'Discovery, mentorship, momentum': UC College of Medicine's graduate programs celebrate year of success

It's been a year of growth, discovery and recognition for graduate education at the UC College of Medicine (CoM) — a wonderful welcome for new doctoral and master's students, a summer of hands-on research for more than 180 undergraduates, national honors for the faculty and staff who guide them, and a second class of award-winning mentors on the horizon. Across the college's 13 doctoral programs and 16 master's programs, the CoM Office of Graduate Education (OGE) helps guide students from their very first day on campus through some of the field's most competitive fellowships and honors. Tim Le Cras, PhD, associate dean for graduate education and professor in the Department of Pediatrics, and Brittany Allison, PhD, assistant dean for graduate education, lead the office, alongside program director Angela Finkes and program manager Angela Vazquez.

For Le Cras, the year's momentum is, first and foremost, a reflection of the people who make up the graduate education community.

“This has been an incredible year for graduate education, and it’s a testament to the dedication of our faculty, staff and students,” Le Cras said. “Over 100 faculty have stepped up and taken our training courses to become better mentors. Also, our students are winning a lot of awards, getting their own grants funded and publishing great papers.”

On Aug. 7, the OGE and the UC Alumni Association honored the college’s summer PhD and master’s graduates at a commencement reception. Allison and Teresa Reyes, PhD, senior associate dean for basic and translational research and professor in the Department of Pharmacology, Physiology and Neurobiology, offered congratulatory remarks and mingled with graduates and their families.

In all, 57 graduate students earned their degrees this summer: 18 doctoral degrees, 38 master’s degrees and one master of public health degree, spanning programs across the college.

This fall, CoM's OGE welcomed 63 new doctoral students and 76 new master's students during new graduate student orientation. Leaders, office representatives and student organizations from across campus joined the celebration, welcoming the incoming cohort and introducing them to key campus resources as they begin their studies across the college's 13 doctoral programs and 16 master's programs.

“Every fall, I’m reminded of just how much talent, passion and potential our incoming students bring to the College of Medicine,” Finkes said. “It’s extremely rewarding to help create an orientation experience that makes them feel welcomed and connected, and to see the excitement as they begin this important next chapter in their academic journey.”

To champion comprehensive professional development and academic achievement, the OGE has launched the Graduate Student Success Academy (GSSA). Developed by Le Cras and Allison, this required multi-year curriculum equips all CoM PhD and Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) students with the essential skills needed to thrive at every stage of doctoral training. Structured across four progressive phases — Foundations (GSSA 1), Transition (GSSA 2), Progress (GSSA 3) and Completion (GSSA 4) — the academy delivers targeted training in effective lab integration, adviser mentorship, critical thinking, research resilience and oversight, and career readiness. By embedding milestone planning, professional communication strategies and well-being practices directly into doctoral training, the GSSA ensures students build strong mentoring relationships and graduate fully prepared to transition into high-impact careers.

Five PhD students were honored as 2026 Ryan Fellows: Sydney Treichel, Kourtney Stocker, Hyunwook Lee and Barbara Zhao from the Development, Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine program, and Jennifer Wayland from the Immunology program. Several of the fellows are also enrolled in the MSTP. Each received the Ryan Fellow Medal at a ceremony on Aug. 20, with Le Cras and Allison also in attendance.

Ryan Fellows are chosen annually from among students in CoM's doctoral programs who have completed three to four years of graduate study and show exceptional promise as future research scholars. Funded by the Albert J. Ryan Foundation of Cincinnati, the fellowship also supports Ryan Fellows at Harvard University and Dartmouth College.

To foster a true “culture of care,” the OGE actively supports, empowers and enhances its vibrant student-led organizations — including the Health Sciences Graduate Association (HSGA), Black Biomedical Graduates (BBG), CoM Pride, the Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics & Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) and the UC Science Policy Group. Guided by Allison and Vazquez, the OGE provides dedicated advising, operational support, financial support and event planning to help student leaders succeed. 

“Working with the graduate student organizations has been such a pleasure. Helping them learn how to collaborate for a greater purpose has been so rewarding,” Vazquez said. “Seeing the graduate students make genuine, lifelong connections with each other and participate in OGE events has also been so inspiring. I am so grateful for the supportive community we have built.”

