In case you missed it: story in UNMC Today about great work by department researchers: go.unmc.edu/vbq8

Our Lab Week celebration closed out with a pizza party, basket raffle and Golden Beaker Award presentation on Friday and bowling on Sunday.

Francis Fontanilla (shown with Dr. Rey Carabeo, advisor, and Dr. Amanda Brinkworth, co-advisor) has successfully defended his doctoral dissertation, "Chlamydia trachomatis modulation of epithelial innate immunity." Congratulations, Dr. Fontanilla!

Catching up on some Lab Week fun from earlier in the week: a team of BMC/LIS/Lab Admin swept the Toy Story trivia contest with a perfect score.

Graduate Medical Education Research Symposium set for May 12 www.unmc.edu/newsroom/202...

Wednesday of Lab Week was all about cake. Thanks, Regional Pathology Services!

Tuesday of Lab Week featured doughnuts and therapy dogs. Therapy dog Amos, a 5-year-old poodle/retriever mix, makes a new friend.

It's Lab Week, a time to recognize the vital health care role played by our incredible laboratory colleagues. Lots of treats, games and other fun are planned all week. Monday, it was ice cream. Serving it up here is Dr. Joseph Khoury, our department chair.

Congrats to Dylan George (here with his adviser, Dr. M. Jana Broadhurst), who successfully defended his doctoral dissertation, “Application of a novel immunoassay to understand population-level humoral immunity against emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants.”

Another chance to give blood at UNMC is coming up soon: May 5 at the Lied Transplant Center.

Dawson Hollingsworth has successfully defended his doctoral dissertation, “Bovine colostrum extracellular vesicles as nutraceuticals of pharmaceutics for Parkinson’s disease.” Congratulations, Dr. Hollingsworth!

Congratulations to Dr. Rucks, PMI Professor, on receiving the Outstanding Faculty Mentor of Graduate Students Award. Annual faculty awards: Lisa Rucks, PhD www.unmc.edu/newsroom/202...

Ashish Das has successfully defended his doctoral dissertation, "Therapeutic strategies in glioblastoma and acute kidney injury: Androgen receptor-directed therapy for high-grade glioma and functionalized nanoparticle platforms for cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity." Congratulations, Dr. Das!

Thanks so much to our UNMC colleague, Dr. Tony Hollingsworth, left, from the Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer and Allied Diseases, and doctoral student Kyle McAndrews for presenting at our department Grand Rounds yesterday.

We're looking forward to hearing tomorrow from a UNMC colleague, Dr. Tony Hollingsworth, Hugh & Jane Hunt Chair in Cancer Research, at PMI Grand Rounds, 11 am at the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, Room 02101. Learn more: go.unmc.edu/acbj

UNMC blood drive scheduled for April 9 www.unmc.edu/newsroom/202...

Video highlights: UNMC Match Day 2026 www.unmc.edu/newsroom/202...

Brigham Killips (shown with his faculty mentor, Dr. Stacey Gilk) has successfully defended his doctoral dissertation, "Coxiella burnetii modulates the host protein TFEB to promote infection." Congratulations, Dr. Killips!

UNMC, India research institute expand longtime partnership www.unmc.edu/newsroom/202...

iLEAD faculty propose retention and recruitment solutions www.unmc.edu/newsroom/202...

Seen this morning in UNMC Today: go.unmc.edu/kd2v

Research Town Hall today to focus on IT and data www.unmc.edu/newsroom/202...

UNMC will participate in statewide tornado drill www.unmc.edu/newsroom/202...

Even "superheroes" need a break www.unmc.edu/newsroom/202...

It's great to see this innovation in patient and provider safety being rolled out. Dr. Mara Jana Broadhurst, one of our faculty members, was principal investigator on the project.

Register for UNMC’s Administrative Professionals Day www.unmc.edu/newsroom/202...

Blood donation opportunity here on campus is coming up soon: April 9 at Hope Tower Circle.

Dr. Davies to hold all-campus forum today www.unmc.edu/newsroom/202...

Don't miss this incredible opportunity! Register for IMMUNOLOGY2026™ in Boston, MA today and experience world-class science with the best in the field of #immunology. 🐦‍⬛ Early-bird registration ends March 13: immunology2026.aai.org#immunology

Nominations for ASH Scientific Committees are open! As a member of a committee, you have the opportunity to: 🔬 Shape sessions 💡 Influence priorities 🤝 Foster collaboration Nominate today! 🔗 https://ow.ly/pKYs50YqgPS #HemeSky #MedSky

We’re thrilled to welcome future residents! Applications for UNMC Residencies are open—apply today for convenient on-campus housing in Omaha. ➡️ www.unmcresidences.com

Global engagement holds 2026 International Photo Contest www.unmc.edu/newsroom/202...

Congratulations to Dr. Geoff Talmon on being named senior associate dean for undergraduate medical education!

Many thanks to David Solomon, MD, PhD, associate professor and director of neuropathology at Stanford University School of Medicine, for his Grand Rounds presentation today on the molecular pathogenesis of brain and nerve sheath tumors.

IPID’s annual trivia night pitted six teams of grad students, faculty, postdocs and senior scientists in the department. The winning team, "Staph Meeting" (L-R): Charlie Porto, Cassidy Dresher, Taylor Burke, Nichole Brandquist, Tyler Zimmerman (back), and Liz Van Roekel.

Lots of great discussions at the department's annual faculty retreat last weekend. Thanks to Rusty McCulloh, associate vice chancellor for clinical research at UNMC, for joining us.

Listening sessions on next UNMC chancellor are March 5 www.unmc.edu/newsroom/202...

It's House Officer Appreciation Week. What better way to recognize our residents and fellows for their dedication and hard work than with ice cream and other treats? At left, Drs. Esther Habib, Thomas Auen and Casey Schwee; Dr. Sabrina Turner is at right.

Excellent news on this newly published paper! M. Love, R.C. Dang, J. Xie, & P. Zhang, The Rab5 effector Rabankyrin-5 mediates endosomal fusion and trafficking of human papillomavirus during early entry, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 123 (9) e2524765123, doi.org/10.1073/pnas....

Heading to Boston for #IMMUNOLOGY2026™? Don’t wait until the blocks are full! Secure your spot and save on your stay: 🏨 Hotels: Book via onPeak for exclusive conference rates. ✈️ Travel: Use our partner airline discount codes. ⏰ Early Registration: Ends March 13! 🔗 immunology2026.aai.org/hotels

Medical research highlights, February 2026 Congratulations Dr. Koepsell, @UNMC_PathMicro professor, on your industry-sponsored award! www.unmc.edu/newsroom/202...

Dr. Kielian now a fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology www.unmc.edu/newsroom/202...

Grad students experience power of an elevator pitch www.unmc.edu/newsroom/202...

Dr. Santarpia joins team using ‘smart building’ tech to clean indoor air www.unmc.edu/newsroom/202...

Congratulations to Dr. Tammy Kielian on being elected as a Fellow of the American Society for Microbiology! This prestigious honor recognizes outstanding contributions to advancing microbiology. Learn more about the 2026 fellowship class: tinyurl.com/mpr3pjw8

UNMC experts testify in favor of important research funds Thank you Dr. Kielian, "I am proud that I was able to come home to do this work here, in Nebraska, on behalf of Nebraskans, thanks to the Tobacco Settlement Biomedical Research Development Fund.” www.unmc.edu/newsroom/202...

Spotlight on Scholarship to be held March 31 www.unmc.edu/newsroom/202...