Awards and Recognition

Our newest Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences grads

They’re Ph.inishe.D!

Congratulations to our newest Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences grads. Maria Esteban Lopez and Marko Manevski (in black and blue robes) officially graduated today from Florida International University. They celebrated the occasion with our new dean, Dr. Juan Cendan, and their mentors at the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine.

Maria’s Ph.D. studies in the lab of Alexander Agoulnik, Ph.D., focused on osteoporosis. During her doctoral studies, Maria identified and characterized the first-in-class small molecule that targets a receptor expressed on the cell surface of osteoblasts to increase bone formation. This research could potentially lead to developing a new class of oral drugs for osteoporosis.

Marko studied in the lab of Hitendra Chand, Ph.D., investigating the RNA-mediated innate immune regulation of respiratory responses to viral infections and cigarette smoke exposure. During his doctoral studies, Marko identified a novel pathway that affects how cells in the respiratory tract respond to infection and exposure to smoke. This research could help improve current treatments for diseases like COPD and COVID-19.
Marko has contributed to 10 research publications, including three as the first author. The combined impact factor of all his Ph.D. publications is over 60. Marko was named an FIU Real Triumphs Graduate.

We look forward to their future contributions to science and medicine.