ITERT Program
The Interdisciplinary Education and Training Program (ITERT) is offered to outstanding predoctoral, postdoctoral and M.D. fellows at the department of Translational Molecular Pathology (TMP).
The training plan allows qualified candidates an in-depth research experience in translational cancer research.
The three focus areas provides trainees with in-depth experiences in:
- scientific research and education
- career development
- community
ITERT Contacts:
Rama Soundararajan, Ph.D.
Director
rsoundararajan@mdanderson.org
Humberto Shaw
Program Coordinator
hshaw@mdanderson.org
Jeannette McGee
Education Program Coordinator
jmcgee@mdanderson.org
Events
Career Path Seminar Series
These are invited talks by distinguished scientists and industrial leaders (also from a variety of collaborating institutions) who inform trainees about alternate (non-academic) career paths including private industry, Intellectual Property Lawyers, and pharmaceutical companies. Open to all MD Anderson graduate students and post-doctoral fellows.
Schedule: Monthly on rotating Thursdays
Time: 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Location: LSP9.4101-4104
Organizers: Dr. Rama Soundararajan, Dr. Krishna P. Bhat & Jeannette McGee
Contact: 713-834-6076
Community Events and Outreach
Annual Science Soiree, Socials, Celebrating International Diversity, Trainee Lounge, Coffee Sessions
Schedule: TBD
Time: TBD
Location: Life Science Plaza (LSP)
Organizers: Jeannette McGee & ITERT Trainees
Contact: 713-834-6076
Departmental Seminar Series
A monthly department research presentation forum providing regular opportunities for all trainees to present their ongoing research at length, improve presentation skills, and receive real-time feedback from faculty and peers.
Schedule: 4th Thursday of each month
Time: 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Location: LSP9.4101-4104
Organizers: Dr. Petra Den Hollander, Dr. Sendurai Mani & Jeannette McGee
Contact Person: 713-834-6076
Distinguished Speaker Seminar Series
This speaker series consists of monthly seminars delivered by invited speakers who are leading authorities in areas relevant to various disciplines of Translational Science. The goal of this seminar series is to promote interaction of the TMP faculty and trainees with the speakers in order to advance the programmatic efforts of the department. These interactions can include either collaboration or consultation with the speakers in both ongoing and proposed peer reviewed funded projects (SPORE, EDRN and P01, etc.).
Schedule: 2nd Thursday of each month
Time: 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Location: LSP9.4101-4104
Organizers: Dr. Krishna Bhat, Dr. Lawrence Kwong, Dr. Subrata Sen, Dr. Kanishka Sircar & Ebonie Hatfield
Contact Person: 713-745-2464
Distinguished Speaker Seminar Series Trainee Luncheon
This luncheon with our Distinguished Speaker is exclusive to our trainees. It offers a structured interactive environment for trainees to learn about our invited speakers, their career tracks, scientific endeavors and expertise, and strategies for successfully navigating the academic course.
Schedule: 2nd Thursday of each month
Time: 12:30-1:30 p.m.
Location: LSP9.1007
Organizers: Dr. Rama Soundararajan & Ebonie Hatfield (Trainee Discussant Leader)
Contact Person: 713-745-2464
Journal Club
The goals of this forum are to:
- aid trainees to keep up with literature (high-impact journals);
- allow trainees exposure to a wide variety of study designs and model systems;
- promote critical appraisal skills (systematic weighing of evidence);
- promote participation/research analysis/review skills.
This series has been highly successful in the past years, and includes career counseling sessions (wherein every trainee is encouraged to draft a personalized career plan), and also offers extensive training on fine-tuning scientific presentation skills.
Schedule: Biweekly, year-roud
Time: 12:30-2 p.m.
Location: LSP9.1007
Organizers: Dr. Rama Soundararajan & Jeannette McGee
Contact: 713-834-6076
Leadership Development Course
A formal leadership training course - "ITERT-Emerging Leaders Academy" based on the acclaimed "Kouzes and Posner" leadership model conducted in collaboration with the Leadership Institute at MD Anderson.
