Dennis Shields Awards Honors Postdoctoral Research
On June 7, 2018, the Belfer Institute for Advanced Biomedical Studies held the Dennis Shields Awards for Outstanding Postdoctoral Research ceremony to recognize exceptional postdoctoral research contributions at Einstein. This annual event, which began in 2004, also commemorates Dr. Shields, an Einstein professor and postdoctoral advocate who passed away in 2008.
Drs. Elisabeth Nyakatura, John Condeelis, Maja Oktay, Georgios Karagiannis, Jonathan Lai and Anne Bresnick with Mrs. Toni Shields at the awards ceremony.
Dr. Allen M. Spiegel, the Marilyn and Stanley M. Katz Dean emeritus at Einstein, Dr. Anne Bresnick, director of the Belfer Institute, and Mrs. Toni Shields, widow of Dr. Shields, awarded the $5,000 prizes to award recipients Dr. Georgios Karagiannis (anatomy & structural biology; mentors Drs. John Condeelis and Maja Oktay) and Dr. Elisabeth Nyakatura (biochemistry; mentor Dr. Jonathan Lai), who then presented their research to the Einstein community.
The Shields Awards honor the recipients’ outstanding scientific achievements. Dr. Nyakatura, who develops antibodies protective against Ebola virus infection, has published widely, including first author papers in Science, and the Journal of Biological Chemistry. “I have roots in Uganda, so working with other researchers to find direction toward treatments [of Ebola virus infection] is something that makes me happy,” she said of her research efforts.
Her ambitious project required a tireless and daring approach, said Dr. Lai, because of “a high failure rate with these types of endeavors involving development of multispecific antibodies.” Despite the obstacles, however, Dr. Nyakatura achieved success and feels honored to receive the Shields Award. “It’s a great recognition of what we’ve been doing,” she said.
The award also supports career advancement. Dr. Karagiannis, who studies the effects of chemotherapy on breast cancer, aspires to be a faculty member leading his own cancer research laboratory. “I’ve dreamed of doing research since I was a graduate student, but in order to be a principal investigator you need to be consistent and productive,” he said. The award complements his numerous publications, offering additional evidence of his ability to conduct quality and significant cancer research.
“The Dennis Shields award is very prestigious,” he added. “Since I’m already motivated to follow an academic career path, the award definitely will offer added proof to peers that will evaluate my applications in the future.”
Einstein postdocs from throughout the institution also presented their research at a poster session, held along Main Street in Forchheimer. A committee composed of Einstein faculty selected five poster prize winners from among these young investigators. Each awardee will receive $500, which can be used towards attending a scientific meeting or the purchase of books or laboratory reagents. This year's recipients are Drs. Devi Chinnasamy, Stephanie Chrysanthou, Maren Huelsemann, Elodie Picarda, and Chinmay Surve.
Posted on: Thursday, July 12, 2018