Thummel Lab News
MD/PhD Program Retreat, September 2019
Ashley Kramer (MD/PhD program) did a great job in organizing the 7th Annual MD/PhD Retreat this year. The full day event included both oral and poster presentations from current MD/PhD students and Keynote talks from Nicholas Mischel, M.D., Ph.D and Jeffrey Taub, M.D. Dr. Taub is our collaborator on the projects sponsored by Kids Without Cancer, so it was great to see him share some of his career insights with our current MD/PhD students! Of note, Ashley and her colleague, Jenna Carter, got to present their poster on the new course they put together for MD/PhD students in our program. It is a way for students in the PhD years of their degree to stay fresh on intensive clinic skills. Way to go Ashley and Jenna...and a great job to Ashley for running such a great event!
WSU SOM Alumni Appreciation Event, August 2019
The School of Medicine Student Organization "Art in Medicine" (AIM) took front and center stage at a recent SOM Alumni Appreciation event. The President of AIM is our very own Ashley Kramer (MD/PhD program) and Dr. Thummel has the fine honor of serving as the Faculty Advisor for the group. AIM did a great job designing the T-shirts for the event based on the theme "Helping to Grow Future Physicians." In addition, representatives of AIM created an interactive art project for the event by having WSU SOM Alumni add "leaves" to templates of growing trees. Each leaf contained the name and year of graduation of the Alumnus, as well as short words of advice or encouragement from the Alumnus to our current SOM students. What a great idea! And a great way for AIM to say "Thank You" to all the WSU SOM Alumni who help make student organizations such a success!
The 8th Annual Summer Undergraduate Research Symposium, August 2019
The Thummel Lab tradition continues with Brooke Turkalj winning best poster presentation at this years Summer Undergraduate Research Symposium. It was great to see Brooke show so much enthusiasm for her project. She did a great job presenting - Congratulations Brooke!!!
Congratulations Lillian!!! Michigan State University White Coat Ceremony, July 2019
A HUGE congratulations to Lillian Ranspach for starting medical school at the College of Osteopathic Medicine at Michigan State University! After years of shadowing and working for a D.O. during her undergraduate years, Lillian has fulfilled a dream to pursue becoming a D.O. herself! We are so proud of her in the Thummel Lab and wish her all the best in her studies and clinical training. Great job, Lillian!!!
Scientific journal PeerJ featured the research of Danielle Quallich, June 2019
As a follow-up to Danielle Quallich's award at the Ohio Zebrafish Undergraduate Research Conference, PeerJ featured her work in a blog post. It reads, in part:
"Congratulations go to Danielle Quallich, winner of the PeerJ Award for Best Overall Presentation at the inaugural Ohio Zebrafish Undergraduate Research Conference. The conference was held at Ashland University on March 23, 2019. She presented her current research that adds to the growing body of work aimed at elucidating how adult zebrafish can regenerate their retinas following damage. This research has the long-term goal of generating new therapies and approaches to treat retinal pathology in human retinal degenerative diseases. The PeerJ Award, aimed at benefitting students and early career researchers, includes a free publication in PeerJ upon submission and acceptance through our normal peer review system. We are very pleased to recognize Danielle for her excellence in science and research."
"Congratulations go to Danielle Quallich, winner of the PeerJ Award for Best Overall Presentation at the inaugural Ohio Zebrafish Undergraduate Research Conference. The conference was held at Ashland University on March 23, 2019. She presented her current research that adds to the growing body of work aimed at elucidating how adult zebrafish can regenerate their retinas following damage. This research has the long-term goal of generating new therapies and approaches to treat retinal pathology in human retinal degenerative diseases. The PeerJ Award, aimed at benefitting students and early career researchers, includes a free publication in PeerJ upon submission and acceptance through our normal peer review system. We are very pleased to recognize Danielle for her excellence in science and research."
