Thummel Lab News
MD Graduation, May 2025
Dr. Thummel was honored to be a part of the MD Graduation this year. He had the privilege to "hood" nearly 80 members of the Class of '25 including his own trainee, Ashley Kramer, M.D./Ph.D.! What a thrill to partake is such a monumental day in Ashley's career journey! As M.D./Ph.D. Program Director, Dr. Thummel also got to celebrate with the other five M.D./Ph.D students who graduated that day. Wayne State University School of Medicine put on an amazing event at the historic Fisher Theatre; it couldn't have been a better day.
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ARVO, May 2025
Another great meeting at the Association in Vision Research and Ophthalmology (ARVO) meeting, this year in beautiful Salt Lake City, Utah! Dr. Thummel had the honor to give a oral presentation to a packed room of good colleagues. Yasmeen Berry from the Thummel Lab stayed VERY busy at her poster session and got to hangout with other trainees from the Department of Ophthalmology, Visual and Anatomical Sciences. And, as always, the Kresge Eye Institute reception as a big hit. A big thanks to Ingrid at the KEI for making that happen! It is always fun to catch up with colleagues from near and far. See you next year, ARVO!
Congratulations to former lab member Jennifer (Thomas) Perez, M.D./Ph.D.! April 2025
Dr. Thummel is over the moon to hear of the birth of little Elaina to Jennifer (Thomas) Perez! Jenny was Dr. Thummel's first PhD student. She went on the do a short post-doc at the University of Washington before entering medical school at PittMed, where she served as class president. Jenny is currently a Neurosurgery Resident at MAYO. We are all thrilled that Mom and baby are doing great! Congratulations to Jenny and Matt on the birth of their child!
Match Day! March 2025
Match Day celebrates the next step in the lives of our medical students at WSU SOM by connecting them with their top residency programs of choice. It is a stressful and joyous event. Students and residency programs rank each other during the interview process. Then, by some super secret computer algorithm, students are "matched" to programs. Every student across the nation finds out on the third Friday in March at Noon - SHARP! (Yes, there is a countdown). Immediately prior to Noon, faculty members stand up and go to their selected tables to hand out envelopes to the students. At Noon they are all opened simultaneously to reveal where each trainee will be going. Dr. Thummel had the unique opportunity to hand out envelopes to a cohort of MD/PhD students, including his own trainee, Ashley Kramer! The Dean even cam by to wish Ashley congratulations. And Dr. Thummel got to join a picture of all SIX of our MD/PhD students who matched this year. Congrats to all!!
Congratulations to Arun Kumar on UROP funding! January 2025
The Thummel Lab is very proud of Arun Kumar, a med-direct undergrad in the lab, for securing funding for his project from the Undergraduate Opportunities Research Program (UROP). His grant proposal was entitled Investigating the Role of Nr2e3 in Retinal Regeneration in Zebrafish. This is a very competitive award mechanism to support undergrads at Wayne to perform their lab research. In fact, Arun is only the second member of the Thummel Lab to receive this award. A big congratulations goes out to Arun!!
Yasmeen Berry wins 1st place poster presentation! January 2025
A big congratulations with Yasmeen Berry of the Thummel Lab for winning the 1st place poster presentation at this year's Dr. Tselis Neuroimmunology Education Symposium! The title of her talk was Evaluating the Effects of Pro-Myelinating Drugs on Motor Function and Myelination in a Zebrafish Model of Genetic Leukoencephalopathy. This is the continuation of work started by Shreya Banerjee, a former PhD student, and Emily Fisher, a former medical student in the lab. Hopefully, we can get this written up for publication soon! In the meantime, a big congrats to Yasmeen for her great presentation!
Thummel Lab Publishes Its First Book Chapter! January 2025
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What an honor to be asked to contribute a book chapter to Ocular Regeneration. Methods in Molecular Biology was published by Springer Protocols and Human Press and was guest-edited by Jeff Gross, Ph.D. The book featured commonly-used methods and protocols to assess ocular regeneration. Ashley Kramer and Arun Kumar of the Thummel Lab did a great job highlighting a method used by the lab to study photoreceptor degeneration in adult zebrafish. Ironically, Shreya Banerjee, a former PhD student in the Thummel Lab, also contributed to a chapter in the book with her new post-doc lab at Johns Hopkins (Dr. Jeff Mumm). Check out their chapters by clicking the picture of the book cover!
