Communications Assistant Lauren Nguyen helps keep the Graduate School community informed and connected through her work to showcase the people who make the Graduate School a vibrant and welcoming community. Learn about her journey from student communications worker at the University of Houston to her role at the Graduate School.

The Graduate School's Community Outreach Group is helping spark curiosity about science throughout Houston. Through partnerships with local schools, museums, and community organizations, student volunteers lead hands-on activities that make biomedical science accessible and fun for learners of all ages. Meet the GSBS Community Outreach leadership team and learn what inspires their passion for science communication and community engagement.

The UTHealth Houston Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences hosted its fourth annual T1-T4 in 3 (Minutes) Translational Challenge on June 10. The eight in-person presenters and one online presenter, Natasha Garcia-Rodriguez, competed for monetary prizes to support their research.

Recent Genetics and Epigenetics graduate Melissa Frasca, PhD, uncovered that the complex MutSgamma acts earlier in the meiotic chromosomal segregation pathway than previously expected. Her findings in the lab of Francesca Cole, PhD, provide new insight into the mechanisms that ensure accurate chromosome segregation and may help advance future infertility research.

Genetics and Epigenetics PhD candidate Richa Nayak is investigating how “jumping genes” — ancient viral sequences embedded in our DNA — are regulated in adult stem cells. These transposons can reactivate with aging and have been linked to cancer, neurodegeneration, and autoimmune disorders. Nayak studies how stem cells keep these elements in check and what happens when control is lost. Her research aims to uncover mechanisms with potential to inform new therapeutic approaches for human disease.

UTHealth Houston announced today a partnership with the city of Houston to establish a new academic health department that will strengthen the region’s public health workforce, expand hands-on training opportunities, and deepen collaboration between academic experts and city health leaders.