UTHealth Houston - Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences

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.

What does it mean to see potential in someone before they see it in themselves? Meet the 2026 D. Dudley and Judy White Oldham Faculty Award recipients: Jian Hu, PhD, and Claire Singletary, MS, CGC, who share how mentorship has shaped their careers — and how they help students build confidence, find their own paths and discover their potential.

Laurel Boatright entered college planning to pursue medicine, but research opened another path. Now a Microbiology and Infectious Diseases PhD student, she is studying the cervical microbiome to better understand cervical cancer, while drawing on mentorship, interdisciplinary expertise, and a collaborative environment that extends across The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Houston Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and the Texas Medical Center.

What if the immune system could be pushed to fight cancer more effectively? Cancer Biology PhD student K M Salim (Opu) Andalib is exploring how mRNA-based immune stimulation and radiation therapy could work together against tumors — an ambitious question shaped by his drive to connect research with patient impact and strengthened by the mentors and peers who challenge how he thinks.

A welcoming microbiology lab introduced Jennifer Walker, PhD, to biomedical research and set her on a path to becoming a faculty member at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Houston Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. Today, she draws on that experience to mentor the next generation of scientists, build collaborations across the Texas Medical Center, and encourage her students to pursue their own questions.

An unexpected turn led Genetics and Epigenetics PhD student Josh Lindenberger to cancer research at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Houston Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, where collaboration, professional development, and involvement in his program and student organizations are shaping his experience. The Texas Medical Center broadens his scientific network and opportunities, while Houston offers inspiration of a different kind—including Impressionist art, which reminds him that, much like research, sometimes you have to step back to see how the pieces come together.