Callahan Katrak

Entered Combined-Degree Program: Fall 2018 as a first-year DMD student

Biography

Callahan grew up in Kalamazoo, Michigan before moving to Florida to attend Rollins College. Callahan graduated from Rollins College with a BA in Biology and Chemistry. While at Rollins, Callahan conducted research in biochemistry, researching the effects of Epstein-Barr Virus microRNAs on transcription. In 2017 she interned at the Marshfield Clinic in Wisconsin contributing to a study of patient’s awareness of the relationship between periodontal disease and diabetes. Callahan also participated in a Service trip to the Dominican Republic where she distributed and tested household water treatment and safe storage systems.

In the Summer prior to the Fall semester of year 1 of the DMD program, Callahan joined the laboratory of Dr. Jacqueline Abranches as part of the UFCD Summer Research Program where she studied the effects of manganese on Streptococcus mutans. Callahan serves as Historian of the National Student Research Group (NSRG) of the American Association of Dental Research.

In her free time, Callahan likes to volunteer in local dental clinics, read, and spend time outdoors. With her dual training, Callahan hopes to become a successful clinician-scientist with a productive career devoted to research and teaching.