Knight-Hennessy

Caring science

UGA’s newest Knight-Hennessy Scholar plans to combine hard science and patient care as a genetic counselor

By Stephanie Schupska

University of Georgia senior Callan Russell, an Honors student from McDonough, has been selected for the third cohort of Knight-Hennessy Scholars, a global graduate-level program at Stanford University.

Established in 2016, the Knight-Hennessy Scholars program provides full funding for graduate students as they pursue studies ranging from medicine to law to doctoral programs as well as joint- and dual-degrees.

Callan Russell perches on a bench next to the Davidson Life Sciences Complex, where she takes classes and works as an undergraduate research assistant in Robert Schmitz’s lab. She’s about a quarter mile from the Hugh Hodgson School of Music, where she spends much of the rest of her time practicing the trombone.

Stephanie Schupska

The program is designed to prepare students to take leadership roles in finding creative solutions to complex global issues.

“Callan is a very active Honors student, who has been selected for some of our most impressive scholarships and programs, including the Crane Leadership Scholarship,” said David S. Williams, associate provost and director of the Honors Program. “Callan has also been greatly engaged with undergraduate research through CURO, which has positioned her to enter a most exciting new field, genetic counseling. Given that Stanford has arguably the top program in this cutting-edge area, the Knight-Hennessy Scholarship is a perfect fit for her.”

Callan will graduate in May with a bachelor’s degree in genetics and a minor in music and will begin a master’s degree in genetic counseling at Stanford University this September. Her long-term goal is to be a prenatal genetic counselor in a hospital setting, educating potential parents about their family histories and the role genetics play in family planning.

“Genetic counseling combines hard science with caring for people and the opportunity to directly interact with patients,” Callan said. “Stanford, the Knight-Hennessy Scholars program, and the niche they provide are a dream fit for my career goals.”

For the past two years, Callan has conducted genetics research in the lab of Robert Schmitz, Lars G. Ljungdahl Distinguished Investigator in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. A CURO Research Assistant, she has been studying heat and light tolerances in Arabidopsis thaliana, a small flowering plant widely used as a model organism in genetics and plant biology. She also spent six weeks last summer shadowing genetic counselors through the University of South Carolina’s School of Medicine.

Callan is band captain and trombone section leader in both the UGA Redcoat Marching Band and various UGA ensembles and coordinates community and university events. She volunteers with Extra Special People, assisting children and adults with disabilities; founded UGA G.E.N.E.S., the first genetics club at UGA; and has presented her Arabidopsis research at the CURO Symposium. She also received the Vince Dooley Redcoat Band Scholarship.

Callan served as band captain and trombone section leader for UGA’s Redcoat Marching Band. “Music is a passion of mine, second only to science,” she said.

Stephanie Schupska