Johns Hopkins University was inducted as an institutional member of the Edward Alexander Bouchet Graduate Honor Society in April 2018. Named for the first African American in the United States to receive a PhD, the Edward A. Bouchet Graduate Honor Society seeks to develop a network of pre-eminent scholars who exemplify academic and personal excellence, foster environments of support, and serve as examples of scholarship, leadership, character, service, and advocacy for students and trainees who traditionally have been underrepresented in higher education. It was co-founded in 2005 by Yale University—where Bouchet, a physicist and educator, earned his doctorate in 1876—and Howard University to recognize and continue Bouchet’s pioneering contributions to doctoral education.
PhD Students: All PhD students who will advance to Candidacy, or are All But Dissertation (ABD) by January 1, 2025 are eligible to nominate themselves for consideration as inductees. Candidacy, or All But Dissertation, means that the student has finished all required coursework and passed all required qualifying and preliminary exams, and is working on the dissertation research itself.
Postdoctoral Fellows: Postdoctoral research fellows who have a PhD degree and who are JHU postdocs or whose JHU postdoctoral appointment will start no later than January 1, 2025 are eligible to apply. Residents and subspecialty clinical fellows in Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (“ACGME”)-accredited or ACGME-equivalent programs are not eligible.
These self-nominations included the following:
Inductees are expected to attend the JHU Induction Ceremony (Baltimore) and the Annual Bouchet Conference (New Haven).
If you have questions, please contact: [email protected]
Samuel Byiringiro
Post-doctoral Fellow | Nursing
Samuel Byiringiro, a Post-doctoral Fellow at the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, directs his research towards cardiovascular health outcomes, health systems strengthening, global health equity, and community-engaged research. He holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing from Johns Hopkins University, a Master of Science in Global Health Delivery from the University of Global Health Equity in Rwanda, and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Rwanda, where he was honored with the valedictorian award. Dr. Byiringiro is dedicated to advancing his research career in both the United States and Sub-Saharan Africa. His pre-doctoral dissertation delved into the multifaceted health system factors affecting hypertension care and outcomes in Ghana. In his current post-doctoral fellowship funded by the American Heart Association, he leverages his expertise in engaging primary care systems in West Africa to enhance community health center involvement and participation in cardiovascular clinical trials in and around Baltimore City. This effort aims to broaden the diversity of participants in cardiovascular research
Mauro Garcia
Education
Mauro Garcia is a doctoral candidate at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He investigates humoral immune responses in people with HIV undergoing analytical treatment interruption trials. His research shows that following cessation of antiretroviral therapy, autologous neutralizing antibodies profoundly influence HIV rebound dynamics. This greatly informs HIV cure strategies aiming for virologic control in the absence of antiretroviral therapy. The clinical implications of his work have been recognized and invited for presentation at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, and the Conference for Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections. In addition to his research efforts, Mauro participates in outreach programs that support first-generation immigrants, people of color, women and LGBTQ+ scholars. He shadows infectious disease physicians at Johns Hopkins Hospital, serves as an Emerging Voices Fellow for AIDSmap, and creates social media content to demystify the PhD journey for first-generation college students. Mauro aspires to become a professor at an R1 institution to study HIV persistence and humoral immune responses in neonatal and pediatric populations. He plans to continue his outreach efforts to bridge educational gaps and amend mistrust between scientific institutions and marginalized communities.
Brandi K. Glover
Cellular and Molecular Medicine
Brandi K. Glover is a Ph.D. candidate in Cellular and Molecular Medicine. Her research is focused on using patient-derived organoid systems to study the impact of Krüppel-like factor 4 (KLF4) hotspot mutations on early pancreatic tumorigenesis in Intraductal Papillary Mucinous Neoplasms (IPMNs). Brandi was selected as a Janssen Scholar of Oncology Diversity Engagement Program (SODEP) scholar, a Vivian Thomas Scholars Initiative (VTSI) fellow and recently served as the Academic Career Design Fellow and Faculty Engagement Lead in the PHutures Career office at Johns Hopkins University. She is also founder and president of Student Mothers of Hopkins (SMOH) trainee support group. As well, she received her Bachelor of Science in biology from Xavier University of Louisiana, where she was recognized as a Ronald E. McNair scholar, UNCF-Merck Undergraduate Science Research fellow, EpiCenter’s University Innovation fellow, and Xavier’s presidential scholarship recipient. Brandi is dedicated and devoted to mentorship and advocacy for students and mothers who are underrepresented in academia and commits her time to helping others. Following graduate school Brandi aspires to attend medical school and ultimately, plans to work as a physician-scientist for an academic institution, leading a laboratory of diverse minds.
Emma Jagasia MSN, MPH, RN
Dual degree | DNP, Nursing
Emma Jagasia MSN, MPH, RN is a pediatric nurse and a dual degree DNP, PhD candidate at the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing supported in her first two years by the institutional interdisciplinary pre and postdoctoral training program in violence and trauma (NICHD T32HD094687). Emma’s research focuses on the associations between violence exposure and neurobehavioral development during early adolescence and the moderating role of resilience through use of neuroimaging and mixed methods. She is a pediatric critical care nurse by training, and actively practices as a neurobehavioral nurse working with children with developmental delays and survivors of domestic violence, which directly informs all scientific inquiry.
Emma is passionate about the timely integration of current cognitive development, childhood adversity and resilience research into child and adolescent practice to enhance transitional outcomes for youth. She serves as a mentor with HeartSmiles, a youth led nonprofit dedicated to providing opportunities and access to underserved communities in Baltimore. Emma finds constant inspiration in the courage and ingenuity of youth she works with and aspires for a career devoted to challenging biases and oppressive structures preventing youth and families from achieving health and success on their own terms.
