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ALUMNI NEWS

ERIN ENGEL KUNKEL BIOLOGY ALUMNA 1998 FOOT AND ANKLE SURGEON IN OHIO

I majored in Biology, graduating 1998.  It is one thing to attend a Christian college and enter a job with a focus on Biblical studies.  It is quite another to obtain the kind of scientific knowledge required for doctorate programs in science.  Wheaton has the academic reputation respected by medical schools across the country. The Biology program, particularly animal physiology, helped to prepare me for my medical training.  I am now a successful foot and ankle surgeon in private practice in Dayton, Ohio.

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REBECCA HEIDKAMP BIOLOGY ALUMNA 2000 PhD CANDIDATE IN NUTRITION AT CORNELL UNIVERSITY

Following graduation in 2000, Rebecca Heidkamp (BS Biology / HNGR intern) joined World Relief 's Health Program Technical Unit and supported HIV/AIDS and Child Survival programs in Kenya, Sudan, Rwanda, Haiti and Mozambique.  She joined Cornell University's Program in International Nutrition in 2005 and is currently a PhD candidate in
Nutrition conducting research on infant feeding and HIV in
Port-au-Prince, Haiti.  She can be reached at rheidkamp@gmail.com

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KRISTIN TITCOMBE BIOLOGY ALUMNA '02 and GRADUATE FROM FULLER THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY


Kristin ’02 graduated from Fuller Theological Seminary with a Master’s in Cross Cultural Studies in June 2008.  Prior to coming to Fuller, she spent the previous two years in Minnesota working to end homelessness for people leaving county jails, and mentoring a Somali family.  At Fuller she learned how to do anthropological research and missiology among Latinos, graffiti writers, the Church of Later Day Saints, and the Gay-Lesbian-Bisexual-Transgender community.  The Biology Department at Wheaton helped her be able to think critically, and gave her a great foundation for conducting social research.  Kristin thanks Dr. Page and Dr. Rorem for being amazing teachers and mentors! Upon graduation Kristin is headed into the unknown, but hopes to do a combination of community organizing and informal pastoral counseling.  

Congratulations on your graduation from Fuller Seminary, Kristin!

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SHAILA COCKAR BIOLOGY ALUMNA '03 COMPLETED HER FOURTH YEAR OF TEACHING BIOLOGY

Shaila Cockar '03 currently lives in Albuquerque, NM.  She has just completed her fourth year of teaching Biology, Environmental Science and Advanced Biology at Menaul School, which is a small, Presbyterian school.  She is also the Student Council advisor and Science Fair coordinator for the school.  She enjoys the great ethnic and socio-economic diversity of her students, as well as the opportunity for many field trips and outdoor experiences with kids.  During the summers, Shaila works as a field research assistant with Dr. Marcy Litvak at the University of New Mexico, studying carbon flux and plant biomass in various ecosystems across an altitude gradient in the northern part of the state. 



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AMANDA KUHNHAUSEN MUNK BIOLOGY ALUMNA '03 AND GRADUATE OF LOMA LINDA UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE TO DO RESIDENCY AT OREGON HEALTH SCIENCE UNIVERSITY IN PORTLAND

It was a pleasure to study in the Biology Department at Wheaton College, and I mentally thanked my professors time and time again as I entered medical school at Loma Linda University School of Medicine, feeling prepared and well-taught.  The four years of medical school were rigorous, and yet God was good, bringing a close friend back into my life who became my husband in November 2007.   I just graduated in May 2008, and matched to a residency in Emergency Medicine at Oregon Health Science University in Portland, Oregon.  My husband, Joe Munk, and I are both from Oregon, so we are excited to be near our families as I train to become an emergency physician.  I will always remember fondly the amazing camping trips at Black Hills, Dr. Rorem's dear "critters," and the camaraderie among my fellow students.  Thanks to Wheaton College, I have been able to pursue this long-held dream of becoming a doctor in the Northwest.   

Congratulations Amanda on your graduation from Loma Linda University School of Medicine!

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MEGAN LEVERENTZ BIOLOGY MAJOR ALUMNUS ’03 AND GRADUATE FROM UC DAVIS SCHOOL OF VETERINARY MEDICINE

Megan Leverentz Biology Alumnus ’03 and recent graduate from UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, hopes to go back home to MN to join a private practice. Megan participated in collaborative research with Cell Biologist, Dr. Kennett, in her senior year at Wheaton (RTPCR for gene expression in zebrafish) and went to the Black Hills Science Station for a class.  After Wheaton College, Megan took a year off to work in a research lab at Washington University St. Louis School of Medicine working on a mouse model for human cholesteatomas, and also worked at a small animal vet hospital in MN.

Congratulations on graduation from Veterinary School Megan!

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MOLLY (CHAMBERS) GREEN BIOLOGY ALUMNUS '04 HIRED AS STAFF SCIENTIST AT TRAVIS/PETERSON ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTING, INC., FAIRBANKS, ALASKA

Molly (Chambers) Green Biology alumnus '04 and winner of the Russell Mixter Award in Biology, at Wheaton College in '04, received her MS degree in Environmental Quality Science December '05 from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Molly has recently been hired as a Staff Scientist at Travis/Peterson Environmental Consulting, Inc. Along with this good news, Molly also recently married Jeff Green in 2007.