Schedule: Monthly on a Wednesday, enrollment rotates every six months
Time: 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
Location: LSP9.4101 - 4104
Organizers: Dr. Ignacio Wistuba, Dr. Rama Soundararajan, Dr. Robert Tillman & Jeannette McGee
Contact: 713-834-6076
Time: 11:30 a.m.
Location: Meet at the Life Science Plaza (LSP) shuttle station
Organizers: Dr. Mei Chee Tai, Dr. Celia Barreto & Mrs. Jeannette McGee
Contact: 713-834-6076
A formal leadership training course – “ITERT-Emerging Leaders Academy” based on the acclaimed “Kouzes and Posner” leadership model.
Remote Learning Services
An online learning platform launched with the goal of providing supportive educational resources and continued career-skills training for our students and fellows, during COVID-19 and beyond. These include Grant Writing Workshops, Buddy Mentoring, Career Enhancement Resources-Strategies for successfully navigating science and academia, “Programming for data analyses” training course, “Fundamental histology for basic scientists” training course, and video lectures of ITERT Technical Workshop Series (the goal of this series is to educate research- and clinical-trainees on emerging translational paradigms in cancer, beginning with risk assessment, early detection, surveillance and prevention of cancer, and ending with late-stage disease, metastasis and survivorship).
Organizers: Dr. Luisa Maren Soto, Dr. Gabriela Raso, Dr. Kathuri Kannan, Dr. Krishna Bhat, Dr. Humam Kadara, Dr. Vashisht Yennu Nanda, Dr. Rama Soundararajan & Jeannette McGee
Contact: 713-834-6076
is an online learning platform launched with the goal of providing supportive educational resources and continued career-skills training for our students and fellows, during COVID19 and beyond. These include Grant Writing Workshops, Buddy Mentoring, Career Enhancement Resources-Strategies for successfully navigating science and academia, “Programming for data analyses” training course, “Fundamental histology for basic scientists” training course, and video lectures of ITERT Technical Workshop Series (the goal of this series is to educate research- and clinical-trainees on emerging translational paradigms in cancer, beginning with risk assessment, early detection, surveillance and prevention of cancer, and ending with late-stage disease, metastasis and survivorship).
is an online learning platform launched with the goal of providing supportive educational resources and continued career-skills training for our students and fellows, during COVID19 and beyond. These include Grant Writing Workshops, Buddy Mentoring, Career Enhancement Resources-Strategies for successfully navigating science and academia, “Programming for data analyses” training course, “Fundamental histology for basic scientists” training course, and video lectures of ITERT Technical Workshop Series (the goal of this series is to educate research- and clinical-trainees on emerging translational paradigms in cancer, beginning with risk assessment, early detection, surveillance and prevention of cancer, and ending with late-stage disease, metastasis and survivorship).
Leads: Dr. Luisa Maren Soto, Dr. Gabriela Raso, Dr. Kasthuri Kannan, Dr. Krishna Bhat, Dr. Humam Kadara, Dr. Vashisht Yennu Nanda, Dr. Rama Soundararajan
Technical Workshops
Translational Molecular Pathology (TMP) Annual Department Retreat
An annual two-day event organized by a rotating retreat committee and dedicated to faculty/student/fellow/staff collaboration. Faculty present their research in an informal setting while staff help organize and serve as session chairs. There is an extremely active poster session and from this event, prizes are awarded for the classified, graduate student and postdoctoral/M.D. Fellow category with the winners in each category being endowed travel funds to present their work at a national meeting.
Schedule: Annually in June
Time: Two-day event
Location: TBD
Organizers: Alicia D. James, TMP Administrative Teams and TMP Faculty Co-Chairs
Contact: 713-745-4668
Undergraduate Summer Research Program
ITERT hosts a competitive hands-on summer learning experience for highly motivated undergraduates aspiring for a career in translational science. For more information see ITERT Undergraduate Summer Research Training.
