Student Representatives, Committees, & Organizations - Medical Scientist Training Program

Class Representatives

Student representatives are responsible for maintaining contact between students and the administration. Although they can always go directly to the administration, students should feel free to contact their representatives about any problems they may see with the program.

The reps should also communicate viewpoints/ideas of students and be able to speak on behalf of various students. Reps are expected to attend monthly MSTP staff meetings and be involved with the inner workings of the program. Reps are the voice of the students in discussing program policies, both new and old. Therefore, they are often able to communicate new requirements and explain the reasoning behind them.

MSTP Class Representatives

Alyssa Flint (MS1)
Benji Lee (MS2)
Federico Prokopczuk (GS1)
Jana Badrani (GS2)
Kasey Brida (GS3)
Gelare Ghajar-Rahimi (GS4-GS5)
Alana Jones and Jake Files (MS3-MS4)
Robert Rosencrans (UAB Heersink SOM Medical Education Committee Representative [MEC])

Committees

Events Committee
The Events Committee is responsible for helping to plan the Annual MSTP Retreat and the new MSTP Student Picnic. This group will also be responsible for helping to organize all our student interactions during recruiting, including student hosts, dinners, social hours, the second visit party, etc.

Committee Members
- Dalton Fitzgerald (Events Committee Chair; Retreat Chair)
- Ian Miranda
- Jenny Hsin
- Christine Carico (Recruitment Chair)
- Anna Cook
- Asher Kahn-Krell
- Courtney Swain
- Nick Boyle
- Samuel Chang
- Matthew Cheung
- Hunter Dean
- Victoria Flanary
- Melissa Jennings
- Robert Lee
- Sam Gary
- Garrett Wilson
- Graham Cochrane
- Blake Frey
- Sierra Hansen
- Sanders Pair (Social Chair)
- Taylor Person
- Lindsay Stoyka
- Kasey Brida
- Zoe Fokakis
- Jana Badrani
Communications Committee
The Communications Committee is responsible for writing and producing "The Vulcan Letter," our semiannual newsletter that chronicles all things MSTP and showcases the energy and fun spirit of our band of merry pranksters while highlighting the national recognition our students and our program continue to accrue. It is also a great opportunity to keep in touch with our alumni, while learning about their experiences after graduation and gaining some insight into what our future may hold. This committee is also responsible for updating the MSTP blog "UnABridged". Ideas, stories, or pictures can be sent to the Communications Committee at uabmstpcomm@gmail.com.

Committee Members
- Alana Jones – Chair
- Jana Badrani
- Kasey Brida
- Zoe Fokakis
- Morgan Greene
- Jenny Hsin
- Aaron Lucander
- Shreya Kashyap
- Hayden Pacl
- Taylor Person
- Rob Rosencrans
- Lamario Williams
CAMS Committee
The CAMS committee sponsors a monthly evening seminar series (Monthly Translational Research Seminar, MSTP 794) and invites speakers from university faculty currently involved in translational research, in addition to presentations from senior students in the program.

Committee Representatives
- Chang, Samuel (Chair)
- Prokopczuk, Federico
- Devulapalli, Rishi K
- Landers, Kyle R
- Lee, Robert E
- Ilieva, Neda
- Ghajar-Rahimi, Gelare
- Fortmann, Seth D
- Miranda, Ian D

Organizations

American Physician Scientist Association

UAB APSA Chapter
Griffin Society

The Griffin Society at the University of Alabama at Birmingham serves to advance understanding of biomedical research by clinical residents, fellows, and MSTP students.

The society is named for Frank Monroe Griffin, Jr., M.D., who founded the UAB MD/PhD training program in 1985 and directed the MSTP for 13 years. Dr. Griffin attended the Medical University of South Carolina and received his MD in 1966. He extended his training an intern and resident in the Department of Medicine, and a Fellow in the Division of Infectious Diseases here at the University of Alabama. He spent two years at the US Naval Hospital in Illinois and two years as a Research Fellow at the Rockefeller University prior to returning to UAB as a faculty member.

The goal of the Griffin Society is to promote interactions between MSTP students, residents and fellows with interests in biomedical research, and MD/PhD faculty who have experienced the rewards and challenges of the career opportunities offered to those with a combined degree, allowing these groups to enrich each other with their different experiences and viewpoints. The society will also help MSTP students to understand the clinical context of their research and enable them to form contacts with people at more advanced stages of training.

The main focus of the Griffin Society is a clinical mentorship program for MSTP students during their research years. The goal of this program is to help MSTP students smoothly transition to their clinical years, having maintained and matured the clinical skills acquired during their first two years of medical school.

Griffin Society Reps

Brandon Fox bmfox@uab.edu
Kelsey Patterson kelseycp@uab.edu
Will Webb wmwebb89@uab.edu
Stephen Gragg graggsd@uab.edu
Kristin Olson kmolson@uab.edu

Griffin Society Advisory Committee

Heather Allen heallen@uab.edu
Stephanie Brosius sbrosius@uab.edu
Catherine Poholek cpoholek@uab.edu
Alice Weaver alicen@uab.edu
William Geisler, MD, MPH wgeisler@uab.edu
Southeastern Medical Scientist Symposium (SEMSS)
The Southeastern Medical Scientist Symposium (SEMSS) is hosted by MSTP students from UAB, Emory, and Vanderbilt and seeks to (1) foster dialogue and networking among MD/PhD trainees at institutions in the Southeast US; (2) provide opportunities to present research beyond a school-wide setting; and (3) educate undergraduate students possibly interested in MD/PhD programs. The SEMMS is supported by the American Physician Scientist Association (APSA) and NIH NIGMS.

SEMSS Executive Committee Members: UAB
- Jacob Files
- Shreya Kashyap
- Matthew Cheung