President: |
Neesha Suvarna | Membership: |
Pinal Kanabar Leslie Meltzer |
Vice-President: |
Rachel Harte | Mentoring: |
Susan Bernhard Jennifer Saltzman Lucia Mokres |
Treasurer: |
Chitra Chakravarthy | Community Outreach: |
Katy Kuo Korsmeyer |
Secretary: |
Shibing Wang |
Programs: |
Ashley Fouts Lakshmi Jakkula |
Member-at-large: |
Martina Blank |
NCC-AWIS Representative: |
Viji Mahathevan |
Webmistress: |
Monique Anderson |
Newsletter |
Sudha Khurana Josephine Salcedo |
Industry Outreach: |
Viji Mahathevan | Scholarships Chair: |
Josephine Salcedo |
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My interaction with AWIS began about 2 years ago when I was actively pursuing careers other than basic research. Being part of AWIS and having the opportunity to interact with a diverse group of people further strengthened my decision. For the past year, I have been actively involved in the Programs Committee and also served as Member-at-large on the AWIS board. I currently work as a Analyst at an oncology consulting company. My research background involves postdoctoral fellowship in neuroscience, PhD in pharmacology and bachelors in Pharmacy. My interests include reading, cooking, traveling and spending time with family and friends.
I became involved in AWIS about 7 years ago while working with other AWIS members at PPD Discovery. I have previously served two years as Treasurer and two years as President of Palo Alto AWIS. I am also on the Programs and Scholarships Committees for the chapter. I have a PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne (UK). I came to the US originally as a postdoc in the Department of Pathobiology at the University of Washington in Seattle. In 2000, I obtained a Masters in Bioinformatics from the University of York (UK). I currently work as a Bioinformatics Engineer at UC Santa Cruz where I work on gene annotation for the human and mouse genomes. My interests include reading, biking and going to the gym.
I've been a regular member of AWIS since May 2007. Having recently moved to the Bay Area then, I started attending meetings to get to know more people in the Area. It's been an awesome place for networking! My background includes Microbiology, Cell Biology, Small Animal Handling, Biochemistry, Microscopy and Statistics. I earned my Bachelors' Degree in Bangalore (India), moved to the U.K. where I got my Doctorate Degree at Keele University, and then moved to Manchester University for a Postdoctoral position.
I've been the Treasurer of the Palo Alto Chapter for the past year-not only has it been a fun and challenging position, but I have also learnt a lot of things! To be involved with the Chapter's activities-beyond attending the meetings regularly and getting to meet amazing Women Professionals-has been a very rewarding experience to me.
I'd like to remain the Treasurer this year, so I can continue to contribute, in any little way that I can, to the Chapter activities.
Shibing Wang is currently a graduate student of Applied Physics in Stanford University. Her research is about structural and electronic properties of materials under high pressure, with potential application for hydrogen storage. She was actively involved in several student groups in Stanford. She hopes to help and learn from professional groups like AWIS.
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My educational background includes BS and MS degrees in Biology from California State University Hayward. My most recent employment was with Scios Inc., a J&J Company, where I was a part of the R&D department. Due to a recent J&J reorganization and the Scios site shutdown, I am now currently looking for new job opportunities to utilize my skills and knowledge.
I've recently been involved in some volunteer work to encourage some young students to get more involved/interested in science (Sciencepalooza and the Sally Ride Festival).
I want to be a part of the AWIS organization so that I can help promote and support women's participation in scientific endeavors.
Ashley, along with Lakshmi Jakkula, is one of the go-to people for all things related to the monthly programs.
Ashley joined AWIS in 2006 during her graduate work in Microbiology at Stanford. She is currently doing research at Genentech. She looks forward to working with the entire Programs Committee to bring interesting and exciting speakers to PARC. If you have any ideas, please send her an email or mention it at a meeting! (If your computer does not allow the link to an email program, please use the following address to send your message: pa.awisprograms at gmail dot com.)
Katy is a biochemist with an interest in protein chemistry and post-translation modifications of proteins and a passion for science education outreach. Her research in the past has focused on two main drug metabolizing proteins, flavin-containing monooxygenase and cytochrome P450. Her current research is concentrated on raising two bright beautiful little girls and increasing science education through community outreach. She is the Program Director of Santa Clara County Biotechnology Education Partnership (http://www.babec.org/SCCBEP), a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing biotechnology into secondary education classrooms. Her other interests include needlepoint, stamp collecting, and Chinese food.