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Majd Victor of the Thummel Lab wins TWO presentation prizes at local symposium, November 2024
Big congratulations to Majd. He won 4th place in the "life sciences" category at the CLAS Research Symposium on Wayne's main campus. In addition, he one another award for a short TikTok video he made explaining his research in the lab for the "Research in a Snap" category. Congratulations, Majd!
Vision Research Workshop, October 2024
The Thummel Lab had a very strong showing at this year's Vision Research Workshop. Presenters included Yasmeen Berry, Olivia Jeakle, Arun Kumar, Daniel Grey, and Majd Victor. We also listened to an amazing keynote talk by Dr. Michael Chiang, Director of the National Eye Institute.
M.D./Ph.D. Retreat, Summer 2024
What a great event our M.D./Ph.D. students organized! This year’s annual retreat for students enrolled in the School of Medicine’s M.D./Ph.D. dual-degree program was held June 28 at @waynestate’s McGregor Memorial Conference Center. Students in the graduate school years of the program were required to present their research to their peers in electronic poster format.
M.D./Ph.D. program alumni Dr. Jesse Veenstra, a physician-scientist practicing dermatology at Henry Ford Health, delivered the keynote address, “Single-cell Spatial Pathology: Differentiating Benign and Malignant Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma Subtypes.”
The traditional senior speaker this year was M4 Ashley Kramer, a member of the Thummel Lab, who presented “You get out what you put in - words of wisdom for the long haul as an M.D./Ph.D. student.” Great job, Ashley!!
The retreat also featured student leadership updating students on program improvements and ongoing projects, as well as some ice breaker activities and program bonding. The event was organized by M.D./Ph.D. student Kendyll Gartrelle.
M.D./Ph.D. program alumni Dr. Jesse Veenstra, a physician-scientist practicing dermatology at Henry Ford Health, delivered the keynote address, “Single-cell Spatial Pathology: Differentiating Benign and Malignant Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma Subtypes.”
The traditional senior speaker this year was M4 Ashley Kramer, a member of the Thummel Lab, who presented “You get out what you put in - words of wisdom for the long haul as an M.D./Ph.D. student.” Great job, Ashley!!
The retreat also featured student leadership updating students on program improvements and ongoing projects, as well as some ice breaker activities and program bonding. The event was organized by M.D./Ph.D. student Kendyll Gartrelle.
Dr. Thummel named new M.D./Ph.D. Program Director, Summer 2024
Dr. Thummel is honored to be named the new Program Director for the MD/PhD dual-degree program at Wayne State University School of Medicine. This program offers students the opportunity to pursue dual degrees in medicine and graduate research (i.e. M.D. and the Ph.D.!). Six student per year enter the the fully-funded program and can pursue their PhD in any degree-giving program at Wayne. For more information about the program, click the button below!
Deepa Raghavan and Olivia Jeakle of the Thummel Lab win prestigious fellowship! Summer 2024
Congratulations to Deepa Raghavan and Olivia Jeakle on being awarded the Fraser Endowed Scholarship in Medicine! This scholarship supports medical students pursuing their education at Wayne State University School of Medicine and the Kresge Eye Institute. Way to go, Deepa and OJ!
Dr. Thummel wins the Lamp Award for outstanding teaching, April 2024
Dr. Thummel was thrilled to win this years Lamp Award at this year's Lampoon event. The Lamp Award is a student voted award which recognizes a faculty member who goes above and beyond in their professional and educational drive to prepare students during the pre-clerkship years (i.e. the first two years of medical school). Given that this award is voted on by the students means the world to Dr. Thummel. It was also great to be introduced by a former M1 student, Curtis!