Wayne State University Graduation, May 2019
This year marks the graduation of three absolutely remarkable undergraduates in the lab: Danielle Quallich, Nicholas Ang, and Lillian Ranspach. Although they are off to bigger and better things, they will be sorely missed in the Thummel Lab! Congratulations Danielle, Nicholas, and Lillian!
Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) meeting, May 2019, Vancouver, CA
Dr. Thummel attended the ARVO meeting this year along with many other colleagues from the Department of Ophthalmology, Visual and Anatomical Sciences at Wayne State University. Dr. Thummel presented a poster and and received some great feedback for experiments going forward. The weather was beautiful, the science was outstanding, and Vancouver - WOW! It was also a great time to reconnect with colleagues in vision research from all over the country.
Academic Recognition Luncheon for WSU Athletics, April 2019
Nicholas Ang was asked to give the Student Athlete Address at this year's Academic Recognition Luncheon. He did a great job! It was Dr. Thummel's honor to be asked by Nicholas to attend this luncheon as his faculty representative. Nicholas also received the Deans' Award for the Honors College. Great job Nicholas!
Lamp Award, March 2019
Dr. Thummel had the distinct honor of receiving the Lamp Award this year. This award is given to the best educator in the first two years of the medical school basic science curriculum. It is especially an honor because it is voted on by the students themselves. The award was presented to Dr. Thummel by the Aesculapians Honors Society at the 2019 Lampoon, a SNL-like event that parodies life in medical school and serves as a fund raiser for a local charity.
Ohio Zebrafish Undergraduate Research Conference, Ashland OH, March 2019
Mason Posner of Ashland University and Sarah Petersen of Kenyon College did a GREAT JOB running a one day symposium that featured undergraduate zebrafish researchers in Ohio, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, and Pennsylvania. There was a really great turn out, an excellent keynote talk by Brian Perkins from the Cleveland Clinic, and lots of oral and poster presentations by undergraduates. The Thummel Lab crashed the "Ohio" party by bringing 5 undergraduates to the meeting! Nicholas gave a really nice talk, and Danielle, Lillian, Nainjot, and Mazen all presented posters. And Danielle not only won the best poster presentation, but won the best overall presentation! Great job Danielle and to all who represented the Thummel Lab at the conference!!!
Kids Without Cancer, Evening of Hope, March 2019
Kids Without Cancer held their yearly fundraising dinner at the Rattlesnake Club in Detroit this year. Our collaborators, Dr. Taub and Dr. Baker where there, along with members of the lab and their guests. Dr. Thummel gave an update to the crowd on our work sponsored by Kids Without Cancer and The Children's Hospital of Michigan Foundation. Everyone had a really nice time. A BIG SURPRISE came when Dr. Thummel was awarded the 37th Annual Kids Without Cancer "Paul Dragan" Children's Memorial Award for Outstanding and Dedicated Service. It was a real honor!
The Zebrafish PI Meeting, Asilomar CA, January 2019
Dr. Thummel had the true pleasure of presenting a poster at the Zebrafish PI Meeting in Asilomar, CA. The location is really beautiful and it is always good to catch up with other PIs in the field. The science presented this year was especially high, so it was an honor to be invited to present our work.
Visit from Santa Skoff, December 2018
We had a surprise visit from Santa this year! Our colleague Dr. Bob Skoff surprised everyone by showing up in a Santa outfit one day and handing out gifts to the lab. Ho ho ho, it's Santa Skoff!!!
PBS documentary shoot, November 2018
This week we had Keith Famie, Executive Producer for Visionalist Entertainment Productions, in the lab to film. Keith is producing a PBS documentary entitled "On the Front Lines of Cancer" and he wanted to feature our esteemed colleague, Dr. Jeffrey Taub, and our zebrafish leukemia project. This project is sponsored by the Kids Without Cancer Zebrafish Initiative and the Children's Hospital of Michigan Foundation. As you can see from the photo and link to the trailer, Keith and his crew were top notch. We are looking forward to seeing the full-length documentary when it comes out sometime next year!
