Dear fellow Post-Docs,
My name is Aline, and I am a MD from Germany doing research on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in the Lutsenko Lab (Department of Physiology). I also have the privilege of serving the Post-Doc community as your currently elected Secretary.
I am extremely excited to be running as Co-President for JHPDA. Some of you might have met me over the past year during the Thanksgiving Social, the Holiday Party, Happy Hours, or some of the smaller events. I have enjoyed organizing events for Post-Docs development and mental health as part of my role on the current executive board and as a member of the Professional Development and Socials/Internationals Committees.
Through my involvement with JHPDA, I’ve come to understand the organization structure here at Hopkins as well as the many intricacies of the Post-Doc community, including the fun areas and the places that still need strengthening. Which is why, if elected as your 2020-2021 Co-President I plan to tackle some of the most pressing issues I came across this past year, such as:
By doing this I hope to continue to create an enjoyable, educational, and growing experience for us Post-Docs.
Over these past months, we learnt that not everything has to be done in person, so I am looking forward to take the upcoming months as they evolve and make the most of this upcoming year however our work will be shaped by it.
I am looking forward to your vote! - Feel free to reach out to me with any questions, concerns, or remarks!
My name is Alexander Weiss, and I am a post-doctoral fellow in the Department of Neurology of the School of Medicine. My work focuses on researching the neural processes that underpin human language with the aim of developing brain machine interfaces that can help locked-in patients regain the ability to communicate. I have been active in the JHPDA since starting as a postdoc at JHU in 2018. As co-chair of the Policy & Advocacy Committee, I have worked with the administration to improve the visibility of postdocs; worked with UHS to organize wellness events; collaborated with the JHPDA Internationals Committee, SOM Graduate Student Association, and SPH Student Assembly to develop events centered around improving the well-being of international learners at JHU; and helped to run the annual postdoctoral surveys. I am honored and excited to be nominated for Co-President of the JHPDA for the upcoming year. As Co-President, I will use my experience to continue to advocate for the rights and interests of postdocs and other learners at JHU.
My name is Irina Duff. I am a 3rd year postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science at the JHSOM. By my clinical training, I am a psychiatrist and neurophysiologist by my research Ph.D. training. In my everyday professional life, I am doing what I love and enjoy: studying mechanisms of transcranial magnetic stimulation and deep brain stimulation in mice models of autism using in vivo physiology and optogenetics techniques. During my medical school years, I served as a representative of my student group to our program leadership. I was responsible for organizing birthday parties for my groupmates, addressing their training needs, and communicating them to the Dean’s office. On a school level, I was the chief editor of our student newspaper, keeping track of all school news and policies and delivering them to students. Our clinical scholar program had numerous collaborations with other international universities. We had frequent student conferences and faculty visits. I enjoyed organizing these events, hosting our guests, and fostering new professional partnerships and friendships. Postdoctoral training, in most cases, is a challenging journey. At the same time, it is one of the critical stages of an academic career. It builds a foundation for all our professional future. We need a lot of support, advice, and guidance to succeed in our training. I see the position of Secretary at the JHPDA as an opportunity to support my fellow postdocs through organizing both fun and professional events to build a postdoctoral community. I would be honored for the chance to share my life and professional experience while giving advice. It would be a privilege for me to participate in writing policies directed to the improvement of the training environment for postdoctoral fellows at JHU.
I am interested in the volunteer position as Secretary of the Executive Board JHPDA. I believe the JHPDA is essential for the development of Johns Hopkins Postdoctoral Fellows. I am committed to organizing activities that will expand networking and our knowledge of the opportunities available at JHU.
During my undergraduate and graduate years in Brazil, I organized events that allowed networking inside the university and with other universities. At JHU, I am excited to work together with the other members of the JHPDA to plan events that promote self-improvement and giving back to the community.
My name is Eric Villalon-Landeros. I am writing to express my interest in the Secretary of the Executive Board JHPDA position.
I am postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Dr. Seth Margolis in the department of Biological Chemistry. I joined the Margolis lab and the JHU community in August of 2019 (10 months ago) to investigate the role a newly discovered signaling proteasome in peripheral nerve function and its implications in pain sensation.
