BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – TESHELL K. PONTEEN-GREENE has joined a long list of Kittitian scholars when she recently graduated from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine with a Doctoral degree in Pharmacological Sciences.
Greene is the daughter of Barbara Thompson nee Ponteen and Glenroy Greene and is originally from Newtown.
The official hooding and commencement ceremony was held on Monday, May 16 after completing her graduate studies in November 2010.
Greene, who is currently working as a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, is a product of the Newtown Primary (now Tucker-Clarke Primary) and Basseterre Junior High Schools.
In 1998 she migrated to the United States where she completed her high school studies at Louis D. Brandeis High in New York in 2001.
After completing her high school education, Greene pursued a Bachelors of Science degree in Chemistry and Mathematics at Pace University, New York City Campus where she graduated Magna Cum Laude in 2005.
“While at Pace, I spent most of my spare time engaged in Organic Chemistry research that targeted antimicrobial properties to carbohydrate-based surfaces for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
“Prior to the completion of my studies at Pace, I was inducted into the American Chemical Society (ACS), the Biological Sciences Honor Society TriBeta, and the National Society of Collegiate Scholars. In the summer of 2004, I was awarded an internship at the Center for Cancer Pharmacology at the University of Pennsylvania (PENN) School of Medicine developing small molecule inhibitors of colorectal cancer,” she said.
Greene is also an associate member of the Institute for Translation Research ITMAT at PENN and the American Society for Hematology
.
“I plan to continue my career in drug development and metabolism at a Pharmaceutical company such as Johnson & Johnson or Merck in the near future,” she declared to SKNVibes.
In 2005, Greened was awarded a full scholarship to pursue her doctorate at PENN in Pharmacological Sciences and, while there, her thesis work focused on the use of blood platelets as a novel therapeutic agent to treat the bleeding disease Hemophilia A.
“My mentor, Dr. Mortimer Poncz, first described the novelty of this replacement therapy approach, and being able to bring it to fruition using gene therapy was the joy and excitement of my studies. I was fortunate to present my groundbreaking research at many scientific conferences, publish two first author papers and co-author several others in a few top scientific journals.
“Now that I look back at the path I chose, I have been asked many times if I would do it differently, and my answer will always be no. This journey was the hardest yet, but definitely worth it.
“Through it, I found myself. I found spiritual growth and I know that indeed God’s hands were all over it. One thing I must say is I am so glad to start what I consider to be my normal life…it feels great to be out of school,” Greene said.
She said that her accomplishment could not have been possible without the help of God and support of her family and friends.
Greene also made mention of her primary school teachers Elvis Charles and Jazmyn Joseph-Brunder, and her friend Dr. Vance Gilbert who spent countless evenings with her at Parris Pharmacy teaching her about drugs.
She also spoke highly of her high school Chemistry teachers Miss Woodley (SKB) and Mr. Harvey (NY), and finally two “very important people that helped to shape the scientist I am today” - her college mentor Dr. Jamie Lee Rizzo and her graduate school mentor Dr. Poncz.
“I would like to say thank you for the support and encouragement of my friends and family back home, especially Donna Thomas.”
