Christine Mirzayan Science & Technology Policy

Winter 2004 Fellow Biographies

Heather Agler (PGA/COSEPUP) is a PhD candidate in Biomedical Engineering at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and expects to finish her degree this summer. She received her BS in chemical engineering at the University of South Carolina, Columbia. At the Calcium Signals Lab at Johns Hopkins, Heather created a mathematical model to describe the kinetics of G-protein modulation of calcium channels. This model allowed her to view small changes in kinetic behavior when single point mutations were introduced to the G-protein. Heather previously participated in an internship with the American Institute of Chemical Engineers in Washington, DC where she analyzed the reform debate of the Food and Drug Administration's approval process for new drugs and medical devices and learned first-hand about the drug approval process and how policy decisions are determined. Heather is very excited about transitioning into science policy and hopes that she can use this fellowship as an opportunity to contribute to society outside of the laboratory. In her free time Heather enjoys playing field hockey, soccer and football through local sports clubs and spending time with her family. Contact by email.

Cara Allen (DELS/BLS) is a PhD candidate in Neuroscience at the University of California San Diego, La Jolla.  She received her BS in chemistry at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and she also studied abroad at the Universite Paul Sabatier in Toulouse, France. Her thesis research involves the use of the rat's facial whisker system as a model to study how changes in sensory experience can lead to long lasting changes in cortical circuitry. Through this fellowship she was interested in exploring the role of science outside of the laboratory and in learning how politics and governmental policies can influence the progress and direction of science itself. After completing her degree, Cara hopes to pursue a career, either in science policy or writing, through which she can contribute to public literacy in science. Additionally, Cara was trained as a ballet dancer, and she enjoys attending and teaching ballet classes and still occasionally performs. Contact by email.

Bruce Altevogt (IOM/NBH) is a Senior Program Officer in the Board on Health Sciences Policy at the Institute of Medicine. He received his doctoral thesis from Harvard University's Program in Neuroscience. While at Harvard Dr. Altevogt studied the how glial cells in the central and peripheral nervous system form a network of cells through intracellular communication, which is critical for maintaining myelin. Following his Ph.D. Dr. Altevogt was a policy fellow with the Christine Mirzayan Science & Technology Policy Graduate Fellowship Program at the National Academies. He has over ten years of research experience. In addition to Dr. Altevogt’s work at Harvard, he also performed neuroscience research at National Institutes of Health and University of Virginia. He received his B.A. from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville where he majored in Biology and minored in South Asian Studies. Since joining the Board on Health Sciences Policy, Bruce was a program officer on the IOM study Spinal Cord Injury: Progress, Promise, and Priorities and was the study director for the recently completed IOM Study Sleep Disorders and Sleep Deprivation: An Unmet Public Health Problem. He is currently the study director for the Forum on Neuroscience and Nervous System Disorders and is also working on the Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research Advisory Committee. Contact by email.
(Updated 05/06)

Monisha Arya (IOM/BGH) was awarded her MD and Masters in Public Health with a health policy concentration at the George Washington University in Washington, D.C. in May 2000. During medical school, she was a Health Policy Fellow with the American Medical Student Association and had the opportunity to work in the U.S. Congress and meet with physicians serving as health policy advisors to U.S. Senators. Monisha recently completed her residency training in internal medicine at Georgetown University. She earned her BS in psychology from the University of Maryland, College Park. Following the National Academies fellowship, she will begin a three year infectious diseases fellowship program at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts. Although she thrives in the intensity of patient care in the hospital, her passion lies in serving as a patient advocate beyond the bedside. Monisha hopes to become a physician-leader in the health policy arena. Her specific interests are in international HIV/AIDS prevention policy and women’s rights and she hopes to learn more about these issues in the course of her training. Monisha hopes that this fellowship will allow her to observe and participate in the policy analysis, consensus building, and recommendation presentation that are required when called upon to advise on health policy matters affecting our nation and global community. Contact by email.

Eric Bone (PGA/OIA) was awarded a PhD in Mathematics in 2004 from Brandeis University, where he researched applications of number theory in cryptography. Eric earned his BA at Amherst College, where he studied Mathematics and English. During 2004-2006, Eric was a AAAS fellow at the State Department, working on assistance programs to the former Soviet Union that seek to reduce security threats by securing weapons materials and redirecting former defense researchers, as well as on projects to improve law enforcement and judicial institutions in the Balkans. At the National Academies in Winter 2004, Eric worked in OIA/PGA, where he helped redesign the international section of the Academies website (http://international.nationalacademies.org/). One of Eric's most rewarding experiences was joining the United States Peace Corps in Malawi for two years. While there, he taught mathematics and English and coordinated a variety of development projects. Contact by email.
(Updated 08/06)

