Saturday, May 4, 2024     12:45 PM – 3:00 PM ET     Room W183AB

Careers Roundtables and Speed Networking Session

Sponsored by the AAI Minority Affairs Committee

Chair
Luis J. Montaner, Wistar Inst., AAI Minority Affairs Committee Chair

Career building and networking skills have never been more crucial to ensure success for trainees and early career scientists, including those traditionally underrepresented in biomedical research. At the session, take advantage of the opportunity to meet in small-group format with established immunologists and others to hear how they have handled the career challenges you now face and learn what they believe will work for you today. Then practice networking in a relaxed environment offering a structured networking exercise and personalized feedback on communicating your scientific interests/objectives most effectively. Scientists and trainees of all backgrounds are encouraged to attend!

Registration fee: $40 (includes lunch)

Table Topics and Table Leaders:

Grad Student: Finding a Mentor, Setting Sights on Postdoc Training
• Curtis Henry, Emory Univ., USA; Julie Mirpuri, UT Southwestern Med. Ctr., USA
• Joseph Larkin III, Univ. of Florida, USA; Beth Tamburini, Univ. of Colorado, USA
• Keke Fairfax, Univ. of Utah, USA; Rakshin Kharwadkar, Genentech;

Navigating Challenges Unique to International Grad Students and Postdocs
• Javier Irazoqui, UMass, USA; Craig Maynard, Univ. of Alabama, Birmingham, USA
• Swinburne Augustine, EPA, USA; Michael Opata, NIAID, NIH, USA

The Physician-Scientist Career Path – NEW
• Virginia Pascual, Cornell Univ., USA; Wayne Yokoyama, Washington Univ., St. Louis, USA
• Laura Santambrogio, Weill Cornell Med., USA; Sing Sing Way, Cincinnati Children’s Hosp. Med. Ctr., USA

Postdoc: Finding a Mentor, Setting Sights on a Faculty Position
• Jeniffer Hernandez, Keck Grad. Inst., USA; Luis Montaner, Wistar Inst., USA
• Harlan Jones, Univ. of North Texas; Charlotte Vines, Univ. of Texas, El Paso, USA
• Maria-Luisa Alegre, Univ. of Chicago, USA; Antonieta Guerrero-Plata, LSU, USA

Junior Faculty: Preparing for Promotion and Tenure
• Jose Conejo-Garcia, Duke Univ., USA; Carla Rothlin, Yale Sch. of Med., USA
• Robert Binder, Univ. of Pittsburgh, USA; Elizabeth Kovacs, Univ. of Colorado, USA
• Amal Amer, Ohio State Univ., USA; Avery August, Cornell Univ., USA

Academia or Industry: How to Decide (or Switch Sides)
• Louise D’Cruz, BD Biosci.; Rashade Haynes II, Bristol Myers Squibb
• Stephen Haley, Immudex; Kiyomi Komori, Uniquity Bio
• Jason Stadanlick, Cabaletta Bio; Jeanette Ampudia, Equillium
• Frann Antignano, STEMCELL Tech.; Randy Brutkiewicz, Indiana Univ., USA
• Gisele Baracho, BD Biosci.; Albert Zlotnik, Univ. of California, Irvine, USA

Government Agency Careers (including Grant Review)
• Ravi Bassavapa, ARPA-H, USA; Vanitha Raman, NIAID, NIH, USA
• Timothy Gondre-Lewis, NIAID, NIH, USA; Thomas Conway, NIAID, NIH, USA
• Zhuqing “Charlie” Li, NIAID, ORTSP, DEA, NIH, USA; Bridget Burke, NIAID, ORTSP, DEA, NIH, USA

Beyond the Bench Science Careers:
• Entrepreneurship
   – Eduardo Davila, Univ. of Colorado, USA; Tonya Webb, Univ. of Maryland Sch. of Med., USA
• Nonprofits/Foundations
   – Derek Haseltine, Hertz Fndn., USA; Thandi Onami, Bill & Melinda Gates Fnd., USA
• Science Consulting – NEW
   – Andrea Loewendorf, ImmunoVation
• Science Policy
   – Emily Kansler, AAI; Jacob Schumacher, AAI
• Scientific Patent Law/Technology Transfer
   – Michael Hinton, Univ. of Chicago, USA; James Lillard, Morehouse Sch. of Med., USA
• Scientific Publishing/Science Writing
   – Adriana Benavides, AAI; Ellen Fox, AAI