Current Students

UCH Grad School Newsletter

Learn more about UCH Grad School programs in our latest Newsletter: UCH Grad School Newsletter_Feb 2023

Recent Updates and Info for Students

One-Time Federal Student Loan Debt Relief Program

Students who have federal student loan debt may be eligible to apply for one-time debt relief as part of the Biden-Harris Administration student debt relief plan.  For more information on the program, including qualification and application details, please visit the government's One-Time Federal Student Loan Debt Relief page. The deadline to apply is December 31, 2023.

UCH International Office Walk-In Advising in Main Building on Thursdays

The International Office at UConn Health will resume their weekly walk-in advising for international students and scholars in the main building on Thursdays from 2 - 3:30 p.m. in Walker Conference Room (room AG070, just down the hall from The Graduate School Office suite on the Ground floor of the main building). Walk-in advising is meant for quick questions (5-10 minutes). Examples of walk-in services include: travel advice, I-20/DS-2019 signatures, document drop-off, etc. If you have an issue requiring a more in-depth discussion, please contact the HR – International Office to make an appointment (Kaitlin Dornenburg, email: dornenburg@uchc.edu; phone: 860-679-4472) .

Student Resources and Helpful Links During the COVID-19 Pandemic

UConn Health's Masking Protocol has been updated as of 10/17/22: See revised guidelines for masking.

Travel Guidelines - Updated 10/24/22: Travel guidelines for both business and personal travel outside of Connecticut. This information applies to Graduate Assistants as well as staff.

Important: If you are not feeling well and are experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms or have COVID-19 related questions, call our UConn Health COVID-19 Call Center: 860-679-3199 to report your symptoms and get further instruction. Do not come into school or the lab if you are not feeling well. Additional guidance can be found here.

UConn Health Support Services and Wellbeing

Student Behavioral Health Service - Free and confidential mental health services, counseling, and resources

Ombuds Office - Confidential, informal, independent, and impartial assistance to individuals through dispute resolution and problem-solving methods

Virtual Group Exercise Classes - The Wellness Center has reopened, but their Yoga and Pilates instructors have also created virtual classes including Vinyasa Yoga, Morning Stretches, Pilates, Breathing Exercises, and Meditation.

Additional Information and Guidance

State of CT COVID-19 Portal - Daily updates for Connecticut, include statistics, press releases, executive orders, etc.

CDC Travel Guidance - Guidance for planning domestic and international travel from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

NIH Office of Intramural Education and Training - The OITE has provided recordings of their recent sessions and pre-recorded panel discussions and interviews that trainees can access online covering a wide variety of topics.

For All Graduate Students

For Biomedical Science Ph.D. Students

Graduate Student Organization (GSO)

Graduate Thesis Defenses

Wednesday, March 29th
Noon, Hybrid; Grossman Auditorium, 400 Farmington Ave. and WebEx

"Xist-driven Whole Chromosome Inactivation in Human Pluripotent Stem Cells"

Prakhar Bansal
MD/PhD Student
Genetics and Developmental Biology Area of Concentration

PI: Dr. Stefan Pinter

Friday, March 31
2:00 PM, Low Learning Center

“A TLR4-Independent Critical Role for CD14 in Intracellular LPS Sensing”

Swathy Ollikara Vasudevan
Biomedical Science PhD Student
Immunology Area of Concentration

PI: Dr. Vijay Rathinam

Upcoming Career Forums

Thursday, March 9, 2023
Noon- Virtual (registration required-see details below)

Career Path: From PhD to Non-Profit

Beyond the Ph.D. is excited to welcome Dr. Eugene Manley Jr, the director of STEM Workforce Initiatives at LUNGevity, the nation’s largest lung cancer-focused nonprofit. He has launched a minority mentorship and training program for health equity grant awardees, runs three health equity webinar series, does STEM outreach and engagement, and partners with groups to address disparities and inequities that impact underrepresented groups and underserved populations. He is an inspirational speaker and often talks about navigating STEM, mentoring, patient advocacy, workforce diversity, and issues impacting low income and marginalized communities. He is a mechanical engineer, biomedical engineer, and molecular and cell biologist who specializes in musculoskeletal biology, biomechanics, and cancer biology.

Prior to LUNGevity, he was the director of scientific programs at the Lung Cancer Research Foundation, where he oversaw the entire grant administration system, created a Minority Career Development Award, liaised between internal and external stakeholders, and wrote scientific updates. Prior to that, at the American Association for Cancer Research as assistant director of Corporate Alliances, he leveraged his 20+ years of engineering and biology lab work to build relationships with biotech and pharma to support AACR programs and initiatives.

His philosophy is not what can he do for himself, but what can he do to help and advocate for those who don’t have voices at the table.

Dr. Manley will be giving a virtual seminar about his career path next Thursday, March 9, at noon. Registration for the event is free and is open to anybody interested. To attend the event, you must register using the link below.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/from-phd-to-non-profit-tickets-566631890237

For recordings of previous career seminars & workshops, career blog posts, and more from this student-led group, check out their website: https://beyond-the-phd.com/

For more information, contact: Rachel Gilmore at rgilmore@uchc.edu