UTHealth Houston - Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences

A nontraditional path helped Phillip Urbanczyk define the questions he wanted to explore before entering the Neuroscience Program at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Houston Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. Here, he found a mentor who supported his vision, and a multidisciplinary community that continues to expand how he approaches his research.

Why do some triple-negative breast cancers respond to chemotherapy while others do not? For November’s Paper of the Month, UT MD Anderson UTHealth Houston Graduate School of Biomedical Science PhD candidate Kate Cho examines research revealing cellular and spatial patterns linked to treatment response. The study, co-authored by Graduate School alumnus Yun Yan, PhD ’25, was published in Nature.

For five decades, Anthony A. “Tony” Wright, PhD, helped shape neuroscience education and mentorship at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Houston Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences while building an internationally recognized career in comparative cognition, learning, and memory. The longtime faculty member and professor emeritus at McGovern Medical School leaves a legacy carried forward by generations of students and scientists he taught and mentored.

From studying quasars to training in radiation oncology physics, Zeph Kaffey, PhD '26, has followed a path driven by a desire to make an impact on people. Now in clinical residency at the University of California San Diego, the 2026 Medical Physics alumna reflects on the mentorship, leadership and community that prepared her to build a career around patient care, research and mentoring future scientists.

From studying blood cancers to preparing astronauts for the conditions of space, Karin Loftin, PhD ’79, followed her passion for laboratory research wherever it led. Now she is helping future scientists do the same.

Growing up in Chihuahua, Mexico, Diana Carrasco Rojas found her first role model in medical physics close to home. Now a Medical Physics PhD student, she is developing tools to help ensure advanced radiation therapy is delivered safely and consistently in clinical trials — while encouraging potential students from similar backgrounds to pursue their own paths in science.