Dr. Thummel awarded Outstanding Graduate Mentor Award, April 2024
Dr. Thummel was honored to be one of four faculty across the entire university to receive this year's Outstanding Graduate Mentor Award. This award honors graduate faculty who are recognized by their departments and graduate students as excellent mentors. Dr. Thummel was nominated by the Vice Chair of the department and three of his former PhD students, Ashley Kramer, Shreya Banerjee, and Jennifer (Thomas) Perez. Dr. Thummel's successful mentorship actually directly stems from these amazing students. Ashley received and F30 fellowship and published 6 manuscripts during her PhD. She is currently an M4 student, finishing her joint MD/PhD degree. Shreya published 3 manuscripts during her PhD and is currently a post-doc at the Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins University. Jenny published 9 manuscripts during her PhD before going on to Pitt Med to receive her MD degree. She is currently a Neurosurgery Resident at the MAYO Clinic. Dr. Thummel couldn't be more proud of these amazing trainees and he is honored that they took the time to nominate him for this award! The Award Ceremony was really nice. Dr. Thummel even got the chance to meet President Espy!
Congratulations to Daniel Grey! April 2024
One of the great things about working at Wayne State University is seeing the amazing talents of our students, both in - and out - of the scientific arena. Recently, the Intercollegiate Tennis Association updated its tennis rankings. The Thummel Lab's very own Daniel Grey is now ranked THIRD IN THE NATION for Division II athletes. Congratulations, Daniel!! Dr. Thummel continues to be impressed with how our Wayne undergrads balance their schedules, including sports, community service, clinical commitments, and research. Oh, all on top of getting their education!
MD/PhD Clinical Skills Bootcamp, March 2024
Dr. Thummel has recently been assisting in program development for the MD/PhD program at Wayne State University School of Medicine. It was great to witness the MD/PhD student cohort participate in the annual clinical skills "bootcamp" as a way to refresh their clinical skills during the PhD years of training. We were also very fortunate to have use of the Kado Clinical Skills Center at the School of Medicine, as well as a great group of M4 students to help!
Dr. Thummel steps down as Chair of F03A study section, November 2023
It is with mixed emotions that Dr. Thummel stepped down as chair of F03A study section following the meeting in November. F03A is one of the three study sections that reviews fellowship grants in neuroscience. These awards (F30, F31, F31 Diversity, and F32) support the training for our next generation of neuroscientists, so it is an honor to be a part of the committee that reviews and scores these awards. Dr. Thummel has served on F03A since 2019 and Chair since 2022. As such, he has now "maxed out" his tenure of service for this study section. For now, it will have to suffice for Dr. Thummel to serve as Sponsor in the final year of Ashley Kramer's F30 award from the NIH.
Neuroimaging study in the Marusak Lab, November 2023
One of the really great things about working at Wayne State University School of Medicine is being surrounded by colleagues doing incredible science. A recent example of this was Dr. Thummel's daughter's participation in a neuroimaging study run by Dr. Hilary Marusak. Dr. Marusak directs the WSU THINK Lab, which focuses on characterizing the impact of stress and trauma during childhood on brain development in children and adolescents, as well as, neurodevelopmental mechanisms leading to anxiety and other "fear-based" disorders, such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Dr. Thummel's daughter is interested in pursuing Neuroscience in college, so it was an incredible experience for her to be part of this study, especially getting to see MRI images of her brain!
Vision Research Workshop, October 2023
Three members of the Thummel Lab presented at this years Vision Research Workshop at the Kresge Eye Institute. It was a great opportunity for Ashley, Deepa, and Yasmeen to share their science with members in attendance. This workshop specifically highlights the amazing work our trainees in the department are doing, in both clinical and basic science research. Congratulations to all of our trainees!!