Click on the video below to watch (our material starts at the 6:00 mark in the trailer) or click on the link button.
Click on the video below to watch (our material starts at the 6:00 mark in the trailer) or click on the link button.
Vision Research Workshop, October 2018
Ashley Kramer and Shreya Banerjee presented their work at the Vision Research Workshop at the Kresge Eye Institute. This yearly symposium highlights the great work in vision research being done by all of our trainees. Great job Ashley and Shreya!
WSU Men's Basketball Halftime Show Interview, October 2018
Dr. Thummel was interviewed this week by Ashley Dsida from WSU Athletics for a special half-time show featured on the WDTK The Patriot during the WSU Men's Basketball game. It was an honor to have our research highlighted in this way! Listen to the interview below!
Detroit Feedback Loop featured in Fall 2018 Alumni Magazine
Congratulations to Nicholas, Danielle, and Lillian for their work with Detroit Feedback Loop being highlighted in the Fall 2018 edition of the Alumni Magazine! A full four pages of great pictures and highlights of their work in the community was featured in the article. We are proud to have them as part of the Thummel Lab family - great job!
Congratulations Sarien, Michigan State University White Coat Ceremony, August 2018
Congratulations to Sarien, who officially started medical school at Michigan State University College of Human Medicine (MD) with her White Coat Ceremony! Sarien did her undergraduate Honors Thesis in the Thummel Lab and we are very proud of her and all of her accomplishments. We look forward to following your career in medicine!
Congratulations Sangini, University of Michigan White Coat Ceremony, August 2018
Dr. Thummel had the great privilege to attend the White Coat Ceremony at the University of Michigan Medical School. This ceremony officially welcomes new medical students into a school by giving them their white coat to wear for the first time. Among the many graduates from Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Duke, and Northwestern, I was proud to see three from our own Wayne State University. And I could not be more proud of Sangini, who did her undergraduate Honors Thesis in the Thummel Lab! Thank you for the invitation to attend. We look forward to following your career in medicine!
New video highlights our work on childhood leukemia, June 2018
Gordon Research Conference on Visual Systems Development, Italy, May 2018
Dr. Thummel was fortunate to attend the GRC meeting on Visual Systems Development at Il Ciocco, near Lucca, Italy. He presented a poster on our work on vision defects associated with loss of Vps11. This was a great meeting full of really fantastic science and a truly spectacular location.
Congratulations Sangini! WSU graduation, May 2018
Sangini graduated with Honors from Wayne State University in May 2018. She is now off to the University of Michigan School of Medicine to pursue her dream of being a physician. Congratulations, Sangini!
Detroit Feedback Loop win Optimize Wayne Social Innovations Challenge, April 2018
Detroit Feedback Loop does it again! Co-founded by our own Nicholas Ang, Detroit Feedback Loop gathers and distribute this food to local homeless shelters and soup kitchens. The organization recently won the top prize of $10,000 from the Optimize Wayne Social Innovations Challenge. We are definitely proud to have three members of our research team - Nicholas, Lillian, and Danielle - working to make our community stronger. Congratulations! Click on the link below to a story about this award.
Dr. Jeffrey Taub name Health Care Hero by Crain's Detroit, March 2018
Dr. Taub was named a "Health Care Hero" by Crain's Detroit Business for his work in Pediatric Oncology. Dr. Taub is our collaborator on the Kids Without Cancer Zebrafish Initiative. We are proud to see him get recognized for his 30+ year dedication to fighting to eradicate childhood cancer. Congratulations Dr. Taub! Click on the link below to the story.
Kids Without Cancer "Evening of Hope", March 2018
Drs. Thummel and Taub were honored to be a part of the Kids Without Cancer "Evening of Hope" fundraiser. Larry Burns, the President and CEO of Children's Hospital of Michigan Foundation was also there to show his support, as were many members of the local community. This year the event was held in Detroit's Little Caesars Arena and raised $27,000 for pediatric cancer research. 100% of the monies raised by Kids Without Cancer goes to support research. Click on the link below for more information about Kids Without Cancer - please help support this amazing local foundation if you can!
