Anna Gybina Receives Young Investigator Award

Anna Gybina, a doctoral candidate in the Medical School’s Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Biophysics (BMBB) under the mentorship of Professor Joseph Prohaska, Ph.D., has added one more award to her CV. Gybina was one of fourteen Young Investigators named by the Society of Experimental Biology and Medicine (SEBM), whose 1,600 members around the world are engaged in various fields of biomedical research. The award was $500 plus the opportunity to present her research at Experimental Biology 2007 (EB07) in Washington, D.C., where the SEBM recognized her at a members luncheon. At EB07, Gybina also received a competitive monetary award from the American Society for Nutrition for her research on the impact of dietary copper deficiency on brain development.

“The caliber of Anna’s research is outstanding,” said Prohaska, “and that is reflected in the unusual number of awards that she has received, last year in particular.” Gybina received the 2007 Charles Carr/William Peterson Award, given annually to a talented University of Minnesota graduate student in the Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics graduate program conducting research emphasizing metabolism and regulation. Last fall she presented her research findings at the Fifth International Copper Meeting in Italy. Gybina received the Annette Boman Fellowship in 2005 and is a recipient of a competitive Graduate School Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship that will allow her to focus on completing her thesis work by May 2008. She plans to apply to medical schools and hopes to be accepted by the University of Minnesota Medical School–Duluth Campus M.D. program.

Gybina is one of an increasing number of students coming to Duluth for a Ph.D. degree. Ken Wallace, Ph.D., guided three students towards completion of their Ph.D. degree in toxicology this year: Jessica Berthiame, Tim O’Brien and Kaleb Lund. This spring Anne Gingery graduated with a doctorate in the   BMBB graduate program.

“We are aiming to increase the size of our graduate program,” commented Gary Davis, Ph.D., senior associate dean of the University of Minnesota Medical School–Duluth Campus. “The outstanding performance by our students and the dedication of their mentors, Drs. Prohaska, Wallace, Lester Drewes and others, are making that happen,” he added.

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