Wedding of Alexandra Ranski, MD, September 2023
What an honor to attend the wedding of Dr. Alexandra Ranski! Lexie worked in the Thummel Lab as an undergraduate, where she published two papers in the lab, including one first-author manuscript. She then went on to pursue her M.D. at Oakland University William Beaumont, where she started OUWB's Street Med Pontiac Program. During this time she also met the love of her life, Santosh Reddy, MD. Lexie is currently a Family Medicine Resident in Savannah, GA. She is now board certified and will start her new position at J.C. Lewis Health Primary Care Center in Savannah in July. Of note, she will also have one day a week to practice and continue her passion for street medicine. It was an honor for Dr. Thummel and his wife to attend Lexie and Santosh's wedding! Congratulations to you both!
Visit from Frank Mei, MD, September 2023
It is always great to have previous members of the Thummel Lab come and visit. Dr. Thummel got to catch up with Frank Mei, MD on his recent visit to Detroit. Frank worked in the Thummel Lab as a medical student, where he published a first-author paper in the lab. Frank is current an Ophthalmology Resident and UT Southwestern in Dallas, TX. It was great to hear of all the success that Frank is having! Great to see you, Frank!
Deepa Raghavan and Ashley Kramer of the Thummel Lab win prestigious fellowship in ophthalmology! Summer 2023
Congratulations to Deepa Raghavan and Ashley Kramer from the Thummel Lab on being awarded the Fraser Endowed Scholarship in Medicine! This scholarship supports medical students pursuing their education at Wayne State University School of Medicine and the Kresge Eye Institute. Way to go!
New manuscript from the Thummel Lab features work from three trainees! August 2023
A BIG congratulations to Ashley Kramer, Justin Carthage, and Yasmeen Berry on their recent publication from the lab! A huge amount of work went into this manuscript - especially for Ashley, who was the lead author on the work. The Thummel Lab is very proud to have great trainees who continue to make important contributions to the field of retinal regeneration. Here's to many more manuscripts to come!!
Keynote Talk at Biomedical Research Training Symposium, KU Medical Center, June 2023
It was an absolute honor for Dr. Thummel to give the Keynote talk for the Biomedical Research Training Symposium at his alma mater, the University of Kansas Medical Center (KUMC). This symposium highlights the incredible work being done by the graduate students and post-docs at KUMC; in particular, those who are supported by their prestigious and competitive fellowship in biomedical research. Dr. Thummel received his PhD from KUMC in 2004 and had was a recipient of this fellowship during his training there. Things came back full circle for him to return to give the keynote at their annual symposium!
Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony, May 2023
So proud of these three!! Shivani, Solen, and Zara all graduated this May. Even better, all three will attend Wayne State University School of Medicine starting this Fall! Dr. Thummel can’t wait to switch roles from being their undergraduate advisor to being their medical school professor! Everyone in the Thummel lab is rooting for all three of these students – we are sure that great things are in store for their futures in medicine. Congratulations!!
Shreya's PhD Hooding Ceremony, May 2023
Shreya Banerjee, a previous graduate student in the lab, recently came back for her formal PhD hooding ceremony. It was a very fitting to honor all of Shreya's hard work in this traditional way. Dr. Thummel was present to hood Shreya, along with the Dean of the Graduate School, Dr. Amanda Bryant-Friedrich. And Shreya's mother came all the way from India to celebrate her daughter's success! Finally, it was great to be seated with one of Shreya's dear friends in graduate school, Madison. Madison is off to Portland for a fellowship with the CDC and Shreya will return to Johns Hopkins University to continue her post-doc with Dr. Jeff Mumm (https://mummlab.wordpress.com/). It is so amazing to see our graduates go off to successful "next steps" in their careers and we wish Shreya all the best! We miss you already, Shreya!!!
Kids Without Cancer Evening of Hope, April 2023
This year represented the 40th annual "Evening of Hope" fundraiser for Kids Without Cancer. This event helps raise money for all of Kids Without Cancer's research projects, including support of the Kids Without Cancer Zebrafish Initiative, a collaboration between the Thummel Lab and Dr. Jeffrey Taub at Children's Hospital of Michigan. Drs. Taub and Thummel were honored to attend the event and give everyone some exciting updates on our work. This year's venue was also really cool! Dinner and festivities were among restored WWI and WWII airplanes and helicopters at the Yankee Air Museum!
