Mentoring
Peer Mentoring Teams
Peer team meetups provide an opportunity for Scholars to practice their skills and solve real-life challenges. Peers offer fresh perspective and support. Meetups occur weekly during the foundational training and once monthly during the following 6 months.
Experienced Mentors
Sofiya Alhassan, PhD, FACSM
Professor
Director, Pediatric Physical Activity Laboratory
Graduate Program Director
Department of Kinesiology
School of Public Health & Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts
My research focuses on implementing community-based health-behavior interventions in young children and their families. My favorite thing about science is creating effective interventions and mentoring future scientist. As a person, I enjoy spending time with my twin boys.
Megan Baldridge, MD, PhD
Associate Professor
Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine
Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis
My research explores the interactions between the microbiota, viral pathogens, and the host immune response. I enjoy the fun of gradually unraveling complex scientific mysteries with my trainees and collaborators. Outside of the lab, I like to spend my time traveling and playing with my two young kiddos.
Kevin P. Campbell, PhD
Professor, Molecular Physiology and Biophysics
Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute
University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine
My research focuses on elucidating the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying various forms of muscular dystrophy. What I like most about science is having to be at the top of your game throughout your career and working with junior scientists. I enjoy spending time with family.
Barak Cohen, PhD
Alvin J Goldfarb Professor of Computational Biology
Department of Genetics
Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis
My lab studies how cis-regulatory elements specify genome-wide patterns of expression. The best part of science is the shared excitement among lab mates that comes from pursuing a new idea. When I am not in the lab I am usually birding, sailing, or trying to paint watercolors.
Gautam Dantas, PhD
Professor
Pathology & Immunology, Biomedical Engineering, Molecular Microbiology, and the Edison Family Center for Genome Sciences & Systems Biology
Interim Co-Chief, Division of Laboratory and Genomic Medicine
Co-Director, PhD Program in Computational & Systems Biology
Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis
My lab works at the interface of microbial genomics, ecology, synthetic biology, and systems biology, to understand, harness, and engineer the biochemical processing potential of microbial communities. I really enjoy brainstorming potential solutions to small and big scientific questions with members of my research team. My favorite activities are spending time with my family, long distance cycling, playing board games, building with Legos, and baking bread.
Enrique M. De La Cruz, Ph.D.
Professor and Chair of Molecular Biophysics & Biochemistry
Head of Branford College
Yale University
My research focuses on the chemistry and physics of the actin cytoskeleton and ATPase enzymes that rearrange RNA and regulate bone calcification. I enjoy helping young scientists, including my laboratory trainees, navigate and achieve their long-term career goals. When not engaged with science, I enjoy searching for vintage vinyl records and spending time with my wife and kids (not necessarily in that order!).
James M. DuBois, DSc, PhD
Bander Professor of Medical Ethics and Executive Director
Bioethics Research Center, Division of General Medical Sciences
Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis
I do social science research on topics such as informed consent, data sharing, ethics education outcomes, and social issues surrounding novel biomedical technologies. I love asking new research questions and learning (much more than writing up findings—because unlike the reader, I already know how the story ends). I like to unwind by drumming or reading a book with my dog by my side.
Stephanie W Watts, PhD FAHA
Professor
Pharmacology and Toxicology
Michigan State University
I am a cardiovascular pharmacologist who studies blood vessel (dys)function in health and disease. I love being a scientist because I get to wear so many hats: I am a detective, a mentor, a teacher, a communicator, an artist, etc. As a person, I love exercise (sanity!) and baking; somehow, they balance one another off!
Zhongsheng You, PhD
Associate Professor
Department of Cell Biology and Physiology
Washington University School of Medicine
Our lab studies the molecular mechanisms that safeguard the genome and transcriptome in human cells, with the overall goal to improve the understanding and treatment of cancer. I enjoy working with my trainees in the lab to make discoveries and watching them grow into independent scientists and thrive in their own careers. I like books, movies and exercise.