Jenny and Greg, Feb 2018
PittMed Magazine recently highlighted the story of two previous students in the lab, Jennifer Thomas (Perez) and Gregory Morgan. Dr. Thummel is very grateful to have been a part of their lives and scientific training. Please click on the link below to read the story.
Detroit Feedback Loop, January 2018
We are proud to see that a project headed by our own Nicholas Ang is getting some much deserved press! Nicholas and his friend Camilla Cascardo started Detroit Feedback Loop last year as a way to prevent excess prepared food from different locations on campus from going to waste. Their idea was to gather and distribute this food to local homeless shelters and soup kitchens. To date, they have now distributed over 2,600 lbs of food! The organization is now on a upward growth trend, adding new members and support - including our own Lillian Ranspach and Danielle Quallich! We are definitely proud to have three members of our research team doing such great work in the community! Click the link below for more information.
Lab Lunch, Dec 2017
This year's theme was Ugly Christmas sweaters. We had a great time celebrating a great year in the Thummel Lab! This was also Sangini's going away celebration. We will miss you Sangini! Best of luck in medical school and come back and visit soon!
Wayne State University Alumni Magazine highlights work in the lab, Dec 2017
Crain's Detroit highlights work being done in the lab, Dec 2017
"Caring for Kids: How neighborhood development, NAIAS and zebrafish are helping children"
Sangini and Nicholas serve at information session for undergraduate researchers, Nov 2017
Sangini and Nicholas were asked by the WSU Undergraduate Research Office to serve as moderator and panel speaker, respectively, for an information session for undergraduates interesting in doing research. Great job to both of you! It is great to see you give back and help your peers!
Dr. Thummel returns "home" for mini-reunion of post-doctoral lab, Notre Dame, Oct 2017
Dr. Thummel got to go back and visit some of his old labmates at Notre Dame, including his old PI, David Hyde, and three graduate students Dr. Thummel helped to train while while he was in the lab. It was great to see all of them again. And the bonus: watching Notre Dame destroy USC on the football field that afternoon!
Nicholas honored as panel speaker for WSU Alumni Event, Chicago, Oct 2017
Nicholas was asked by the WSU Alumni Association to serve as a panel speaker at a recent Alumni Event in Chicago. He was selected to speak about his work in the lab and what it was like to be an undergraduate researcher. Way to continue to represent us well, Nicholas!
Congratulations Jenny!! PittMed Class of 2021 President! Oct 2017
A former Ph.D. student in the lab, Jennifer Thomas (Perez), was elected to be President of the Class of 2021 for the University of Pittsburgh Medical School. Congratulations, Jenny! We know that you will do awesome!
Zebrafish for Personalized/Precision Medicine Conference, Toronto CA, Sept 2017
Dr. Thummel presented a Flash Talk and Poster at the 3rd Zebrafish for Personalized/Precision Medicine Conference in Toronto, Canada. It was truly a great group of speakers - it is really amazing to see how far the zebrafish model has come in translating our research to helping cure diseases! It was also great to explore the beautiful city of Toronto!
Nicholas honored as panel speaker for Distinctly Detroit Alumni Event, Sept 2017
Nicholas was asked by the WSU Alumni Association to serve as a panel speaker at a recent Alumni Event. He was selected to speak about his work in the lab and what it was like to be an undergraduate researcher. Way to represent us well! Even WSU President Roy Wilson was there to hear Nicholas share his experience!
Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for The Kids Without Cancer Zebrafish Initiative, Aug 2017
Wayne State University and Children's Hospital of Michigan Foundation hosted a wonderful Ribbon Cutting Ceremony to celebrate the opening of the new fish facility sponsored by The Kids Without Cancer Zebrafish Initiative. We were so thankful to have Dr. Dan Walz, Associate Dean of School of Medicine and Larry Burns, President and CEO of Children's Hospital of Michigan Foundation join us for this event. It was great to see so many people from Kids Without Cancer there as well. Thank you for helping us fight to eradicate childhood cancer!!
