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Academic Standards Committee
The Academic Standards Committee consists of one member from each Program. This Committee makes recommendations to the Deans on the following matters:
- Appointment of faculty to all student Advisory and Examining Committees
- Student plans in order to ensure that faculty policies concerning academic standards are met
- All scholastic disciplinary matters; the Committee acts as a panel to determine whether grounds exist for dismissal of a student
Meeting dates for 2025-2026October 8, 2025 (In-Person meeting)
November 12, 2025
December 10, 2025
January 14, 2026
February 11, 2026
March 18, 2026
April 8, 2026
May 20, 2026
June 10, 2026
July 8, 2026
August 12, 2026
September 9, 2026The Committee will meet virtually. The meetings start at 9:00 a.m. on the second Wednesday of every month.
Members for the 2025-2026 academic yearGenetics & Epigenetics Shawn Bratton, PhD - Chair Don Gibbons, MD, PhD Cancer Biology Wantong Yao, PhD Gabriel Lopez-Berestein, PhD Genetic Counseling Rosemary Rogers, PhD Kathryn Gunther, MS, CGC Immunology Shervin Assassi, PhD Roza Nurieva, PhD Medical Physics Jinzhong Yang, PhD Rebecca Howell, PhD Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Jay Hun Lee, PhD Blake Hanson, PhD Molecular and Translational Biology Catherine Denicourt, PhD Melvin Klegerman, PhD Neuroscience Michael Beierlein, PhD Akhiko Urayama, PhD Therapeutics & Pharmacology Michelle Hildebrandt, PhD Federica Pisaneschi, PhD Quantitative Sciences Ruoyan Li, PhD Liang Li, PhD
GSBS AdministrationJeffrey Frost, PhD
Francesca Cole, PhD
Natalie Sirisaengtaksin, PhD
Wassim Chehab, PhD
Bunny Perez
For questions about Academic Standards Committee matters, please contact the Office of Academic Affairs. -
Admissions Committee
The Admissions Committee consists of a combination of faculty members recommended by the Dean's Office and Programs. This Committee is responsible for:
- Soliciting recommendations from appropriate Programs concerning student admission
- Evaluating applications for admission
- Submitting recommendations concerning admissions to the Deans
- Assuring that only persons who have demonstrated a potential for scientific excellence and meet the academic credentials defined in the GSBS Catalog can be recommended for admission
Meeting dates for 2025-2026The Committee meets as needed.
Members for the 2025-2026 academic yearMichael Lorenz, PhD Chair - At-Large Member Joe Alcorn, PhD Molecular and Translational Biology Moran Amit, PhD Neuroscience Program Representative Shilpa Dhar, PhD At-Large Member Andrew Dunbar, PhD At-Large Member Goo Jun, PhD At-Large Member Georgios Karras, PhD Genetics & Epigenetics Program Representative Takashashi Koichi, PhD At-Large Member Sivareddy Kotla, PhD Therapeuticss & Pharmacology Program Representative Ju-Seog Lee, PhD Quantitative Sciences Program Representative Chunru Lin, PhD At-Large Member Guang Peng, PhD Cancer Biology Program Representative Christian Perez, PhD Microbiology & Infectious Diseases Program Representative Harjeet Singh, PhD Immunology Program Representative Liuqing Yang, PhD At-Large Member Ji Young Yoo, PhD At-Large Member GSBS Administration
Cherilynn Shadding, PhD
Elvis Parada
For questions about Admissions Committee matters, please email Cherilynn Shadding. -
Curriculum Committee
The Curriculum Committee consists of nine faculty members and three students. This committee is responsible for:
- Review and approval of all course offerings of the Graduate Faculty
- Evaluation of current GSBS courses
- Approval of major changes to GSBS courses
- Elimination of GSBS courses
- Identification of courses that meet specific GSBS requirements
- Recommendations on changes in curriculum as well as related practices
Meeting Dates for 2025-2026October 15, 2025*
November 20, 2025
December 17, 2025
January 21, 2026
February 18, 2026
March 18, 2026
April 15, 2026
May 20, 2026
June 24, 2026**
July 15, 2026
August 19, 2026
September 16, 2026*The first meeting of the fiscal year will be in person. BSRB S3.8456 - GSBS All Purpose Room.
*One week later to accommodate the Juneteenth holiday.
The Committee will meet via Zoom. The meetings start at 2:30 p.m. on the third Wednesday of the month.
