but also on a personal level. I really enjoyed working with Dr. Wong-Staal; she was the best mentor I ever had, a boss who never exerted bossism. Her scientific brilliance, kind and encouraging mentorship, and love of life will be greatly missed. I would like to express my heartfelt condolences to her family and may her Soul Rest in Peace.
For additional information, please see the article below from the New York Times.
- https://www.the-scientist.com/news-opinion/research-top-10-women-scientists-of-the-80s-making-a-difference
- https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/17/science/flossie-wong-staal-who-unlocked-mystery-of-hiv-dies-at-73.html
- https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/flossie-wong-staal-pioneering-hivaids-researcher-dies-at-73/2020/07/13/8ddd088a-c2e9-11ea-b178-bb7b05b94af1_story.html
- https://www/sandiegouniontribune.com/news/science/story/2020-07-09/flossie-wong-staal-obituary
Sincerely,
Thipparthi Raghavendar
Events
• Please join us for these upcoming Thesis and Dissertation defenses:
◦ Tuesday, July 21, 2020, 4:00pm for a Dissertation Public Lecture Presentation for Master of Science in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology: BMB MS student, Jennifer Reish. Title: "A robust dual-plasmid system for gene alteration in Staphylococcus aureus using an inducible Cas9 enzyme”. Zoom: https://wayne-edu.zoom.us/j/4356855460?pwd=UzJFa3doZGdIMld5aXdPdmZxRWxvZz09. Meeting ID: 435 685 5460. Password: 674943. Advisor: Dr. Andrew Berti
◦ Friday, July 24, 2020, 10:00am for a Dissertation Public Lecture Presentation for the degree of Ph.D. Doctor of Philosophy: IM PhD student, Paul Breen. Title: "Vibrio cholerae and the Zebrafish Microbiome”. Zoom: https://wayne-edu.zoom.us/j/95626314686?pwd=T2Q4RVdGU2FGNGZIK2NlZ2RkczFVUT09. Meeting ID: 956 2631 4686. Password: 445829. Advisor: Dr. Jeffrey Withey
Information for Students
• Student return-to-campus plan: https://wayne.edu/coronavirus/student-fall-semester
• Warrior Safe Training: https://wayne.edu/coronavirus/warrior-safe-training/
• Campus Daily Screener: https://forms.wayne.edu/covid-19-screening/
• Dean of Students Office: https://doso.wayne.edu/
• Office of International Students and Scholars (OISSO): https://oiss.wayne.edu/
• Updated link for SEVP COVID-19 Guidance for Fall 2020: Updated SEVP COVID-19 Guidance for Fall 2020
• Wayne State University Recent Updates: https://wayne.edu/coronavirus
Lab restart information
• Phase 2 is still in the planning stages. Gloves, hydrogen-peroxide disinfectant, and masks have been distributed to Phase 2 labs in advance.
• Reminder: Do not throw away the disinfectant bottles & sprayers because they are reusable.
• Review and adapt Start-up guidance from OEHS (link)
• Warrior Safe Training: https://wayne.edu/coronavirus/warrior-safe-training/
• Campus Daily Screener: https://forms.wayne.edu/covid-19-screening/
• Submit return to campus questions: https://forms.wayne.edu/return-to-campus-questions-comments/
• If Parking Structure 4 is still closed, use the adjacent surface lot (Lot #75) for parking.
• Campus and U.S. Postal Service mail delivery to medical school buildings has resumed. Central Receiving
• Today’s message from the Public Health Restart Committee: Campus Health Center Message
• The Wayne State University School of Medicine coronavirus website has been updated to reflect the latest return-to-campus guidelines for students, faculty, staff, and visitors. https://www.med.wayne.edu/coronavirus
• Important new guidelines for equipment servicing - Attached are the guidelines for any outside vendors scheduled to work on your research equipment in a WSU building. Please make sure you and your vendors follow these instructions prior to coming to WSU campus.
• From Today@Wayne: F&M playbook - covers campus cleaning, indoor air quality, FAQs and more Areas highlighted in each expandable section of Wayne State’s Facilities, Planning and Management's playbook include details and step-by-step procedures that are required and developed for the safety of the campus community.
Links (as embedded in items above):
• A message from the Public Health Restart Committee: https://i.wayne.edu/view/5f1588d61299b?utm_source=link&utm_medium=email-5f1588d61299b&utm_campaign=A+message+from+the+Public+Health+Restart+Committee+&utm_content=Read+this+email+on+the+Web
• Board of Governors honors Professor Sobel with dean emeritus title: https://today.wayne.edu/medicine/news/2020/07/07/board-of-governors-honors-professor-sobel-with-dean-emeritus-title-37858?utm_source=link&utm_medium=email-5f10644b4fae8&utm_campaign=Connect+the+Docs+-+July+2020+-+Wayne+State+University&utm_content=Board+of+Governors+honors+Professor+Sobel+with+dean+emeritus+ti
• Office of International Programs: https://i.wayne.edu/view/5f0e21bd8950f?utm_source=link&utm_medium=email-5f0e21bd8950f&utm_campaign=Updated+SEVP+COVID-19+Guidance+for+Fall+2020&utm_content=Read+this+email+on+the+Web
• Updated SEVP COVID-19 Guidance for Fall 2020:
• F&M playbook on campus cleaning and more: https://today.wayne.edu/news/2020/07/08/playbook-launched-covering-protocols-for-safe-return-to-campus-measures-taken-to-prepare-facilities-for-employees-and-students-37872?utm_source=link&utm_medium=email-5f0620a6bb068&utm_campaign=Wednesday%2C+July+8%2C+2020%2C+-+Today%40Wayne+-+Wayne+State+University&utm_content=Playbook+launched+covering+protocols+for+safe+return+to+campus%3B
• Central Receiving Updated Delivery information:
• Academic and Registration Calendar 2019-2020:https://wayne.edu/registrar/registration/calendar19-20
• Academic and Registration Calendar 2020-2021: https://wayne.edu/registrar/registration/calendar20-21/
• Academic and Registration Calendar 2021-2022: https://wayne.edu/registrar/registration/calendar21-22/