Beyond day-to-day administrative guidance, OGE elevates student voices through surveys and town halls while offering tailored leadership development opportunities, such as its E-Board Meet & Greet Lunches and the annual Volunteer Appreciation and Leadership Reception. By hosting annual resource fairs, community mixers and formal service recognitions, OGE partners with student leaders and volunteers to cultivate a welcoming, professional and tightly knit College of Medicine graduate community.

The graduate education community continues to honor student Aaditya Adlakha, and his spirit of kindness, leadership and service continues to inspire the students, faculty and staff who knew him.

Each October, the OGE hosts the Aaditya Adlakha Graduate Student Poster Symposium in his memory, inviting faculty and postdocs to judge and mentor the next generation of researchers. This year’s symposium is set for Oct. 16.

In 2025, the office also introduced the Aaditya Adlakha Scientific Service Award, presented to Simon Han, an MD/PhD student, in recognition of his years of service with Cincinnati’s Big Brothers Big Sisters program and his leadership within the MSTP community.

“This award is deeply meaningful to me because it represents values Aaditya lived every day,” Han said. “It reminds me that science isn’t just about experiments in the lab — it’s about community, collaboration and a commitment to helping those around us.”

More than 180 students completed hands-on research this summer through CoM's SURF (Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship) programs, working with faculty across the College of Medicine, the College of Allied Health Sciences and Cincinnati Children's. This year's slate included seven distinct programs, covering topics from Alzheimer's disease and cardiovascular health to climate change, cancer research and neuroscience.

Throughout the summer, SURF students took part in professional development and social programming, including the OGE’s "SURF Graduate Pathways Exploration Series," workshops designed to introduce undergraduate students to CoM’s graduate programs and help them build competitive applications. The office also hosted the CoM/CCHMC Graduate Program Information Fair, giving SURF students the chance to connect directly with graduate faculty and program representatives. The summer culminated in the annual SURF Poster Symposium Capstone, where students presented their research to faculty, staff, graduate students, family and friends. Applications for SURF 2027 open in mid-November.

The OGE's commitment to mentorship earned recognition this year. Allison received the 2026 Graduate Student Mentor Award for Professional and Workforce Development from the UC Graduate College, honoring her dedication to the holistic personal and professional growth of the college's PhD and master's students. In her nomination, colleagues and a former student praised Allison's “high-trust advising” style, with one 2025 PhD alumna describing her as the epitome of a great mentor. Others cited her work building data-driven student surveys, renovating the Graduate Student Lounge in the Medical Sciences Building, launching the inaugural Graduate Student Resource Fair and creating new faculty mentor trainings.

That same spirit of mentorship earned Allison a second honor this year: a 2025-2026 UC Staff Excellence Award, one of only ten presented university-wide by the UC Staff Senate. Since joining the OGE, Allison has helped reshape the culture of research training at UC by prioritizing student advocacy, wellness, mental health, recruitment and belonging for the college's 600-plus PhD and master's students. She has led mentor training for more than 150 CoM and Cincinnati Children's faculty.

Much of that training happens through the office's Faculty Mentor Academy, an interactive workshop that Le Cras and Allison created and co-facilitate for faculty who mentor CoM PhD students. The three-hour session walks faculty through PhD milestones from a student's first year through their fifth and beyond, along with CoM's required mentoring agreements and common problem-solving for the PhD journey. The next Faculty Mentor Academy session is scheduled for Sept. 23 at the Medical Sciences Building.

“These honors really belong to our whole community; our students, faculty and staff continuously work together to implement and cultivate best practices in mentorship,” Allison said. “I truly love and embrace every chance to support our graduate students, and I’m proud of how far we’ve come together.”

Building on that momentum, CoM's OGE will present its second annual Outstanding Faculty Mentor Award at the college's Celebration of Research on Sept. 30. The award recognizes faculty who go above and beyond in guiding and inspiring the next generation of biomedical scientists, with three honors given each year: one for early- to mid-career faculty, one for senior faculty and one for faculty who mentor master's students exclusively.

As CoM's graduate programs head into another year, Le Cras said he's most proud of the community that has come together around students, and he's excited for what's ahead.

“I’m incredibly proud of everything our students have accomplished this year,” Le Cras said. “To Brittany, Angie and Angela — thank you for everything you do for our graduate community. To our program directors, staff and faculty mentors, thank you for your dedication to supporting the success of the students.”

Featured image at top: New doctoral students gather during the College of Medicine's new graduate student orientation. Photo provided by the CoM Office of Graduate Education.