BCDP 2021 Career Panels

This event is brought to you by the Biotech Career Development Program. Dr. Sophina Tatiano is a Field Application Scientist at 10xGenomics. She will be sharing her career trajectory and advice for those considering similar careers. The discussion will be moderated by Dr. Mohammad Farazuddin. 

Dr. Tatiano received her PhD in Immunology from the University of Michigan studying regulatory B cells and their therapeutic potential in allergic disease. She then expanded her expertise to autoimmunity at the University of Colorado understanding how B cell receptor editing during development can lead to autoreactive B cells and their potential role in Lupus. Sophina is now a field application scientist at 10x genomics supporting researchers in their utilization of our single cell and spatial technologies

Dr. Kushal Bhatt is a pharmacist by training. He earned his Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He currently lives in Columbus, Ohio. His professional background includes seven years in patient care settings as well as six years in the pharmaceutical industry. His industry experience is primarily in the autoimmune space covering dermatology, rheumatology, and gastroenterology. Kushal’s industry experience has been across large and small pharma, including Novartis, AbbVie, and LEO Pharma. During his time, he has launched 3 products and 4 line extensions.  

Speaker Bios:

Dr. Joseph Keller works in science policy and advocacy as the Senior Science Policy Officer at the American Psychological Association (APA). Here, he manages a portfolio of agencies like the National Science Foundation and Department of Transportation and legislative issues such as vaccine hesitancy, climate change, and the future of work. Prior to APA, Dr. Keller was an AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow at the National Science Foundation where he supported grant-making programs along the spectrum from neuroscience to artificial intelligence. Dr. Keller also served as a nonprofit executive search consultant, conducting leadership searches for institutions in higher education, academic medicine, philanthropy, and environmental conservation. He holds a PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in cognitive neuroscience, a MA from Boston University, and a BS from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and he sits on the Board of the STEM Advocacy Institute.

Dr. Michelle McCrackin is a Science Policy Analyst in the office of the National Science Board at the National Science Foundation (NSF). She assists and advises the Board in its dual roles of governing NSF and serving as advisors to Congress and the President on matters of research and education in science and engineering. She first joined NSF as a Science and Technology Policy Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Previously, Dr. McCrackin was a research scientist and founding member of a boundary-spanning organization based at Stockholm University's Baltic Sea Centre in Sweden. Here, she communicated scientific knowledge about the environment of the Baltic Sea to international decision-makers, prepared and presented policy briefs, and used large-scale models to identify opportunities to reduce pollution loads from land to coastal areas. Dr. McCrackin received her Ph.D. in Biology from Arizona State University. She also holds a B.B.A. and M.B.A. from the University of Michigan.

Dr. Yvette Seger is the Deputy Director of the Office of Public Affairs and Director of Science Policy for the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB), a coalition of 29 scientific societies collectively representing over 130,000 individual biological and biomedical researchers. In these roles, she contributes to the overall strategic vision for the Office of Public Affairs, specifically guiding the efforts of FASEB’s Science Policy Committee and the direction of its topical subcommittees. Dr. Seger launched her policy career at the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine as a Christine Mirzayan Science & Technology Policy Fellow and held senior policy positions at the research advocacy group FasterCures, the National Institutes of Health, and Thomson Reuters before joining FASEB in 2013. Dr. Seger holds a PhD in Genetics from Stony Brook University and received a BA in Zoology (Genetics Concentration) and Politics & Government from Ohio Wesleyan University.

Join the Biotech Career Development Program for an interview-style career discussion with Dr. Jithendra Kini Bailur, a Clinical Translational Scientist with Takeda Oncology. The discussion will be moderated by Dr. Isha Verma, a postdoc in Neurology and an alum of the Biotech Career Development Program.