Kori Brabham (DELS/ILAR) was awarded an MSc degree in Biomedical Engineering at Mississippi State University in August 2004. She also received her BS in Biological Engineering with an emphasis in pre-medicine and biomaterials at Mississippi State and studied abroad at the University of Bristol in Bristol, England. At Mississippi State, Kori's research focused on determining the effects of mechanical environments on chondrocyte differentiation. While at MSU, Kori was involved with numerous organizations as campus while holding leadership roles in many of them. During her time at the Academies, Kori performed background research and assisted in committee formation for a study that focused on identifying gaps in transportation guidelines for laboratory animals. She also aided in writing preliminary sections of reports and was responsible for the design of the ILAR Annual Report that was dispersed at the ILAR Council meeting and to potential study sponsors. Upon applying for the NAS internship, Kori looked forward to developing a better understanding of how science, technology, and policy worked together. The internship proved to be a successful arena in which to foster this desire and allowed Kori to appreciate the powerful impact that all three areas, individually and as a group, have on all levels of society. Kori is currently employed as a biomedical engineer at the Institute for Technology Development near New Orleans, LA. Contact by email.

Liza Bundesen (NAS/PNAS) was awarded a PhD in Neuroscience from Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington, DC. She received her BS in Molecular Biology from Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA. As an undergraduate, Liza conducted research in Developmental Biology at the Alfred I. DuPont Children's Hospital (Nemours Foundation) in Wilmington, Delaware. During her graduate program, she spent two years developing a project supported by the Daniel Heumann Fund for Spinal Cord Research involving neural stem cell transplantation into the injured spinal cord. For her thesis work, Liza studied the involvement of a family of proteins, called Eph receptors, in scar formation after spinal cord injury in adult rodents. She has presented her work to her colleagues at the Society for Neuroscience, the Route 28 Summits in Neurobiology, and the International Spinal Research Trust. During her fellowship at the scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Liza wrote press tips on newsworthy manuscripts. In addition, she investigated how U.S. Trade Sanctions enforced by the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control affect scientific publishing and peer review. This fellowship has confirmed Liza’s desire to pursue a career in science policy, with an emphasis on writing. In her spare time, Liza enjoys playing volleyball, playing the flute, reading any book on the Washington Post best seller list, and playing the board game Cranium with friends and family. Contact by email.

Michelle Corte-Real Iacoletti (DEPS/BMED/NMAB) earned her PhD in Experimental Materials Physics from the University of Delaware in October 2002. She received her MA in Physics from Boston University, an MSc in Physics from the Indian Institute of Technology and a BSc in Physics from Bombay University in India. After receiving her doctorate, Michelle worked as a Research Physicist where she was the P.I. on research projects funded by the NSF. The decision to switch gears from academic research to a more dynamic and impactful field was a result of working in a small research company that relied on SBIR funding. She noticed that there were loopholes in the system that she hoped someone would fix. She came to realize that she was more passionate about how the government's money was allocated, than she was about doing the bench-top research that the funding required. Michelle believes that this fellowship will be a stepping stone in the direction of a career in science and technology policy, and recommends it to anyone who is eager to play a role in facilitating the funding of scientific and technological research.

Kathleen "Katie" Crahan (PGA/STEP) is a PhD candidate in the Department of Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Washington where she is studying Atmospheric Chemistry and Aerosols. Katie received her BS in Chemistry from the College of William and Mary. She spent two years in the Peace Corps in Samoa, where she worked as a secondary school science teacher, served as Head of the Science Department, and was a member of the Training Advisory Committee. Katie enjoys teaching and tutoring and has volunteered her time Homework Helper Program, where she assisted middle school children in their studies, and taught English as a Second Language to native Spanish speakers through an adult skills program. She also values challenges, as illustrated by her current training for the Vancouver Marathon. After earning her PhD in Atmospheric Sciences, Katie hopes to apply what she has learned about the science of Global Warming and Global Change toward developing public policy. Additionally, she hopes this fellowship will allow her to better determine the steps she'll need to take to enter the public policy realm. Contact by email

Aimee Curtright (DEPS/BEES) has a PhD in Physical Chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley and a BS in Chemistry from the University of Miami. She was a National Research Council postdoctoral fellow at the Naval Research Lab in Washington, DC immediately prior to her fellowship in Spring 2004. Her fellowship at the Academies reinforced her interest in the potential social and environmental benefits of an intelligent and strategic use of technology, particularly in the area of advanced energy technology, and she stayed on after its completion as a Research Associate with the Board on Energy and Environmental Systems. Her next stop will be working with the Engineering and Public Policy (EPP) Department at Carnegie Mellon University starting in September 2004. When she's not thinking about energy and the environment, she enjoys running, knitting, and cooking. Contact by email.