ITERT Summer Program Contacts:
Dr. Petra Den Hollander
Instructor
Translational Molecular Pathology
PDHollander@mdanderson.org
Dr. Khalida Wani
Laboratory Manager
Translational Molecular Pathology
KWani@mdanderson.org
A formal leadership training course – “ITERT-Emerging Leaders Academy” based on the acclaimed “Kouzes and Posner” leadership model.
"Walk-With-Me Tuesdays"
Monthly organized walks promoting work-life balance and student-mentor meet-and-greet in an informal fun setting.
Everyone is welcome!
Schedule: Monthly (by request)
Time: 11:30 a.m.
Location: Meet at the Life Science Plaza (LSP) shuttle station
Organizers: Dr. Celia Barreto & Jeannette McGee
Contact: 713-834-6076
weekly organized walks around the Rice loop, promoting work-life balance and student-mentor meet-and-greet in an informal fun setting.
weekly organized walks around the Rice loop, promoting work-life balance and student-mentor meet-and-greet in an informal fun setting.
Schedule: Biweekly on every other Friday, enrollment rotates every 6 months
Time: 12:30-2 p.m.
Location: LSP9.1007
Organizers: Dr. Rama Soundararajan & Mrs. Jeannette McGee
Contact: 713-834-6076
Schedule: Biweekly on every other Friday, enrollment rotates every 6 months
Time: 12:30-2 p.m.
Location: LSP9.1007
Organizers: Dr. Rama Soundararajan & Mrs. Jeannette McGee
Contact: 713-834-6076
Work-Life Harmony Seminar Series
These monthly seminars where TMP faculty offer informal guidance and suggestions on how to manage a successful and fruitful life, both in and out of the lab. Open to all MD Anderson graduate students and post-doctoral fellows.
Schedule: Monthly on rotating Thursdays
Time: 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Location: LSP9.4101-4104
Organizers: Dr. Rama Soundararajan & Jeannette McGee
Contact: 713-834-6076
ITERT Stars
Ignacio Wistuba, M.D., is the chair of the Translational Molecular Pathology department and professor in the Thoracic/Head and Neck Medical Oncology department. He came to MD Anderson in 2003 and developed a translational research program in lung cancer that has expanded into the current TMP programmatic effort.
Gabriele Romano, Ph.D., is a postdoctoral fellow in the Translational Molecular Pathology Department. Gabriele's research is focused on the study of molecular mechanisms involved in cancer drug resistance and identification of effective counter-therapies.
ITERT Members
Sridevi Addanki, Postdoc, 2018-Present | ResearchGate
Alessandra Audia, Postdoc, 2015-Present | LinkedIn | ResearchGate
Neus Bota, Postdoc, 2015-Present | LinkedIn
Hitoshi Dejima, Postdoc, 2018-Present
Abhijeet Deshmukh, Postdoc, 2018-Present | LinkedIn | ResearchGate
Rachel L. Dittmar, Grad student, 2015-Present | LinkedIn | ResearchGate
Daniela Duenas, Postdoc, 2019
Pravesh Gupta, Postdoc, 2019 | LinkedIn | ResearchGate
Antoneicka L. Harris, Postdoc, 2018-Present | LinkedIn
Daisy Izaguirre, Postdoc, 2017-2019 | LinkedIn
Nick Allen Kuburich, Postdoc, 2018-Present | LinkedIn | ResearchGate
Debora Alejandra Ledesma, Postdoc, 2018-Present | LinkedIn
Mehvish Naseer, Grad student, 2019
Joanne Speer, Senior Research Histology Tech, 2015-Present
Iris Stuiver, Grad student, 2019 | LinkedIn
Alex Trevarton, Postdoc, 2017-Present