My research background is in molecular and cellular neurosciences. I obtained my PhD at the Max-Planck-Institute for Brain Research in Frankfurt, Germany, and came to the US in 1999 for my postdoctoral training at UC San Diego. I've been a member of AWIS since 2003, when I joined the San Diego Chapter to meet other professionals in the life sciences.
I am currently working as a staff scientist at the Stanford Center for Research and Treatment of Down syndrome. My research focuses on brain circuitry in mouse models of Down syndrome, and the development of pharmacotherapies for cognitive impairment. I enjoy being a part of the AWIS Palo Alto Chapter, meeting new and familiar faces at our monthly meetings, and recently got involved as a volunteer for the Programs Committee.
Viji is an experienced member of the Board.
Susan is Associate Director in Technical Affairs at Elan Pharmaceuticals. Susan started at Elan in summer of 2003 and Tech Affairs represents a new career emphasis. Previously Susan worked for more than 15 years as a manager in downstream process development-in protein purification, characterization and scaleup of therapeutic protein products. Susan joined AWIS Palo Alto in 1995, has held several Board positions including co-Chair of Programs ('95-'97), President ('97-'99) and currently a volunteer on the Program committee. Susan has been co-Chair of the Mentoring program since 2000. Her co-Chairs have been Kay Brown, Fong-Yih Bih, Helen Moore, Adina Paytan, and, most recently, Jennifer Saltzman and Lucia Mokres. Susan says "AWIS offers many great opportunities for leadership, and Mentoring in particular is a chance to connect and share experience with others. I really love it!"
Jennifer Saltzman has been a member of the Board since 2007. She shares the responsibility of the Mentoring Committee with Susan Bernhard and Lucia Mokres. Professionally, Jennifer is the educational outreach coordinator for the Stanford School of Earth Sciences where she brings together science and education.
Lucia Mokres is a Program Specialist at Hantel Technologies, a medical device consulting company in Hayward, CA, where she serves as a subject matter expert to product development teams; supervises engineers, machinists, and technicians in the design development and manufacturing of medical devices; and collaborates with medical device clients to define and direct their project requirements. She is also the co-Director of Stanford's Medicine and Horses Program, an elective for Stanford medical students that uses horses to teach bedside manner, teamwork, and communication skills to future physicians and other healthcare practitioners. She currently serves as Chair of the Advocacy Committee of the National Postdoctoral Association (NPA). Lucia has happily participated with the Mentoring Committee since 2005, and in 2007 began to share co-chair responsibilities of the Mentoring Program with Susan Bernhard and Jennifer Saltzman.
Pinal is one of the newest members of the Board. She currently shares responsibility of the Membership Committee with Leslie Meltzer.
Leslie is a Scientist at iZumi Bio, an innovative Bay Area startup developing applications for induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells. She received her Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Stanford University in 2008. Leslie first got involved with AWIS through her participation in the Mentorship Program at Stanford. She currently serves as Membership co-Chair (along with Pinal Kanabar) and continues to actively participate in the Mentorship and Outreach programs.
Lakshmi is an experienced member of the Board. She currently shares responsibility of the Programs Committee with Ashley Fouts.
Sudha is one of the newest members of the Board. She is currently assisted in responsibility for the newsletter by her co-editor, Josephine Salcedo.
Monique is the founder and principal consultant of Epiphany Oncology Consulting. She initiated her focus in oncology in 1994 while a consultant at SRI International (later SRI Consulting), becoming fully dedicated to the field in 1999 as a founding employee of the cancer consultancy, DaVinci Healthcare Partners (later acquired by The Mattson Jack Group). Her projects have included developing epidemiology-based forecast models, assessing the evolution of global treatment practices, and analyzing new cancer products in development. Monique joined AWIS to connect with more people involved in the sciences, and she looks forward to learning web skills as the new webmistress for the Palo Alto chapter. When momentarily diverted from science-related activities, Monique enjoys time with friends, music (especially opera), films, food, skiing, hiking, cycling, and travel.
This webpage was updated on October 23, 2008.