Promoting opportunities for early career researchers and women in STEM

Chair, Professional interest area for Elevating Early career Researchers (PEERs PIA), International Society to Advance Alzheimer's Research and Treatment, Alzheimer’s Association (July 2024 -  now, Vice-Chair: Oct 2022 – June 2024)

• Oversee PEERs PIA activities across six continents to support and advance the careers of early-stage researchers in Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. 

• Organize and host events and workshops, including the "Neuroscience Mentoring Club," to increase the visibility of diverse mentors, foster interdisciplinary dialogue, and provide practical career development skills for early career researchers.

• Co-organize in-person workshops for junior researchers at the annual Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC), covering essential research skills and facilitating career mentoring.

• Actively support early career development, promote educational and mentorship opportunities, and establish peer-mentorship networks for grantsmanship and career transitions, with a commitment to diversity and inclusion

Committee member, Career Enhancement Training Committee, Biomedical Postdoctoral Council, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA (Aug 2021-2023)

• Organizing and co-leading events to support career enhancement initiatives for peer postdoctoral researchers at the university

• Panel host, Fostering an effective & successful mentor-mentee relationship, sponsored by Postdoctoral Council - Career Enhancement Training Committee, University of Pennsylvania, PA (June 2022)

Virtual Postdoc Volunteer, Alzheimer's Association International Society to Advance Alzheimer's Research and Treatment (ISTAART), 2021

• Coached early career scientists, who were also women, in science communication for effective dissemination of their latest research to a non-scientific audience of around 100 care-partners

• Co-organized and moderated a virtual seminar and Q&A session to establish an open conversation between early career scientists and care partners for Alzheimer’s and other dementia from across the world (June 2021)

Leader/Peer mentor, PhD Career Ladder Program for peer-driven career exploration and development, Stony Brook University, NY (May 2019-Aug 2020)

• Mentored other graduate students through 7 step career exploration for careers inside and outside academia

• Guide participants through self-assessment, career research, informational interviewing, skill building and resume crafting in biweekly meetings over the semester

• Facilitate group sessions in-person (pre-COVID) or online via Zoom

• Panelist, Career Choices & Pivots in a Wild PhD Job Market, Stony Brook University, NY (Spring 2021) 

Founder and coordinator, Graduate Women in Science and Engineering Moms Group, Stony Brook University, NY (May 2019-Oct 2020)

• Established and maintained a support structure to help new and expecting mothers navigate graduate school effectively and land in the career of their choice

• Organized events for moms on campus (pre-COVID) creating a space for sharing and validating experiences as parents in grad school

• Consolidated team efforts for transitioning this informal group into a university-wide organization, Students with Children which, in addition to camaraderie and support, advocates for better accommodations for mothers and fathers at all levels of their academic training – undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral training.