The David E. Wells Memorial Symposium, a longstanding tradition in the UAB Department of Microbiology, will be held this year on May 21. The event will feature three student presentations and the David E. Wells Memorial Lecture given by Anne Moscona, M.D., Sheri L. Morrison Professor of Immunology, Departments of Microbiology and Immunology, Pediatrics and Physiology and Cellular Biophysics at Columbia University.
The David E. Wells Memorial Endowment Fund was established to support graduate students in basic science through lectures and other educational activities including the David E. Wells Symposium and David E. Wells Research Award. David Wells was a graduate student who tragically lost his battle with melanoma the day after completing all requirements for his Ph.D. degree. The David. E. Wells Memorial Symposium is held every year in his honor and features three graduate student presentations, with $1,000 being awarded to the most outstanding presenter.
"The Davis E. Wells Symposium, hosted by the Department of Microbiology at UAB, stands as a beacon of scientific inquiry and collaboration," said J. Victor Garcia-Martinez, Ph.D. professor and Charles H. McCauley Endowed Chair in the Department of of Microbiology. "It brings together leading minds to explore groundbreaking research, fostering innovation and advancing our understanding of microbiology's pivotal role in health and disease. This year it will feature presentations from three of our outstanding students and Dr. Moscona. This event promises to be a remarkable opportunity for learning and networking.”
Honoring the memory of David Wells
Wells, who earned his undergraduate degree from Clemson University, started graduate school in the Cellular and Molecular Biology program at UAB in fall of 1985 to pursue his dream of studying molecular biology. His wife, Kathy Hancock, whom he met while he was previously enrolled in a Master of Biology program at Georgia State University, joined Wells as a student in the Cellular and Molecular Biology program at UAB, while their children attended Homewood schools.
According to those who knew him, Wells deeply valued those who were talented and driven but often overlooked. He was a true friend to everyone and took great joy in mentoring fellow students, generously sharing his lab skills and knowledge. His happiest moments were spent in the lab, conducting experiments, analyzing data, and exploring the fundamental question, "How does it work?"
In summer 1986, Wells was diagnosed with malignant melanoma, and following a successful surgery, he was healthy until November 1989. He passed away on Feb. 14, 1990, from metastatic melanoma, at which time his doctoral research on HIV was nearly complete. He was posthumously awarded his Ph.D., and the scholarship in his memory was established soon after.
The 2025 David E. Wells Memorial Symposium
The 2025 David E Wells Memorial Symposium will feature presentations by graduate students from 12:45 to 2:20 p.m. in Cudworth Room 102.
“We are very proud that this year the symposium will highlight the work from Sara Edmonds, on the 'Role of Capsule Production on the Physiology of an Oral Commensal;' Samaneh Mehri, presenting on the 'Molecular Mechanisms of Human Astrovirus Polyprotein Processing;' and Eddie-Williams Owiredu, who will discuss how 'IRF1 attenuates inflammatory gene programs in B cells and alters pathogenic B Cell subsets in autoimmunity and inflammaging,'” Garcia said.
The graduate student presentations will be followed by the David E. Wells Memorial Lecture given by Anne Moscona, M.D., starting at 3 p.m.
Moscona has spent decades studying paramyxoviruses that cause serious and prevalent childhood respiratory diseases such as parainfluenza viruses, respiratory syncytial virus, as well as emerging lethal henipaviruses. Her research focuses on how these viruses enter human cells, and specifically how proteins on the virus help it fuse with and infect the cells. Moscona’s research has identified key ways to block this fusion process, which could in turn help stop infection.
A full schedule of events for the 2025 David E. Wells Memorial Symposium is available here.