Neesha Desai (DBASSE/CEGIS) is in the MD/MPH program at the University of South Carolina and will graduate in May 2005. Neesha received her BA in Mathematics and Spanish from Vanderbilt University. She recently worked as a research associate evaluating a pediatrics special needs clinic with an organization that also provides low-income families with a medical home and access to both preventive and subspecialty medical services. She also combined her passion for Spanish with her medical background in a program sponsored by the South Carolina Office of Rural Health called "Hablar el Idioma de su Cliente," where she teaches medical professionals to speak basic Spanish in order to form a better relationship with their patients. Neesha feels that the wide array of disciplines and opportunities present at the National Academies has broadened her view of medicine and her understanding of the myriad factors which affect our health and wellbeing. In the future, Neesha looks forward to a career as a clinician, researcher, and policymaker.  She also hopes to encourage more physicians to become leaders in the health policy arena. In her free time, Neesha enjoys running, exploring, the great outdoors, dancing, yoga, and believes laughter is the best medicine for many of life's everyday problems. Contact by email.

Suzanne Goh (PGA/OIA) is in her final year of the MD program at Harvard, where she also received her BA in History and Science. She received both her Master of Business Administration (Management Studies) and Master of Studies (Women’s Studies) at Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar. Suzanne is a professional dance instructor and choreographer. She has competed at the British Open Championships and the U.S. National Ballroom Dance Championships and was awarded the 1998 United Kingdom Collegiate Latin Dance Championship. Suzanne has also shared her talents in her volunteer work. At the Chinese Golden Age Center, Suzanne developed an English language program for Mandarin-speaking elders in Boston's Chinatown, taught ballroom dance lessons, and provided basic health education and medical services. She has also taught violin lessons to low-income elementary and high school students. Suzanne has offered a strong scientific and medical background to the National Academies. She will be pursuing her residency training in pediatrics at the Massachusetts General Hospital and her fellowship training in pediatric neurology at UCSF. Contact by email.

Jesse Gray (PGA/COSEPUP) is a PhD candidate in Neuroscience at the University of California at San Francisco. He received a BS from the University of Wisconsin at Madison in Biochemistry, Chemistry, and Political Science. Early in graduate school, Jesse took a leave of absence to develop computer-based tools to improve the teaching of undergraduate science. He developed two online tutorials that students could use to learn cell biology at their own pace. Jesse modeled these interactive tutorials after what he envisions as the textbooks of the future, and he demonstrated their effectiveness in an undergraduate cell biology course. During the course of this project, Jesse discovered first-hand that when it comes to harnessing the power of science and technology to improve human life, technological considerations are far from the only challenges one faces. Equally difficult are the challenges of translating technological solutions into institutional solutions, a process that involves building support for ideas and exerting influence within human institutions. Jesse hopes that an fellowship at the National Academies will be the first step in a career transition from laboratory science to science policy. His extra-curricular activities include running, schmoozing, eating well, drinking wine, eating cheese, and watching independent films. Contact by email.

Elizabeth "Betsy" Kitchens (PGA/DSC & IOM/BGH) was recently awarded a PhD in Molecular and Cellular Biology, Immunology Department from the University of California, Berkeley, where she studied the developmental process of T cells. She received a BS from the University of California, San Diego in Biochemistry and Cell Biology. Before and during her undergraduate years, she received two summer science fellowships to research and study autoimmune pathology of Arthritis and Lupus at the University of California, San Francisco. Before graduate school, Betsy participated in academic immunological research at Harvard Medical School and followed with various clinical trials, the most recent being a phase II clinical trial on an HIV vaccine. While these research experiences were very satisfying, she has felt disconnected from the societal impact and benefits of medical research. This sparked her interest in policy, and she believes that working at the National Academies will expose her to the most pressing topics confronting us at the interface of science and society. Contact by email

Peter J. Kozel (STEP & PGA/STL) is a Scientific Program Analyst at the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), one of the 27 Institutes and Centers that comprise the National Institutes of Health (NIH).  Dr. Kozel primarily assists with the management of the research training, career development, special populations, and HIV/AIDS portfolios at NCCAM, but also plays roles in a wide range of other Center activities.  Dr. Kozel earned his Ph.D. from the University of Cincinnati, College of Medicine, and a B.S. in Biochemistry and Chemistry from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Contact by email.
(Updated 06/06)

