Outstanding faculty: Tammy Kielian, PhD

Tammy Kielian, PhD, professor in the UNMC Department of Pathology and Microbiology in the College of Medicine, will receive the Outstanding Mentor of Graduate Students Award at the annual faculty meeting, which will be held at 3 p.m. on Thursday, April 21. It will be held virtually via Zoom, and the passcode is 2021.

Tammy Kielian, PhD

• Name: Tammy Kielian, PhD
• Title: Professor and Choudari Kommineni, DVM, PhD, Endowed Professor of Pathology 
• Joined UNMC: 2008 
• Hometown: Stanton, Nebraska 

What are the greatest rewards of mentoring graduate students? 

Helping students realize their full potential as scientists, facilitating successes in terms of publications, extramural fellowships and national awards and tailoring training to fit the personalized goal of each student for long-term success and career satisfaction. 

Describe a moment in your career when you realized you had picked the right profession.  

When I was first setting up my laboratory and realized that I was now completely in charge of the direction of my research program. It was both thrilling and terrifying at the same time. Having the independence to work on biological questions of interest to me is an honor and a privilege. 

What are the biggest challenges you face as a mentor?  

It takes a great deal of time and investment to formulate the best plan for ensuring trainee success. Although my mentoring philosophy has common foundational aspects, each trainee has various strengths and weaknesses (as we all do), and I try to tailor my mentoring plan based on the individuals to ensure their success as a scientist. 

How do you know when you’ve been successful as a mentor?  

When my students are independently formulating great ideas for their projects and our conversations start to become more like colleagues than mentor-mentee. That is the sign that they are ready for the next step in their careers. It is very satisfying to reflect on the progression of my students during their tenure in the laboratory. I am proud of their accomplishments.