UF Medicine doctoral candidates celebrate 2026 Advancement to Candidacy Ceremony
44 doctoral candidates received embroidered lab coats at June 12 event
Photo by Charles Poulton
June 17, 2026 — When Courtney Sercander crossed the stage to accept her embroidered white coat, her young daughter Amelia was her most vocal supporter.
“Mama!” the 1 ½ -year-old shouted while being held up by her father to see. Matching her energy, whoops of cheers and laughter sounded through the Health Professions, Nursing, Pharmacy Auditorium. Sercander blew a kiss in their direction as she returned to her seat.
At the third annual University of Florida College of Medicine Ph.D. Advancement to Candidacy Ceremony, 44 doctoral candidates received personalized lab coats to symbolize their shift from studenthood to candidacy. This milestone takes place after students pass their qualifying exams, which test a candidate’s understanding of their chosen field and their ability to conduct high-level research.
Candidates now enter the most important phase of their graduate studies: immersing themselves in science and coming up with new discoveries, said David Bloom, Ph.D., the senior associate dean for graduate education and chair of the Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology at the College of Medicine, in his opening remarks.
Discoveries lie ahead
L. Jeannine Brady, Ph.D. ’89, served as the ceremony’s keynote speaker. Brady is a professor and director of graduate and postdoctoral research training and career development at the UF College of Dentistry, where her research focuses on the pathobiology of oral pathogens — an interest kindled in the lab during her time as a UF graduate student.
She attended Rutgers College in 1973, just one year after the anchor institution began admitting women. During a microbiology course where she learned the mechanism of penicillin against the cell wall, she felt an urge to pursue research.
“I wanted to make discoveries like that,” Brady said.
L. Jeannine Brady, Ph.D. ’89, served as the keynote speaker of the 2026 Advancement to Candidacy Ceremony.
Photo by Charles Poulton
She explained that research potential has expanded through the adoption of artificial intelligence, but the power of discernment still lies in the human brain. Before online search engines, she said, researchers scoured pocket-sized paper editions of “Current Contents,” marking articles of interest before passing the booklet to the next department. This system reinforced a depth of understanding. Even with nascent time-saving tools like AI available, Brady prompted candidates to read the primary literature whenever possible.
“AI can do information,” Brady said. “But that spark of creativity, that putting two and two together –– everything that you’ve learned from elementary school to now that you can synthesize in your brain –– will play a role in your own scientific trajectory.”
Brady encouraged the new candidates to ask many questions, network extensively and lean on their loved ones when necessary. Research is not a linear progression, she added, so it is important to “get a tough skin” and remain flexible as questions change over time.
“Failure is not bad — you learn from it,” Brady said. “Just because you did not expect it doesn’t mean that it’s not providing you information.”
Nicole Stedman, Ph.D., the associate provost and dean of the UF Graduate School, told the candidates that the white coat is not just a piece of clothing –– it is a new identity.
“It is a testament to your intellectual rigor, resilience and unwavering commitment to the pursuit of knowledge,” she said. “It represents your readiness to embrace the responsibilities and values of a scientist and healer.”
At the end of the ceremony, candidates recited a doctoral oath, vowing to better mankind through the pursuit of science and knowledge. Their white coats will be worn as a lifelong reminder of their pledge.
Shining the illuminator on some of our candidates
Doctoral candidate Christopher I. Mederos
Photo by Danielle Ivanov
Christopher I. Mederos
“I was convinced I was going to be a professional baseball player until I took high school biology,” said Christopher Mederos, a UF M.D.-Ph.D. student who conducts research in the Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology. “I knew then that I was going to be a doctor.”
Working under the mentorship of associate professor Steeve Boulant, Ph.D., and assistant professor Megan Stanifer, Ph.D., Mederos’ graduate research focuses on exploring the transmission and lifecycle of the human polyomavirus JC virus, a common pathogen estimated to infect 40-70% of the global population. The virus spreads asymptomatically but can reactivate in immunosuppressed patients and cause the fatal disease progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy, or PML.
