Student Spotlight

Each month we highlight one of our MSTP students. This month's highlight is: 

Student Spotlight photo. 

Sam Speaks

Area of Study: Immunology
Hometown: Columbus, OH

Academics

Research interests

Exploring cardiac dysfunction during upper respiratory virus infection.

Awards, honors, publications:

  • Speaks S*, Eddy AC*, Roth M, Roettger JE, Reznik BM, Mohan S, Liu BD, Hemann EA, Yount JS. IFITM3-deficient mice as a model for testing influenza virus vaccines via the intramuscular route. Vaccine, 2025.
  • Denz PJ, Speaks S, Kenney AD, Eddy AC, Papa JL, Roettger J, Scace SC, Rubrum A, Hemann EA, Forero A, Webby RJ, Bowman AS, Yount JS. Innate immune control of influenza virus interspecies adaptation via IFIMT3. Nature Communications, 2024.
  • Solstad A, Denz PJ, Kenney AD, Mahfooz S, Speaks S, Gong Q, Robinson R, Long M, Forero A, Yount JS, Hemann EA. IFN-lambda uniquely promotes CD8 T cell immunity against SARS-CoV-2 relative to type I IFN. JCI Insight, 2024.
  • Speaks S*, McFadden MI*, Zani A*, Solstad A, Leumi S, Roettger JE, Kenney AD, Bone H, Zhang L, Denz PJ, Eddy AC, Amer AO, Robinson R, Cai C, Ma J, Hemann EA, Forero A, Yount JS. Gasdermin D promotes influenza virus-induced mortality through neutrophil amplification of inflammation. Nature Communications, 2024.
  • Kenney AD, Kumar N, Chen P, Eddy AC, Zhang L, Zani A, Vargas-Maldonado N, Speaks S, Kawahara J, Denz PJ, Dorn LE, Accornero F, Ma J, Zhu H, Rajaram MVS, Langlois RA, and Yount JS. Influenza virus replication in cardiomyocytes drives heart dysfunction and fibrosis. Science Advances, 2022.
  • Hayes Advanced Research Forum – Oral Presentation1st place Health Sciences 2025
  • L. B. Research and Education Foundation Scholarship (2x recipient) 2023-2025
  • Outstanding Academic Scholars Award – Ohio State College of Medicine 2023-2024
  • Travel Award, Trainee Research Day – The Ohio State University 2023
  • Travel Award, American Society for Virology (3x recipient) 2022-2024
  • N. Paul Hudson Award, Ohio Branch of the American Society for Microbiology 2022

Long term goals/ aspirations

  • Work at a large academic institution with NIH funding to study clinical topics that my future self is interested in.

Post MSTP Training dream job

  • PSTP residency

Fun Facts

What you enjoy outside of school

Hiking, biking, scuba diving, and off-roading

A superpower you have always wanted

Play guitar 

Favorite book

Hatchet by Gary Paulsen

Favorite quote

“Just do your best, it’s all you can do” – Sunday Speaks (my mom)

Can’t live without

Canes chicken tenders

If you weren’t in MSTP, what would you be doing now?

Marine biologist

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