Selected Personal Statement Samples Based on Our Text ...

Personal Statement Makeover Workshop by Stephanie B. Wall, PhD, Jennifer L. Greer, PhD, & Carolina M.E. Kunnen, PhD, courtesy the UAB Postdoctoral Association, Office of Postdoctoral Education, & Graduate School

Selected Personal Statement Samples Based on Our Text Analysis

1. Allison, David B. I am excited about working on this proposed project involving expectancy effects. Conceived from a dialogue I had with my collaborator of two decades, Dr. Kevin Fontaine, and our team's more recent addition Dr. Gareth Dutton, this project is quite distinct from any we know of being studied by other investigators. It approaches weight loss RCTs from a different angle and asks an important, yet heretofore unaddressed, question. Originally trained as a psychologist, I have studied obesity for over 20 years, and gone on to develop advanced expertise in statistical science--becoming a professor of biostatistics and an elected Fellow of the American Statistical Association--, in genetic epidemiology, in aging research, and in nutrition research. My research interests include obesity, energetics, quantitative genetics, clinical trials, and statistical and research methodology. In recent years, my work has involved several major areas: (a) the relations among body weight, body composition, caloric intake, and changes thereof with longevity in animal models and humans; (b) the genetic, behavioral, and environmental influences on obesity and related traits; (c) statistical methods for genetic and epidemiologic studies; (d) design, implementation, and analysis of randomized controlled trials; and (e) research integrity. In addition, attesting to my organizational abilities, I have served as principal investigator or co-principal investigator for 5 successful NIH R13-funded conferences, edited 5 books, initiated 4 successful NIH-funded T32 training programs as a principal investigator, and served as the director of several NIH- and NSF-funded national short courses on statistical genetics. I am currently funded to offer 2 national short courses on obesity via NIH R25 grants (R25DK099080 "Mathematical Sciences in Obesity Research" soph.uab.edu/energetics/shortcourse/; and R25HL124208 "Strengthening Causal Inference in Behavioral Obesity Research" soph.uab.edu/energetics/causal_inference_shortcourse/). I am also deeply committed to mentoring new scholars in our field, attested through multiple mentoring awards, having successfully mentored dozens of early career faculty, post-doctoral fellows, and graduate students who have now gone on to be successful independent scientists and faculty. I have published over 500 papers in peer-reviewed journals. A complete listing can be found in my full CV.

2. Roberts, Rosalind C. My entire scientific career has been devoted to studying human and animal neuroanatomy and neuropathology. In my many years of experience I have dedicated my main efforts to the ultrastructural analyses of human postmortem brain in health and disease as well as to light and electron microscopy studies in animal models. Many of these studies have looked at combined EM immunohistochemistry in control and schizophrenia tissue with a track record of publication in the field of 130 papers. One of my accomplishments has been directing two postmortem brain collections. I was the Director of the Maryland Brain Collection (which was devoted to the study of schizophrenia, and collected over 900 brains from schizophrenia, control and other neuropsychiatric disorders). Currently I am the Director of the Alabama Brain Collection (which is devoted to the study of neuropsychiatric and neurological disorders) and under my direction it has collected 117 cases. The study of human brain is crucial in order to understand brain diseases that are unique to humans. We have been able to collect and diagnose tissue that other banks have not, offering to the scientific community unique resources. Not only was I involved in collecting the brains, but I also did the matching, dissections and helped plan the appropriate experimental groups. Both collections include very well characterized cases from a diagnostic perspective, very high quality brains suitable for electron microscopy, and unique collections in numbers high enough for statistical significance. These unique cohorts include teen suicide victims and controls, subjects with schizophrenia off medication, and cases with short enough postmortem intervals to be useful for ultrastructural analyses. In fact, my lab is one of only two in the world that has the tissue and expertise to quantitatively analyze schizophrenia brain at the electron microscopic level. My latest research interest is pathology in the white matter in schizophrenia. I want to pursue this with the goal of identifying molecular mechanisms and pharmacological targets for therapy in schizophrenia. I am perfectly suited to execute these specific aims as they address schizophrenia pathology, which I have been studying for 25 years.

