Education

APS Members Volunteer to Visit Classrooms for PhUn Week 2007

David S. Bruce Awards for Excellence in Undergraduate Research

Joey P. Granger

The APS Women in Physiology Committee is pleased to announce that Joey P. Granger, Billy S. Guyton Distinguished Professor, Professor of Physiology and Medicine, and Dean of the School of Graduate Studies in the Health Sciences at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, has been selected as the fifth recipient of the Bodil M. Schmidt-Nielsen Distinguished Mentor and Scientist Award.  The Committee was extremely impressed with both his mentoring excellence and his outstanding contributions to physiological research. 

Granger received his PhD at University of Mississippi Medical Center.  He did his postdoctoral training at the Mayo Clinic and Foundation before being hired as an Instructor and then Assistant Professor in the Department of Physiology and Biophysics. He then moved to Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, VA where he served as an assistant professor and then was promoted to associate professor. In 1990 he moved to his current institution, University of Mississippi School of Medicine, where he was named Professor of Physiology and Biophysics. In 1996, he became the Associate Director of the Center for Excellence in Cardiovascular-Renal Research. He was named the Billy S. Guyton Distinguished Professor in the Department of Physiology and Biophysics in 2004. In 2006, he was named Interim Dean of the School of Graduate Studies in the Health Sciences and was appointed Dean in 2007.
Granger’s research focuses on cardiovascular and renal physiology with respect to hypertension. He studies the physiological mechanisms whereby endothelial-derived factors alter renal function and lead to long-term alteration in the regulation of arterial pressure and hypertension, specifically pregnancy-induced hypertension. The excellence of his research has been recognized by not only the APS (including the 2008 E.H. Starling Distinguished Lectureship awarded by the Water and Electrolyte Homeostasis Section), but also the American Heart Association, the American Society of Hypertension, and the International Society of Hypertension, among others.

Granger has successfully mentored five visiting scientists, 13 postdoctoral fellows, and 10 predoctoral students, many of whom are from outside the US. His mentees have gone on to successful and prominent positions (one departmental chair, one associate professor, and four assistant professors, among others) with national funding and numerous awards among themselves. In addition, Granger has had 16 medical and undergraduate student research fellows in his lab, which included two APS Undergraduate Summer Research Fellows. He is also active in K-12 education, sponsoring high school teachers from the APS Frontiers in Physiology Program in his lab, as well as high school students. It is noteworthy that Granger extends his mentoring far beyond his laboratory: he started a mentoring group for junior faculty in his department to help them obtain funding. To foster early interest in scientific research, Granger established a summer research internship program for undergraduate students in his department and served as an active judge for local science fairs, as well as a frequent speaker at local high schools. As a recent dean of Graduate Studies, Granger improved graduate education by providing better stipend and health insurance support for all graduate students at his institution.

Granger has received numerous teaching and research awards during his career. His innovative teaching methods and mentoring excellence have been recognized with the University of Mississippi Excellence in Teaching Award, the Sir William Osler Award for Outstanding Teaching in Basic Sciences, and the American Physiological Society-NIDDK Minority Fellowship Mentor Award (four times).

All of the people writing the supporting recommendation letters (high school teachers, medical, graduate, and undergraduate students, postdoctoral fellows, junior faculty and colleagues) spoke extremely highly of Granger. They all emphasized his hands-on science and personal mentoring and doing what is needed for each person in his lab to be successful at each stage of their career, be it first-author publications, co-authoring a prestigious review article, a chance to present and meet people at meetings, assistance on writing grants, or the opportunity for collaboration or learning a new technique. In addition, they all passionately attested to his warmth and caring about the person, their quality of life, their problems, their family, and his continual efforts to make sure he supports them in all aspects of their life.

There will be a reception in Dr. Granger’s honor at which he will give a talk on mentoring during the 2008 Experimental Biology meeting in San Diego, CA. It will be held on Monday, April 7 at 12:00 pm at the San Diego Hotel. All trainees and mentors are invited to attend.

APS congratulates Dr. Granger on this well-deserved honor.

The Early Career Professional Service Award honors an early career stage (graduate student, post-doctoral fellow, Assistant Professor or equivalent position) member of APS. The Award will honor someone who is judged to have made outstanding contributions to the physiology community and demonstrated dedication and commitment to furthering the broader goals of the physiology community. This can be by serving on professional committees, participating in K-12 education outreach, participating in scientific advocacy and outreach programs, or by otherwise strengthening and promoting the physiology community.

Applications should include: 1.  A one-page letter written by the applicant stating the basis for the application with a synopsis of the applicant’s specific contributions to the physiology community and evidence related to the criteria; 2.  Two additional support letters written by individuals who are familiar with the substantive contributions of the applicant to professional service; 3.  Applicant’s current curriculum vitae.

Eligibility requirements: 1. APS member in good standing (either student or regular member); 2. Not above the rank of Assistant Professor or equivalent in government, industry or medicine; 3. Not a current member of the Trainee Advisory Committee; 4. Plan and have support to attend Experimental Biology meeting to receive the award (travel support is NOT provided). Graduate student and Postdoctoral applicants must provide confirmation from their research advisor or department chair that travel funds to the meeting will be available; 5. Be willing to write a brief article on professional service for The Physiologist.

The Trainee Advisory Committee will act as the selection committee for the award.
For more information, see http://www.the-aps.org/awards/society/earlycareer.htm.

• Convenience: Do it at times that suit your schedule. Only about 15 minutes/week.
• Support: Access to MentorNet’s online mentoring materials to guide your experience.
• Outreach: Opportunities to connect with students, postdocs, and early career faculty outside of your university.
• Satisfaction: Know that you have helped someone else by sharing your experiences, advice and support on issues such as work/life balance, research, tenure, and university life. Furthermore, mentoring has been demonstrated to help mentors gain perspective and clarity about their own career paths.

Trainees (Graduate Students, Postdoctoral Fellows, New Investigators):
Here is an opportunity for you to get additional information, encouragement, advice, and access to networks from someone in your field and, if you choose, from outside your current institution. You can search for and choose the mentor that best suits your needs and have a chance to discuss topics such as career options, networking, work/life balance, research issues, grant writing and tenure.

Don’t miss out on this great opportunity to expand your network of contacts. Sign up now as a MentorNet protégé.
Mentoring relationships last 8 months. Because mentors and students communicate entirely by email, they can communicate wherever and whenever they choose. MentorNet’s research-based programs have proven effective by providing “real world” information, encouragement, advice, and access to networks for students, and particularly for women. “My mentor always gives me the encouragement that I need,” says one MentorNet student. “Sometimes those few words make a big difference to me.”

For questions, please contact Melinda Lowy, APS Higher Education Programs Coordinator (mlowy@the-aps.org, 301-634-7787).

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