Seminar Series

Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019

Dr. Michael A. Curran* Associate Professor, Immunology
UT MD Anderson Cancer Center provided guidance in how to
effectively establish clinical connections and collaborations for translationally focused science as well as the the trajectory and strategy of moving a basic discovery to and through a clinical trial.

Thursday, June 27, 2019

Dr. Angela Wilkins*, founder and managing director of Mercury Data Science* hosted a very candid conversation with students, postdocs and faculty about a career in data science and how your path led to starting how own business in data science.

Thursday, May 23, 2019

Our Career Seminar panel in May featured:
• Karina Marshall-Goebel, Ph.D., Senior Scientist, NASA-Cardiovascular and Vision Laboratory
• D. Nicole Methner, Ph.D, DNA Analyst II, Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences

They provided firsthand insights in to health science careers in government, talked about the path that led them to their current roles and took questions from students and postdocs interested in similar paths for their future.

Thursday, April 25, 2019

This panel discussed clinical research and management careers in industry and academia.
Panelists:
• Carol Chuang, Ph.D. (MCB, 2012), Program Manager, Department of Investigational Cancer Therapeutics, MD Anderson Cancer Center
• Leah DiMascio, Ph.D., Chief Operating Officer, Maia Biotechnology, Inc.
• Jaye Thompson, Ph.D., Co-Founder & Chief Operations Officer, Proxima Clinical Research, Inc.

Thursday, March 28, 2019

This panel addressed the process from lab discovery to commercialization and the various career paths for biomedical PhDs at each phase.
Panelists:
• Miguel Cruz, Ph.D., Professor of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine; Founder, A2 Therapeutics Inc.
• Brad A. Kairdolf, Ph.D., Senior Licensing Associate, Baylor Licensing Group
• Patrick Turley, Ph.D., J.D., Associate Professor, Senior VP & General Counsel, Baylor College of Medicine

Baylor alumna Jana Knezevic, Ph.D., associate clinical project manager, Immatics US, Inc., introduced the project manager role in clinical trials management. In this position, Dr. Knezevic manages clinical projects from concept through clinical study report completion. She plays an active part in the analysis, summary and reporting of clinical data through the course of the study. Additionally, she leads the development of study-related documents including study protocols, informed consent documents, study manuals and plans, trial master file and case report form design.

Chances are that you collaborate with a BCM core lab. Did you also know that there are several academic career path opportunities in these areas? Panelists shared their career journeys to these positions, the nature of their work and differences in their roles vs. a traditional investigator.
Panelists:
• Daniel Kraushaar, Ph.D., Technical Director, Genomic & RNA Profiling Core
• Anna Malovannaya, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Biochemistry; Academic Director, Mass Spectrometry (MS) Proteomics Core
• Corey Reynolds, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Molecular Physiology & Biophysics

Thursday, Nov. 15, 2018

Baylor College of Medicine junior faculty members offered helpful advice for #postdocs. They shared insights and lessons learned over their first year as a new faculty member.
Panelists:
• Jihye Yun, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Molecular & Human Genetics
• Ruhee Dere, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Molecular & Cellular Biology
• Matthew McGinley, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Neuroscience

Thursday, Sept. 27, 2018

Panel discussion that provided insights into the MSL career path and advice for trainees interested in making the transition to this unique role in the industry.
Panelists:
• Amanda Chancey, Ph.D., Senior Medical Science Liaison, Aimmune Therapeutics
• Wanda Vila-Carriles, Ph.D., Senior Medical Science Liaison, Sanofi-Aventis
• Mike Fountain, Ph.D., Senior Medical Science Liaison, Shire

Thursday, June 21, 2018

Students and postdoc's heard from Baylor College of Medicine faculty as they shared their personal experiences with various NIH K awards.

Dr. Hodges (K99/R00) and Dr. Wang (K01) each provided a short overview of their respective K funding mechanism and tips/advice for writing a successful application, followed by audience Q&A.

View slides: K99/R00 or K01.

