Crystal Township is a small town in central Michigan with a population of about 2,800, and Ted Tabor’s hometown. Yet Tabor’s first choice to study Genetic Counseling was in the heart of the state’s most urban (and largest) city – at Wayne State University in Detroit.
Two years later, he found himself watching his degree conferral virtually, during one of several online commencement ceremonies presented by WSU. He earned his Master of Science degree in Genetic Counseling from the WSU School of Medicine, and is now applying for Genetic Counselor positions.
“I think my story is defined by who I’ve known and where I’ve gone rather than what I’ve done. In reflecting upon the last few years of my life, especially those spent at WSU, I am astonished by and eternally grateful for the diverse range of environments, personalities and perspectives I have been able to connect with,” Tabor said. “I have come far from what used to be my ‘normal.’ The experiences that WSU and the city of Detroit provide students help them to become multidimensional, advocative and resolved. Our school’s commitment to improving urban health disparities through education, research and practice is evident. Even through the pandemic, students have continued to prove that Warriors are strong.”
The virtual commencements included congratulatory remarks from President M. Roy Wilson, Interim Provost Laurie Lauzon Clabo, Board of Governors Chair Marilyn Kelly, and the deans of participating schools and colleges, including School of Medicine Dean and Vice President of Health Affairs Mark E. Schweitzer, M.D.
“This is an outstanding day. You should be proud of yourself. I wish we could be doing this in person, but you have been tested by the rigorous demands of our scientific education and especially by this pandemic. I am certain that you will enhance our reputation as you develop your own brilliant futures,” Dean Schweitzer said.
Tabor tuned in to watch the event with his parents, and celebrated with his seven classmates in a separate video chat.
At the May 5 ceremonies, graduates affiliated with the School of Medicine included 10 individuals earning a Doctor of Philosophy degree through The Graduate School, as well as 31 individuals earning Master of Public Health degrees; 15 individuals earning Master of Science degrees; 30 individuals earning Master of Science in Basic Medical Sciences degrees; eight individuals earning Master of Science in Genetic Counseling; and one individual earning a Master of Science in Medical Research from the School of Medicine.
“The Class of 2021 holds a special place in Wayne State’s history. You’ve weathered unprecedented challenges over the past year or more because of this pandemic that has altered life as we know it. More than perhaps any other graduating class in our 153-year history, you have proven your mettle as warriors, unstoppable, adaptable, courageous and kind,” President Wilson said. “I could not be prouder of you, and I wish you nothing but the very best of life.”
Master of Public Health graduate Deja Wilson called her time as a student at Wayne State transformative. “I entered the M.P.H. program in 2019 with limited knowledge about public health but an open mind to learn as much as possible,” she said.
In her first semester, Wilson was given the opportunity to work with a group of her peers, talking with members of a senior living community about their health struggles as a result of living less than a mile from an incinerator. She helped curate letters to Mayor Mike Duggan and state representatives advocating on their behalf.
“From the very beginning, my time at Wayne has been one where I have directly translated the knowledge and skills that I was learning in the classroom to impact real change in the community. I have grown as a student, a leader, and now as a future public health practitioner,” she said.
Wilson hopes to continue researching health disparities among Black people and how predominantly Black churches and faith-based organizations can serve as conduits to provide intervention programs, educational aid and care to African Americans struggling with mental health issues and hypertension.
She watched the ceremony with her mother, father, grandfather and godfather.
“I love that the M.P.H. program at Wayne is like an extended family. Every faculty and staff member has assisted me in making the learning process and the program as beneficial as possible, and I sincerely appreciated that,” Wilson said. “My favorite memory of my time at Wayne State University was being a part of the Curriculum Committee. As a student, you rarely get a chance to view the inner workings of course approvals, let alone provide input that could provide a better learning experience for future students. I was honored to be a part of the Curriculum Committee, where I could do both.”
Wilson will attend Princeton Theological Seminary in the fall to pursue another master's degree in theological studies. “I hope to marry my love of public health with my love of ministry,” she said.
Wilson’s classmate and fellow graduate Jessica Worley, and Worley’s husband, took a break from working at home to join the ceremony, and two of her three children watched at school to “see mom graduate,” she said. Her mother, brother and sister-in-law also tuned in.
Worley is a first-generation college student, full-time Wayne State employee, “and a proud WSU Warrior,” she added. “One of only a handful of students from my high school to go to a four-year university, I attended the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor right after high school, but was sidetracked by life and did not finish my final semester before graduation. Over a decade later, married with three children, I returned to U of M and graduated with a B.S. in Psychology in 2015. Shortly thereafter, I accepted a position at WSU’s Center for Urban Responses to Environmental Stressors. It was there that I developed a passion for public health and chose to enroll in the M.P.H. program.”
Wayne State and Detroit are now forever home to her. “Through the incredibly supportive environment at CURES and the M.P.H. program, I had the opportunity to reclaim a part of my life that I thought I had lost. It has been a lot of hard work to balance family, work and education, and a global pandemic, but my experience has been one of perseverance and tremendous support,” she said. “I feel incredibly proud, grateful, fulfilled and accomplished. The M.P.H. program has helped me to develop skills that have grown my research career and deepened my love for Detroit. I feel as though I have found my place and my people in the world of public health. I have a deep sense of purpose and new self-confidence. Most of all, I feel deep gratitude for the support and encouragement of my family and colleagues, and for the knowledge that my own and my children’s futures are forever changed for the better.”
