A Beloved Professor’s Legacy
In November, current and former students and faculty from the Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cancer Biology gathered for a much-anticipated event: the 17th annual Robert J. Kadner Distinguished Lecture in Microbiology. The Kadner family—Bob’s widow, Carole Kadner, son Rob Kadner, and daughter Kristen Kadner Roddy—along with many generous friends and colleagues, endowed this prestigious lectureship in honor of Robert Kadner, an internationally recognized microbiologist and UVA School of Medicine professor who passed away in 2005.
The Kadner Lecture draws top speakers and scholars in the field, and it represents a beloved homecoming for department alumni and friends, who regularly return to UVA Grounds for the event. This past year marked the happy addition of a new member of this extended academic family: Angels Vasquez, an undergraduate from the University of Florida who was chosen as the inaugural Kadner Visiting Student.
The Kadner Visiting Student is a new program made possible by the continued generosity of the Kadner family, including Kristen Kadner Roddy and her husband, Brian Roddy. Because of their philanthropy, an outstanding undergraduate student from outside UVA now has an opportunity to travel to Charlottesville for the Kadner Distinguished Lecture in Microbiology and learn more about opportunities for graduate studies in the Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program. Each year, the department will select the Kadner Visiting Student from among undergraduates who previously participated in one of the department’s summer research programs. The recipient will be chosen based on academic excellence and the motivation and potential to succeed in graduate school.
A FUTURE PIONEER
During her summer research internship at UVA, Vasquez, was mentored by associate professor Melanie Rutkowski, who studies the connections among our microbiome (the community of microorganisms naturally living in our bodies), the immune system, and cancer growth and metastasis.
“It was a cool project,” Vasquez said of her work in the Rutkowski Lab. “We were working at understanding how the sympathetic nervous system influences breast cancer dissemination in the context of microbiome dysbiosis.”
In other words, as Vasquez explained, an imbalance in the gut can lead to inflammation and physiological stress; that stress then activates the sympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for our body’s fight-or-flight response. In the case of cancer, the resulting release of stress hormones might promote cancer cell activation and metastasis while exhausting immune cells, hindering their ability to combat the cancer.
Hoping to be a research associate before applying to graduate school, Vasquez is now interested in pursuing studies in biomedical engineering.
“I think engineering the immune system is such a smart way to fight disease,” she said. “Before this internship, I was not as fascinated with the immune system as I am now.”
In gifting a new support fund for Kadner Visiting Students, the Kadner family is not only nurturing the future careers of awardees like Vasquez but also helping the department recruit high-caliber graduate students by introducing them to the benefits of continuing their education at UVA. In addition to the lecture and reception, Vasquez’s visit included dinner, discussions with department faculty, and an introduction to the wide range of concentrations and internship opportunities offered to graduate students. She was also provided a taste of Charlottesville, including dinner at a Mediterranean restaurant (“good for your microbiome!”) and meetings over coffee on the Corner.
“I’ll definitely be applying to UVA for graduate school,” Vasquez said enthusiastically. “The department is so welcoming, and they have so many resources for students.”
AN ENDURING IMPACT
The Kadner Visiting Student is a fitting addition to the now well-established Kadner Distinguished Lecture in Microbiology and the Kadner Award for Outstanding Graduate Teaching, all of which reflect Robert Kadner’s dedication to teaching and mentoring medical students, graduate students, fellows, and junior faculty during his tenure at the University.
“Robert Kadner was literally and figuratively a giant in the field,” said Alison Criss, a professor of microbiology, vice chair of the department, and the winner of this year’s Kadner Award for Outstanding Graduate Teaching. Criss knew Kadner when she was a graduate student at UVA. “He was quite a presence, and he had a really positive impact on everybody who interacted with him,” she remembered.
Robert Kadner joined the School of Medicine faculty in 1969 and was appointed the Norman J. Knorr Professor of Basic Medical Sciences in 1994, a chair he held for the remainder of his life. He also served on many national advisory boards in microbiology and received numerous awards for his teaching excellence and advocacy.
Criss emphasized the impact of the Kadner family’s support for the department and the University.
“I think it’s important for the robustness of all our educational and research endeavors to make sure we continue to grow by bringing in others who can help enrich what we're doing,” she said. “We’re so grateful to the Kadner family for their generosity and their forward thinking about how to really continue to honor Bob’s legacy in a way that will also support the department’s goals.”
Family members attend the lecture each year, and Kristen Roddy noted the connection that comes with their return to the University.
“The lecture ended up being a great vehicle for getting people to come together in this great, friendly, collaborative way,” she said. “And we loved the idea of this fellowship for a visiting student—nothing could be more apposite to my dad, and we’re happy to be a part of it.”