News & Community Spotlight
Community Spotlight Committee
Supporting opportunities within our community has been a core value of the Microbiology Department for years. However, recent events have raised our awareness of continued disparities that exist in biomedical research. To help address this problem, the Microbiology Department has organized a committee of faculty and staff that will centralize departmental efforts to promote opportunities that provide support, collaboration, and belonging within our communities at UT Southwestern Medical Center and within the larger microbiology community. The Community Spotlight Committee has constructed a plan to specifically address actionable steps the department will take based on recommendations outlined in 2020 by The Association of African American Scientists (TAAAS) and the Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS), with support of additional student organizations and faculty. Our overarching goal is to develop policies that produce a supportive and inclusive environment that leads to improvements in the recruitment and retention of a broad array of excellent scientists with similar community goals.
Current Community Spotlight Committee members are Drs. Neal Alto, Nick Conrad, Kevin Forsberg, and Julie Pfeiffer. In addition, the Community Spotlight Committee has an Advisory Council composed of students, postdocs, and staff who will provide feedback and participate in the implementation of the departmental action plan. Currently, those members include Maribel Alonso (staff), Dr. Joshua Baty (postdoc), Emi Nakahara (graduate student), Nestor Ruiz (graduate student), Courtney Santos (graduate student), and Dr. Alexandra Wells (postdoc).
We welcome anyone in the Microbiology Department to join this committee. Please notify any of the current members if you would like to be considered for this role.
Community Spotlight Committee Newsletters
Organized by Dr. Alexandra Wells and Emi Nakahara, this newsletter highlights new members of the department, events, outreach, and custom puns from Dr. Kevin Forsberg.
Profiles
- On the fringes of typical: Profile on the Microbiology Department, Kevin Forsberg’s Searle Award, and Julie Pfeiffer (2023)
- A new twist on CRISPR technology: Profile on John Schoggins, including his yoga world championship! (2019)
Awards
- John Schoggins elected to the American Academy of Microbiology (2024)
- Postdoc Alexandra Wells receives HHMI Hanna Gray Fellowship (2023)
- Students Samantha Sakells and Anthony DeMaria receive NSF Fellowships (2023)
- Student Ian Boys wins Nominata Award (2021)
- John Schoggins receives NIH Pioneer Award (2020)
- Students Matt McDougal, Anne Devlin, and Usman Hyder receive NSF Fellowships (2019)
- Julie Pfeiffer receives O’Donnell Award in Science from TAMEST (2019)
- Postdoc Arielle Woznica receives HHMI Hanna Gray Fellowship (2019)
- Neal Alto named UTSW Presidential Scholar (2018)
- Neal Alto receives Norman Hackerman Award (2017)
Research Article Press Releases
- Embry-Alto-Gammon paper (2024)
- Rex-Gammon paper (2024)
- Mar-Schoggins paper (2023)
- Hansen-Alto paper (2021)
- Goodman-Hendrixson paper (2020)
- Liu-Alto paper (2019)
- Reeder-D’Orso paper (2016)