Welcome to Developmental and Reproductive Biology (DRB)
Graduate Program Website!!!
The Department of Anatomy, Biochemistry and Physiology at the University of Hawaii School of Medicine offers a graduate program leading to MS and PhD degrees in Developmental and Reproductive Biology. In our program, students are enganged in laboratory research and classes that integrate diverse disciplines, such as the study of:
Whether your goal is pure basic science or translational research, we offer opportunities that will enable you to impact biomedical science and our understanding of life!
Montana INBRE/RAIN Technology Access Grant for Hayden Holmlund
Hayden Holmlund, a PhD student in the Developmental and Reproductive Biology (DRB) graduate program, has just been awarded a Montana INBRE/RAIN Technology Access Grant ($4,600) for his proposal entitled: "Identifying Potential Co-regulators of ZFY1 and ZFY2 in the Male Germline." Hayden pursues his PhD research in the laboratory of Monika Ward. He will use the newly acquired funds to cover the cost of performing mass spectrometry analyses of male germline samples from transgenic mice he developed in Hawaii. This is not Hayden's first success with attracting grant funding. He has previously applied and been awarded the prestigious Cheteaubriand Fellowship, which sponsored his 6-months training in the laboratory of Dr. Ward's collaborator in Paris, France in Spring this year. He has also recently been awarded the NIH F31 grant to study the function of ZFY proteins.
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NIH F32 Grant for Hayden Holmlund
Fourth year DRB PhD student Hayden Holmlund received a fundable score 21 (13th percentile) for the competitive NIH F31 grant. He submitted the F31 grant to support his dissertation research aiming to identify the molecular function of the mouse Y chromosome zinc finger proteins ZFY1 and ZFY2 that he carries out in the Monika Ward Laboratory. This is the second successful grant submission of Hayden. In 2022 he applied for, and was awarded, a prestigious Chateaubriand Fellowship to spend 6 months in the laboratory of Dr. Ward's long-term collaborator from the Cochin Institute in Paris. He is there now, performing some of his dissertation experiments and enjoying fresh croissants. Bravo Hayden!
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Lance Nenes receives Kai Bowden ARCS Award in Medicine
DRB Program PhD student Lance Nunes receives Kai Bowden ARCS Award in Medicine.
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MS Defense by Kristal Xie
DRB Program MS student Kristal Xie successfully defended her thesis on December 13, 2022. Her defense took place in the Manoa IBR Conference Room (Biomed Building E125). Kristal is mentored by Dr. Jesse Owens. See more details in here.
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Nicholas Kawasaki won ARCS Scholar of the Year
DRB Program PhD student Nicholas Kawasaki was named ARCS Foundation Honolulu Chapter's 2022 Scholar of the Year. Nicholas received the Sherry Lundeen ARCS Scholar of the Year Award for best presentation in the biological sciences. . Nicholas is mentored by Dr. Takashi Matsui, and his story is featured in UH News. Read more.
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MS Defense by Jackson Bakse
(July 21, 2022, Thursday, Manoa IBR/Biomed plus via Zoom)
Master thesis defense of Mr. Jackson Bakse is scheduled for July 21, 2022 (Thursday) at 10:30am in the Manoa IBR Biomed Building Room E125, and is also broadcasted through Zoom. See more details in here.
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MS Defense by Marissa Miyagi
(May 5, 2022, Thursday, Kakaako MEB plus via Zoom)
Master thesis defense of Ms. Marissa Miyagi is scheduled for May 5, 2022 (Thursday) at 1:00pm in the Kakaako Medical Education Building (MEB) Room 304, and is also broadcasted through Zoom. See more details in here.
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PhD Defense by Trevor Torigoe
(April 13, 2022, Wednesday, Kakaako MEB plus via Zoom)
Doctoral dissertation defense of Mr. Trevor Torigoe is scheduled for April 13, 2022 (Wednesday) at 9:00am in the Kakaako Medical Education Building (MEB) Room 202, and is also broadcasted through Zoom. See more details in here.
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DRB Graduate Program Promotion Video (03/16/2022)
Clink here to view the video on YouTube. Two DRB students, Marissa Miyagi and Winnie Wu, who worked tirelessly with the assistance of the JABSOM Media Team, to prepare this promotion video. Big Mahalo!
