Graduate student wins Ford Foundation Fellowship
By Lin Lofley
When Genaro Hernandez was at San Diego State University and considering where he’d take his education at the next level, he quickly set his sights on a laboratory on the North Campus at UT Southwestern Medical Center.
Having already done award-winning undergraduate research in cell and molecular biology, he sought and earned a spot in the lab of Dr. David Mangelsdorf, Chairman and Professor of Pharmacology, and Dr. Steven Kliewer, Professor of Molecular Biology and Pharmacology. “I knew from the moment that I met them, this was the program that I wanted to join.”
Mr. Hernandez is now a second-year student in the UT Southwestern Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. And for the boy who was using a chemistry set to make ink and perfume before he was 10 years old, the lab of his dreams has proved to be everything he envisioned.
In addition to his research, Mr. Hernandez has brought something unprecedented to UT Southwestern: He recently became the school’s first graduate student to win a Ford Foundation Fellowship, created to increase diversity across all disciplines among the nation’s colleges and universities.
After weighing more than 19,000 applicants in 2014, the National Academy of Sciences awarded Ford Fellowships to 60 predoctoral students.
“The fact that Genaro garnered one of these incredibly competitive fellowships testifies to the quality of our graduate students and to our institution’s commitment to diversity,” said Dr. Andrew Zinn, Dean of the Graduate School.
> “I’m very honored,” Mr. Hernandez said. “I’ve had great mentors all through school, from San Diego State, where they led me to an understanding of the National Institutes of Health funding mechanism, all the way to UT Southwestern, where I’ve already learned how nice it feels to know that you’ve contributed.”
In September, he attended a conference of Ford Fellows and saw firsthand the support system for the group. “It was impressive to see Ford Fellows from years ago coming back and offering encouragement,” Mr. Hernandez said.
His success is no surprise to those he works with.
“Genaro is the kind of student you are always look for,” said Dr. Mangelsdorf, who recalled a strong enough first impression that the student skipped rotating through labs and immediately went to work for his new mentors. “He specifically chose UT Southwestern to work in our laboratory, and within a couple of months it was evident that he’s one of the best graduate student recruits that we have seen in many years here.”
Dr. Kliewer agreed, adding, “Even at this early stage in his career, Genaro is remarkably thoughtful and independent. For instance, we asked him to develop a genetically engineered mouse line using standard transgenic technology. But he designed an alternate strategy, using a new state-of-the-art genetic recombination approach. It’s an approach that has several advantages, not the least of which is that it’s much faster.”
Mr. Hernandez first became acquainted with UT Southwestern when he took part in the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program in 2010, working in the lab of Dr. Joseph Hill, Professor of Internal Medicine, Molecular Biology and Integrative Biology. They still talk periodically.
“Genaro is a naturally gregarious and well-spoken fellow who routinely contributes in our lab meetings,” said Dr. Mangelsdorf. “My prediction is that he not only will be representative of graduate research at our institution, but that he will be a superb role model for others and in particular those from underrepresented minorities.”
“I’m where I wanted to be,” Mr. Hernandez said. “Our lab does exciting high-impact significant metabolic research. In fact, UT Southwestern is becoming a mecca for metabolic research.”
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Dr. Hill holds the James T. Willerson, M.D., Distinguished Chair in Cardiovascular Diseases, and the Frank M. Ryburn Jr. Chair in Heart Research.
Dr. Kliewer holds the Nancy B. and Jake L. Hamon Distinguished Chair in Basic Cancer Research.
Dr. Mangelsdorf holds the Alfred G. Gilman Distinguished Chair in Pharmacology, and the Raymond and Ellen Willie Distinguished Chair in Molecular Neuropharmacology in Honor of Harold B. Crasilneck, Ph.D.
Dr. Zinn holds the Rolf Haberecht and Ute Schwarz Haberecht Deanship of the UT Southwestern Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences.
