Living and Working in Philadelphia
Tuesday, February 11, 2025
2:40 - 3:25 PM
2:40 - 3:25 PM
Moderator
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Valentina Parma, PhD
Assistant Director & Assistant Member, Monell Chemical Senses Center Postdoc, Monell Chemical Senses Center; International School for Advanced Studies, Trieste, Italy PhD, University of Padova, Italy Dr. Valentina Parma is a psychologist whose passion for the science of chemical senses began during her academic journey at the University of Padova, Italy, where she earned her BSc, MSc, and PhD. Just two days after completing her PhD, she embarked on a postdoctoral fellowship at the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia, where she now serves as faculty and administrator. Along the way, she has held positions in Italy, Portugal, and at Temple University in Philadelphia. Dr. Parma’s lab takes an interdisciplinary approach to studying smell and taste in large, diverse cohorts, linking chemosensory function to health outcomes and translating discoveries into practical applications. She is deeply committed to mentoring while embracing life in Philadelphia as an international scholar. |
Panelists
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Alejandra V. Contreras, PhD
Associate Principal Scientist, Merck & Co Postdoc, Fox Chase Cancer Center - Temple Health PhD, National Autonomous University of Mexico, School of Medicine Dr. Alejandra V. Contreras is a translational scientist with over 15 years of experience in the fields of genetics and genomics within the healthcare sector. Her career has been dedicated to enhancing the development of precision medicine and personalized therapies, with a focus on the identification and development of genomic biomarkers for drug development. Currently serving as an Associate Principal Scientist at Merck & Co., Dr. Contreras leads efforts in the Translational Molecular Biomarker-Genomics Laboratory to identify predictive biomarkers for oncology and immunology therapeutic areas. Before her tenure at Merck, her research at the Fox Chase Cancer Center was focused on the regulatory mechanisms that impacts lineage commitment and effector fate of gammadelta T cells using NGS analysis (ChIP-Seq and RNA-Seq), gene expression of non-coding RNA, and CRISPR/dCas9 system. Her research has resulted in over 30 publications in peer-reviewed journals. Juliet Goldsmith, PhD
Assistant Professor - Thomas Jefferson University, Department of Pharmacology, Physiology and Cancer Biology and Department of Neuroscience Postdoc, University of Pennsylvania PhD, University of California, San Francisco M.Biochem: University of Oxford, UK Dr. Goldsmith received her PhD in Biomedical Sciences from the University of California, San Francisco in 2018 where her graduate research focused on the role of autophagy in the development and metastasis of breast cancer. Autophagy is a highly conserved proteostatic and recycling mechanism that regulates diverse functions, from metabolic health to protein aggregate accumulation. Neurons in particular rely on autophagy for their function and survival, and many neurodegenerative diseases have impaired autophagy. She joined Dr. Erika Holzbaur’s lab at the University of Pennsylvania as a Postdoctoral Fellow to research the role that autophagy plays in supporting neuronal health, and how it is altered in models of Parkinson’s disease. In 2024, Dr. Goldsmith was recruited to Thomas Jefferson University as an Assistant Professor. The Goldsmith Lab uses iPSC-derived models of neurons and glia to further understand the molecular and cellular consequences of disrupted autophagy in the progression of ALS/FTD and Alzheimer’s disease . Elena Irollo, PhD
Associate Director, Scientific Programs, American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Postdoc, Jefferson University PhD, University of Erlangen, Germany PharmD and SpD, University of Naples Federico II, Italy Dr. Elena Irollo supports the development of AACR’s scientific and strategic initiatives, managing key aspects of the AACR Annual Meeting—the largest and most prestigious multidisciplinary cancer research meeting in the world—as well as other meetings and special programs. In 2017, she moved to Philadelphia to pursue a postdoctoral position at Thomas Jefferson University, where she investigated the role of the tumor microenvironment in pancreatic cancer to identify novel therapeutic targets for this aggressive disease. She later joined Drexel University as a Research Associate, where her research expanded to exploring the effects of chemokines and immune mediators in brain tumor formation and progression. Dr. Irollo was subsequently promoted to Research Assistant Professor and appointed Co-Director of the Translational Research and Core Expert Support (TRaCES) facility at Drexel. In this role, she advanced translational research by establishing innovative models to study cancer metastasis and brain inflammation and fostering collaboration between scientists and clinicians. Beyond her scientific contributions, Dr. Irollo is deeply involved in her local community, serving as the Chair of Social Media Communications for the nonprofit organization PI-Philly. |
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Mohsen Tabasi, PhD
Microbiology/Molecular Coordinator, Philadelphia Department of Public Health Postdoc, Temple University PhD, Pasteur Institute of Iran Dr. Mohsen Tabasi earned his PhD in Clinical Bacteriology from the Pasteur Institute of Iran in 2020. During his doctoral studies, he conducted extensive research on host-pathogen interactions and explored the modulation of gut microbiota in morbidly obese patients undergoing laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy. In 2022, Dr. Tabasi began a postdoctoral fellowship at the Center for Inflammation and Lung Research at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University. There, he focused on the antibiofilm efficacy of S-Nitrosoglutathione (GSNO) in combination with antibiotics against bacteria commonly isolated from cystic fibrosis patients. He also investigated potential treatments to reduce lung inflammation in preclinical models of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In 2024, Dr. Tabasi joined the Philadelphia Department of Public Health as a Microbiology/Molecular Coordinator. His choice to settle in Philadelphia was driven by the city’s prestigious universities and medical institutions, offering exceptional opportunities for education and healthcare. Dr. Tabasi’s work exemplifies his commitment to advancing microbiological research and public health initiatives. |
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Avery Zucco, PhD
Principal Scientist, Longevity Biotech Postdoc, The Wistar Institute PhD, Rutgers University Dr. Zucco received his PhD in Neuroscience and Cell Biology from Rutgers University in 2018 where his graduate research focused on the developmental neuropathology of Tuberous Sclerosis Complex using patient-derived stem cell models. After obtaining his PhD he worked as postdoctoral researcher in the laboratory of Dr. Alessandro Gardini at The Wistar Institute in Philadelphia. At Wistar Avery researched the regulation of gene expression during stem cell development and differentiation in neural stem cells and immune cells like monocytes and macrophages. After his postdoctoral training Avery moved to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia to work on clinical genomic testing, later moving on to the Philadelphia-based biotech startup Longevity in 2024 as Principal Scientist to perform R&D on immune modulating therapeutics for neurodegenerative diseases. |
