M3 and M4
M3 Scholars
Nozima Aripova, PhD
(she/her)
- Education: St. Louis University
- Mentor: Geoffrey Thiele, PhD, Ted Mikuls, MD, MSPH
- Research Interests: Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Career Interests: Rheumatology
- Highlights: I am from Uzbekistan. I played chess in the past.
- About Me: I run for fun
Adrien Honcoop, PhD
(he/him)
- Education: BS, Montana State University-Billings; MPS, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Mentor: Russell McCulloh, MD
- Research Interests: Difficult Vaccine Communication
- Career Interests: Emergency Medicine, addressing inequalities in care through QI and educational approaches
- Highlights: Investigator Studies Award, Merck Pharmaceuticals
- About Me: I read 92 books in 2023, and my favorite was "Tress of the Emerald Sea" by Brandon Sanderson.
Abraham Killanin, PhD
(he/him)
- Education: Yale University
- Mentor: Dr. Tony Wilson
- Research Interests: Neurobiological Underpinnings of Psychiatric Disorders
- Career Interests: Child/Adolescent Psychiatry or Internal Medicine-Psychiatry
- About Me: My middle name is the same as a U.S. President.
Linda My Huynh, PhD
(she/her)
- Education: University of California, Irvine - Bachelor of Science in Public Health Sciences; University of California, Irvine - Master of Science in Biomedical and Translational Science
- Mentor: Michael Baine, MD, PhD
- Research Interests: Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Survival and Outcomes Research
- Career Interests: Radiation Oncology, Urology, Ophthalmology
- Highlights: American Society of Clinical Oncology - Merit Award at ASCO Breakthroughs Annual Meeting; American Society of Clinical Oncology - Conquer Cancer, Medical Student Rotation Award for Underrepresented Students; American Urological Association News - Medical Student Column Editor; UNMC Fellowship Recipient
- About Me: I powerlift competitively.
Kristina Pravoverov, PhD
(she/her)
- Education: BS, Biology, Saint Mary’s College of California
- Mentor: Punita Dhawan, PhD
- Research Interests: IBD and colitis-associated cancer
- About Me: I love to sing; I participated in a lot of choirs and musicals growing up; and I really enjoy doing karaoke with my friends and family.
Seth D Springer, PhD
(he/him)
- Education: BS, Chemistry, University of Nebraska-Kearney
- Mentor: Dr. Tony Wilson
- Research Interests: Neuroscience, Healthy Aging, Alzheimer's Disease
- Career Interests: Neurology and/or Geriatrics
- Highlights: Recipient of an F30 award from the NIA
- About Me: I have a beautiful baby boy and three dogs.
Natalie Sturd, PhD
(she/her)
- Education: Carleton College
- Mentor: Elizabeth Rucks, PhD
- Research Interests: Bacterial pathogenesis of intracellular organisms and host-pathogen interactions
- Career Interests: The field is still open! Currently, I am enjoying pediatric infectious disease and continuing to work in the basic sciences in microbiology and immunology.
- Highlights: Mentor, Omaha North Research Apprenticeship Program (ONRAP); Recipient of the UNMC Graduate Assistantship/Fellowship 2022-2024 and Graduate Student Impact Award 2022
- About Me: I first joined the Nebraska Medical Choir because I lost a bet I made on a Huskers football game. Now I consider it one of my most rewarding extracurriculars.
Heidi Vieira, PhD
(she/her)
- Education: BSc, University of British Columbia
- Mentor: Robert Lewis, PhD
- Research Interests: Tumor initiation and therapy resistance in Ras-mutant cancers
- Career Interests: Cancer, both clinically and from a research standpoint
- Highlights: NCI Ruth L. Kirschstein NRSA Individual Predoctoral Fellowship (F30)
- About Me: I have lived in three countries.
M4 Scholars
Caitlin Molczyk, PhD
(she/her)
- Education: BS, Biology, Wayne State College
- Mentor: Rakesh K. Singh, PhD
- Research Interests: Psychiatry – reproductive and oncology, mental health of graduate and medical students
- Career Interests: Psychiatry
- Highlights: 2019 Dr. Debra Romberger Dedicated Student Award, 2023 Dr. Britigan Physician-Scientist Award of Excellence, Graduate Studies Platinum Badge, Graduate Student Association vice president 2019-20, Pediatric Interest Group president 2018-19, MD/PhD Admissions Student Committee chair 2021-22, COM Admissions Committee member 2023-24, founder, Women in Academia student group.
- About Me: I have always found joy in planning events and learning new things. One of the best party tricks I learned was making balloon animals. I can’t wait to impress my son with it when he is older.
Nicholas Mullen, PhD
- Education: BS, Biochemistry, University of Iowa
- Mentor: Pankaj K. Singh, PhD, and Michael A. Hollingsworth, PhD
- Research Interests: Oncology, immunology, clinical trials, appraisal of medical evidence, drug development, chemical biology, medicine, psychiatry, neurology
- Career Interests: Hematology/Oncology, Rheumatology
- Highlights: F30 Award Recipient, Norman and Jean Harris Award Recipient, Graduate Student of Distinction
- About Me: Outside of medicine, my interests and hobbies include soccer, football, basketball, philosophy, geopolitics, current events and history.
Molly Schieber, PhD
- Education: bachelor's Rockhurst University; master's, University of Nebraska Omaha; PhD: UNMC Department of Cellular and Integrative Physiology
- Research Interests: Otolaryngology, capillaries, biomechanics
- Career Interests: Otolaryngology
- Highlights: 2023 Thomas Jefferson Ingenuity Award
- About Me: My hometown is Kidder, MO. I only went to college to play softball. I am interested in rural outreach/mentorship.