Graduate Student Association (GSA)
Officers 2012/13
Janet Richards
President
Janet grew up in a suburb of Philadelphia. She attended Elizabethtown College where she majored in Biology and Psychology. She is now entering her third year in the Neuroscience PhD program in Dr. Van Bockstaele’s laboratory.
Donna Brennan
President Emeritus
Donna grew up in the Philadelphia area and attended Bucknell University where she earned a B.S. in Biology. After working as a research technician and earning her M.S. in Biomedical Chemistry here at Jefferson, she decided to go back for her PhD. Now starting her fourth year, Donna is working under the joint advisorship of Drs. Natalia Riobo and My Mahoney studying the cross-talk between hedgehog and cell adhesion-mediated signaling in cancer. In her free time she enjoys cheering on Philadelphia sports teams and exploring the city.
Samantha Garcia
Secretary
Samantha grew up in New York City and Pennsylvania. She attended Temple University where she received a bachelor’s of science in Biology in 2011. Samantha is currently starting her second year as a PhD student in the Immunology and Microbial Pathogenesis program. She is in Dr. Hooper's laboratory studying central nervous system immunity using a rabies model.
Zachary Schoepflin
Treasurer
Zach grew up on Long Island in New York in a small town named Centerport. He attended the University of Delaware where he earned a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering degree. He is currently a third year MD/PhD student and works in the lab of Dr. Makarand Risbud where he studies the roles of HIF and PHD signaling in intervertebral disc disease.
Subhasree Basu
Vice President of Academic Affairs (PhD)
Subhasree is originally from India, where she completed her Bachelors with honors in Zoology and did her Masters in Biochemistry. She is in her fifth year in the Neuroscience Phd program. Subhasree's mentor is Dr. A. Sue Menko and her primary research area focusses on signal transduction pathways in the ocular lens. Currently she is studying the role of Autophagy in lens cell differentiation and lens development.
Suren Rajakaruna
Vice President of Academic Affairs (MS)
Suren is originally from Sri Lanka. He attended Elizabethtown College in Elizabethtown, PA for his undergraduate studies where he majored in Biotechnology. During college he did research on anti-bacterial resistance with his microbiology professor for 2 years. Upon graduation, he worked for the Elizabethtown College Dept. of Biology as a research technician for 6 months working on cancer biology. Afterwards, he moved to Philadelphia in 2009 to join Dr. Sue Menko’s Lab, where he currently work as a research technician. His work involves studying signal transduction pathways and developmental biology in the ocular lens. He is also currently a MS student in the Microbiology program, going into his second year. He loves to go out with friends whenever he can and have a good time. He enjoys the gym and also running outdoors. He loves watching and playing sports specially rugby, football, and basketball.
Nathan Fried
Vice President of Career Development (PhD)
Raised by his watchmaker father and schoolteacher mother, Nathan was inspired to pursue knowledge of all shapes and forms. His early love of the X-men shaped his eventual assent to the sciences. He attained his B.S. in biology and math from Drexel University, and went on to develop a strong skill in writing and graphic design that he utilizes in web-based science advocacy projects in his spare time. He is currently studying the pathophysiology of the alcohol hangover headache in Dr. Michael Oshinsky's lab during his third year in the PhD Neuroscience program. He is determined to find unique ways to apply his training to various careers in the sciences.
Karen Guwuriro
Vice President of Career Development (MS)
Karen grew up in Harare, Zimbabwe and went to Dominican Convent High School. She attended Chestnut Hill College in Philadelphia and earned a B.S. in psychology and biology. She is working on her MS in Biomedical Science.
Sana Dastgheyb
Vice President of Community and Cultural Affairs
Sana obtained her undergraduate degree in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Virginia Class of 2011. She is currently a 2nd year PhD student in the Hickok Lab studying photodynamic antimicrobial therapies in the setting of orthopaedics. She is also interested in travel, music and art.
Lauren Klayman
Vice President of Internal Affairs
Lauren graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in May 2010 with a BS in Biochemistry/Biophysics. She is currently a third year PhD student in the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Program. In the Wedegaertner Lab, she studies non-canonical g-protein signaling. She enjoys musical theater and Eagles football.
Linh Vu
Vice President of Social Events
Linh grew up in New York and attended Dartmouth College in New Hampshire. After graduation, she worked for a year as a research coordinator at Mount Sinai in New York. As a 4th year MD/PhD student or 2nd year Genetics PhD student, she is currently studying melanoma signaling in the laboratory of Andrew Aplin.
