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2023 Fellows Program
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Associate Professor- Fish Pathology; Director of UAPB Fish Health and Disease Diagnostics Labs University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB)

Dr. Grace Ramena is an Associate Professor of Fish Pathology, Director of UAPB’s Fish Health Inspections and Disease Diagnostics program, and an AFS-FHS Certified Aquatic Animal Health Inspector serving fish producers in Arkansas and nationwide. She earned her BS and MS in Aquaculture from Acharya Nagarjuna University in India, an MS in Biology from the University of Illinois at Springfield, and a Ph.D. in Medical Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology from SIU School of Medicine and postdoctoral experience from Washington University School of Medicine. Her research has advanced understanding of CLCA gene family function and ErbB2/ErbB3 signaling. Her lab develops enzybiotics therapeutics and probiotics combat fish bacterial infections, and optimizes shrimp diets for better survival, immunity, and growth, while mentoring students and enhance workforce development. She also collaborates on ancestry-based Lung Cancer Brain Metastases (LCBM) precision oncology therapy using zebrafish xenografts to benefit patients of African ancestry. With over 20 years of experience, Dr. Ramena supports fish producers through inspections, diagnostics, and extension services, trains minority students, and builds research capacity at UAPB bridging aquaculture and human health.

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Video
November 2023 ARA Project Scope with Dr. Grace Ramena
Our nation’s fishing industry is threatened by a microscopic invader. Dr. Grace Ramena of University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff is leading the research that can save the industries millions of dollars.
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