Carmichaels graduate excelling as medical research scientist

Carmichaels Area High School graduate Nichol Holodick, daughter of Dr. Richard Holodick and Linda Scavone, has been gaining recognition in the scientific community for her ongoing work as a medical research scientist.
Holodick, 34, is currently employed at the Feinstein Institute of Medical Research in the center for Oncology & Cell Biology. The Feinstein Institute is comprised of a team of researchers dedicated to advancing medical science and preventing diseases.
The research that Holodick has conducted on B-1 cells has been introduced to the medical community through the 11 publications that have been featured in medical journals such as “The European Journal of Immunology” and “The Journal of Experimental Medicine.” Further adding to her recent accomplishments, Holodick took on the impressive feat of organizing an international conference the Merinoff World Congress in June of 2014.
The Merinoff World Congress, sponsored by the Feinstein Institute of Medical Research, was held in Tarrytown, New York, spanning from June 16-19. This was the first international conference focused on B-1 cell biology since 1991.
The purpose of the conference was for scientists to get together to discuss the physiology and purpose of B-1 cells, a type of white blood cell that is an important part of the immune system because it produces antibodies. B-1 cells are considered the first line of defense for the body to fight off infections, which is why researchers are so interested in understanding how they function.
In addition to organizing this monumental event, Holodick was one of the 152 participants at the conference. Though Holodick studies many aspects of the B-1 cell, she focused on her research about how B-1 cells function and how the antibodies they produce change with age for the conference. Holodick was pleased by the outcome of the conference.
“The conference went amazingly well,” Holodick said. “It was a true success and really intense four days of sharing results and discussing new ideas about B-1 cell biology.”
Holodick explained that conferences such as the Merinoff World Congress allow for scientists to share new breakthroughs in the field.
“Collaborations were created with these scientists from all over the world,” she said. “In turn, many new breakthroughs will be made through the new experimental ideas discussed.”
Sharing her discoveries is of great importance to Holodick.
“I see contributing to scientific knowledge in various ways such as, publishing papers, collaborating, attending conferences, teaching students in the lab, all as essential and important.”
Everything that Holodick has accomplished has left her friends and family glowing with pride. Her father, Richard Holodick, said he knew his daughter was destined to achieve great things.
“She was always a straight A student. She was always very bright,” Richard Holodick said.
He saw her interest in science growing while she attended Carmichaels Area High School. After graduating in 1998, Nichol Holodick went on to earn her undergraduate degree at Northeastern University. She interned at the Harvard Medical School in Boston, Mass. before earning her PhD at Boston University.
Despite the great expectations Richard Holodick had for his daughter based on her performance in school, he was still blown away by all that she accomplished in her career as a medical research scientist.
“She has succeeded beyond my expectations,” Richard Holodick stated.
Some of his pride stemmed from the fact that the work she was doing was for the well being of others.
“With her brain, her intelligence, she could have chosen any occupation,” Richard Holodick explained.
“It was humanitarian choice. She’s going to be saving lives someday.”
Richard Holodick, a former director of the Greene County Vocational-Technical School, is well acquainted with the schools within Greene County, including Carmichaels Area High School. Because of this knowledge, he was not shy in crediting the school with helping Nichol Holodick to realize her potential.
“She got a solid education at Carmichaels,” he said. “It provided her with the foundation and motivation necessary to pursue her career.”
Nichol Holodick plans to continue researching B-1 cells as she moves toward establishing her independence in academic research.