Known as a “silent hero” by her colleagues, Erica Leday, senior administrative coordinator at the Graduate School, has received the 2026 Melva S. Ramsay Award for her outstanding service, responsiveness, and commitment to keeping operations running smoothly. Read more about her work and recognition.

The Graduate School’s new Peer Review Challenge program, led by the Career Development team, is helping students build essential grant writing and review skills, as we celebrate its first cohort of awardees. 

Cancer Biology graduate Lan T. H. Phi uncovered a new role for AXL in inflammatory breast cancer, showing it drives tumor progression by promoting immunosuppressive polarization through STAT6 signaling. The findings reveal how AXL reshapes the tumor microenvironment to support immune evasion and growth, highlighting it as a promising therapeutic target.

Therapeutics and Pharmacology PhD student Tyler Bateman shares how collaboration, mentorship, and meaningful research in drug development are shaping his experience at the Graduate School.

Committed to strengthening student support, Genetics and Epigenetics PhD student Llaran Turner and Immunology PhD student Guillaume Trusz represent the Graduate School on the UT System Student Advisory Council, helping to elevate student perspectives in system-wide conversations and initiatives.

For more than two decades, Karen Weinberg has helped build a Graduate School community where people feel supported, connected, and empowered to succeed — leadership that earned her a UTHealth Houston President’s Award for Leadership.