Administration
Internal Advisory Board
- Sallie Permar, MD, PhD
- Carl Nathan, MD
- Randi Silver, PhD
- Linnie Golightly, MD
External Advisory Board
- Marcus Lambert, PhD (SUNY Downstate)
- Victoria Freedman, PhD (Einstein)
- Todd Nystul, PhD (UCSF)
- Ryan Hernandez, PhD (UCSF)
Staff
- Janet Lam, MSW (Program Manager):
Janet is a seasoned research program manager and presently manages a longstanding, highly successful K12 program (the Pediatric Scientist Development Program). Her experience in program management will allow her to effectively oversee the administrative and logistical management of all components within the ASPiRE program. This includes database data entry quality control, annual reporting to the program’s sponsor and stakeholders, development and retention of program data, and other senior administrative functions.
- Stephanie Baez (Program Assistant):
Mrs. Baez supports the daily operations and administrative functions of the ASPiRE program and serves as a primary point of contact for program participants. She works closely with the Program Directors to assist with all aspects of program coordination, including meeting scheduling, documentation, follow-up, and communication between scholars, mentors, faculty, and leadership. Her responsibilities also include supporting both in-person and virtual meetings, maintaining program records and database documentation, editing educational content, assisting with technical delivery, tracking expenses, processing travel reimbursements, managing purchasing requests, supporting consulting contract coordination, and overseeing program computer inventory. She helps ensure the program runs smoothly and that participants receive consistent administrative support throughout their ASPiRE experience.
Faculty/Mentors
Each of the following WCM faculty members have expressed commitment to participation in this program. Additionally, they all have prior research and mentoring experience, laboratory space and resources necessary to support the proposed activities.
- Blenis, John, PhD
- Burre, Jacqueline, PhD
- Cesarman, Ethel, MD, PhD
- Cubillos-Ruiz, Juan, PhD
- Deitsch, Kirk, PhD
- Elemento, Olivier, PhD
- Fitzgerald, Daniel, MD
- Gudas, Lorraine, PhD
- Guzman, Monica, PhD
- Kirkman, Laura, MD
- Lo, James, MD, PhD
- Lyden, David, MD, PhD
- Milner, Teresa, PhD
- Nathan, Carl, MD
- Ndlhlovu, Lishomwa, MD, PhD
- Outtz Reed, Hasina, MD, PhD
- Pascual, Virginia, MD
- Permar, Sallie, MD, PhD
- Rhee, Kyu MD, PhD
- Sonnenberg, Gregory, PhD
- Stout-Delgado, Heather, PhD
- Weinsaft, Jonathan, MD
- Wilson, Patrick, PhD
- Zeng, Melody, PhD
Scholars
Akua Agyemang (2024-2025, Christopher Mason Lab)
Hi! I'm Akua, I am a Lorain County Community College and Yale University alumna. Currently, I am a member of the Mason Lab, working on spatial transcriptomics to investigate the recovery cycle of liver fibrosis and liver cancer patients. I will be applying to MD-PhD programs in the 2025 application cycle. NYC has been a huge change of pace from Ohio and Connecticut, but I love that I am able to meet so many new people and pick up new hobbies; I've gotten into aerial hoop recently and am obsessed :)
David Gragirenes (2024-2025, John Blenis Lab)
Hi, my name is David Abel Gragirenes Delgado and I’m proud to be born and raised in the island of enchantment, Puerto Rico. I recently obtained my B.S. in Biology from the University of Puerto Rico at the town that saw me grow, Cayey. I’m interested in pursuing a Ph.D. focused on molecular biology/ biochemistry to better understand the underlying mechanisms that are directly related with disease progression and cancer. Outside of the laboratory I really enjoy going out to restaurants or coffee shops with friends. I’m very passionate about music, so I love going out to concerts and since 2015 I’ve been playing the viola. In my me time, I like watching series, anime, reading manga and connecting with my loved ones. I consider myself as a very passionate, resilient and friendly person who is always working hard to achieve my goals everyday.
At Weill Cornell Medicine, I am part of the Dr. John Blenis Laboratory working alongside Dr. Nikolaos Koundouros. My project aims to characterize the signaling and metabolic alterations that contribute to resistance to the mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitors. For this matter, I am using the MCF-7 breast cancer cell line as a model due to their high sensitivity to mTOR inhibitors.
Lexi Tempera (2024-2025, Gregory Sonnenberg Lab)
Hi, I'm Lexi! I graduated from UCLA with a B.S. in Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, where I conducted research on anthropological markers related to immune regulation in Alzheimer's disease under Dr. Molly Fox. My current research interests focus on aging and the gut-brain axis in mucosal immunology, specifically exploring innate lymphoid cells (ILCs). I am preparing to apply to PhD programs in Immunology and Interdisciplinary Science, with aspirations to become a principal investigator.
Best,
Lexi
Alumni (coming soon)