Jithendra Kini Bailur has a PhD in Biology (Cancer Immunology) from the University of Tuebingen, Germany and did his postdoctoral training in Immuno-Oncology at Yale University and Emory University. He completed his Bachelors in India and after working for a couple of years in the clinical research arena he pursued his Masters in the UK. His primary research work during PhD focused on understanding the T cell reactivity to tumor-associated antigens and the role of immuno-suppressive subsets in elderly breast cancer patients. During his postdoctoral training, he worked on investigating the immune cell alterations in the bone marrow microenvironment of Multiple Myeloma and Pediatric Leukemia patients.

Dr. Bailur moved from academic research to a CRO and worked in the Medical & Scientific Affairs department where he was involved in developing clinical protocols, ICF, CSR, supporting business development team, etc. Currently, at Takeda, he works as a Clinical Translational Scientist focused on cell therapies. He likes to travel, cook and learn more about different cultures.

In this panel discussion session, we will talk with Dr. Ahmed Mady and Dr. Susana Correia about their experiences working in start-up companies. 

Dr. Ahmed Mady received his bachelor’s degree in pharmaceutical sciences from Ain Shams University in Cairo, Egypt, then moved to Utrecht University in the Netherlands to earn his master’s in drug innovation. Afterward, he joined the Medicinal graduate program at the University of Michigan, where he worked in the lab of Dr. Zaneta Nikolovska-Coleska on the development and characterization of novel Mcl-1 inhibitors for the treatment of cancer. Ahmed was awarded his Ph.D. degree in 2016, then started his postdoctoral research fellowship where he was co-mentored by Dr. Zaneta Nikolovska-Coleska and Dr. David Lombard at the University of Michigan. The postdoctoral project was on the discovery and validation of PAPP-A inhibitors as potential anti-aging compounds. After 2 years of postdoctoral training, he moved to Ribon Therapeutics Inc. in Cambridge, Massachusetts where he is currently a senior scientist at the molecular discovery department. Ahmed works on the development of biochemical and biophysical high-throughput screening assays against various therapeutics targets to support the drug discovery programs in the company.

Dr. Susana Correia is an Associate Director of in Vivo Pharmacology at Praxis Precision Medicines since March 2021. Before Praxis, Susana worked at Ironwood Pharmaceuticals and Cyclerion Therapeutics for the past 5 years contributing to the discovery and development of new CNS therapies. There, she became increasingly inspired to leverage her academic training and turn it into new medicines for patients in need. During her postdoctoral fellowships at the University of Michigan and at MIT, Susana received training in molecular and systems neuroscience areas with relevance for cognitive, neurodegenerative and mood disorders. Susana received her PhD from the University of Coimbra in Portugal, her native country. In her spare time, Susana enjoys exercising, gardening, eating, walking on the beach with her family and loving dogs and travelling to new destinations and to visit family in Portugal.

Are you interested in exploring government careers or careers in regulatory science? Join us for a career interview with Dr. Kristina Adams, a Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Control Reviewer with the Food and Drug Administration.

The interview-style event will be facilitated by Dr. Mohammad Farazuddin, a Lab Specialist at the Weiser Food Allergy Center and a BCDP alum.

Join us for a career panel discussion with four UM alumni from different large corporations including Genetech, AstraZeneca and 23andMe. They will share their past and current experiences, especially how they landed on the current position during COVID19 pandemic. 

Read about the panelists: 

