A liberal arts background equips Wesleyan Women in Science with a unique perspective that makes them highly competitive for many professional opportunities, and quite successful at whatever they chose to do. Wesleyan science majors are consistently accepted into excellent graduate and professional schools, including medical school, and have gone on to fulfilling careers in medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, pharmacy, research, teaching, and technical positions with private, state, and federal agencies.
Meet Ihunanya Mbata, a recent graduate, who's well on her way to an exciting career in the field of scientific research. Her classmates are already pursuing exciting careers also, like Abena Redwood '06 who double-majored in biology and chemistry. She chose to pursue a Ph.D. in molecular and cellular biology at Washington University in St. Louis. Wanja Mwangi '06 is using her biology major to pursue a master’s degree at the School of Public Health at Ohio State University. Jennifer Kerr '04 also double-majored in biology and chemistry. Her diverse background serves her well in the Ph.D. program in microbiology at The University of Texas School of Biomedical Sciences. A graduate of the Class of 2003, Katharyn Hart, majored in biology and, while a student here, was a member of the Wesleyan College IHSA Equestrian Team. She is pursuing her love of animals at the University of California, Davis, Veterinary School.
Anne-Kathrin Witt '07 believes she can make the greatest contribution in the areas of pharmaceutical research and development. Equipped with a double major in chemistry and economics, she is now working toward a doctorate at the International Max Planck Research School in Munich, Germany. Read her story.
Oluwatoyosi Fatunase '03 double-majored in biology and chemistry. Her undergraduate background made her an excellent candidate for medical school at Duke University. Wesleyan Alumna Sylvia Gonsahn ‘06 is working toward her doctorate at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences. In addition to her medical studies, she recently took advantage of an opportunity to participate in a month long research project in Liberia, West Africa working at the University of Liberia. Read her story.
While Elsa George '02 is using her biology major in the nurse anesthetist program at Emory University. A graduate of the Class of 2002, Heidi Walker, combined her biology major with a minor in studio art and, after graduation, was accepted into dental school at the Medical College of Georgia. She graduated with a Doctor of Dental Science in 2006.
The background that Dr. Janelle Reynolds-Fleming ’94 acquired at Wesleyan College has literally taken her around the world. Dr. Fleming is a biological and physical oceanographer. She has worked along the shores of New Zealand and Japan all the way to the North Carolina coast. Read her story!
Meet these wonderful Wesleyan Women in Science:
Dr. Sara Branham Matthews (Class of 1907) - Credited with the discovery and isolation of the virus that causes spinal meningitis. Born in Oxford, Georgia, Sara Branham received an A.B. from Wesleyan College (1907); B.S. from the University of Colorado; M.S., University of Chicago; Ph.D., University of Chicago: and an M.D. from the University of Chicago Medical School. A United States Public Health Service scientist, she became nationally known for her studies in the field of infectious diseases and is considered one of the “grand ladies of microbiology.” Dr. Branham made major contributions to the field of medical bacteriology and became an expert on bacterial meningitis. She is the first to isolate the meningococcus, the micro –organism that causes spinal meningitis, and discovered successful treatments for that virus. Appointed to the National Institutes of Health, she became principal bacteriologist in 1950 and served as Chief of the Section on Bacterial Toxins in the Division of Biological Standards until retirement in 1958. She received many honors including the Rickett Prize for research in pathology; 1959 Medical Woman of the Year from the Washington D.C. branch of the American Medical Women’s Association; an honorary doctorate from the University of Colorado and distinguished service awards from the University of Chicago and Wesleyan College. She was a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Academy of Microbiology and the American Public Health Association. Branham was a diplomat of the National Board of Medical Examiners and served as a delegate at the first and second International Congress for Microbiology in Paris and London in 1930 and 1936.
Dr. Bonnie Smith Slovis (Class of 1966) - Medical Director of the Pulmonary Medicine Patient Care Center at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Medical Director of the Adult Cystic Fibrosis Center, Director of the Thoracic Oncology Clinic, and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Vanderbilt. Born in Chicago, Bonnie Slovis received and A.B. in Math from Wesleyan College in 1966; M.S. in Counseling Psychology; M.S., Health Systems Analysis; and M.D. from Emory University School of Medicine. She is a member of the American Medical Association, the American College of Physicians, and the American Medical Women’s Association.
Dr. Dana Grinstead Tanner (Class of 1985) – Vice-President, Information Systems Division Quality Research, Inc. Dana Tanner graduated summa cum laude with a double major in Mathematics and Computer Science from Wesleyan College in 1985. She earned an M.A. in Mathematics from the University of Alabama and the first Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics ever awarded by the University of Alabama. Dr. Tanner is recognized for her work in the field of graph theory. She taught at the Universite de Paris-Sud in France, and worked with John M. Cockerham and Associates, Inc. to help develop software for the U.S Army’s Strategic Defense Command. She has also helped to create new finance and accounting software systems for the Corps of Engineers.
Jessica Rowell’s future plans are big. The 2007 Wesleyan alumna is studying epidemiology at Emory University while working in the public health capital of the world. After she completes her graduate coursework and earns a Master’s of Science in Public Health in Epidemiology, she would like to work for the CDC or CARE. Once equipped with more experience in her field, she plans to improve healthcare access in rural areas of developing countries.
Right now she has her eye on Guatemala. Traveling with a Wesleyan study abroad program, she visited the country and saw many needed improvements. She has a deep appreciation for the strength and determination of the Mayan people, and she hopes to use what she learned at Wesleyan to return there and to set up health clinics in the smaller towns. These enormous ambitions despite her claim that just four years ago, when she arrived on the Wesleyan campus, she was not confident. Read her story!
Gaye-Leon Williams '07 is a native of Jamaica, fluent in Spanish, and passionate about her extensive laboratory research on crayfish. She is a unique woman with unique interests. Graduating from an all-girls high school in Kingston, Jamaica, Gaye-Leon knew what to expect from a single-gender campus. But coming to a new country and building a support system of new friends, was a leap of faith. She leapt and landed in the close-knit Wesleyan family, and now feels like she has been given the tools to adapt and survive anywhere her career may take her. Read her story!
Meet more Wesleyan Women in Behavioral Science, like:
Valerie Knopik, Ph.D. (Class of 1994) Assistant Professor (Research) Dept of Community Health, Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies, Brown University. Born in Sarasota, Florida, Valerie Knopik earned a double major in Psychology and Sociology from Wesleyan College in 1994. She received an M.A. in Psychology (Behavioral Genetics) and a Ph.D. in Psychology (Behavioral Genetics) from the University of Colorado, Institute for Behavioral Genetics in Boulder. A postdoctoral fellow in Psychiatry/Genetic Epidemiology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri, Knopik has taught Quantitative Genetics at the University of Colorado. She has contributed to numerous publications in peer-reviewed journals and is an ad hoc reviewer for many other psychiatric and scientific journals. She is a member of the Behavior Genetics Association, the American Psychological Society, the International Studies for Twin Studies and the Research Society on Alcoholism. More!
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