“As there are currently no targeted therapeutics for the JC virus or PML, it is essential to further explore its transmission and cellular lifecycle,” he said. “I hope to develop a translational research program focused on advancing treatments of gastrointestinal tract disease.”
Mederos’ clinical studies inform his current research. As an aspiring physician-researcher seeking to balance both aspects of his future career, he found an academic home at UF with a curriculum that suits his goals. Outside of the lab, Mederos serves as the M.D.-Ph.D. advocate for the UF Medical Graduate Student Organization and the UF representative for the M.D.-Ph.D. Surgical Society.
“The best part of graduate school so far has been the friends I have made along the way,” he said. “UF has such a great collaborative environment where I have been able to make lifelong connections with my peers. I am also glad to have my family’s continued support — and occasional visits — as I progress through many milestones such as this.”
Doctoral candidate Kiara Fierman
Photo by Danielle Ivanov
Kiara Fierman
Kiara Fierman was first drawn to the process of discovery and problem-solving while attending a biotechnology academy at her Boca Raton high school. She knew she wanted to pursue research following her early start in wet lab science but didn’t have a specific field in mind.
Fierman began her undergraduate research journey in the lab of Azra Bihorac, M.D., M.S., the UF College of Medicine’s senior associate dean for research and a professor in the departments of Medicine, Surgery and Anesthesiology. There, she realized her desire to delve into the mechanisms underlying disease, specifically the science behind skeletal muscle. This solidified her choice to pursue graduate training through the UF Graduate Program in Biomedical Sciences.
Now a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics mentored by associate professor Daniel Kopinke, Ph.D., Fierman serves as president of the Gator Billiards Club in her spare time. She is also part of UF’s National Institutes of Health-funded T32 Neuromuscular Plasticity Training Program, where her research centers on developing therapies that target fat accumulation within skeletal muscle. She said her focus has shifted toward bringing her projects to completion as she puts on a fresh white coat.
“Advancing to candidacy means greater confidence for me,” she said. “It means that a group of experts in the field believe I have developed the knowledge and skills needed to move forward toward earning my PhD. I joke with my lab that I’m now a ‘tenured student.’”
Fierman values the supportive community she’s built at UF, along with the opportunities the college offers inside and outside of the lab. She looks forward to exploring new and exciting scientific questions as she chips away at her dissertation.
“Ultimately, I hope my research contributes to the development of therapies that improve muscle function and quality of life for individuals affected by muscle atrophy, degeneration and intramuscular fat accumulation,” she said. “I’m incredibly grateful to be surrounded by an awesome group of people including my mentor, lab mates, undergraduates and peers who not only make me a better scientist but who also make the day-to-day enjoyable.”
Doctoral candidate Valerie Hinsch
Valerie Hinsch
Valerie Hinsch was invested in studying genetics and gene therapy before she even graduated high school. Her early exposure to research began as a rising senior in the South Carolina Governor’s School of Science and Mathematics, where she studied the effects of changing media composition to alter retinal pigmented epithelial cell function and output.
Hinsch’s research focus has bounced from flagellar parasites to plant growth to early-onset colorectal cancer, but she’s always felt a pull toward gene therapy. After visiting UF, one of the largest contributors to adeno-associated virus, or AAV, research, she was sold on where to pursue her graduate degree. She now trains under Shannon Boye, Ph.D., in the Department of Pediatrics, to study virus receptors in the retina with the goal of improving outcomes for inherited retinal diseases.
“Coming to UF and working for Dr. Boye is a dream come true,” Hinsch said. “I’ve enjoyed every minute of learning about this field.”
Hinsch serves as service chair for the UF Medical Graduate Student Organization when she’s not gazing into a microscope. As she transitions to the next stage in her graduate studies, she is eager to find the answers to her research questions.
“My boss, my lab mates, my committee, my friends, my cohort … everyone involved in my graduate experience has been wonderfully supportive and encouraging,” Hinsch said. “I know they are a critical part of getting me to this point in my Ph.D. journey.”