Since joining the JHU community, I have been getting familiar with the JHPDA and DPAC and have really enjoyed participating in the various activities hosted this past year. Going forward, I would like to get more involved in a leadership position and I think the secretary position would be a good fit. In the past, I have had the opportunity to serve in various leadership roles in student organizations throughout my undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate education. As an undergraduate at Ventura Community College in California, I served as the secretary (2005 to 2006) and then president (2006 to 2007) of the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) chapter. Then, I transferred to the University of California-Davis (UCD) and in 2008 I led the establishment of the SACNAS student chapter at UCD, for which I served as the president from 2008 to 2010. In 2010, I began a post-baccalaureate program at the University of Missouri-Columbia (MU), where I led the establishment of the SACNAS student chapter at MU and served as the president from 2010 to 2012. As a graduate student at MU, I served as the secretary of the SACNAS chapter at MU from 2012 to 2014 and treasurer from 2015 to 2016. As a postdoctoral fellow at MU I helped advise the SACNAS chapter at MU executive board from 2016 to 2019. I have always enjoyed being part of the force driving forward the advancement and success of the student body and I strongly feel that being part of the JHPDA Executive Board will allow me to continue to be involved.
I’ve been working as a postdoc in the department of Gastroenterology specifically in Neurogastroenterology division since May of 2018. Our fields of study are dysmotility disorders, new pharmaceutical options for gastroparesis, nutritional support and devices development to better understand food intolerance illnesses. My PI is Dr. Pankaj Pasricha, I am in charge of coordinate the clinical research projects in the GI clinic JHBMC, this involve writing protocols, data collection & entry, filling applications for the IRB, database design, guide research coordinators on protocol compliance, writing manuscripts, coordinate initiation visit with pharmaceutical companies, budget reviews, IND and IDE applications for the FDA, build a network with the research administration office and the IDS Pharmacy, etc. I have study representation experience from my medical school for 5 years and volunteering experience from the University of Louisville as translator for the Hispanic community in the Global Health and refugee clinic. I have a degree in business administration with concentration in healthcare management. I am looking for new challenges, improve my project management competences, learn more about Hopkins policies, interact with other postdocs, discover new leadership and communication skills.
Hello everyone. My name is Joshua Hooks and I have been a postdoctoral fellow here at Johns Hopkins since October 2019. I am excited to be running for treasurer of the Johns Hopkins Postdoctoral Association. I am currently working under Dr. Jennifer Elisseeff in the Ophthalmology department exploring the intersection of biomaterials and immunological responses. I completed my PhD in bioengineering at Georgia Tech in 2019 where my research focused on cellular and tissue engineering of the lymphatic system. While at Georgia Tech I served as outreach chair, research chair, and eventually president of the Bioengineering Graduate Association (BGA). During those experiences I learned a lot about how student and trainee organizations run “behind the scenes” and all the work that goes into planning and financing events. I also saw the key role that these events and organizations play in building a sense of community where everyone is more engaged and productive. I hope to apply these skills to the treasurer position here at JHU and to work with you all in the future.
I have been a postdoctoral fellow with Prof. Peter N. Devreotes at the Department of Cell Biology since April 2018. Currently, I am the departmental postdoctoral representative helping postdoctoral fellows regarding any query they may have, and have enabled communication between them and the JHU Office of Postdoctoral Affairs. Previously, I have volunteered with the Socials and International committees of the JHPDA, which gave me ample opportunity to attend committee meetings, organize various events, communicate with postdocs from other departments, and understand policies of the JHPDA. In the past, I have held the position of ‘Treasurer’ for the Microbiology Association at my undergraduate college in India. As the treasurer, I was involved in planning the annual budget for the association and acquiring sponsorship for events, such as inter-collegiate science festivals, workshops and departmental seminars. My proven track record in treasury management led to my election as the ‘Secretary’ for the association in the following year. As a result of my cumulative experience in finance management, representing postdocs in my department, and volunteering for the JHPDA, I sincerely believe I will be a great fit for the position of ‘Treasurer’ on the JHPDA executive board. If given the opportunity, I shall be able to successfully handle the income and expenses of the JHPDA and its events which would allow postdocs to have an enriching experience outside of their stressful research lives.