New fish facility at IBio up and "swimming"
The ribbon cutting ceremony for the opening of our new fish facility is August, 23rd at IBio! Click on the picture below for a link to more details.
$100,000 donation from Sachse Construction to Kids Without Cancer, Aug 2017
Steve Berlage (President and COO) and Todd Sachse (CEO and Founder) from Sachse Construction presented Kids Without Cancer a check for over $100,000 to help support the Kids Without Cancer Zebrafish Initiative. In addition to members of the KWC board, Dr. Jeffrey Taub and Dr. Tracie Baker from our scientific team were able to join us to receive the check and give Steve and Todd a tour of the new fish facility. Todd asked us a ton of great questions and even told us stories about his days doing research as an undergraduate! It was great to meet them both and a HUGE thank you to all the team at Sachse Construction for helping us fight to eradicate childhood cancer!
Congratulations Jenny!! PittMed white coat ceremony, Aug 2017
A former Ph.D. student in the lab, Jennifer Thomas (Perez), was formally admitted into medical school at the University of Pittsburgh Medical School in August. As part of the ceremony, she got to put on her physician's white coat for the first time. We are very proud of all that you have accomplished, Jenny, and wish nothing but the best in this next chapter of your life! #doctordoctor2021!
Congratulations Lexie!! Oakland University white coat ceremony, Aug 2017
A former WSU undergraduate honors student in the lab, Lexie Ranski was formally admitted into medical school at Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine in August. As part of the ceremony, she received her white coat and stethoscope. We are very proud of you, Lexie! Can't wait to see you receive the full M.D. degree on May 14, 2021!!
$10,000 scholarship awarded to Nicholas!!
Nicholas was informed in June that he received the prestigious David Adamany Alumni Scholarship in honor of his excellence in academics and extracurricular activities at Wayne. Congratulations Nicholas!
Congratulations Sarien!! WSU graduation, May 2017
Sarien graduated with Honors from Wayne State University in May 2017. Congratulations Sarien!
Installation of the new zebrafish facility, May 2017
The great team from Aquaneering arrived this week to install the new fish facility in IBio. This room, which is sponsored by Kids Without Cancer, will be entirely dedicated to studying zebrafish models of childhood cancers. Time to get to work!
Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) meeting, May 2017, Baltimore, MD
Dr. Thummel attended the ARVO meeting this year along with many other colleagues from the Departments of Anatomy/Cell Biology and Ophthalmology at Wayne State University. First of all, the food was amazing. We had a great time at the traditional Crab Boil Dinner among colleagues who work with zebrafish as a model and truly amazing crab cakes at Findleys! The sightseeing in Baltimore's Inner Harbor was also a lot a fun; a stroll through Little Italy, a game in Camden Yards as well! The weather was beautiful and the science was outstanding! Finally, many thanks to Drs. Juzych and Hazlett for hosting the Kresge Eye Institute Alumni and Friends Reception!
Lawrence Technical University, Southfield, MI, April 2017
Dr. Thummel helped Dr. Jeffery Morrissette set up a fish rack at LTU. We hosted him and some of his talented undergrads to our lab to learn how to take care of fish. To return the favor, Dr. Morrissette invited Dr. Thummel to give a talk at LTU. There was a great turn out of students there (although the free pizza might have helped a bit)!
$1.25M grant from the National Eye Institute (NIH) awarded to Thummel Lab - April 2017
The Thummel Lab was recently awarded a 5 year R01 grant from the National Eye Institute to study the vision defects associated with loss of Vps11 function, which is a model for genetic leukoencephalopathy. We are humbled and honored to receive this funding. We have assembled a great team of scientists for this project and are excited to make an impact in this field!
The new fish facility is here! (Feb 2017)
Our new fish facility for the Kids Without Cancer Zebrafish Initiative arrived earlier than we anticipated. Surprise! Can't wait until we can get it up and running!
