Alumna Janeala Morsby Receives 2023 Governor-General’s Achievement Award
Janeala Morsby (Ph.D. ’23) has been selected to receive a 2023 Governor-General’s Achievement Award (GGAA). This award, one of the most prestigious given by the Jamaican government, recognizes exceptional Jamaicans who have demonstrated excellence in both professional endeavors and service to the community. Janeala was chosen from a pool of 700 nominees, which was a record-breaking number of nominations.
Janeala’s pursuit of service to others began early in life, starting with her role as a prefect at Port Antonio Primary School. She continued her school service as head girl at Titchfield High School, where she initiated several programs including exam practice classes and one-on-one mentoring. Janeala then moved to the US to attend Clafin University, where she served as president of the public health organization, as parliamentarian of the student government, and as a student leader of Passport to College, a program that aids international students in applying to US universities.
At Notre Dame, Morsby worked in the laboratory of Bradley Smith, Emil T. Hofman Professor of Science, completing her dissertation entitled “Enzyme Responsive Molecular Probes for Biomedical Optical Diagnostics and Imaging.” Her research focused on the use of near infrared dyes for biomedical imaging. One important application of her work is the identification of oxygenation levels in cancerous tumors. While highly oxygenated tumors frequently respond favorably to chemotherapy, tumors with low oxygenation levels may not respond or may actual increase in size with chemotherapy. Janeala’s work developed new dye compounds and diagnostic techniques that can identify the oxygenation levels in tumors so that the most appropriate treatment course can be followed.
Janeala will begin her next career phase as a postdoctoral fellow at St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital in the Molecular Oncology department where her research will center on pediatric osteosarcoma.
Originally published by chemistry.nd.edu on May 30, 2023.
atLatest Research
- ‘The border between the secular and sacred:’ Anthropologist receives Templeton grant for research on psychedelics, mental health, and spiritual yearningAidan Seale-Feldman, an assistant professor in the Department of Anthropology, will lead a group of interdisciplinary researchers to work on the…
- South Bend is vulnerable to lead poisoning — here’s how ND-LIT can helpHeidi Beidinger is passionate about science and public health which has fueled her nearly 10-year crusade to get children tested for lead poisoning and help their families remediate lead found in and around their homes.…
- Engineers seek “switchable” materials to power next-generation microelectronicshris Hinkle is on the hunt for new materials. He needs them to power faster, smaller and more efficient chips for next-generation microelectronics, so only materials with the right chemistry and structure will do. “Current materials are not able to keep up with the growing needs for very tightly packed components,” said Hinkle, Leonard C. Bettex Professor of Electrical Engineering at the University of Notre Dame. “The materials used previously are simply falling short of performance requirements.” Hinkle, who is principal investigator on a new NSF-funded, multi-institutional semiconductor project, is looking for “switchable” semiconductor materials that can either conduct or impede the flow of electricity when activated by an external trigger.
- Cancer therapies show promise in combating tuberculosisA study from the University of Notre Dame, Massachusetts General Hospital and the National Institutes of Health has identified a combination of medications that may improve blood flow within granulomas, benefiting drug delivery. Published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the study leverages decades of cancer research to study tuberculosis-affected lung tissue and improve treatment.
- Notre Dame as a leading research universityThe University of Notre Dame has experienced transformational growth in research over the past decade. The evidence is everywhere on campus, both in the talent of the faculty and the resources devoted to making Notre Dame a leading research institution. In this episode of Notre Dame Stories,…
- Notre Dame faculty conduct translational research to address tuberculosis in lung cellsFor over 8,000 years, the “white death,” tuberculosis (TB), has plagued humankind. Its effects are described in Biblical verses and appear in mummies from Ancient Egypt. Those infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which causes TB, can now be cured thanks to modern health advancements —…