• Dr. Paloma Garcia defended her PhD in Molecular and Cellular Pathology in March 2020. During graduate school, she studied the origins of pancreatic tumor stroma in Dr. Pasca di Magliano's lab, served as President at miLEAD Consulting, and participated in an Genentech internship. Now she works as a Research Associate in the Cancer Immunology department of Genentech studying immunosuppressive pathways in liver cancer.
• Dr. Amy Yu was an Immunology PhD graduate student in Grace Chen’s lab. She studied immune-microbiome interactions in colorectal cancer and virtually defended her thesis in April 2020. In September 2020, she started an Associate Scientist job in the Therapeutics Department at 23andMe where she helps validate potential drug targets in autoimmune diseases.
• Dr. Xu Liu got his Ph.D. degree in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology at UM in April 2017. After graduation, he stayed in, his PhD mentor, Dr. Daniel Klionsky's lab for about another two years as a postdoctoral research fellow. At UM he studied the molecular mechanisms of autophagy and how autophagy activity is regulated under different stress conditions. In March 2019, he joined Dr. Matthew Waldor's lab at the Harvard Medical School, investigating the roles of autophagy in host-pathogen interaction at the gastrointestinal tract. In September 2020, he started to work for AstraZeneca as a Senior Scientist, where he supports the oncology pipeline by assessing and predicting drug induced gastrointestinal (GI) toxicity.
• Dr. Racquel Domingo-Gonzalez is a Principal Scientific Researcher in the Department of Infectious Diseases at Genentech. She received her Bachelor of Science in Microbiology from the University of California, Santa Barbara and later completed her PhD in Immunology at U of M under the mentorship of Dr. Bethany Moore. Her PhD studies aimed to understand how the lung immune response is altered following stem cell transplantation. Prior to joining Genentech she held two postdoctoral positions, the first at Washington University in St. Louis, investigating early innate immune responses to tuberculosis, and the second at Stanford University, where she generated an immune atlas of the murine lung during a time of rapid post-natal growth and development using single cell technology.

Are you interested in exploring careers outside of academia that leverage your scientific expertise and passion for communication and relationship building? Join the Biotech Career Development Program for a career panel with Dr. Sonish Azam, a Medical Science Liaison with Kyowa Kirin.

The interview-style event will be facilitated by Dr. Mohammad Farazuddin, a Lab Specialist at the Weiser Food Allergy Center and a BCDP alum.

Dr. Sonish Azam believes that adaptability, persistence, passion and empathy are the four pillars of success that have helped her achieve her goals so far. Dr. Azam holds a doctorate degree in molecular biology from India. She completed her two post-doctorate fellowships from the University of Guelph, Ontario, where she worked on cystic fibrosis and University du Montreal, Quebec, where she focused on DNA damage and cancer research. Dr. Azam joined the Jewish General Hospital, Montreal as a clinical trial liaison and Europharm Intl., Montreal as a microbiology laboratory manager in the past. After teaching at Concordia University, Montreal, as an assistant professor for seven years, she took the leap and transitioned to the pharmaceutical sector in 2016 when she relocated to Vancouver, British Columbia, as a dermatology medical science liaison (MSL) at Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) Canada. She moved to Toronto, Ontario in 2018 as a Janssen hematology MSL. Earlier this year, she made another move and joined Kyowa Kirin USA Intl. as an Oncology MSL. In parallel with working as a scientist in academia and industry, Dr. Azam fulfilled her passion for creativity and community service by performing art therapy for the palliative care patients. She paints contemporary pieces and through her paintings in bold colors, she attempts to express the passion, warmth and harmony that out planet needs.

Are you interested in exploring careers outside of academia that leverage your scientific communication skills?

Join the Biotech Career Development Program for a Science Communication career panel. The discussion will be moderated by Dr. Isha Verma, a postdoc in Neurology and an alum of the Biotech Career Development Program.

Speaker Bios: 

Jory Weintraub is the Science Communication Director and a faculty member with the Duke Initiative for Science & Society at Duke University. He teaches science communication courses for undergrads and graduate students, and runs science communication training for faculty and postdocs. He received a PhD in Immunology from UNC Chapel Hill and then transitioned to focusing on science outreach and science communication full time after being awarded an NSF postdoctoral fellowship in STEM Education. He has 25 years of experience focusing on STEM outreach, STEM communication, faculty development and DEI efforts.

Callie Corsa is a Scientific Writer at JB Ashtin, where she started working in May 2020 after completing a postdoc in the Physiology department at the University of Michigan. During her postdoc, she participated in the first cohort of the Biotech Career Development Program and developed a passion for communicating medical and scientific advances to improve patient care. Prior to that, she received a PhD in Molecular Cell Biology from Washington University in St. Louis in 2015, and a BS degree from the University of Michigan in 2006.