Congratulations to Ashley Kramer for defending her dissertation!! February 2023
Ashley Kramer, an MD/PhD graduate student in the lab, successfully defended her PhD dissertation in February. About 60-70 people joined the hybrid seminar, which was very well received by all. Her parents even came in all the way from Bemidji, Minnesota! It was also wonderful to see our senior leadership attend, including our Vice Chair, Chair, multiple Vice Deans, and the Dean of the School of Medicine. This is a testament to how engaged Ashley has been to service and leadership during her time here - not to mention doing great science! Ashley will now return to finish her final 2 years of MD training before graduating with a joint MD/PhD degree. While she won't be far away, she will definitely be missed from the Thummel Lab. Congratulations, Ashley!!!
Vision Research Workshop 2022, Ashley Kramer wins best talk!! October 2022
Ashley Kramer, an MD/PhD graduate student in the lab, took home the first place prize at this year's Vision Research Workshop. This workshop is a full-day scientific conferenced aimed at highlighting ALL the great research performed by our trainees here in the Department. A big thanks to our leadership for supporting such a fantastic yearly venue for our trainees; it is always great to see the amazing work they are doing. And Ashley did a great job with her presentation - the first place price was well deserved!
Congratulations to Shreya...or should we say, Dr. Banerjee!! October 2022
Shreya Banerjee, a graduate student in the Thummel Lab, successfully defended her PhD in October, 2022. Congratulations, Shreya!! She had about 60 people join her hybrid zoom/in-person seminar, which was very well received by all. Shreya will move on from the lab to seek post-doc positions in neurodevelopment. She will be greatly missed, but we wish her all the best!!
Congratulations to Justin! May 2022
A BIG congratulations to Justin Carthage, a undergraduate reBUILD Scholar in the Thummel Lab! Justin graduated in May and is taking a gap year to perform research in neuropharmacology of addiction in a one-year paid fellowship. The Thummel Lab is proud of all of your accomplishments and look forward to following your future career in science!
Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) meeting, May 2022, Denver, CO
It was great to finally get back to ARVO! Shreya and Ashley both a did a great job presenting their work at the biggest vision research meeting of the year. It was absolutely great to run into an old undergraduate from the Hyde Lab, Molly Harding! And of course, we didn't miss out on the chance to have dinner and catch up with an old undergraduate from the Thummel Lab, Nicholas Ang! Like always, it was a great meeting for science and for networking with new and old colleague!
Vision Research Workshop, 3 Thummel lab members win awards!! October 2021
A last minute change to VRW going virtual this year didn't effect the success of our Thummel Lab trainees! We had 5 members present this year - 2 graduate students, 2 MD students, and 2 undergraduate students. Our two graduate students, Shreya and Ashley, both won awards for their fantastic oral presentations. And Connor Cook, a medical student participating in the M1/M2 Research Elective, won first place for his poster presentation. Congratulations to ALL of the members of the Thummel Lab for your presentations in VRW 2021. You represented the lab with excellent presentations, professionalism, and GREAT SCIENCE!!!
Art in Medicine Paint Night, August 2021
The first Art in Medicine Paint night in 18 months was a HUGE success and a lot of fun! Cara Young from the Art Department at Wayne State University came over and gave an amazing talk on Frida Kahlo, the inspiration for the paint night. Then medical students had the opportunity to unwind and paint a Kahlo-inspired theme based on the artist's work "The Two Fridas" (1939). Painting was done on recycled Kodiak glass panes, which were originally used by scientists to display their microscopic findings (prior to digital cameras). A great event! A BIG thanks to our own Ashley Kramer for putting on such a wonderful event!
The new zoom world we live in, May 2021
This new world of zoom all day everyday demands some flexibility! Thankfully, in the Thummel lab we have adapted to recording lectures from home and zooming meetings in the middle of the lab. We are nothing if we aren't flexible!
Match Day 2021 - Congratulations Lexie! March 2021
Another one of our former undergraduate trainees has officially made it through medical school! Match Day 2021 was a BIG success for Alexandra (Lexie) Ranski. She got her first choice of matching with Memorial Hospital in Savannah, Georgia. Congratulations, Lexie! The Thummel Lab is very proud of all that you have accomplished - on to the next chapter!
