Graduate Student Association

GSA Officers

2023-2024

Nathan Ryan
President
LinkedIn

Nathan grew up in Vienna, Virginia. He earned his BA in Biology at the University of Delaware in Newark, Delaware, and spent a year as a technician in the lab of Dr. Wilfred Chen studying metabolic pathways of anaerobes. Nathan moved to Philadelphia in 2018 to pursue a master's degree in Microbiology & Immunology at Thomas Jefferson University. Upon graduating in 2020, Nathan took an opportunity to continue his master's research and is a fourth year PhD candidate in the Immunology & Microbial Pathogenesis (IMP) program. He is currently studying parasite immunology in the Abraham Lab.

What is your favorite place to visit in Philly?
My favorite place to visit in Philly is Wissahickon Valley Park. I love going there year-round to hike the trails and eat at the Valley Green Inn.

Bridget Boyle
VP of Internal Affairs
LinkedIn

Bridget grew up in Medford, New Jersey, not far outside of Philadelphia. She remained in New Jersey and completed her BS in Translational Biomedical Sciences at Rowan University in 2020. Currently, she is about to start her fourth year in the Neuroscience PhD program in Dr. Elena Blanco-Suarez's laboratory studying astrocytic contributions in ischemic stroke.

If you could go on vacation, where would you go and what would you do?
I would go to Japan! I would go there to try the delicious food (and eat ramen all day), visit Mount Fuju, and go to the cherry blossom festival.

Latese Evans
VP of Social Affairs
LinkedIn

Latese grew up in Prince William County, Virginia. She earned her BS in Biology from Millersville University of Pennsylvania. Latese pursued a master's degree in Biomedical Sciences at Thomas Jefferson University. She decided to continue her master's research and is currently a second year PhD candidate in the Genetics, Genomics, & Cancer Biology (GGCB) program. Latese is studying urogenital malignancies in the Schiewer Lab.

What is your favorite place to visit in Philly?
Kelly Drive is my favorite place to visit in Philly. I love the view and it's peaceful!

Joria Le
Social Media Coordinator
LinkedIn

Joria grew up in Dallas, Texas, before moving to Oakton, Virginia. She graduated from the University of Virginia with a BS in Nursing in 2022 before heading to Philadelphia to pursue a post-baccalaureate program at Thomas Jefferson University. She is currently a second year in the P4 program.

What is your favorite hobby, and why?
I love hiking and especially miss my favorite trail back home in VA -- Old Rag! It has a fun rock scramble and great views up top. Definitely recommend if you're ever in Shenandoah!

Ivette Martorell Serra
VP of Academic Affairs
LinkedIn

Ivette is from a town near Barcelona, Spain. She earned her BS in Biomedical Science at the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona (Spain) and her MS in Medical Neurosciences at Charite—Universitatsmedizin Berlin (Germany). Currently, Ivette is an upcoming third year PhD student in the Neuroscience program investigating C9orf72-linked ALS/FTD in Dr. Trotti's lab.

If you could go on vacation, where would you go and what would you do?
A place I would love to visit on one of my next vacations is Japan. The food, the traditions, the contrast between modern and traditional, and the opportunity to see the cherry blossom trees have put Japan very high up on my travel bucket list!

Elizabeth Moese
VP of Career Develoment

Libby grew up in Oakland, New Jersey. She earned her BA in Psychology from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. In 2018, she moved to Philadelphia to pursue a Master's degree in Biomedical Science at Thomas Jefferson University. She is set to start her fourth year in the Neuroscience PhD program in Dr. Le Ma's lab, studying mechanisms governing axonal transport.

What is your favorite thing to do in Philly?
Going out to eat! There are so many amazing restaurants around the city, you really can't go wrong. I love being able to try new places constantly.

Sushrut Shah
Treasurer
LinkedIn

Sushrut grew up in India before moving to the United States. He earned his BS in Biochemistry with a Computer Science minor from Temple University. Post-graduation, he started working in Dr. Deepak Deshpande's laboratory, where he developed his love for research. He is an upcoming second year Integrative Physiology PhD student discovering novel allosteric modulators for β-adrenergic receptors that can be employed for treating pulmonary and cardiovascular diseases.

If you could go on vacation, where would you go and what would you do?
I would like to visit Vancouver for the natural scenic views, historical tours, and culture. I'd cap that vacation off with hiking, kayaking, and camping across Banff National Park and other surrounding parks.

Bernadette Tiberi
Secretary
LinkedIn

Bernadette grew up in Haddon Township, New Jersey, right over the bridge from Philly. She earned her BS in Forensic Science and BS in Cell & Molecular Biology from the University of New Haven in 2021. She worked at a bio-pharmaceutical company in New Haven for a little over a year where she worked on PROTACs. She is starting her second year in the Genetics, Genomics, & Cancer Biology program; she is conducting research in the Meyer lab where she will focus on understanding the characteristics and mechanisms of epigenetics in hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs).

What is your favorite thing to do in Philly?
My favorite things to do in Philly is to watch Philadelphia Eagles games and try out new food places!

Alana Williams
VP of Community and Cultural Affairs
LinkedIn

Alana was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, where she earned her BS in Neuroscience from Xavier University of Louisiana. She earned her MS in Experimental Psychology at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Currently, Alana is an upcoming third year PhD candidate in the Neuroscience program studying receptor signaling in dendrite development in the Ma Lab.

If you had a full day without responsibilities, how would you choose to spend the day?
I would probably choose to spend the day at the park with a good book and some tasty snacks. Philly has so many beautiful parks with plenty of open green space to hang out and get some fresh air, when it's warm out, of course!

Anne Londregan
Consultant
LinkedIn

Annie is from Mount Laurel, New Jersey, and received a BA in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology from Boston University. After graduating from BU, she worked in the pharmaceutical and chemicals manufacturing industry for 3 years. Annie is starting her second year in the Biochemistry & Molecular Pharmacology (BMP) PhD program where she is conducting research in the Waldman Lab, studying the gut-brain axis.

What is your favorite place to visit in Philly?
My favorite place to visit in Philly is the Wissahickon. It's super close to the city, making it easy to get out into nature on the weekends.