Dr. S. K. Dey received his undergraduate and graduate training from Presidency College and University of Calcutta. After receiving his PhD degree, he was awarded a Ford Foundation Fellowship in Reproductive Biology in 1972 for postdoctoral studies at the University of Kansas Medical Center. Dey spent 30 years in Kansas and rose to the rank of University Distinguished Professor before joining Vanderbilt University in 2002 as Dorothy Overall Wells Professor of Pediatrics, Professor of Cell and Developmental Biology and Pharmacology. At Vanderbilt, he directed the Division of Reproductive and Developmental Biology. He received the Carl G. Hartman Award from the Society for the Study of Reproduction (SSR) in 2008. This award, named after the renowned U.S. embryologist, is the highest honor bestowed by SSR. He also received the IVI Foundation Award for the Best Clinical Research Record in Reproductive Medicine in 2009. Dey is one of only four scientists who held two NIHMethod to Extend Research in Time (MERIT) awards simultaneously, one from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development recognizing his work in embryo-uterine interactions during implantation, and the other from the National Institute on Drug Abuse for his work in endocannabinoid signaling and early pregnancy. He has published more than 300 articles, serves on editorial boards of many journals, and mentors talented students and developing investigators from all stages of education in the biological sciences with continuous funding throughout his career spanning four decades. Dey joined Cincinnati Children’s Research Foundation as Lova Riekert Chair and Professor of Pediatrics and the Director for the Division of Reproductive Sciences in 2008.
Katie Gerhardt graduated summa cum laude from Hollins University in 2015 with a Bachelor’s degree in French and English, with a concentration in creative writing. She received the Mae Shelton Boger Award for Excellence in French Studies and the Andrew James Purdy Prize for Short Fiction for her Senior English Honors Thesis. As a member of the Division of Reproductive Sciences, she revises NIH and private foundation grant applications and manuscripts for publication in scientific journals. She also contributes as a Volunteer Writer for the Association of Women in Science Magazine and the Washington Wire Newsletter.