Jasmine L. Jeffery
Cell Biology
Jasmin L. Jeffery is a candidate for the Ph.D. in cell biology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Her dissertation research is focused on understanding the mechanisms controlling regenerative capacity in adult stem cell niches, specifically Leydig cell regeneration in the testis. Jasmin earned the Isaac Morris and Lucille Elizabeth Hay Graduate Fellowship from the Department of Cell Biology and the National Institutes of Health Ruth L. Kirschstein Predoctoral Award (F31) to support her work. Jasmin holds a B.S. in Biochemistry from Hampton University, where she was a Presidential Scholar. Jasmin often thinks of the illustrious Toni Morrison’s words: “the function of freedom is to free someone else.” She has sought to live those words by leading teams to inspire future trailblazers in the Johns Hopkins community. While at Johns Hopkins University, she served as a Vice-President of the Graduate Student Association, President-elect and President of the Biomedical Scholars Association, and as an inaugural Vivien Thomas Scholars Initiative Fellow. During her tenure as Biomedical Scholars Association President, the organization was awarded a 2021 Diversity Recognition Award. Outside of research, Jasmin is passionate about sustainable food systems, renewable energy, and science and health philanthropy. Ultimately, Jasmin aspires to apply her cell biology training to large-scale social and environmental issues.
Antoine S. Johnson
Post-doctoral Fellow | History of Medicine
Antoine S. Johnson is a postdoctoral fellow at Johns Hopkins University in the Department of the History of Medicine and an incoming Assistant Professor of African American & African Studies at the University of California, Davis. Antoine earned his Ph.D. in the history of medicine from UC San Francisco. His research interests include Black health activism, anti-Black racism in medicine, and the Black intellectual tradition. He is currently working on a book about Black AIDS activism in the Bay Area, particularly his hometown of Oakland, California. In 2023, Antoine was awarded the Pressman-Burroughs Wellcome Award, given annually for outstanding work in twentieth-century history of medicine or medical biomedical sciences, and a proposal to turn the dissertation into a publishable monograph.
Mary Omotoso
Biomedical Engineering
Mary Omotoso is a Ph.D. candidate in the Biomedical Engineering program at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Her thesis research investigates how biomaterials and cellular proteins can be utilized to alter T cell metabolism for enhanced cancer immunotherapies. Prior to starting her program, she received her Bachelor of Science degree in Bioengineering from North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro, NC..
After graduation, she hopes to pursue opportunities outside of academia, with the hopes of translating research and advancing medical technology. Outside her studies she enjoys baking, listening to music, and traveling.
Emily Silvano
Post-doctoral Researcher | Neuroplasticity & Development
Oscar Emily Silvano grew up in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She is a First Generation Ph.D. (Linguistics, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro) in her family. In 2019, Emily received the Excellence Award from the Brazilian Society of Linguistics. As a signal of her academic development, she received the CAPES/PrInt (Internationalization Program from Coordination for Improvement of Higher Education Personnel) scholarship to be a visiting scholar at the Neuroplasticity and Development Lab at Johns Hopkins for six months in 2020.
As a scholar, she actively discusses underrepresentation in educational and scientific environments. In her commitment to service, she has initiated mentorship initiatives since her Graduate School and volunteer work as a Brazilian Sign Language interpreter for deaf individuals. She was a co-advisor of undergraduate scientific students.
Currently, Emily is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Neuroplasticity and Development Lab. Her research focuses on how people with sensory loss, such as blindness or deafness, can process complex sentences. She aims to highlight the exceptional cognitive abilities of these groups through her research.
Mudia Uzzi, PhD, MSc
Post-doctoral Fellow | Mental Health
Mudia Uzzi, PhD, MSc is a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Mental Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and an alum of the Health Policy Research Scholars program with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. His current research investigates the underlying structural drivers of firearm violence and opioid-involved overdose in urban communities. Some of the topic areas Uzzi explores include racial capitalism, historical redlining, racial & economic segregation, subprime mortgage lending, and the built and social environment of neighborhoods. He aspires to develop research, policies, and programs that promote safer and healthier communities. While a PhD student at Johns Hopkins, Uzzi led the award-winning community COVID-19 response project, Mask On: Greenmount West. Moreover, Dr. Uzzi has supported and advised underrepresented students of color as a member of the Black Graduate Student Association and the Leadership and Education in Academic Research and Networking for Enhancing Diversity (LEARNED) program at the Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Herbert S. Wakefield IV
Chemistry
Herbert S. Wakefield IV is a Ph.D. candidate in chemistry at Johns Hopkins University. His research focuses on understanding the inherent reactivity of organometallic molecules to understand strand properties and produce sustainable materials. For his work, he was awarded the Carl Storm Underrepresented Minority Fellowship by the Gordon Research Conference. He is a dedicated leader in his lab and the University. He serves as the Klausen Lab Safety Captain and Fellow for the Vivien Thomas Scholars Initiative. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry from Kenyon College. While at Kenyon, He served as the President of Men of Color, a student affinity group, and played an integral role in multiple initiatives and programming to increase awareness about the college’s DEI efforts.
Beyond his academic service, he volunteers at his local community as an assistant high school football coach. Through this role, he has mentored students to pursue their dream of attending college while being a student-athlete. In the future, he wants to continue the pursuit of sustainability initiatives and materials through government advocacy and public-sector polymer science research for chemical recycling.