She will continue at CURES, leading efforts in Geographic Information Systems to explore the impact of chemical and non-chemical stressors and their impact on human health. She is now researching doctoral programs that combine her interests in environmental health, health disparities and geospatial analysis.
“I have many fond memories of my time as an M.P.H. student, but I think the best was when my 8-year-old daughter was talking to a friend about what her mom’s job was. I heard her say, ‘I think my mom is a health person or a scientist or something?’ Then, she turned to me and asked, ‘Mom, are you a scientist?’ I paused for a moment, not knowing exactly what the answer to that was, and then replied, ‘Yes, honey. I think I am a scientist.’”
Graduates and their degrees include:
Doctor of Philosophy
Shupeng Chen
Dissertation: “18F-FDG PET/CT Imaging Feedback for Tumor Voxel Dose-Response Assessment and Adaptive Dose Painting”
Dissertation Advisors: Professors Jacob Burmeister and Di Yan
Medical Physics
Aamod Dekhne
Dissertation: “Therapeutic Dual-targeting of Cytosolic and Mitochondrial One-carbon Metabolism”
Dissertation Advisor: Professor Larry Matherly
Cancer Biology
Chase Hellmer
Dissertation: “Novel Signaling Mechanisms and Unexpected Adaptation by Neurons in the Retinal Motion Detection Circuit”
Dissertation Advisor: Professor Tomomi Ichinose
Anatomy and Cell Biology
Patrick Lee
Dissertation: “Opposing Effects of Neuropilin-l and -2 on Sensory Nerve Regeneration in Wounded Corneas: Role of Sema3C”
Dissertation Advisor: Professor Fu-shin Yu
Anatomy and Cell Biology
Allison Mitchell
Dissertation: “Investigating the Mechanism of Foxq1 Transcriptional Activation of the EMT Program”
Dissertation Advisor: Professor Guojun Wu
Cancer Biology
Ekta Shah
Dissertation: “The Influence of Biological Sex, Tau and Mitochondrial Function on Traumatic Brain Injury Outcome in Drosophila”
Dissertation Advisor: Professor Douglas Ruden
Pharmacology
Brian Silverstein
Dissertation: “Dynamic Tractography”
Dissertation Advisor: Professor Eishi Asano
Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences
Donovan Watza
Dissertation: “Immune-Centric Genetic Determinants of Lung Cancer Outcomes”
Dissertation Advisor: Professor Ann Schwartz
Cancer Biology
Jordan White
Dissertation: “Development of Novel ImmunoPET Agents as Predictive Markers for Response to Treatment”
Dissertation Advisor: Professor Nerissa Viola
Cancer Biology
Natalie Wiseman
Dissertation: “Assessing Metabolic Differences Following Mild Traumatic Brain Injury and Their Predictive Value for Patients’ Outcomes”
Dissertation Advisors: Professors Zhifeng Kou and Alana Conti
Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences
Master of Public Health
(May 2021)
Jessica Allen-Worley
Talal Alsheqaih
Jabeda Begum
Christopher Clement
Payton Daugherty
Evan Marie Gurney
Harsh Gusani
Anna Harris
Maurekha Haynes
Jocelyn Levin
Christian Loszewski
Julie Lowenthal
Rachel May
Shaivil Naik
Taylor Neumann
Thomas O’Donohue
Sarah Parker
Juhee Prakash
Aamna Sajid
Samuel Seidel
Zahra Khorassani
Madelyn Slamka
Deja Wilson
Justin Woo
(August 2021)
Mariam Alkazal
Colton Bearance
Breanna Borg
Ashley Griffin
Corey Medler
Taylor Morrisette
Hemadri Patel
Master of Science
Farah Al-Hashimi
Bhavita Bhaya
Andrea Bisutti
Alec Buczek
Michael Costello
Dipanwita Chowdhury
Henry Edelman
Kay Ekwuazi
Brent Formosa
Emma Graffice
Jillian Green
Antoine Khobeir
Kaitlyn Martin
Essence Turner
Taylor Vensko
Master of Science in Basic Medical Sciences
(May 2021)
Noor Abdallah
Rommy Alaiwat
Amit Bhandari
Kanwar Bhullar
Patrick Chen
Hilal El-Ajame
Patrick Fakhoury
Sreenavya Gandikota
Rita Geloneck
Neelima Goyal
Sarah Haj-Diab
Hassan Jafer
Sameen Jaffry
Bassam Khatib
Dylan Kissane
John Knapp
Akhilesh Munagala
Nadine Nahra
Ibrahim Saad
Maranda Saigh
Mena Salman
Scott Smith
Isabella Warmbrunn
Cassidy Wesenberg
Jeremy Wilson
(August 2021)
Ranya Aziz
Martina Cholagh
Mustafa Edriss
Laura Mclellan
Amanda Ujkashi
Master of Science in Genetic Counseling
Ashley Cosenza
Alexis Gallant
Nicholas Janowski
Andrea Kiss
Sarah Muir
Nicholas Serocki
Gillian Spitzley
Ted Tabor
Master of Science in Medical Research
Lara Fahmy