Personal Statement Makeover Workshop by Stephanie B. Wall, PhD, Jennifer L. Greer, PhD, & Carolina M.E. Kunnen, PhD, courtesy the UAB Postdoctoral Association, Office of Postdoctoral Education, & Graduate School

3. Wende, Adam Raymond Although independent for less than two years, my training and research for the past 15 years has focused on expanding our understanding of the molecular pathways in control of mitochondrial function. During my thesis training I focused on how exercise or hypertension alter cardiometabolic function in opposing directions through the regulation of gene expression by the transcriptional co-activator PGC1. My postdoctoral training expanded these interests to include studies of how heart function, directly related to diabetic complications, is influenced by insulin signaling and glucose utilization. By combining the gained expertise in transcriptional biology and cellular signaling I have begun my independent faculty career with a mission to decipher the cardiometabolic control of cellular function in normal physiology and disease. This work has two primary goals: 1) to determine the role of metabolic substrate switching in individuals with diabetes, and 2) to define the posttranslational regulation of mitochondrial enzyme activity and epigenetic regulation of gene expression that together may lead to the development of diabetic complications. I have begun to explore multiple aspects of metabolic control in a systems biology approach. Current animal model work in the laboratory, supported by an NIH R00 Pathway to Independence award (R00 HL111322), is focused on changes in DNA methylation and protein O-GlcNAcylation that may impact gene expression, protein function, and mitochondrial capacity in the hearts of diabetics. One of my primary reasons for starting my independent career at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) is the strength of their Nutrition Obesity Research Center, Center for Exercise Medicine, Diabetes Center, and Cardiovascular Center. As an investigator at the intersection of these various fields the environment is perfect. In my short time at UAB I have taken on a number of collaborations while increasing the funding for my independent work. Specifically, we have obtained NIH funding to explore DNA methylation in human heart failure samples (U24 DK076169) and the role of circadian rhythm in regulating insulin signaling with Dr. Martin Young (R01 HL123574). The current R01 proposal seeks to build on these successes and gained knowledge by being one of the first to define the contribution of glucose delivery to epigenetic programming in the heart. Most relevant 4 publications (from 35) for current proposal showing successful collaborations with other laboratories, specific personal contributions described in Section C.

4. Robertson-Chang, Leilani (NIH Sample provided on NIH website at ) My long term research interests involve the development of a comprehensive understanding of key developmental pathways and how alterations in gene expression contribute to human disease. My academic training and research experience have provided me with an excellent background in multiple biological disciplines including molecular biology, microbiology, biochemistry, and genetics. As an undergraduate, I was able to conduct research with Dr. Xavier Factor on the mechanisms of action of a new class of antibiotics. As a predoctoral student with Dr. Tanti Auguri, my research focused on the regulation of transcription in yeast, and I gained expertise in the isolation and biochemical characterization of transcription complexes. I developed a novel protocol for the purification for components of large transcription complexes. I was first author of the initial description of the Most Novel Complex. A subsequent first author publication challenged a key paradigm of transcription elongation and was a featured article in a major journal. During my undergraduate and graduate careers, I received several academic and teaching awards. For my postdoctoral training, I will continue to build on my previous training in transcriptional controls by moving into a mammalian system that will allow me to address additional questions regarding the regulation of differentiation and development. My sponsor Dr. I.M. Creative is an internationally recognized leader in the transcription/chromatin field and has an extensive record for training postdoctoral fellows. The proposed research will provide me with new conceptual and technical training in developmental biology and whole genome analysis. In addition, the proposed training plan outlines a set of career development activities and workshops ? e.g. grant writing, public speaking, lab management, and mentoring students ? designed to enhance my ability to be an independent investigator. My choice of sponsor, research project, and training will give me a solid foundation to reach my goal of studying developmental diseases in man. During my second postdoctoral year in Dr. Creative's lab my father had a severe stroke that eventually ended his life. I was out of the lab for six months dealing with my father's incapacitating illness and end-of-life issues. This hiatus in training reduced my scientific productivity.

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