<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><item href="/college-of-biomedical-and-translational-sciences/highlights/savanna-smith-phd-dissertation.html" dsn="news"><pubDate>04/07/2026</pubDate><title>Savanna Smith successfully defends PhD dissertation</title><summary>Savanna completed her PhD in Integrative Physiology under the mentorship of Dr. Mark Cunningham, defending her dissertation titled “The Effects of Placental Ischemia on Postpartum Dams and Their Adult Offspring, with Sex Considered as a Biological Variable.”</summary><author/><image><img src="/college-of-biomedical-and-translational-sciences/media/Savanna%20Smith%20News%20Card.png" alt="placeholder"/></image><tags><tag>College of Biomedical and Translational Sciences</tag><tag>Integrative Physiology</tag><tag>Physiology and Anatomy</tag><tag>Research</tag></tags></item>