Exceptional Wistar Trainees Honored at 2022 Rugart Family Awards Ceremony

Dr. Laura Garcia Gerique, postdoctoral fellow in the Nefedova lab, and Sarah Offley, graduate student in Gardini lab, are winners of the 2022 Annual Rugart Family Awards.

This annual event, sponsored by the Rugart Family honors the late Karl F. Rugart, Jr., an obstetrics and gynecology physician and longtime supporter of Wistar. The award is given annually for the best Research-in-Progress presentation by a predoctoral student and postdoctoral fellow.

Postdoctoral fellow Dr. Laura Garcia Gerique presented her work on the role of Annexin A1 protein in tumor biology and how it may impact cancer development, metastasis, and treatment. The second winner, graduate student Sarah Offley focuses her research on characterizing a novel integrator complex subunit that has implications for cancer and disease research.

Since 2014, the Rugart Family Awards recognizes promising early-career scientists demonstrating exceptional presentations of their scientific projects. The winners are voted on by their peers, setting the Rugart Family Awards apart as a unique distinction defined by the competitive, yet collaborative, nature of Wistar’s trainees as they present ongoing research and improve their work.