Tanya Mazur (PGA/COSEPUP) received her PhD in Chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley in December 2003. Her research focused on the development of novel methodologies for the study of biological systems (including prions and membrane proteins) using solid state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). She received her BS in Chemistry and Physics from Vanderbilt University. After receiving her undergraduate degree, Tanya worked for Procter and Gamble as a research associate, where she worked in the pharmaceutical division and trained chemists on the use of NMR spectrometers and novel software. As an undergraduate, she participated in a program called Alternative Spring Break, where she worked with at-risk teens in Milwaukee her first year, then the issue of homelessness in Denver the following spring. This proved to be a life-altering experience for her and one of the reasons that she became interested in public policy. Tanya will be attending law school next fall at George Washington University here in Washington, D.C., and she plans to specialize in intellectual property (IP) law. She believes that her experiences at the National Academies have provided her with the opportunity to gain insight into the future of science and technology policy which is vital to the field of IP law. Contact by email.

Evan Michelson (NAS/KSM) is a research associate for the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. He has worked on a wide variety of issues in science and technology policy, including the impact of science and technology on international development, public understanding of emerging technologies, science and technology foresight, and the intersection between science and popular culture.  Michelson received a M.A. in international science and technology policy from The Elliott School of International Affairs at The George Washington University, a M.A. in philosophical foundations of physics from Columbia University, and a B.A. in philosophy of science from Brown University . During the summer of 2005, he served as a visiting researcher in the Korea Science and Engineering Foundation's Performance Assessment Team as part of the National Science Foundation's Korea Summer Institute program. In 2004, he developed public outreach and education programs as a Christine Mirzayan Science and Technology Policy Graduate Fellow at the Marian Koshland Science Museum of the National Academies. He has also held research assistant positions at the Converging Technologies Bar Association and FasterCures/The Center for Accelerating Medical Solutions. Michelson recently received a 2005 Navigator Award from the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies and the Phi Beta Delta Honor Society for International Scholars. He has published articles in several journals and collections, including the Bulletin of Science, Technology & Society and Converging Technologies for Human Progress.  Contact by email
(Updated 07/06)

Joseph Milone (NA/NSRC) is currently a Biologist in the Office of Combination Products, Food and Drug Administration (FDA). He is responsible for providing scientific support to the jurisdictional decision staff, monitoring and managing the intercenter consultation/collaboration review process, and facilitating the pre-market and post-market regulation of combination products. Joseph joined the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in July of 2005 as a member of the Emerging Leader Program. He has completed a number of work details in different HHS agencies. These include two details at the National Institutes of Health working in the Office of Biotechnology Activities with the Secretary’s Advisory Committee on Genetics Health and Society and in the Laboratory of Molecular Biology of the National Cancer Institute, the Office of Global Health Affairs of the Immediate Office of the Secretary of HHS where he worked in the African Regional Office, and in two different offices of the FDA, the Office of In Vitro Diagnostics and the Office of Policy, Planning, and Legislation. Joseph completed a Ph.D. in Microbiology and Molecular Genetics in 2004 from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. His graduate work focused on mRNA degradation pathways in Trypanosomatid protozoan parasites responsible for human diseases such as African sleeping sickness, Chagas Disease, and Leishmaniasis. He received his B.S. in Biotechnology from Rutgers University. Contact by email. (Updated 06/07)

Purva Rawal (DBASSE/BCYF) earned her PhD in Clinical Psychology from the Feinberg Medical School at Northwestern University. She completed a 3-year predoctoral fellowship in health services research during graduate school. Her research activities in graduate school focused on children's mental health service delivery and policy. She has worked on projects covering a wide range of topics including identifying and addressing mental health needs in juvenile justice populations, using psychotropics with children and adolescents, understanding profiles of youth in community- and non-community based mental health services, using psychological assessment in treating civilly committed violent sex offenders, addressing racial differences in mental health service use and access, and using evaluation and outcomes management to improve service delivery in state public mental health systems. She also worked at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Kennedy Krieger Institute providing clinical services to parents with children with behavior disorders and family support research for parents with depression and their children. Most recently, she is a Congressional Fellow through the Society for Research on Child Development and AAAS in Senator Lieberman’s office. There, she is working on avian flu prevention and preparedness, medical and public health preparedness issues, vaccine safety, promoting translational research efforts in federal biomedical investments, youth development, health disparities, and improving healthcare quality. Contact by email.
(Updated 07/06)