Thursday, May 24, 2018

This panel provided insights and advice on industry research careers as well as similarities and differences between start-ups, medium-sized biotech and large pharma companies.
Panelists:
Emily Evans, Ph.D., Business Development, Noleus Technologies & Deputy Director, enventure
Konrad Gabrusiewicz, Ph.D., Scientist II, Bellicum Pharmaceuticals
Melinda Mata, Ph.D., Scientist, Immatics Biotechnologies
Donald Shaffer, Ph.D., Associate Director, Jounce Therapeutics, Inc.

Thursday, April 26, 2018

Associate Professors Penelope Bonnen, Ph.D. (Molecular and Human Genetics & Molecular Physiology & Biophysics) and Ben Arenkiel, Ph.D. (Molecular and Human Genetics & Neuroscience) share insights in to promotion and the tenure process as well as career advice with Baylor College of Medicine graduate students, postdocs and junior faculty.

Thursday, March 22, 2018

As an integral part of the healthcare team, genetic counselors provide risk assessment, education, and support to individuals and families at risk for, or diagnosed with, a variety of inherited conditions. Daniel Riconda, MS, CGC, genetics counselor and program director for Baylor’s new Masters in Genetics Counseling program, along with Eric Schmitt, MS, Ph.D., CGC, and Sarah Scollon MS, CGC gave an overview of this career path and training opportunities. They each discussed the various paths they took in their career and how that lead them to the field of Genetics Counseling.

Thursday, Jan. 25, 2018

Baylor junior faculty members Emily Mace, Ph.D., (assistant professor, pediatrics), Buck Samuel, Ph.D, (assistant professor, molecular virology and microbiology) and Francois St-Pierre, Ph.D. (assistant professor, neuroscience) shared their experiences transitioning from postdoc to independent investigator. Sharing insights and lessons learned from the academic job search, potential challenges and tips on how to get your lab up and running, recruiting students and hiring personnel. As well as expectations for junior faculty and how to manage these demands and how to develop your mentoring network as an independent investigator.

Thursday, July 20, 2017

Faculty from various institutions compared and contrasted research, teaching and service differences at their respective institutions as well as promotion and tenure requirements.

Panelists:
* Donna Mendez, M.D., Associate Professor & Fellowship Director, Pediatric Emergency Medicine, The University of Texas Health Sciences Center at Houston
* Mehmet Sen, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Biology & Biochemistry, University of Houston
* Isabelle Kusters, Ph.D., MPH, Assistant Professor, Department of Clinical, Health, and Applied Sciences at the University of Houston Clear Lake
* Gretchen Diehl, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology and Center for Metagenomics and Microbiome Research, Baylor College of Medicine

Thursday, June 15, 2017

Speakers:
* Julie Crider, Ph.D., Freelance Medical Writer/Editor (formerly Manager, Medical Communications and Scientific Publications at Alcon Laboratories)
* Ana Rodriguez, Ph.D., Science Writer, Baylor College of Medicine

Speakers each provided an overview of their trajectory, discussed current projects and shared advice to students and postdocs interested in launching a career in writing or editing. The session was moderated by Baylor graduate student Anindita Ravindran

Several patent attorneys and IP professionals participated in this panel discussion Thursday, May 18, 2017, to introduce Baylor trainees to career opportunities in intellectual property law and technology transfer. Panelists compared and contrasted various careers including those that require additional legal training. Additionally, the session provided attendees with an overview of opportunities both in the Houston area as well as throughout the country. GSBS student PJ Minnick served as the guest moderator for the session.

Scientists from BetaCat Pharma, Bellicum Pharmaceuticals and Lonza participated in a lively discussion to discuss research careers in industry Thursday, April 20, 2017. Panelists compared and contrasted the differences between start-ups and established organizations and provided insights in to Houston's life sciences biopharma ecosystem.

On March 16, 2017 representatives from Direct Electron, Natera and Nexcelom Bioscience discussed career path options for Ph.D.s in applications and product support.

On Jan. 17, 2017 panelists from Novartis, AstraZeneca and the Binding Site introduced the Medical Science Liaison career path and provided practical strategies for students and postdocs interested in transitioning into this unique role in the industry. The session concluded with a short networking session that allowed attendees to meet and greet the panelists and solicit further information and advice.