LEADERSHIP
PROGRAM DIRECTORS
UT Health San Antonio
James D. Lechleiter, Ph.D. is Professor of Cell Systems & Anatomy, with an educational background in physics (BS), astrophysics (BS) and physiology (PhD) and postdoctoral training in physiology and pharmacology. His laboratory investigates the molecular and cellular mechanisms of neuroprotection. In 2017, he received a Presidential Excellence in Teaching Award, UT Health San Antonio’s highest annual honor for outstanding teaching.
UT Health San Antonio
Babatunde “Kay” Oyajobi, M.B.B.S., Ph.D., M.B.A. is Professor of Cell Systems & Anatomy and a cancer biologist by training. He has extensive administrative experience as well as experience in research training and graduate education serving as Program Director on four NIH-funded training programs. He also serves as Director of the institutional Office of Postdoctoral Affairs. He is a 2018 recipient of the Presidential Excellence in Teaching Award and was inducted into the prestigious University of Texas System Kenneth Shine Academy of Health Science Education in 2021.
PROGRAM COORDINATORS
Our Lady of the Lake University
James S. Hall, Ph.D. is a Professor of Biology in the Department of Mathematics and Natural Sciences at Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU), a small Hispanic Serving institution (HSI). Dr. Hall serves as the Program Coordinator at OLLU, overseeing the SABER•IRACDA program activities at the institution and working with the Program Directors to coordinate teaching and training of the Scholars. He has taught undergraduate biology majors at OLLU for 39 years, the large majority of whom were under represented students. He served as chair of biology for 25 of those years. OLLU was recognized by the University of Southern California’s Center for Urban Education as one of 25 universities in the country with effective practices for increasing the number of Latino bachelor’s degree recipients in Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM). At OLLU, Dr. Hall advises approximately 25 Biology majors each semester to guide them in their degree plan and career choices. OLLU also has an active McNair Scholars Program, and many of the students under Dr. Hall’s guidance have presented their research at McNair conferences and other national conferences.
St. Mary’s University
Ahmad Galaleldeen, Ph.D. is a Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at St. Mary’s University (StMU), a HSI and one of the oldest universities in Texas. Dr. Galaleldeen, who also holds an adjunct faculty appointment in the Department of Biochemistry & Structural Biology at UT Health San Antonio, serves as Program Coordinator at StMU, overseeing the SABER•IRACDA program activities at the institution and working with the Program Directors to coordinate teaching and training of the Scholars. Dr. Galaleldeen teaches biochemistry, cell biology, cell and molecular methods and general biology. He is a structural biologist by training and his research program, that actively engages undergraduates, determines the structures of pathogenic proteins involved in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), pneumonia, and yeast infections.
Program Coordinator,
Associate Scholar Program
Trinity University
Jonathan King, Ph.D. is a Professor of Biology and Chair of the Health Professions Advising Committee at Trinity University, a small liberal arts university in San Antonio. He recently received Trinity University’s Distinguished Advising and Mentoring Award. In addition to serving as coordinator for the SABER•IRACDA Associate Scholar Program, Dr. King also directs “Successful Starts,” an integral IRACDA Program-sponsored pedagogic workshop that focuses on “Fostering Active Learning in STEM Education” and is course co-director for UTeach, an IRACDA Program-sponsored introduction to pedagogy course at UT Health San Antonio. He is a biochemist by training and he maintains an active research program that focuses primarily on understanding biology of epithelial cell junctions using a variety of contemporary approaches.
Program Oversight Committee (Other Members)
University of the Incarnate Word
Rachell E. Booth, Ph.D. is Professor and Chair of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of the Incarnate Word (UIW), a private, catholic university with a historical mission of serving the San Antonio community. Dr. Booth has a long-standing commitment to student mentoring and training. Over the last 20 years, she has taught biochemistry courses while serving as a research mentor for more than 100 undergraduate and master’s students. She served as a founding co-Principle Investigator on the National Institutes of Health (NIH) South Texas Doctoral Bridge and the National Science Foundation (NSF) Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics(S-STEM) scholars’ programs. Both programs were designed to support the advancement of STEM students from underserved populations. In 2019, she co-organized and hosted an American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) meeting, Transforming Education in the Molecular Life Sciences. She is the recipient of the 2020-21 UIW Mission Continues Awardee for Education and the 2015 Texas State University Student Foundation Faculty of Excellence Award.
UT Health San Antonio
Ann V. Griffith, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics at UT Health San Antonio. Her research is focused on the development of T lymphocytes in the thymus, and the causes and consequences of age-associated T cell dysfunction. In 2021, she received the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Mentor of the Year award and was named an Academy of Educational Scholars (AES) Star Educator in the Long School of Medicine in 2022.
Program Administrator
UT Health San Antonio
Darci Bowen is the Project Coordinator Senior for the SABER•IRACDA Program at UT Health San Antonio. She is responsible for the day-to-day management of the training program and served 12 years in the United States Air Force prior to joining the SABER•IRACDA program in 2023. Academically, Ms. Bowen has a background in Nursing, Graduate Medical Education and Training, and Program Administration. She completed her Nursing Degree at the Community College of the Air Force and her Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Administration through the American Military University.