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MICAH HUGHES ’04 BIOLOGY ALUMNUS SPOKE TO WHEATON STUDENTS ABOUT HIS RESEARCH AT RUSH

Micah Hughes ’04 biology alumnus spoke to Wheaton students this past spring about the research he conducted with the Rush University Department of Cardiology. His talk was entitled, "The investigation of safety and retention of Human CD34+ progenitor cells delivered into the myocardium of swine."  or, “Cardiology Research in Biotheraputic Delivery." The research was investigating the safety and accuracy of a new cardiac catheter and looking at the retention of stem cells delivered to the heart. More specifically they investigated the Biotheraputic delivery of adult bone marrow progenitor cells (CD34+ cells) into ischemic myocardium. It was a preclinical research study and the animal model used is yorkshire swine.

Micah received his MS degree in Biotechnology at Rush and has been doing research for the Alzheimer's Disease Center for two years and Research for the department of Cardiology in the Rush Cardiovascular Pre-Clinical Research lab for one year. Micah starts Medical School this year in Colorado at Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine.

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WHEATON COLLEGE '07 ALUMNA ESTHER MARIE PAPP FINISHED HER FIRST YEAR IN MEDICAL SCHOOL

Hi, my name is Esther Marie Papp and I am a 2007 graduate of Wheaton College with a B.S. in biology, and the recipient of the David Bruce Memorial Research Award, 2006.  I am now making good use of my Wheaton education by applying it to the study of medicine at Washington University in St. Louis.  I have finished my first year as a medical student and at this point am interested in doing my residency in surgery, either in plastic and reconstructive surgery or orthopedic surgery.  This past summer I conducted research in a plastic surgery lab at Wash.U.  investigating the antigenicity of peripheral nerve allografts after various lengths of cold treatment.  This summer I did plenty of microsurgeries on mice to transplant nerves, which was very exciting because I love surgery! 

One of the passions that I will also live out besides my interest in surgery is my
desire to grow more fully in my relationship with Jesus Christ by being one of the leaders of the Christian Medical Association here on campus.  As a Christian in the medical field, it is very important to me that I learn to intellectually engage the issues that are unique to my career and help others to do the same as we face questions such as how to live out our calling to represent our Lord as we interact with patients and colleagues in the medical environment.  Now I can see that the theological teaching I had in my bible and biology classes at Wheaton were a great blessing in helping me start thinking through how to address such issues. 

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BETSY SIGSBURY BIOLOGY ALUMNA '07 FINISHED HER FIRST YEAR OF TEACHING

My name is Betsy Sigsbury and I graduated with a B.S. in biology and a B.A. in Secondary Education in 2007. I am currently a high school science teacher in Beloit, WI at Beloit Memorial High School. I teach ninth grade physical science which is a mixture of physics, chemistry and earth science. Being a double major at Wheaton was a definite advantage in the teaching field and although teaching something outside of biology has been challenging, the kids are fantastic and the staff is extremely supportive. I chose Beloit out of all the offers I received because of the diverse student body and the exceptional staff working there. It has been an experience I have learned so much from and I owe this department a great deal of gratitude for helping to prepare me to start working straight out of college. I am one of the few graduates who can truly say they directly apply their college degree to their career.

I will be married in August '08 to Nathan Leong ('05 graduate, International Relations) and we will live in Madison, WI. I will soon start my masters in Educational Psychology at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. If anyone has any questions on what it is like to be a science teacher or how to go about becoming one, feel free to contact me at bsigsbury@gmail.com

Betsy was a awarded "The Rookie Teacher of the Year Award" after her first year of teaching! Congratulations Betsy!

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Wheaton College Biology Alumni have gone on to a variety of careers and are an excellent source of information about career paths and about the processes involved in being a Biology major as well as how the knowledge obtained can be applied in a various contexts. The alumni are a valuable resource for help in evaluating the Biology program and for answering questions that current students have about being a Biology major.

BIOLOGY ALUMNI

One of the best ways to determine what you can do with a Biology degree from Wheaton College is to see what other graduates have done. The listing of an e-mail address indicates that the alumnus has agreed to answer questions you may have about how studying biology at Wheaton contributed to their life and career development.
 

Directory of Alumni

Mark D. Crockett M.D. '89

John B. Hess Professor of Biology Ecology, Genetics, Ornithology, and Herpetology. '64

Bradley V. Davitt Pediatric Ophthalmologist. '87

Dr. Neal P. Thompson Research for EPA, Registration of pest management materials on minor (fruit and vegetable) crops. '57

David W. Terhune M.D. '75

Paul Terrill M.D., Family Physician. '84

Linda Brady Thompson Lifecare Consultant. '62

Marc Armstrong Alliance Manager. '79

Cindy (Cynthia) A. Ladd Myers Physical Therapist.

