Dartmouth Medical School

For Release: March 2, 2006
Contact: MedNews Office

Two Young DMS Researchers Awarded by the American Physiological Society

HANOVER, NH—Two Dartmouth Medical School researchers were selected from among 134 graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to earn American Physiological Society (APS) tum Suden/Hellebrandt Professional Opportunity Awards. Honored for their ongoing work in physiology, Jennifer Bomberger, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow and graduate student Emily Cordas have been asked to present their research at the 2006 Experimental Biology conference in San Francisco, April 1-5.

Bomberger and Cordas are among 36 men and women who, according to the APS selection committee, have conducted exemplary research in the field of physiology. Bomberger, a first-year postdoc working in Dr. Bruce Stanton's laboratory, has focused her research on combating cystic fibrosis by investigating the intracellular trafficking patterns of plasma membranes. She said that in addition to presenting her work at the Experimental Biology conference, "I am looking forward to interacting with fellow scientists and hearing research updates from the top scientists in my field."

Cordas, conducting her research in Dr. Aniko Naray-Fejes-Toth's laboratory, is also excited about the prospect of presenting her work to an international audience. Her research efforts revolve around a protein, the serum and glucocorticoid induced-kinase 1, which is instrumental in absorbing sodium in the kidney. "I am extremely honored to receive this Professional Opportunity Award and eager to share my work at the upcoming conference in San Francisco," she said.

The APS selection committee bestows the tum Suden/Hellebrandt award to recipients who are engaged in comprehensive research, which must have a clear hypothesis, solid experimental design, and a clearly stated conclusion that includes information on the its significance to their scientific field.

The award, which carries a $500 prize and complimentary registration for the Experimental Biology conference, is named for Caroline tum Suden and Frances A. Hellebrandt, physiologists and researchers born at the beginning of the 20th century who mentored young researchers during lengthy academic careers.

Tum Suden (1900-1976) did much of her early research on the function of the adrenal gland. Frances A. Hellebrandt (1901-1992) was a pioneer in exercise physiology and rehabilitation and served on the editorial board of the Journal of Applied Physiology published by APS.

The American Physiological Society was founded in 1887 to foster basic and applied bioscience. The Bethesda, Maryland-based society has more than 10,000 members and publishes 14 peer-reviewed journals containing almost 4,000 articles annually.

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