Grad students earn prestigious early career opportunities

Two UNMC graduate students have recently earned prestigious early-career opportunities.

Laura Flores, an M.D.-Ph.D. scholar, is in the current cohort of the Yale Ciencia Academy for Career Development. The year-long program provides graduate students with opportunities for mentoring, peer support, and networking; for developing skills that are important for career advancement; and for contributing to their communities through science outreach.

The program is led by Ciencia Puerto Rico — a nonprofit, and one of the world’s largest networks of Hispanic/Latino scientists — in collaboration with Yale University.

“The Yale Ciencia Academy complements traditional graduate training with access to a diverse network of peers, role models and advisors,” said Giovanna Guerrero-Medina, Ph.D., principal investigator and director of YCA.
Flores was among the 40 young science leaders to kick off their year as Yale Ciencia Academy fellows at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.

Kimiko Krieger

Meanwhile, Kimiko Krieger, a graduate student fellow in the Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer and Allied Diseases, was selected as one of 16 early-career cancer scientists from around the country to participate in Early-career Hill Day through the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). This marks the second straight year Krieger was selected to participate in the event.

Krieger and the other honorees traveled to Washington, D.C., on Feb. 28 to meet with more than 50 members of Congress and their staffs, representing 17 different states. They shared their experiences as cancer researchers and discussed the importance of continued bipartisan support for biomedical research through budget increases for the National Institutes of Health.