MS, PhD, and MD/PhD
Wendy P. Jamison, PhD Defended dissertation May 2005 (Fey mentor). Dissertation title: “Molecular Analysis of Ceftriaxone-Resistant Salmonella enterica.” Post-Doctoral position-NIH Rocky Mountain laboratories, Hamilton, MT. with Dr. Ted Hackstadt (Chlamydia pathogenesis). Current Position-Associate Professor and Department Chair, Department of Biology, Chadron State University, Chadron, NE.
Luke D. Handke, PhD Defended dissertation October 2005 (Fey mentor). Dissertation title: “Phenotypic variation of the ica operon in Staphylococcus epidermidis.” Post-Doctoral position-Tufts University, Boston, MA with Dr. Linc Sonnenshein (Bacillus/Staphylococcus nitrogen metabolism). Current Position-Principal Scientist at Pfizer Research, Vaccine Division.
Scott A. Koepsell, MD, PhD Defended dissertation 2005 (Hinrichs mentor). Dissertation title: “The Biochemical Investigation of Staphylococcus aureus primase.” Residency-Anatomic and Clinical Pathology, University of Nebraska Medical Center. Fellowship-Transfusion Medicine and Blood Banking, University of Minnesota. Current Position-Assistant Professor, Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Nebraska Medical Center.
Kendall A. Bryant, PhD D(ABMM). Defended dissertation November 2008 (Fey mentor). Dissertation title: “Genetic characterization of the Macromolecular Synthesis Operon (MMSO) in Staphylococcus epidermidis.” Post-Doctoral position-Kansas Department of Health-Public Health Scientist training (Dec 08-Dec 09). Clinical Microbiology Fellowship: Clinical Microbiology Fellowship Program-University of Nebraska Medical Center (January 2010-June 2012). Current Position: Clinical Microbiology Director, Orlando Health, Orlando, FL.
Kelsi L. Anderson, PhD Defended Dissertation in December 2008 (Dunman mentor). Dissertation title: “Staphylococcus aureus RNA turnover.” Postdoctoral Position: University of Michigan School of Medicine with Dr. Mary O’Riordan. Current Position: Assistant Professor of Biology at Concordia University, Ann Arbor, MI.
Kathie L. Rogers, PhD Defended dissertation December 2008 (Fey mentor). Dissertation title: “Genetic characterization of class III phenotypic variation in Staphylococcus epidermidis.” Current position: Microbiology Director, Iowa Methodist Medical Center/Unity Point Health, Des Moines Iowa.
Lakshmi Chandramohan, PhD D(ABMM) Defended Dissertation in February 2009 (Bayles mentor). Dissertation title: The role of the Bacillus anthracis LytSR two-component regulatory system in bacterial cell death and lysis. Postdoctoral position: University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock AR. with Dr. Kevin Young. Postdoctoral position: Medical Microbiology and Virology Laboratories, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, TX. Current Position: Project Manager, GE Healthcare. Houston, TX.
Michael E. Olson, PhD Defended dissertation April 2009 (Fey mentor). Dissertation title: “Biofilm maturation in Staphylococcus epidermidis.” Post-Doctoral position: University of Iowa, with Dr. Alex Horswill (S. aureus pathogenesis). Current Position: Assistant Professor, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, Department of Medical Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology.
Ethan E. Mann, PhD Defended Dissertation in April 2010. Dissertation title: “Staphylococcus aureus cid and lrg operons mediate biofilm development under the influence of microenvironment.” Postdoctoral Position: The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH. with Dr. Daniel Wozniak. Current Position: Director of Research and Quality, Sharklet Technologist, Denver, CO.
Lance R. Thurlow, PhD. Postdoctoral Fellow with Dr. Tammy Kielian from 2010-2011. Trained (PhD) with Lynn Hancock at Kansas State University. Postdoctoral Position: University of North Carolina Chapel Hill with Dr. Tony Richardson 2011-2015. Current Position: Assistant Professor, University of Pittsburgh.
Anna C. Jacobs, PhD Defended Dissertation in October 2011 (Dunman mentor). Dissertation title: “Characterizing Acinetobacter baumannii virulence factors.” Postdoctoral position: Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. Current Position: Scientist, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research.
Monica M Mariani, PhD Defended dissertation in March of 2012 (Kielian mentor). Dissertation title: “Role of T cells during CNS bacteria infection.” Postdoctoral Position: Case Western Reserve University with Dr. Gary Landreth. Current Position: Assistant Professor, Oberlin College, Oberlin OH.
