Executive Committee
PDAEC Co-Chair: Lara Alvarez de Lacerda, Ph.D
Lara is a Susan G. Komen Postdoctoral Fellow, training with Dr. Wendy A. Woodward in the Department of Radiation Oncology. Her research focuses on the role of the tumor microenvironment in regulating the equilibrium among breast cancer stem cells, progenitor, and differentiated cells.
PDAEC Co-Chair: Melissa Singh, Ph.D.
Melissa is a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Dr. Joya Chandra in the Department of Pediatrics Research. Her current research focuses on targeting histone deacetylases and demethylases as a rational combination therapy for the treatment of glioblastoma.
Secretary and Publicity Co-Chair: Shadia Zaman, Ph.D.
Shadia is a postdoctoral fellow in the department of Experimental Therapeutics. She is currently training with Dr. Varsha Gandhi to identify and validate novel therapeutics for the treatment of hematological malignancies such as multiple myeloma.
Policy Co-Chair: Haley Peters, Ph.D.
HPeters@mdanderson.org
Speakers Chair: Prashasnika Gehlot, Ph.D.
Prashasnika is a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Surgical Oncology under the mentoring of Dr. Steven Curley. She is currently working on hepatocellular cancer and liver cancer stem cells with animal models.
Mentor Award Co-Chair: OPEN
International Co-chair: Amir Hamdi, M.D.
International Co-chair: Dong Yang, Ph.D.
Events Co-Chair: Cheuk Hui
RCR Seminars Co-Chair: Enrique Fuentes-Mattei, Ph.D.
Enrique is currently training in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Oncology under the mentorship of Dr. Mong-Hong Lee and Dr. Sai-Ching Yeung. His main areas of research include toxicology, molecular biology, receptor mechanisms, obesity, diabetes and carcinogenesis
Science Park Chair: Brent Ferguson, Ph.D.
Brent is a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Molecular Carcinogenesis at Science Park in Smithville, TX working under the direction of Dr. Marcelo Aldaz. His research is focused on understanding the function of the putative tumor suppressor gene WWOX in various types of cancer."
South Campus Chair: Diane Scaduto, Ph.D.
Postdoc Liaison Chair: Figen Beceren-Braun, Ph.D.
Figen is a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Dr. Tomasz Zal in the Department of Immunology. Her research focuses on restoring the anti-tumor immunity of lymphocytes in tumor microenvironment.
APSS Working Group: Fabiola D. Gomez, Ph.D.
Fabiola is a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Dr. Varsha Gandhi in the Department of Experimental Therapeutics. She is working on developing strategies to combine Pim kinase inhibitors with other agents in chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
Associate Director, Research Trainee Programs: Martha Skender, MPH
Program Manager, Office of Postdoctoral Affairs: Tracy Jennifer Costello, Ph.D.
Tracy is charged with assisting Martha Skender with the planning, organization, direction setting and evaluation of the academic and career development programming for the Institution's research postdoctoral fellow population, including strategic oversight of the MD Anderson Postdoctoral Association.
PDAEC Meetings
Get involved! Participate in our meetings:
- August 27, 2013 12-1pm 2SCR2.1030A