Wright Center Master’s program welcomes new students
One faculty, one post-doc, one recent undergraduate: Three new people with diverse backgrounds joined those earning their Master’s in Clinical and Translational Science at the Wright Center this month.
Calvin Kiani, M.D., is a new junior faculty member in Internal Medicine at VCU and is a School of Medicine Rising Scholar. He will do clinical and translational research in the field of hepatology – on alcohol-related liver disease and alcoholic hepatitis. The research will focus on novel treatments, identifying biomarkers and developing models for predicting survival in this patient population.
Emily Heiston, Ph.D., is a post-doctoral fellow working in the Department of Cardiology at the VCU Pauley Heart Center. She joins us after five years at the University of Virginia, where she earned a Master’s and Ph.D. in Exercise Physiology. Her scientific interests include metabolism, biochemistry and endocrinology, researching how they’re affected by different disease states and how exercise can impact patient outcomes.
Madisyn Elam is a spring graduate of Virginia State University and plans to go on to medical school on an M.D.-Ph.D. track after a year of doing the master’s program full time. Elam participated in an inaugural program led by the Wright Center this summer that paired VSU undergraduates and recent graduates with VCU researcher mentors.
The master’s program attracts a diverse range of students at various stages in their careers with its interdisciplinary curriculum and dedicated mentorship. People who graduate from the program are prepared to apply translational science methods along the continuum of patient care, from the bench to the bedside.
Welcome, Calvin, Emily and Madisyn!
