Distinguished Scientists Seminars
The Distinguished Scientists Seminar (DSS) program comprises invited talks by leading
scientists from outside institutions. Speakers are selected to complement the Graduate
Training Program in the College of Medicine and cover a wide range of cutting-edge
biomedical research. Seminars are held monthly during the fall and spring semesters.
One seminar per semester is reserved for the Charles M. Baugh Lecture featuring a
nationally/ internationally recognized scientist.
Nominations for seminar speakers should be forwarded to departmental representatives on the DSS Committee. If the speaker is approved, the DSS representative notifies the faculty nominator that the speaker has been approved, gives them a list of available dates, and the faculty member then invites the speaker.
Spring 2026 Distinguished Scientists Seminar Schedule
All seminars begin at 4:00 PM in the Medical Sciences Building, 1st Floor Auditorium
| Date | Speaker | Host and Department |
|---|---|---|
| January 22, 2026 | Dr. Jon Brestoff Associate Professor, Department of Pathology & Immunology Laboratory and Genomic Medicine Washington University School of Medicine "Mitochondria transfer in metabolic diseases" |
Simon Grelet, Ph.D. Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology |
| February 5, 2026 | Dr. Laurie Sanders Associate Professor, Departments of Neurology and Pathology Divisions of Movement Disorders and Translational Brain Sciences Center for Neurodegeneration and Neurotherapeutics Duke University School of Medicine |
Aishwarya Prakash, Ph.D. Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology |
| March 5, 2026 | Dr. Marie Migaud Professor, Department of Pharmacology Director, Mass Spectrometry Core Facility Whiddon College of Medicine |
Department of Pharmacology |
| March 12, 2026 | Dr. Nicole Baumgarth Professor, Molecular Microbiology and Immunology Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Director, Lyme and Tickborne Diseases Research and Education Institute |
Timothy Casselli, Ph.D. Department of Microbiology & Immunology |
| March 26, 2026 | Dr. Jon Audia Professor, Department of Microbiology & Immunology SAMSF-Locke Endowed Comparative Medicine Professor Whiddon College of Medicine |
Department of Microbiology & Immunology |
| April 2, 2026 | Dr. Mirella Meyer-Ficca Associate Professor, Department of Animal, Dairy and Veterinary Sciences College of Veterinary Medicine Utah State University "Low NAD Induces Phenotypic Changes Reminiscent of Aging" |
Ray Langley, Ph.D. Department of Pharmacology |
| April 9, 2026 | Dr. Philip Howe Professor and Chair, Department of Biochemistry Medical University of South Carolina College of Medicine *Charles M. Baugh Lecture* |
Simon Grelet, Ph.D. Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology |
| April 16, 2026 | Naeem Islam, Ph.D. Assistant Professor, Department of Physiology & Cell Biology Whiddon College of Medicine |
Department of Physiology & Cell Biology |
DSS Committee
Meghan Hermance, Ph.D.
Committee Chair
Department of Microbiology & Immunology
mhermance@southalabama.edu
Brian Fouty, M.D.
USA Health Physician Enterprise
bfouty@health.southalabama.edu
Glen Borchert, Ph.D.
Department of Pharmacology
borchert@southalabama.edu
Simon Grelet, Ph.D.
Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
sgrelet@southalabama.edu
Debanjan Chakroborty, Ph.D.
Mitchell Cancer Institute
dchakroborty@southalabama.edu
Amber Bokhari, M.D.
USA Health Physician Enterprise
abokhari@health.southalabama.edu
Thiago Bruder, Ph.D.
Department of Physiology & Cell Biology
tbruder@southalabama.edu