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Marissa Miyagi is featured in UH Med Now
Marissa Miyagi is awarded the best Poster Presentations at the JABSOM 2021 Biomedical Sciences Symposium, which was held on April 15, 2021. The title of her presentation is "Three-dimensional (3-D) ovarian tissue culture supported by dextran hydrogel with polyethylene glycol (PEG) crosslinker". Marissa is mentored by Dr. Yukiko Yamazaki, and her story is featured in UH Med Now. Read more.
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Lance Nunes and Lauren Kirkwood at the JABSOM Commencement Ceremony (May 15, Saturday)
Lance Nunes and Lauren Kirkwood graduated with Master's degree. The commencement ceremony was held on May 15, 2021 at the JABSOM Kakaako. Lance defended his thesis on April 23 (see more details here) and Lauren defended her thesis on April 28 (see more details here).
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MS Defense by Dominique Elento
(December 16, 2020, Wednesday, via Zoom)
Master's degree thesis defense of Dominique Elento is scheduled for December 16, 2020 (Wednesday) at 2:00pm via Zoom. See more details in here.
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Trevor Torigoe is featured in the UH Med Now
Trevor Torigoe, a PhD candidate (Mentor: Dr. Richard Allsopp), is also one of the first year medical students at JABSOM, and he is expected to graduate with his MD and PhD in 2024. His story is featured in the UH Med Now. Read more.
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2019 DRB Program Retreat
(November 6, 2019, Wednesday, IBR Seminar Room)
The JABSOM Developmental and Reproductive Biology (DRB) Graduate Program Students 2019 Retreat took place on November 6 at the UH Manoa Institute of Biogenesis Research (IBR). Thirteen students (7 PhD and 6 MS) presented their work. The topics covered various aspects of reproductive and developmental biology, such as stem cells in reproduction, oogenesis, fertilization, assisted reproduction technologies, embryonic and fetal development, placentation and other aspects of pregnancy, transgenesis, behavior, etc. Faculty from the IBR, Anatomy, Biochemistry & Physiology (ABH) and Cell and Molecular Biology departments were in attendance. The meeting was highly successful, with collegial atmosphere and vivid discussions. The students' presentations were top-notch, both in respect to power point presentation quality and its oral delivery. See more about the Retreat, including photos of all students, in here.
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Chantell Balaan is featured in the Garden Island (TGI)
Chantell Balaan, a PhD candidate (Mentor: Dr. Masato Yoshizawa), is on a mission to understand how the gut microbiome affects brain function and human behavior, particularly in people with autism spectrum disorder. Her story is featured in the Garden Island, Kauai's newspaper. Read more.
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Brent Fujimoto presents at American Association of Diabetes Meeting
Brent Fujimoto, Ph.D. candidate in Developmental and Reproductive Biology, presented at the American Diabetes Association Meeting in San Francisco, CA. Mr. Fujimoto mentors are Drs. Noemi Polgar and Ben Fogelgren. The research focuses on how glucose is transported into muscle which is important for understanding diabetes.
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Chantell Balaan receives the ARCS 2019 Award in Medicine
Chantell Balaan, a PhD candidate (Mentor: Dr. Masato Yoshizawa), receives the ARCS Award in Medicine. The ARCS foundation (Achievement Rewards for College Scientists) is a non-profit organization administered by a group of women, who provide scholarships and awards to support graduate and undergraduate students in science. Chantell will present her research on April 13 at UH Manoa to the ARCS members, and receives the award at the ceremony on May 6. See also: The Garden Island, UH Med News
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Students Showcase the DRB Program at the Annual Graduate & Law Schools Fair
On Tuesday, November 27, 2018, two DRB students, Lance Nunes (left) and Nicholas Kawasaki (right), represented the program at the Annual Graduate & Law Schools Fair.
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Recent Publications (2018-2023) by DRB Graduate Students
Names of the DRB students are underlined. 2024
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
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Important Notice to All Students
The DRB Graduate Program Committee has recently issued the following two documents to define the nature of PhD and Master degrees (Plan A/B) in our program: - Degrees offered in the DRB Graduate Program These are relevant and applicable to both current as well as incoming students.
- Master Plan A Research Criteria