Alison Snyder Masters student in Argonomy. '98

Cynthia Evans Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine. '81

Jennifer L. Busch Assistant Professor of Physiology at Wheaton College. '96

Jacob Turnquist Medical Student. '99

Michael Waits University of Arizona Law School Student. '05

* HINT - To Contact Alumni Follow Email links*

Mark D. Crockett, MD. class of '89
How are you contacted? Email: tox911@safeplace.net:
What do you do? Currently President of a Medical Informatics Group.

 
John B. Hess class of '64
How are you contacted? Email: jbh8861@cmsu2.cmsu.edu
What do you do? I am currently Professor of Biology and I teach Ecology, Genetics, Ornithology, and Herpetology.
How can I help? I do what I like to think of as serious photography (semiprofessional) and I would be pleased to talk with other alums (former classmates) and current bio majors that want to talk to someone like me. Also I have studied the evolution-creation controversy extensively over the last 30 years, perhaps I could serve as a resource for someone in that area.

 
Bradley V. Davitt, M.D. classof '87
How are you contacted? Email davittb@slu.edu
What do you do? I am currently a pediatric ophthalmologist. After graduating from Wheaton in 1987, I attended the University of Illinois (Champaign & Rockford) and then did a transitional internship at St. John's Mercy Medical Center in St. Louis. I did my residency in ophthalmology at St. Louis University and then did a fellowship in pediatric ophthalmology at the University of Minnesota.

 
Dr. Neal P. Thompson class of '57
How are you contacted? Email npt@gnv.ifas.ufl.edu
What do you do? Research for EPA registration of pest management materials on minor (fruit and vegetable) crops

David W. Terhune, M.D. class of '75
How are you contacted? Email: DWT001@aol.com

 
Paul Terrill, MD class of '84
How are you contacted? Email: bumbee@boreal.org or smc@boreal.org
What do you do? I'm currently a Family Physician in a small remote group practice provides the only medical care for this county.
How can I help? I would be willing to act as a resource for students or alums interested in rural/remote medicine. We occasionally act as a site for Community Health rotations for Family Practice residents. We are not able to act as a site for students in the Health Professions Seminar course (if that is still in its same format as in 1982).

 
Linda Brady Thompson class of '62
How are you contacted? Email: lindathson@aol.com.
What do you do? I am a lifecare consultant for a marketing department of a Retirement Community.
How did you get where you are? Sales and marketing is a far cry from a Zoology major but in many ways finding a need and filling it has some of the same satisfactions that a career in health care (an earlier goal) would have had. I did graduate work in cell biology after Wheaton, got as far as passing my prelims and then had two children. Then I was widowed, married a widower-fellow-Wheaton-alumnus with two children and we finished with a fifth. Finances led us into developing an Amway distributorship through which I learned a great deal about sales in general. When the children were mostly grown and gone and I thought about working outside the home, sales was a natural choice. My former YFC leader had developed the ACTS company and it was through him that I heard about the opening at a Retirement Community. The rest as they say is history. If I presumed to give advice to current students, it would be to be utterly committed to Jesus Christ as Savior and Sanctifier...and to consider every open door as a gift from him. Christ in me has enabled me to endure and thrive through many losses, disappointments, betrayals and deaths and without him, as he said of his father, "I can do nothing." Enjoy the adventure of the journey.

Marc Armstrong class of '79
How are you contacted? Email: armstrong@ilog.com
What do you do? I work for an optimization software component provider based overseas.

 
Cindy (Cynthia) A. Ladd Myers
How are you contacted? Email: mhmindy@Juno.com
What do you do? I received my B.S. in Biology from Wheaton, M.S.P.T. in Physical Therapy from University of Indianapolis. Profession: Physical Therapist for 12 years. My current position is a senior therapist at a Community Hospital where I supervise an off site out-patient therapy clinic, spend 90% of my time on patient care and 10% on administration. My brother Bruce A. Ladd also a Biology major, '82.

 
Alison Snyder, class of '98.
How are you contacted? Email: amsnyder@ufl.edu
What do you do? I am in a master's program in agronomy. I am hoping to get involved in international/development agriculture.

 
Cindy Evans class of '81
How are you contacted? Email: evans.181@osu.edu.
What do you do? I am currenty married with two wonderful children. I am an Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine of a University College of Medicine, Department of Ob/Gyn, and Director of the Menopause Clinic. I went to medical school at Ohio State and then did my residency in Ob/Gyn at Northwestern University.

 
Jennifer L. Busch class of '96
How are you contacted? Email: jennifer.l.busch@wheaton.edu
What do you do? I am the new Physiology Professor at Wheaton College. My Research involves studying the activation of cGMP-dependent protein kinase, an enzyme that regulates several physiological processes including blood pressure.

Jacob Turnquist class of '99
How are you contacted? Email: jacoblturnquist@juno.com
What do you do? I am finishing up medical school. Next is my pediatrics residency. While at Wheaton I was a bio major, in R.O.T.C., and spent a couple of summers in the Black Hills. I would be happy to answer any questions about biology, the military, or medical school.


Michael Waits class of '05
How are you contacted? Email: michael.waits@gmail.com
What do you do? I am a first year Law School at the University of Arizona. If any biology majors are interested in law school, I would be more than happy to answer any questions they might have.