The research of Wayne State University School of Medicine doctoral candidate Mizumi Setia shined bright yet again at the annual meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology Conference, the world’s largest eye and vision research organization. 

Setia won the Cora Verhagen Young Investigator Award in Ocular Immunology, given to the best poster or paper presented by a graduate student or postdoctoral fellow in the Immunology session at the ARVO annual meeting.

She also was named the runner up for the organization’s Raniyah Ramadan Young Investigator Award in Microbiology.

Setia placed second in both award categories at last year’s meeting.

“I feel deeply honored to have received these two prestigious awards once again at the ARVO meeting this year. It’s not just a recognition of my work, but also a validation of the dedication and passion I have poured into my research,” she said. “These awards serve as a reminder of the impact we can make when pursuing scientific inquiry with determination and purpose. The ARVO platform not only allowed me to present my work but also provided invaluable opportunities to interact with brilliant minds in the field. I am grateful to my supervisor and mentor, Dr. Susmit Suvas, and my lab mates for their unwavering support and encouragement throughout my Ph.D. journey.”

The meeting was held May 4-9 in Seattle.

Setia defended her doctoral dissertation on June 27, and will join the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division at the Fred Hutch Cancer Center in Seattle as a postdoctoral fellow after graduating from the School of Medicine in August.

Setia was admitted to the doctoral program of Anatomy and Cell Biology in the fall of 2019, and joined the lab of Professor of Ophthalmology, Visual and Anatomical Sciences Susmit Suvas, Ph.D., after finishing her lab rotations in 2020. With him, she researched the alterations in the corneal epithelial layer and how it influences the HSV-1 clearance during the lytic phase and the development of immunoinflammatory condition, herpetic stromal keratitis, or HSK.

“These awards truly recognize her research accomplishments and speak about the skillsets she possesses to deliver good quality research,” Dr. Suvas said. “She successfully defended her Ph.D. thesis and received several postdoctoral offers from the labs focusing on Ocular Immunology. However, her keen interest to understand the immunity to infections in other tissues prompted her to choose the group of Dr. Larry Corey at Fred Hutch Cancer Center for her postdoctoral study. She will study the humoral immunity to genital herpes infection. Mizumi has been an exemplary Ph.D. student in my lab and I wish her the best for her future voyage.”

Setia received her bachelor’s degree in microbiology with honors from Panjab University in Chandigarh, India. She selected Wayne State for graduate school because of its high academic reputation in the field of biomedical research.