Graduate Students Turn Tassels During UGA Commencement

Graduate students in the departments of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences and Clinical and Administrative Pharmacy had their advanced degrees officially conferred at UGA’s Graduate Commencement Ceremony May 11. Held in Sanford Stadium, the ceremony was attended by several of the eligible candidates and faculty members.

“The culmination of years of hard work, study, research, teaching, and writing is something to celebrate,” said Dean Kelly Smith, who was a member of the official platform party at the ceremony.  “We are immensely proud of our master’s and doctoral  students, and we wish them well in their next venture.”

CoP graduate students who received their advanced degrees are listed by department and include:


CAP Ph.D. Graduates

Moaddey Alfarhan, Pharm.D., M.S., Ph.D.

  • Dissertation: “Targeting Spermine Oxidaste to Reduce Neurodegeneration and Vision Loss in Diabetic Retionpathy”
  • Major Professor: S. Priya Narayanan, PhD
  • Future Plans: Faculty member at Jazan University, Saudi Arabia

Abdulkarim Alshammari, Pharm.D., M.S., Ph.D.

  • Dissertation Title: “Mechanisms of cognitive impairment development in aged hypertensive rates: Focus on macrophages”
  • Co-Major Professors: Susan C. Fagan, Pharm.D., BCPS, FCCP, and Duo Zhang, PhD
  • Future Plans: Faculty member at Northern Border University, Saudi Arabia

 Rupal Trivedi, M.S., RDN, Ph.D.

  • Dissertation Title: “Cardiovascular Disease Management in The South: An Implementation Science Approach”
  • Major Professor: Elisabeth L Sattler, PhD, RPh, FAHA
  • Future Plans: Continue work in chronic disease management research

PBS Ph.D. Graduates

Juliana Brondani, Ph.D.

  • Dissertation Title: “Production of Recombinant Acinetobacter baylyiRNA Polymerase Holoenzyme and its Application to the Investigation of Bacterial Transcriptional Regulation of Sulfur Assimilation”
  • Major Professor: Cory Momany, Ph.D.
  • Future Plans: Postdoc

Shuolin Cui, Ph.D.

  • Dissertation Title: “Development of Multi-functional Polymeric Nanoparticles as Drug Delivery Vehicles Targeting Bacterial Biofilms and Hereditary Hemochromatosis”
  • Major Professor: May P. Xiong, Ph.D.
  • Future Plans: Scientist in the pharmaceutical industry

Huan Liu, Ph.D.

  • Dissertation Title: Development of A Novel SARS-CoV-2 Viral Vector
  • Major Professor: Dexi Liu, Ph.D.
  • Future Plans: Scientist in biopharmaceutical industry

Phuong Nguyen, Ph.D.

  • Dissertation Title: “Insights into structural mechanism and kinetics of drug efflux by P-glycoprotein”
  • Major Professor: Arthur Roberts, Ph.D.

Jiabao Song, Ph.D.

  • Dissertation Title: “Investigate the substrate specificity of protein post-translational modifications with bioorthogonal chemical probes”
  • Major Professor: Y. George Zheng, Ph.D.
  • Future Plans: Work in a biotech company to contribute to cancer treatments.

Yueze Yang, Ph.D.

  • Dissertation Title: Impact of time-restricted feeding on the aged population with obesity
  • Major Professor: Dexi Liu, Ph.D.
  • Future Plans: Scientist at biopharmaceutical company

PBS M.S. Graduates

Rehana Bagodiya, M.S.

  • Thesis Title: Clinical and Preclinical Studies of Cefepime and GH501 using LC and LC/MS-MS
  • Major Professor: Michael Bartlett, Ph.D.
  • Future Plans: Looking for research positions in pharmaceutical or biotechnology industry

Jake Forcier, M.S.

  • CAPSTONE Title: “Bridging the Gap: A Comprehensive Analysis of the Transition from Paper IFUs to eIFUs in the Medical Device Industry”
  • Major Professor: Michael Bartlett, Ph.D.
  • Major: BS Biochemical Engineering, M.S. Pharmacy
  • Future Plans: Pursue a career in the biotech industry specializing in new product development

Erica Friedman, M.S.

  • Thesis Title: “Evaluation of the Generic Drug Program for Fiscal Years 2013-2022”
  • Major: Double Dawg Graduate: B.S. Pharmaceutical Sciences, M.S. International Biomedical Regulatory Sciences
  • Major Professor: Michael Bartlett, Ph.D.
  • Future Plans: Seeking opportunities in regulatory affairs in roles ranging from clinical research to pharmacovigilance.

Olivia Idom, M.S.

  • Thesis Title: “A Nutraceutical Approach to Treating B Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia”
  • Future Plans: Attend Pharmacy School

Ransom Jones, M.S.

  • Thesis Title: “Design and Synthesis of Modified Nucleoside Analogs Emerging Viruses”
  • Major Professor: Uma Singh, Ph.D.
  • Future Plans: Join the pharmaceutical industry in small molecule research and development

Ethan Runyon, M.S.

  • Thesis Title:  “Dissecting Lysine Residues at the N-terminus of c-Src for its Biogenesis into Extracellular Vesicles”
  • Major: BS Pharmaceutical Sciences, M.S. Pharmacy
  • Major Professor: Houjian Cai, Ph.D.
  • Future Plans: Work in industry

Austin Stack, M.S.

  • CAPSTONE Title: “Enhancing Solubility via Spray-Drying. A Primer on Cannabidiol and Acetaminophen”
  • Future Plans: Attend UGA Law School in fall 2023 to pursue pharmaceutical patent law degree

Ryan Ward, M.S.

  • CAPSTONE Title: “Creating a Universal Influenza Vaccine: The Design, Expression, and Purification of Stabilized mini-HA Proteins”
  • Major: B.S. Biochemical Engineering, M.S. Pharmacy
  • Major Professor: Eva Strauch, Ph.D.
  • Future Plans: Work in early-stage discovery and development of vaccines and biologics

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