Getting back to work! March 2021
It is so wonderful to get back in the lab with my colleagues working in the NEI-Sponsor P30 Vision Core here in the Department of Ophthalmology, Visual and Anatomical Sciences! We are so thankful to have this grant to support vision research in the department.
Thummel Lab makes SOM Year in Review, December 2020
As difficult as this year was, it was heartening to read all of the amazing efforts made by our School of Medicine community during this last year. The Thummel Lab was happy to do their small part in these efforts, which was highlighted in the "Year in review: 2020's top stories from the School of Medicine".
Hope on the Horizon: former trainees get COVID vaccine as frontline workers, December 2020
Two former undergraduate trainees in the Thummel lab - Chelsea Carver, MD and Emma Gaboury, MD - both received the COVID vaccine this last week. Chelsea is a first year resident in Internal Medicine at University of Colorado - Denver. And Emma is a first year resident in OB/GYN at Case Western Reserve University - Metro Health - Cleveland. Seeing their pictures this week gives hope to all of us in the Thummel Lab. And a big thanks to Chelsea and Emma for all that they are doing on the frontlines of healthcare!
Dr. Thummel honored with College Teaching Award, December 2020
On behalf of Dean Mark Schweitzer, MD, Dr. Thummel was honored to receive the Wayne State University School of Medicine 2020 College Teaching Award. Dr. Thummel is very fortunate to work with a team of outstanding educators who are devoted to graduate and medical education. In particular, Dr. Rod Braun has demonstrated excellent leadership this year as course director for the M1 Histology and Embryology discipline, working tirelessly to transition the entire teaching team to online learning. The award given to Dr. Thummel this year is really a result of all of Dr. Braun's leadership and the entire team of faculty who work hard every day to educate our students during this difficult time.
Congratulations Shreya and Ashley on a successful GSRPD! November 2020
This year's Chuang-Pu Lee Endowed Graduate Student Research Presentation Day (GSRPD) went virtual for the first time in its 24-year history. This conference is a local, student organized research conference designed to showcase graduate student's research in the STEM fields across main campus and the School of Medicine at Wayne State. Our very own Shreya Banerjee and Ashley Kramer served on the organizing committee; Shreya was the co-Chair and Ashley was part of the public relations team. This year's program was a huge success thanks to Shreya's leadership and organization, and featured Keynote Speaker Dr. Marlene Belfort from the University at Albany, State University of New York. Congratulations on a great event!
Congratulations Shreya on passing your Prospectus Exam! October 2020
A big congratulations to Shreya Banerjee for officially becoming a PhD candidate by successfully passing her Prospectus Exam! This is a big hurdle to overcome in the path towards getting the PhD and Shreya did a great job with her written and oral portions of this exam. All the hard work paid off - congratulations!!
Congratulations Lexie! Street Med Pontiac awarded $57,000 grant, September 2020
A previous undergraduate trainee in the lab - Lexie Ranski - continues to do amazing things with her Street Med Pontiac team! The Street Med Pontiac program was founded by Lexie and her roommate Tori, both WSU undergraduates. The program is the first of its kind in Oakland County, which now has over 55 Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine students treating patients in need in local shelters, social service centers, and right on the street. They continued this incredible work through the pandemic. Recently they were awarded a $57,000 grant from the DMC Foundation to expand their effort to work with the homeless and underserved population in Pontiac. We are very proud of Lexie and her efforts! A shout out to former undergrad and Thummel Lab alum Nicholas Ang as well - he is also on the Street Med Pontiac leadership team and will continue the guide the program once Lexie and Tori graduate this year. Great job!
