Wayne State University’s Spring 2025 Commencement series featured seven ceremonies over three days, held at the Wayne State University Fieldhouse in Detroit.
For the School of Medicine’s programs, a hooding and commencement was held April 30 for doctoral graduates and a commencement was held May 2 for master’s graduates. The ceremonies included congratulatory remarks from President Dr. Kimberly Andrews Espy, members of the WSU Board of Governors, faculty, and the deans of participating schools and colleges.
Graduates affiliated with the School of Medicine included 13 candidates for Doctor of Philosophy degrees, as well as 34 candidates for Master’s of Public Health degrees, 14 candidates for Master’s of Science degrees, eight for Master’s of Science in Genetic Counseling degrees and 15 candidates for Master’s of Science in Basic Medical Sciences degrees.
Jenna Vora, a Master’s of Public Health graduate, is grateful for the education she received at WSU.
“It has been positive, definitely setting us up for success,” she said.
Master’s of Science graduate Alexander Deck will now enter the School of Medicine’s Cancer Biology Graduate Program to study for his doctorate in the lab of Associate Professor of Oncology Nerissa Viola, Ph.D.
“All the hands-on experience we had to do (in the master’s program), for someone who didn’t know they wanted to pursue research, it was a good introduction,” Deck said.
Graduates and their degrees include:
Doctor of Philosophy
Nicholas Korkuvi Adzibolosu, M.D., Dissertation: “Immune Mechanisms in Ovarian Cancer Initiation and Progression: Implications for Early Detection and Novel Therapies.” Dissertation Advisors: Professors Gil Mor and Sorin Draghici, Physiology
Carly Boye, Dissertation: “Genotype-Environment Interactions for Non-Coding Variants in Disease and Evolution.” Dissertation Advisor: Professor Roger Pique-Regi, Molecular Genetics and Genomics
Ion Campeanu, Dissertation: “Integrative Analysis of METTL and CMTR1 Methyltransferases in Cancer.” Dissertation Advisor: Professor Zeng-Quan Yang, Cancer Biology
Jenna Carter, Dissertation: “Targeting Venetoclax Plus Azacitidine Resistance and Leukemia Stem Cells in Acute Myeloid Leukemia Via the Novel Imipridone ONC213.” Dissertation Advisor: Professor Yubin Ge, Cancer Biology
Rayane Dennaoui, Dissertation: “Compensatory Roles of JAKs and STATs in Mammary Gland Development and Breast Cancer.” Dissertation Advisor: Professor Kay-Uwe Wagner, Cancer Biology
Justin Hackett, Dissertation: “Using Genetically Heterogenous Mice to Identify Regulators of Immune Checkpoint Response.” Dissertation Advisor: Professor Heather Gibson, Cancer Biology
Ashley Kramer, Dissertation: “From Bedside to Bench: Investigating Retinal Regeneration in Zebrafish and Employing New Techniques to Study Human Retinal Pathology.” Dissertation Advisor: Professor Ryan Thummel, Anatomy and Cell Biology
Agnes Malysa, Dissertation: “Interaction of the Regulatory Subunit of Ribonucleotide Reductase With Minichromosome Maintenance Complexes Regulate Cell Growth.” Dissertation Advisors: Professors Gerold Bepler and Manohar Ratnam, Cancer Biology
Alixandria Mascarin, Dissertation: “Modeling Cocaine Use and Relapse: A Focus on Sex Differences in Behavioral and Neurobiological Responses.” Dissertation Advisor: Professor Shane Perrine, Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences
Paul Morse, Dissertation: “The Endogenous Regulation and Exogenous Manipulation of Mitochondrial Activity: Cytochrome C and Cytochrome C Oxidase.” Dissertation Advisor: Professor Maik Huettemann, Molecular Genetics and Genomics
Tabitha Moses, Dissertation: “Using Neuromodulation to Investigate Potential Treatment Pathways Associated With Stress and Substance Use in Opioid Use Disorder.” Dissertation Advisor: Professor Mark Greenwald, Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences
Michael Muczynski, Dissertation: “Biochemical, Structural, and Drug Design Studies of SARS-CoV-2 3CL Protease.” Dissertation Advisor: Professor Ladislau Kovari, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Aditi Singh, Dissertation: “Transcriptomic Predictors of Infertility: Insights From ESC Under Stress and Uterine Dendritic Cells.” Dissertation Advisors: Professors Douglas Ruden and James Granneman, Molecular Genetics and Genomics
Master of Public Health
May 2025
Dina Ajami
Mina Al-Janabi
Christen Arena
Alyssa Chavez
Ellen Guzick Christiansen
Elizabeth Crenshaw
Prabhnoor Dhillon
Sarah Eringaard
Tasia Gamble
Heather Garcia
Natalie Granger
Iyman Hamad
Tyiesha Head
Yamarie Jallow
Jasnoor Kaur
Hannah Kessler
Paul Kurian
Viineeth Manam
Miglena Mihaylova
Dominique Pace
Mercedes Pace
Nikita Patil
Zahra Rahimee
Dirk Thornhill
Carolyn Watt
August 2025
Diala Al-Qawasmeh
Bethany Alumbia Archer
Rochelle Chapman
Klea Kojku
Summer Sitler
Noor Subhani
Shaurel Valbrun
Jenna Vora
Kayla Williams
Master of Science
May 2025
Callan Bleick
Alan Carbajo Jr.
Alexander Deck
Zoe Graves
Rachelle Hecht
Lincoln Houghton
Lucas Huss
Fahmida Khatun
Natalie McGinnis
Lauren Pavelich
Joseph Piet
Nikhil Shad
August 2025
Himani Wasundara Karunathilake
Hadley Rose Lange
Master of Science in Genetic Counseling
May 2025
Lein Charkatli
Anthony DePaulis
Alba Guxholli
Emma Kramer
Nneka Ogbonnaya
Hiral Patel
Kristin Pohl
Shelby Wright
Master of Science in Basic Medical Sciences
May 2025
Saife Aldubaily
Donna Al-hussain
Aresh Bilal
Pilirani Chimbayo
Zachary Condon
Ali Ghazi
Anoushka Gulati
Radia Islam
Vonjj Johnson
Tazia Miah
Madison Priemer
Eugene Ninotchka
Mikaela Valdez
Luke Wesemann
August 2025
Sonia Khalid