Carol A. Terregino, MD ’86, associate professor of medicine and associate dean
for admissions, and Peter S. Amenta, MD, PhD, interim dean (center), congratulate
the Dean’s Scholars (left to right): Shanon Peter, Marie Kim, Julianne Pupa, Michael DiGiacomo, Lauren Pallone, Alan Marcus, and Emily Porch

HIGHLights by KateO’Neill

Dean’s Scholars

The Dean’s Scholars Program, inaugurated in 2006, will provide full four-year scholarships for seven exceptional students in the Class of 2010:

• Biochemistry major Michael DiGiacomo is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the College of Holy Cross, where he did research on neurofibromatosis type 2. He worked as both a biochemistry lab assistant and a pharmacy technician.
• Biology major Marie Kim completed her studies at Swarthmore College in three years. As an intern, she did prostate cancer research at Toronto-Sunnybrook Regional Cancer Center, leading to her co-authoring a manuscript.
• Alan Marcus is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. As an undergraduate, he used the flatworm C. elegans to do research on environmental health. He mentored children in the AIDS Club at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital.
• Lauren Pallone graduated from the University of Notre Dame, where her research in cellular biology focused on cystic fibrosis. She was a pastoral care intern at Jersey Shore Medical Center and also cared for a seven-year-old child with autism.
• Shanon Peter’s undergraduate work at Harvard included meiosis research. After graduating cum laude in 2005, he participated in the Harvard Initiative for Global Health, including what he described as an “amazing” few weeks in Guatemala volunteering at a health clinic.
• Emily Porch graduated from Yale University with Distinction in Biology and conducted research at both Yale and Mt. Sinai Medical Center. She also was principal flutist in both the Yale Symphony Orchestra and Yale’s Berkeley College Symphony Orchestra.
• A James Monroe Research Scholar from the College of William and Mary, Julianne Pupa double-majored in chemistry and biology. With the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, Julianne explored the ocean floor at 3,000 meters. She also participated in a mission trip to Trinidad.

The Class of 2010

The UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School Class of 2010 is the largest ever — 156 members strong. It was selected from 3,170 applications, which was 13 percent higher than last year’s applicant pool, according to Carol A. Terregino, MD ’86, associate professor of medicine and associate dean for admissions. Dr. Terregino reports that women constitute a majority of this highly diverse class.

The students’ MCAT scores broke previous RWJMS records, and their average undergraduate GPA was the highest ever for an incoming class.

Continues...

Page 1 • 2