President's Corner

A 2015 graduate of Grambling State University has been accepted into medical school at the Medical College of Wisconsin and has begun her journey to become a neurologist. Alicia Ivory earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Grambling State University in May, which she credits as laying the foundation for her future in neuroscience.

“Prior to coming to Grambling, I had little knowledge of Ph.D. careers in research and academia,” Ivory said. “I came to get my Bachelor of Science degree and continue on to medical or pharmacy school to do clinical research. While at Grambling, I was encouraged initially by Dr. Paul Kim, an assistant professor of biology, and Dr. Ben Martin, an associate professor of biology, to look into a Ph.D. program.

“Later, I became a MARC program participant (a scholarship program for biology, chemistry, math, physics or computer science majors committed to pursuing an M.D./Ph.D. in biomedical sciences). The MARC program rocked my world! I was exposed to so much research at conferences and in my subsequent research experiences. It was then that I decided to pursue a career as a physician scientist with an M.D./Ph.D. program,” Ivory said.

The single mother of a young son and daughter is now pursuing a M.D./Ph.D. program at the Medical College of Wisconsin, where she is researching how aphasia, a group of speech disorders caused by brain damage, correlates to specific brain lesions after ischemic stroke, which occurs when an artery to the brain has been blocked.

Once she finishes graduate school, Ivory plans to work in a faculty research position and in a clinic as a neurologist or neurosurgeon, but she is grateful to Grambling State University for helping her on her path.

“I love Grambling for all that it caused me to cultivate academically, socially and spiritually. It groomed me well to be a self-directed learner and a critical thinker. I have had to dig into my Grambling tool box quite often during my short time as a graduate and medical student,” she said.