7th Strategic Conference of Zebrafish Investigators, Asilomar, CA, Jan 2017
Dr. Thummel presented at this conference held among lab heads who work with zebrafish as a model system. It was an amazing meeting and a truly beautiful location, on the grounds of Asilomar in Pacific Grove, CA! It was great to prep the talk by the fire and enjoy strolls down to the beach in between sessions.
The Kids Without Cancer Zebrafish Initiative - Check Presentation, Jan 2017
We were absolutely honored to receive funding from Kids Without Cancer to expand our project with them through the development of new Kids Without Cancer Zebrafish Initiative! With these funds, it is our plan to build a new fish facility in the IBio building on campus which will be exclusively dedicated to studying zebrafish models of childhood cancer. A great thanks goes out to all of the board members of Kids Without Cancer, our scientific team of Dr. Jeff Taub and Dr. Tracie Baker, and the members of the Children's Hospital of Michigan Foundation for help making this happen!!
Congratulations, Frank!! (Jan 2017)
Frank presented his work at the Medical Student Research Symposium in January 2017. He won the FIRST PLACE poster in the basic science category! Great job!
Research highlighted in local and national media, Dec. 2016
Our work with Kids Without Cancer was highlighted in the Detroit Free Press and picked up by USA Today, The Chicago Tribune, and the Washington Post!
Wayne State University Undergraduate Research and Creative Projects Conference, Nov. 2016
Sangini and Nick presented their posters at the local Undergraduate Research Symposium. Great job!
Regenerative Mechanisms and Therapeutic Interventions, Sept. 2016, IUPUI, Indianapolis
Members of the lab attended the inaugural Regenerative Mechanisms and Therapeutic Interventions. Dr. Thummel gave a talk and Sarien, Nick, and Sangini presented posters. Sangini won 2nd place for the poster competition among trainees at ALL levels!! And Dr. Thummel won 3rd place for best presentation from a Junior Faculty member. We also had time for good food, shopping, and exploring Indy!
Congratulations, Emma!!
A former undergraduate researcher in the lab, Emma Gaboury (University of Notre Dame '16) accepted an offer to attend medical school at Michigan State University (M.D. Program). Here is a picture of her at the white coat ceremony. We are so proud of her!
Congratulations, Chelsea!!
A former undergraduate researcher in the lab, Chelsea Carver (Taylor University '16) accepted an offer to attend our own Wayne State University School of Medicine (M.D. Program). Here is a picture of her at the white coat ceremony. We are very proud to learn that she was the recipient of the Board of Governors Scholarship! And it is great to see Chelsea in the front row for Dr. Thummel's lectures.
Gordon Conference for Visual Systems Development, Aug. 2016, Mount Snow, VT
Dr. Thummel attended this amazing conference and gave a talk. It was a great and relaxing time to bond with colleagues and friends. We even took the ski lift up to the top of the mountain - in the middle of summer!
Wayne State University Graduation Ceremony, May 2016
May graduation ceremonies were held at Ford Field in Detroit. Two of the lab's former students officially received their degrees in the Honors Biology Program. Congratulations to Kaylee and Lexie!!
Congratulations, Frank!!
Frank Mei, a first year medical student working in the lab this summer, won three (!!!) fellowships to support his work this summer, the Medical Student Summer Research Fellowship (MSSRF), the Frazier Award, and the KEI externship fellowship. Congratulations Frank!
Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) meeting, May 2016, Seattle, WA
Dr. Thummel attended the ARVO meeting this year along with many other colleagues from the Departments of Anatomy/Cell Biology and Ophthalmology at Wayne State University. Dr. Thummel presented a poster and was a collaborator on another poster. The weather was beautiful and the science was outstanding! Many thanks to Drs. Juzych and Hazlett for hosting the Kresge Eye Institute Alumni and Friends Reception at the Fairmont Olympic Hotel!
