“Insights gained from a history of studying transcriptional regulation and strategies for mentoring along the career continuum in biomedical sciences” GSBS MIG Guest Speaker Cynthia Wright, Ph.D.

“Insights gained from a history of studying transcriptional regulation and strategies for mentoring along the career continuum in biomedical sciences” GSBS MIG Guest Speaker Cynthia Wright, Ph.D. on Wednesday December 11, 2019.

Seminar location: CBH-230 beginning at 10:00 a.m.

Cynthia Wright, PhD, is Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at MUSC and Associate Dean for Admissions and Career Development, College of Graduate Studies. She received her undergraduate training as a Microbiology major at the University of Florida and her graduate training at SUNY-Albany, supported by a prestigious NSF predoctoral fellowship award. She undertook postdoctoral training at the NIH, supported by an individual NRSA award.

During her career, Dr. Wright has been funded by grants from the NIH, NSF, DOD, US Army, and the Elsa U. Pardee Foundation. Her research work has focused on the regulation of gene expression in viruses and cancer. Currently, Dr. Wright directs three NIH-funded training programs, all of which are related to diversity initiatives. These include an NHLBI-funded R25 program “Short-Term Training for Minority Students” that supports undergraduate students to perform research on the MUSC campus in the summer. Dr. Wright is also the Program Director for the MUSC Initiative for Maximizing Student Diversity (IMSD) program, also funded by NIGMS. The goal of the IMSD program is to enhance the training environment for students during their years in graduate school through classes, workshops, and mentoring groups. Finally, she is co-director of the NIGMS-funded Post-Baccalaureate Research and Education Program,that supports postbacc students to prepare and apply for PhD programs in the biomedical sciences. In addition to directing training programs, Dr. Wright continues to be active in teaching.