AMT Faculty Member

Sara Dann-Grice, PhDAssociate Professor
Director, Postdoctoral Certificate Program
Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Disease
John Sealy School of Medicine

Dr. Sara Dann-Grice is the Director of the Postdoctoral Certificate Program at The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) in Galveston, Texas. Offered through the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences (GSBS), the program provides training in core competencies required for professional success. In her role, Dr. Dann-Grice leads curriculum development and program evaluation efforts. She works closely with postdoctoral fellows, faculty, and staff in creating workshops and courses that build critical skills for career growth and satisfaction. She is passionate about providing a supportive and effective training environment and offers individual guidance and coaching. In addition to chairing the Postdoctoral Advisory Committee, Dr. Dann-Grice is a member of the GSBS Executive Committee and MD-PhD Executive Committee.

In addition to her roles at UTMB, Dr. Dann-Grice serves as Vice-Chair of the National Postdoctoral Association’s (NPA) Advocacy Committee and Co-Chair of the NPA Core Components Task Force, which is responsible for revising the NPA Recommendations for Postdoc Policies and Practices. She also serves as an elected member of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Group on Research, Education and Training (GREAT) Postdoctoral Training Steering Committee.

Dr. Dann-Grice’s education impact extends further as a Master Facilitator for Scientific Communication Advances Research Excellence (SCOARE), an NIH-funded program to improve mentoring in scientific communication. In addition to facilitating nationwide workshops for mentors of doctoral and postdoctoral researchers, she is involved in designing training modules to help build inclusive mentoring programs.

As an Associate Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine and the Department of Microbiology and Immunology in the John Sealy School of Medicine (JSSOM), Dr. Dann-Grice is both a mentor and an accomplished researcher. Her work focuses on elucidating the intricate interplay between microbes and the immune response, with the goal of enhancing our understanding of the underlying causes of intestinal inflammation and translating these findings into effective therapies. Her broad research interest enables her to provide comprehensive training to a diverse array of learners, spanning high school students to postdoctoral fellows.

Dr. Dann-Grice’s academic journey includes a B.S. in Biology from the University of California, Riverside, a M.S. and Ph.D. in Public Health from the University of Texas Health Houston School of Public Health, and postdoctoral training in gastroenterology at the University of California, San Diego. She is also an alumna of the esteemed UTMB Scholars in Education Program, understanding her commitment to both research and education.