Hsiu-Ming Saunders (PGA/GUIRR) is currently working as a U.S. patent attorney at Wilkinson & Grist, Hong Kong, China.  She earned a JD from the William Mitchell College of Law in May 2003, and became a registered patent attorney to practice before the United States Patent & Trademark Office in December 2003. She received her PhD in Pharmacology and Toxicology from the University of Mississippi Medical Center. She graduated with an MSc in Pharmacology from National Taiwan University. Hsiu-Ming received a BS in Pharmacy at Taipei Medical College in Taiwan. Hsiu-Ming was a postdoctoral fellow at the National Institutes of Health in Neurophysiology and Biochemical Genetics. Currently, she volunteers in a law office working on projects related to social security law. Previously, she worked on Intellectual property law projects, drafted patent applications for technological inventions, and responded to Office Actions from the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office at law firms in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She has also worked as a patent liaison managing corporate patent portfolios serving as liaison between inventors and outside counsel. Prior to work on corporate intellectual property, Hsiu-Ming was a patent examiner reviewing patent applications on gene therapy and transgenic animals at the biotechnology group of the US Patent & Trademark Office. Her immediate career goal is to become an intellectual property counsel, and her long-term career goal is to become involved in science and technology policy making. Her goal for the fellowship program is to learn how science is integrated into public policy. Hsiu-Ming’s scientific background is multi-disciplinary and with her combined scientific and legal training, she hopes to contribute to the GUIRR’s mission. Contact by email.
(Updated 10/05)

Joshua Schnell (PGA/COSEPUP) recently earned his PhD in Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Cell Biology from Northwestern University. He received his BS in Cell and Molecular Biology from Tulane University. Towards the end of his graduate work, Josh became increasingly aware of the significant role that scientists play in the formulation of science and technology policy. While learning how to design and carry out experiments in the laboratory, he also developed the desire to play a direct role in the support of science and engineering research. Josh hopes that his participation in the Christine Mirzayan fellowship will provide him with training in the methods and practices needed to contribute to policy creation and implementation. He also hopes to be able to broaden the problem-solving skills that he developed in graduate school, while applying these skills to issues that extend beyond his field of research and have important bearing on the health and welfare of the public. Josh enjoys reading and writing about scientific research and science and technology issues, and looks forward to spending some time in Washington, D.C. Contact by email.

Peggy Tsai (PGA/DSC) is a Research Associate with the National Academies' Board on Agriculture and Natural Resources.  Peggy earned a B.S. degree in microbiology and molecular genetics with a double major in political science with international concentration from the University of California, Los Angeles.  She has a Master of Arts in International Science and Technology Policy from George Washington University.  Peggy began her work with the National Academies as a Christine Mirzyan Science and Technology Policy Intern (DSC/PGA).  Prior to this, she held several intern positions: Research Subcommittee Intern with the U.S. House of Representatives, House Science Committee; Science and Technology Cooperation Intern with the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Oceans, Environment, and Scientific Affairs; and International Technology Policy Intern with the U.S. Department of Commerce. Peggy enjoys to cook, sing, and watch chick flicks. Contact by email.
(Updated 06/06)

Pablo Whaley (DEPS/BEMA) is currently a Patent Examiner at the U.S. Patent and Tradmark Office. He completed his M.S. in  Biomedical Engineering at the Mayo Graduate School in 2005, where he specialized  in therapeutic ultrasound, vibro-acoustography, and biomechanics. Pablo graduated from U.C. Berkeley in 1997 with a B.S. in Mathematics, and later taught 8^th grade algebra for three years before attending graduate school.  During his Natioinal Academies fellowship with the Roundtable on Biomedical Engineering Materials and Applications (BEMA), he gained in-depth experience on the interplay between industry, research, and science policy. Pablo's short-term goal comprises creating a small consulting firm, specializing in intellectual property and biotech policy. He also remains committed to creating a bioscience University on the West Coast by 2015. Contact by email.
(Updated 06/06)

Rieko Yajima (PGA/COSEPUP) is a PhD candidate in the Integrative Biosciences graduate program at The Pennsylvania State University. She is the recipient of a postgraduate scholarship from the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) of Canada for her research on the structure and function of RNA enzymes. Rieko received her Honours Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry at the University of Waterloo in Waterloo, Ontario. During this time, she worked as a research assistant in protein X-ray crystallography at Kirin Brewery’s Central Laboratories for Key Technology in Yokohama, Japan and studied Spanish at the Instituto Superior de Arte in Havana, Cuba. As the co-chair of the Critically Acclaimed Film Experience (CAFE) at Penn State, she is responsible for programming a weekly movie series that brings art house and foreign film features to the University Park campus. Through this fellowship program, Rieko would like to extend the knowledge she has already acquired from laboratory research and gain an understanding of the social and economic perspectives involved in developing sound science and technology policy. Contact by email.