Members for the 2025-2026 academic yearMember Role Patrick Dougherty, PhD Chair Guangwei Du, PhD Member Leslie Dunnington, PhD Member Mallory Glenn, PhD Member Dershan Luo, PhD Member Rama Soundararajan, PhD Member Ryan Sun, PhD Member Wenyi Wang, PhD Member Chenggang Wu, PhD Member Stephen Farmer Student Representative Ha Tran Student Representative Muxin Wang Student Representative Zhen Xu, PhD Alternate
GSBS AdministrationJeffrey Frost, PhD
Wassim Chehab, PhD
Natalie Sirisaengtaksin, PhD
Joy Lademora, MGM
For questions concerning Curriculum Committee matters, please contact the Office of Academic Affairs. -
Executive Committee
The Executive Committee consists of the Dean, the Faculty President and Vice-President, the Chairpersons of standing committees, the Graduate Student Association President, and three at-large representatives from among the GSBS Faculty who will be appointed to staggered terms of three-years each by the GSBS Membership Committee. In addition, the Faculty President and chairs of the Academic Standards, Admissions, Curriculum and Membership Committees serve as ex officio voting members of the Committee in the year following their appointments. The Faculty Vice-President is the chair of the Executive Committee. Responsibilities of the Executive Committee include:
- Coordinating activities of standing committees
- Reviewing academic policy
- Periodic evaluation of Programs
- Initiating emergency legislation
- Nominating candidates for Faculty Vice-President
- Assuming an advocacy role in matters related to academic freedom, appointments, and tenure involving members of the Graduate Faculty (upon request)
Meeting dates for 2025-2026October 16, 2025
January 22, 2026
March 26, 2026
June 25, 2026
August 20, 2026The Committee meets at least five times per year. All meetings will be held in person in the GSBS All Purpose Room (BSRB S3.8456). The meetings start at 2:00 p.m.
Members for the 2025-2026 academic yearMember Role Danielle Garsin, PhD Chair and VP and President-Elect of GSBS Faculty Rebecca Howell, PhD Faculty President Alejandro Aballay, PhD Dean Chandra Bartholomeusz, PhD Past Chair Student Scholarship Committee Shawn Bratton, PhD Chair of Academic Standards Committee Kendra Carmon, PhD Chair of Student Success and Well-Being Committee Shane Cunha, PhD Past Faculty President Patrick Dougherty, PhD Chair of Curriculum Committee Kristin Eckel-Mahan Chair Program Directors Committee Renee Girard President of Graduate Student Association Michelle Hildebrandt, PhD Past Chair of Academic Standards Committee Humam Kadara, PhD At-Large Member Heidi Kaplan, PhD Past Chair of Admissions Committee Michael Lorenz, PhD Chair Admissions Committee William Margolin, PhD Past Chair Program Directors Committee Vihang Narkar, PhD Chair of Student Scholarship Committee Mohammad Salehpour, PhD Chair of Membership Committee Rama Soundararajan, PhD Past Chair Curriculum Committee Qingchun Tong, PhD At-Large Member Haoqiang Ying, PhD Past Chair of Membership Committee
AdministrationFrancesca Cole, PhD
Jeffrey Frost, PhD
Elisabet Lau
Elvis Parada
Jennifer Price
Raquel Salinas, PhD
Cherilynn Shadding, PhD
Natalie Sirisaengtaksin, PhD
Chehab Wassim, PhD
Karen Weinberg -
Membership Committee
The Membership Committee consists of nine faculty members and makes recommendations to the Deans on the following matters:
- Appointment of new faculty members
- Faculty reappointments at least once every five years
- Membership of standing committees of the Graduate Faculty
Meeting dates for 2025-2026October 2, 2025
December 4, 2025
February 5, 2026
April 2, 2026
June 4, 2026
August 6, 2026The Committee meetings will be held in person in the GSBS All Purpose Room (BSRB S3.8367). The meetings start at 1:00 p.m. on the 2nd Thursday of even months.