Art in Medicine student organization hosts virtual sketch event with guest artist, September 2020
Ashley Kramer and the Art in Medicine team hosted a virtual "Sip and Sketch" event that featured artist Tai Taeoalii (artbytai.com). Tai guided the students through drawing a mashup of the game "Operation" and Leonardo da Vinci's "Vitruvian Man". It was a great success and a much needed reprieve for medical students during this difficult academic year. The event was featured in the Wayne State University School of Medicine "Academic Digest" for September, which also featured cover art from Ashley herself! Great job, Ashley!
Dr. Thummel wins WSU President's Career Development Chair Award, April 2020
Congratulations to Dr. Thummel for being awarded the WSU President's Career Development Chair Award! This award will support a collaboration between the Thummel Lab and the lab of Dr. Tiffany Cook here at WSU SOM. The goal is that this award will help generate preliminary data that will support this growing collaborative effort. Congratulations!
Thummel family makes face shields for frontline workers, April 2020
During the early stages of the COVID pandemic, it became quickly evident that our frontline medical workers did not have enough PPE. While larger organizations geared up their facilities to meet this need, many smaller organizations and communities attempted to help in whatever way they could. We are proud to highlight Dr. Thummel and his son Eli, who used Eli's 3D printer to assemble face shields for local hospitals and police departments. With the face shield in place, these frontline workers did not have to change out their N95 face masks as often - saving a much needed resource. In addition to this initial effort, Eli coordinated with his school's robotics team to donate nearly 5,000 face shields to the local community. A big thanks to Eli and Dr. Thummel (mostly Eli) for making the effort to help in this time of need!
Lab Closure: It's a marathon not a sprint, March - June 2020
The COVID pandemic forced the closure of the Thummel lab from late March 2020 - late June 2020. Thanks to Dr. Thummel and Xixia, the zebrafish in our research facility were completely unaware of the deserted nature of the building and city surrounding them. Dr. Thummel came into the lab to feed the fish for 104 consecutive days during the closure, and Xixia came in weekly to handle maintenance of the facility itself. We greatly appreciate their efforts as our own personal "essential workers" during this time of closure!
Match Day 2020 - Congratulations Chelsea and Emma!! March 2020
Two of our former undergraduate trainees have officially made it through medical school! Match Day 2020 was a BIG success for Chelsea Carver and Emma Gaboury. Chelsea matched in Internal Medicine at the University of Colorado - Denver. And Emma matched in OB/GYN at Case Western Reserve - Cleveland Clinic. Wow! How awesome it is to follow the careers of these two amazing young women. The Thummel Lab is very proud of you Chelsea and Emma!
Notice of Award to Ashley Kramer on her F30 fellowship application to NIH, January 2020
A BIG congratulations to Ashley Kramer for successfully securing funding from the NIH! The Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award F30 fellowship is a highly competitive and prestigious award that will fund Ashley's work in the lab. Incredibly, Ashley received a fundable score for this award on the FIRST submission, which speaks to her innovative ideas and effort put into the long and arduous application process. Congratulations, Ashley!!
Art In Medicine student organization's annual "Bridge Lighting" ceremony, December 2019
Ashley Kramer and her team on the board of the Art in Medicine student organization hosted their annual "Bridge Lighting" ceremony in December. They had a great turnout for the ceremony! Lighting up the bridge to the Mazurek Education Commons really brightens everyone's day through the gloomy months of winter. Great job to Art in Medicine for building community here at WSU!
First Annual Medical Education Research and Innovation Conference, December 2019
The Wayne State University School of Medicine hosted its first Medical Education Research and Innovation Conference to showcase completed and in-progress medical education research and innovation projects conducted by students, residents, staff and faculty on December 2, 2019. More than 80 posters and oral presentations were submitted for the inaugural conference, geared toward topics related to the learning process that occurs within a medical education setting. This included a poster presentation from Michael Franklin and Jenna Carter on the new M1/M2 research elective that was created by Dr. Thummel and Dr. Braun with a large amount of input from students. In addition, the Thummel Lab's own Ashley Kramer gave an oral presentation on her development of a new clinical refresher course for MD/PhD students. Ashley won first place in the oral presentation category for her outstanding talk - congratulations Ashley!!
