Activities and Opportunities
Immunology Club
Each month the GSBS Immunology Program students hold an Immunology Club meeting to host workshops and faculty-led chalk-talks on varying subjects within or related to immunology, experimental methods, graduate school, and career advancement. Previous events include a patient advocacy group who described their patient-clinical perspective, an introduction to CyTOF workshop by MD Anderson’s co-director of the north campus flow cytometry core facility, and multi-perspective faculty chalk talks about their areas of immunology-related research. A number of social events for students are also held at this time. First year students are welcome to attend. For more information regarding Immunology Club, please contact Rachel Babcock, Apoorvi Chaudhri, or Heather Sonnemann.
Seminar Series
Students are encouraged to attend cancer immunology-related seminars offered by the Center for Cancer Immunology Research (CCIR) and the Center for Inflammation and Cancer (CIC); both Centers are based at MD Anderson and specializing in translational immunology research. The seminars are wonderful opportunities for students to learn about research led by accomplished scientists. The CCIR also holds seminars in which students, postdoctoral fellows and PhD-level research staff give talks about their projects, and in return they receive feedback regarding presentation style, experimental design and interpretation of results from faculty. To be added to the mailing lists for future seminars contact Lauren Porter and specify one or all of the seminar series.
- CCIR Grand Rounds
- CIC Distinguished Lecture Series will resume soon.
- CCIR Graduate Student and Postdoctoral Fellow Seminar Series -- held on Thursdays at 2:00 pm in the South Campus Research Building
Program Incentives
Individual Fellowship Incentive Program
- The GSBS Immunology Program has established an incentive program to encourage PhD students to apply for nationally competitive individual fellowships. This program will provide students with a $200 award for those who successfully submit a fellowship application and an additional $300 award for those who are successfully funded. Click here for more information regarding the Individual Fellowship Incentive Program.
Travel Awards
- Each year the GSBS Immunology Program provides funding to help students defray the costs of attending scientific meetings or courses. Students who are successfully awarded will receive $750 in travel funding. Click here for more information regarding travel awards.
Program Retreat
Each year the Immunology Program sponsors a student-organized research retreat, which includes student talks, poster sessions, and a keynote speaker. The retreat is considered to be valuable time away from the laboratory allowing students and faculty to become better acquainted with each other.
This year’s retreat will take place on Friday, April 3 to Saturday, April 4, 2020, at The San Luis Resort in Galveston, Texas. Honored guest is Dr. Chrystal M. Paulos, Associate Professor at the Medical University of South Carolina's Hollings Cancer Center. Dr. Paulos' research focuses on the potential role of human IL-17 producing cells in tumor immunity. Currently, Dr. Paulos' laboratory is investigating how ICOS signaling modulates key transcription factors that impact the function fate of inflammatory Th17/Tc17 cells and the mechanisms governing the effectiveness of ICOS-expanded Th17/Tc17 cells using a highly clinically relevant cancer mouse model.
For more information regarding the research retreat, please contact Immunology Program Coordinator, Teasha Barker.