John M. Morrison, MD, PhD Defended dissertation in March of 2012 (Dunman mentor). Dissertation title: “Characterization of a small stable regulatory RNA molecule in community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.” (UNMC MD/PhD scholars program) Current Position: Pediatrics resident, Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, Baltimore, MD.
Jill K Lindgren, MS Defended thesis May 2012 (Fey mentor). Thesis title: “Function of arginine deiminase in Staphylococcus epidermidis.” Current position: Mother of two girls.
Eric W. Miller, PhD Defended dissertation in April of 2013 (Hinrichs/Dunman mentor). Dissertation title: Molecular regulation of bacterial genes by small RNA molecules during cellular growth phases. Current Position: Research Microbiologist, USDA, Clay Center, NE.
Richa Hanamsagar, PhD Defended dissertation in April of 2013 (Kielian mentor). Dissertation title: “Role of NLRP3 inflammasome in immune response during Staphylococcus aureus-induced brain infection of the CNS.” Current Position: Postdoctoral fellow, Duke University, with Dr. Staci Bilbo.
Elaine M. Waters, PhD. Post-doctoral fellow from September 2012-June 2013 (Fey mentor) Trained with Professor James P. O’Gara at Trinity College in Dublin. Current Position: NIHR Postdoctoral Research Associate with Professor Aras Kadioglu at the University of Liverpool.
Tess M. Eidem, PhD Defended Dissertation in December 2013 (Dunman mentor). Dissertation title: “The Ribonuclease RnpA is a Novel Target for Antimicrobial Development.” Current Position: Postdoctoral fellow, University of Colorado with Dr. James Goodrich.
Mark L. Hanke, PhD. Postdoctoral Fellow with Dr. Tammy Kielian from 2010-2013. Current Position: Research Scientist, Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals.
Yenis Murgas Gutierrez, MS Defended thesis in April of 2014 (Snowden mentor). Thesis title: “Staphylococcus epidermidis biofilm infection induces an anti-inflammatory response.”
Casey M. Gries, PhD Defended dissertation in June of 2014 (Bayles mentor). Dissertation title: “Life or Death: Maintaining Bacterial Homeostasis.” Current Position: Postdoctoral fellow, University of Nebraska Medical Center with Dr. Tammy Kielian.
Austin S. Nuxoll, Ph.D Defended dissertation July 2014 (Fey mentor): Dissertation title: “Arginine Biosynthesis in Staphylococcus aureus.” Current position-Post-Doctoral fellow, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, with Dr. Kim Lewis.
Carolyn R. Schaeffer, PhD Defended dissertation July 2014 (Fey mentor). Dissertation title: “Contribution of Aap to Staphylococcus epidermidis virulence.” Postdoctoral position: University of Nebraska Medical Center, Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology with Dr. Paul Fey. Current position: Shire Pharmaceuticals, Boston MA.
Juan Xiong, MD, PhD. Defended Dissertation in 2014 (Kielian mentor). Dissertation Title: Current Position: Physician, Tongii Medical College, Shanghai, China.
Katherine L. Maliszewski, MD, PhD Defended dissertation August 2014 (Fey mentor). Dissertation title: “Study of competence for DNA transformation in Staphylococcus aureus.” (MD/PhD Scholars program). Current Position: Internal Medicine Resident, UNMC.
Jeffrey L. Bose, PhD Postdoctoral fellow with Dr. Ken Bayles from 20XX-2015. Trained (PhD) with Dr. EV Stabb at the University of Georgia. Current Position: Assistant Professor, Department of Microbiology, Molecular Genetics, and Immunology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS.
McKenzie K. Lehman, PhD Defended dissertation in April of 2015 (Bayles mentor). Dissertation title: Molecular mechanism of LytSR signal transduction during biofilm formation. Current Position: Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Nebraska Medical Center with Dr. Paul D. Fey
Cortney E. Heim, PhD Defended dissertation June of 2015 (Kielian mentor). Dissertation title: “Myeloid-derived suppressor cells contribute to subversion of innate immunity during Staphylococcus aureus biofilm infection.” Current Position: Postdoctoral Fellow, Novartis, Boston, MA.
Derek E. Moormeier, PhD Defended Dissertation January of 2016 (Bayles mentor): Dissertation title: “Spatiotemporal Control of Staphylococcus aureus Biofilm Development.” Current Position: Post-Doctoral Fellow, NIH/NIAID Hamilton MT, with Dr. Robert A. Heinzen.
Ian H. Windham, PhD Defended Dissertation in April of 2016 (Bayles mentor): Dissertation title: “Regulation of cid-mediated cell death in Staphylococcus aureus.” Current Position: Postdoctoral fellow, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, with Dr. D. Scott Merrell.