Recruitment Ambassadors

Yoseph Barash, Ph.D.

Dr. Barash's (he/him) is affiliated with the Cell and Molecular Biology (Genetics and Epigenetics) and Genomics & Computational Biology Graduate Groups. His research focuses on the intersection of Computer Science, Genomics and Genetics, focusing on RNA processing as it is applied to human health and disease. He joined the Recruitment Ambassadors because he believes it is important to level the playing field and give a chance to talented individuals from less fortunate backgrounds.

Julie Blendy, Ph.D.

Mary Regina Boland, Ph.D., FAMIA

Dr. Boland's research expertise includes Biomedical Informatics, data mining and Machine Learning. Dr. Boland enjoys developing and applying novel informatics and statistical methods to clinical data to learn biological insights, specifically pertaining to women's health outcomes. Dr. Boland wants to help give back and encourage others who come from disadvantaged backgrounds and upbringings to pursue science and academia.

Akiva Cohen, PhD

Dr. Cohen (he/him) is affiliated with the Neuroscience Graduate Group. The Cohen Lab employs behavioral and electrophysiological techniques to understand circuit alterations that underlie and contribute to cognitive and memory impairment associated with mild traumatic brain injury. One of his hobbies is to climb mountains for fun. 

Cesar de la Fuente, Ph.D.

Kathryn (Kate) Hamilton, Ph.D.

Dr. Hamilton (she/her) is Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Division of Gastroenterology, Liver, and Nutrition at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Perelman School of Medicine. She has a long-standing interest in physiological and pathophysiological processes of the intestine and colon. Her laboratory focuses broadly on elucidating novel paradigms of post-transcriptional regulation of intestinal diseases including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). When she is not working, she enjoys hiking, biking, and exploring the vibrant city of Philadelphia with her family.

De'Broski R. Herbert

Dr. Herbert (he/him) is a mucosal immunologist who has a long-standing interest in parasites, specifically parasitic worms. His lab has a major focus on the cytokine interleukin 33 and we study barrier sites. including the skin, lung and intestine. There is a broad interest in Type 2 immunity. He became a Recruitment Ambassador because he is committed to enhancing the experience of diverse students

Kathy Liu Fange, Ph.D.

Dr. Liu Fange's research group focuses on the study of energy metabolism, particularly the regulations at the RNA level

Todd Ridky MD.,Ph.D.

Dr. Ridky (he/him) uses his clinical experience as a dermatologist physician scientist to help inspire the research questions in his lab. Among other things, the Ridky Lab is working to understand why females generally have better cancer outcomes than males. They use genetic and pharmacologic approaches to define mechanisms by which biologic sex influences cancer pathobiology.

Marylyn Ritchie, Ph.D.

Alisa Stephens-Shields, PhD

Dr. Stephens-Shields (she/her) is an Assistant Professor of Biostatistics at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine. Her research focuses on flexible and efficient analysis of data from cluster-randomized trials and other extensions of causal inference methodology to enhance the design and analysis of clinical trials. She also works in the development of patient-reported outcomes to inform population-appropriate trial endpoints. Dr. Stephens-Shields collaborates in several areas, including pediatrics, chronic pain, pharmacoepidemiology, and behavioral economics.

Paul Titchenell, Ph.D.

As Assistant Director of Trainee Recruitment and Outreach, Dr. Titchenell is looking forward to engaging the next-generation of biomedical scientists and highlighting the exceptional research and mentorship environment that exists at Penn. The Titchenell lab is focused on understanding how hormones and nutrients regulate metabolism with the goal of identifying new therapeutic targets and approaches to treat metabolic diseases such as diabetes, obesity and cancer. Specifically, Dr. Titchenell's laboratory focuses on insulin action and the molecular mechanisms of insulin resistance. They employ a host of cutting-edge technologies in biochemistry, molecular biology and organismal physiology to address these fundamental questions in biology.

Eric Witze, Ph.D.