WSU SOM BMI Department

Congratulations to Dr. Savni Sawant on successfully defending her Ph.D. thesis, “Characterizing Biomarkers of Male Fertility via Computational Analyses using S***m DNA Methylation, Mitochondrial DNA Copy Number, and Semen Parameters,” under the mentorship of Dr. J. Richard Pilsner. We are proud to celebrate this outstanding achievement and wish her continued success ahead! 🎉

Throwback to BMI Holiday Party 2025 🎄✨
The BMI family came together to celebrate the true essence of the season — good food, great music, fun games, and even better company. Grateful for a community that feels like home ❤️

HolidayVibes StrongerTogether GratefulHeart

Meet our 3MT winners! 🎉 (Savni Sawant) (Savannah Schick) (Bhavita Bhaya)
Congratulations to the winners of this year’s Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition, held as part of the BMI Retreat. Their ability to share complex research in just three minutes is truly inspiring. Wishing you all the best in your future research journeys! 🌟

We’re thrilled to welcome our new students who joined the BMI family at the 2025 retreat. Excited to see all the ideas, research, and energy they’ll bring to our community.

BMB PhD – Shalini Suman & Nina Aitas,
IM PhD – Natalie McGinnis, Felicia Dwomoh, Yujing Hao, Vishakh Keri & Beverly Fu
BMB Masters – Sirjana Singh, Rachel Austin, Jineesha Shah & Mackenzie Harwood

Welcome to the journey ahead. We can’t wait to see what you’ll accomplish. 🔥♥️

BMI RETREAT October, 2025 💚

The BMI family together again. From insightful sessions to laughter-filled dinner moments at Jolly Pumpkin, it was a wonderful time of connection, conversations, and celebration. Grateful to everyone who makes this community so special.

You are warmly invited to attend the BMI Retreat on Friday, September 19th, starting at 9:30 AM.

📍 Venue: Margherio Conference Room, Scott Hall

The retreat will be an excellent opportunity to share research, exchange ideas, and strengthen collaborations within our community. We look forward to your participation and valuable contributions.

This is the link to see the full schedule:
https://waynestateprod-my.sharepoint.com/:w:/g/personal/hu5821_wayne_edu/Efm9hooLrEhDr6A_STkDF9cBSrGNGbPj8wnVzm2V-5jUpg?e=La0sSt

Congratulations to Thamarahansi Mugunamalwaththa, PhD candidate in our department, on being selected as a Graduate Student Ambassador for the 2025–2026 term at the Wayne State University Graduate School, representing the School of Medicine.

This ambassador role recognizes her leadership and commitment to strengthening connections across the graduate community. We’re proud to see her take on this university-wide leadership position and inspire fellow graduate students. 👏💚

🎓 Huge congratulations to Lauren Pavelich on successfully defending her Master’s thesis titled “Regulation of Respiratory Supercomplexes Through Inhibitory Cytochrome c Oxidase Y304 Phosphorylation Causes Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Diabetic Heart.”

Her research sheds light on critical mechanisms of diabetic cardiomyopathy and opens the door to innovative therapeutic approaches. 🌟👏 We are proud to celebrate your achievement and look forward to the impact you’ll make in the field of biomedical science!

Our department came together for a fun-filled day at the Annual Picnic Party!

From good food to great conversations, it was a wonderful time to relax, connect, and celebrate our vibrant BMI community outside the lab.

Here’s to teamwork, friendship, and many more memories together! 💚

We are proud to share that Thamarahansi Mugunamalwaththa, a PhD candidate in our department, has been selected to serve as a volunteer committee member of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) Membership Committee for a three-year term (July 2025 – June 2028).

In this role, she will contribute to member retention, growth, and engagement, helping advance ASBMB’s mission of supporting the molecular life sciences community.

Learn more about the ASBMB Membership Committee here: 🔗 https://www.asbmb.org/about/membership-committee

👏 Congratulations, Thamarahansi, on this leadership achievement and commitment to serving the broader scientific community!

Our department was proudly represented at ASM Microbe 2025 by PhD candidates Pelumi Oladipo and Natalie McGinnis, who presented their research and took part in mentoring and networking sessions.

Their involvement reflects the innovation and excellence of our graduate program.

Congratulations again, Pelumi and Natalie, you represented us beautifully! ♥️