Welcome to the latest issue of Graduate Posts.
I want to start by stating how I continue to be impressed with the resilience, diligence and adaptability of all our faculty, staff and students during this ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. We are continually working with the Office of Health Security and our campus incident command team in adapting our campus guidelines with your safety and well-being in mind, and we will continue to keep you updated on any new developments. While the pandemic continues to disrupt our ability to interact in ways we took for granted previously, we have also discovered new ways to come together and continue the high quality of work for which UNMC is known.
In this issue, we are highlighting the extraordinary accomplishments and drive of our faculty and students, including Laura Flores, an MD-PhD student in patient-oriented research, who has a remarkable story to share. I would also like to congratulate all our students who graduated in December. It was truly an honor to celebrate their achievements during our Graduate Studies Honors Convocation ceremony.
Finally, I want to extend a personal congratulation to Kendra Schmid, PhD, who will assume the role of executive associate dean in May when Pamela Carmines, PhD, retires. Dr. Carmines has been invaluable in shaping the direction and success of Graduate Studies, and this forward trajectory will continue under Dr. Schmid's leadership. Karen Gould, PhD, will succeed Dr. Schmid as the new assistant dean for graduate student success and campus-wide director of assessment. We will be celebrating Dr. Carmines' contributions to our Graduate Studies programs during a tea on May 3. The event will likely be hybrid in nature due to the ongoing COVID restrictions. Details will be shared closer to the date.
I hope you enjoy hearing these stories and reading about all the other exciting things going on in Graduate Studies.