Former Thummel Lab member starts Street Medicine program, November 2019
Alexandra (Lexie) Ranski, a former undergraduate researcher in the Thummel Lab, has started a student-run Street Medicine program at Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine. Lexie and her friend Tori Dryzyga, also a Wayne State University graduate, started this program from scratch; a culmination of nearly two years of work. During her time here at Wayne, Lexie fell in love with serving the homeless and underserved. She took this passion to OUWB and saw and opportunity to start a Street Med program to serve those in need in Pontiac. We are very proud of Lexie and her work on this program, which will certainly have a strong and lasting impact on the community!
Featured story on data from the Thummel Lab, November 2019
A Wayne State University School of Medicine student and two recent graduates working on a collaborative project in the laboratories of Associate Professors of Ophthalmology, Visual and Anatomical Sciences Ashok Kumar, Ph.D., and Ryan Thummel, Ph.D., have discovered that zebrafish don’t contract endophthalmitis. The eye infection can cause blindness within hours if not diagnosed and treated quickly. Matthew Rolain, Frank Mei, M.D. ’19 and Xiao Yi Zhou, M.D. ’17, contributed to the study, “Zebrafish are Resistant to Staphylococcus aureus Endophthalmitis,” published in Pathogens, a peer-reviewed journal in the field of microbiology and immunology. Both Matt and Frank worked in the Thummmel Lab on this project - Congratulations to all! Click on the links to the story and the manuscript for more information.
Graduate Student Research Presentation Day (GSRPD), October 2019
Shreya Banerjee of the Thummel Lab was part of the organizing committee for this year's Graduate Student Research Presentation Day (GSRPD). Ashley Kramer and Dr. Thummel also volunteered for the event. GSRPD is a great way to highlight the fine work being done by our graduate students here at the School of Medicine. The keynote speaker this year was Dr. Alejandro Sanchez Alvarado from the Stower's Insititute. Dr. Sanchez Alvarado was the first to use the planarian as a model for studying the molecular mechanisms behind tissue regeneration. He gave an amazing and inspiring talk. A big thanks to Shreya for her hard work putting on such a great meeting!
Vision Research Workshop, Kresge Eye Institute, Detroit, MI, October 2019
Dr. Thummel had the honor to serve as Chair for the organization of the annual Vision Research Workshop. He had a lot of help from his Assistant Chair, Dr. Shunbin Xu, as well as from Dr. Linda Hazlett and the administrative support staff at the Kresge Eye Institute. Our keynote speaker, Dr. Jeff Gross from the University of Pittsburgh Medical School, gave an outstanding presentation. And Shreya Banerjee from the Thummel Lab won first place for her poster presentation. Congratulations, Shreya!!
"Those on the Front Lines of Cancer" airs on PBS, October 2019
Keith Famie, Executive Producer for Visionalist Entertainment Productions, has a new documentary featuring 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. The 3 hour long documentary was premiered in September and shown to the public in October on Detroit Public Television/PBS. We were honored to be a part of this truly remarkable film.
Click on the video below to watch (our material starts at the 6:00 mark in the trailer) or click on the link buttons for more information.
Click on the video below to watch (our material starts at the 6:00 mark in the trailer) or click on the link buttons for more information.
Great Lakes Glia Conference, Traverse City, MI, September 2019
Dr. Thummel, Shreya Banerjee (PhD program), and Ashley Kramer (MD/PhD program) attended the Great Lakes Glia Conference in Traverse City. Shreya presented her work in the poster session and did a great job! This meeting is held every two years and is run by a collaborator of the Thummel Lab, Dr. Robert Skoff. Dr. Skoff did a great job organizing the meeting. It was full of great talks, a very engaged poster session, and a great location in Traverse City, MI!
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!!!
Midwest Zebrafish Meeting, June 2019
Shreya Banerjee represented the Thummel Lab in this year's Midwest Zebrafish Meeting in Lexington, KY. Shreya presented a poster on her work and really enjoyed the time networking and seeing the great science being done in the Midwest using zebrafish! Thanks also to Ann Morris, Ph.D. and her colleagues for putting on such a great meeting!
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!