Members for the 2025-2026 academic yearMember Role Mohammad Salehpour, PhD Chair Yuri Dabaghian, PhD Member Anne-Marie Krachler, PhD Member Callie Kwartler, PhD Member Gohar Manzar, PhD Member Niki M. Zacharias-Millward, PhD Member Gina Sanchez Member Zahid Siddik, PhD Member Gab Seok Kim, PhD Alternate
GSBS AdministrationJeffrey Frost, PhD
Jennifer Price, MBA, MHRM
Wassim Chehab, PhD
Natalie Sirisaengtaksin, PhD
For questions about Membership Committee matters, please email GSBS Faculty Affairs -
Program Directors Committee
The Program Directors Committee consists of Program Directors and two student representatives. The director of the MD/PhD Program is an ex officio member. The Committee makes recommendations to the Deans and the Executive Committee concerning the effectiveness and initiation of GSBS policies, including:
- policies that affect the function of the Graduate School
- policies that affect the structure and governance of Graduate Programs
- approval of new graduate programs
Meeting dates for 2025-2026
- September 9, 2025
- December 9, 2025
- March 17, 2026
- June 9, 2026
Members for the 2025-2026 academic yearMember Role/Program Jian Hu, PhD Cancer Biology Claire Singletary, MS, CGC Genetic Counseling Rachel Miller, PhD Genetics and Epigenetics Alexandre Reuben, PhD Immunology Rebecca Howell, PhD Medical Physics Anna Konovalova, PD Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Kristin Eckel-Mahan, PhD Chair, Molecular and Translational Biology Kartik Venkatachalam, PhD Neuroscience Peng Wei, PhD Quantitative Sciences Ali Azhdarinia, PhD Therapeutics and Pharmacology Dianna Milewicz, MD, PhD MD/PhD Program (ex officio) Sunjay Neerukonda Student Member Hyuk Jean Kwon Student Member GSBS Deans/Administration
Alejandro Aballay, PhD
Francesca Cole, PhD
Jeffrey Frost, PhD
Raquel Salinas, PhD
Cherilynn Shadding, PhD
Karen Weinberg
Amy Carter
Amanda Williamson -
Student Success and Well-Being Committee
The GSBS Student Success and Well-Being Committee will ensure that the GSBS maintains a welcoming environment through advising, mentoring, and community engagement to empower all students to thrive, achieve, and maximize their success. The Committee will include 9 faculty and 3 staff members (or GSBS affiliates) to serve 3-year terms, 3 students to serve a 1-year term with an option to renew, and the Assistant/Associate Dean of Student Affairs.
Duties of the Committee may include but are not limited to:
- conducting regular assessment of student needs to identify opportunities to foster and facilitate professionalism in the GSBS community
- recruitment, development, and retention of all students, including but not limited to first-generation college students, low-income students, and underserved students
- supporting student-led initiatives on community engagement and development; initiating effective professional and wellness offerings
Meeting dates for 2025-2026
The Committee meets at regular intervals, in-person or virtually, as determined by its members.
Members for the 2025-2026 academic year
Member Role Kendra Carmon, PhD Chair - Molecular and Translational Biology Program Representative Arjun Bhattacharya, PhD Quantitative Sciences Program Representative Matthew DeBerge, PhD Immunology Program Representative Dan Frigo, PhD Cancer Biology Program Representative Heidi Kaplan, PhD Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Program Representative Osama Mawlawi, PhD Medical Physics Program Representative Rachel Miller, PhD Genetics & Epigenetics Program Representative Seyed Javad Moghaddam, PhD Immunology Program Representative Samantha Montgomery Genetic Counseling Program Representative Keila Torres, MD, PhD Genetics and Epigenetics Program Representative Joo Eun Jung, PhD Alternate - Neuroscience Program Representative Richa Nayak Student Representative Munazza Samar Khan Student Representative Erin Snoddy Student Representative Jaime Tran Student Representative - Alternate GSBS Administration
Cherilynn Shadding, PhD
Carolyn Agurcia-Parker, PhD
Wassim Chehab, PhD
Kehinde (Kenny) Ogunseye, PhD
Tanieka Young, MSHRD, MBAFor questions about Student Success and Well-Being Committee matters, please email Cherilynn Shadding.
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Student Scholarship Committee
The Student Scholarship Committee consists of a faculty representative from each GSBS Program. The Committee is responsible for:
- Providing appropriate reviewers for student scholarships and fellowships that draw on representation from all GSBS Programs
- Providing input on the processes used to identify winners of student scholarships and fellowships
- Providing recommendations to the GSBS Deans on policies related to the establishment of new awards for students
Meeting dates for 2025-2026The Committee meets as needed.
Members for the 2025-2026 academic yearMember Role Vihang Narkar, PhD Chair Therapeutics & Pharmacology Program Representative Jun-ichi Abe, PhD At-Large Member Aaron (Yu) An Cancer Biology Program Representative
Anjali Chauhan, PhD At-Large Member
Simona Colla, PhD At-Large Member Simon Eschweiler, PhD At-Large Member Jacqueline Harkenrider, PhD Genetic Counseling Lawrence Kwong, PhD Cancer Biology Program Representative Wenbo Li, PhD At-Large Member Ziyi Li, PhD Quantitative Sciences Program Representative Ziyin Li, PhD Microbiology & Infectious Diseases Program Representative Qing Ma, PhD Immunology Program Representative Marites Melancon, PhD Medical Physics Program Representative Tingting Mills, PhD At-Large Member Surendra Prajapati, PhD At-Large Member Hind Rafei, PhD At-Large Member Yanning Rui, PhD At-Large Member Min Sup Song, PhD At-Large Member Angela Ting, PhD Genetics & Epigenetics Program Representative Jun Wang, PhD At-Large Member Xinzhu Yu, PhD At-Large Member Di Zhao, PhD At-Large Member
GSBS AdministrationJeffrey Frost, PhD
Wassim Chehab, PhD
Joy Lademora
Susan SimonFor questions about Student Scholarship Committee matters, please email Chehab Wassim.
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