Meet the new Committee for 2020-2021

Governing Board

Chair = Rosa Martinez Corral; rosa_martinezcorral@hms.harvard.edu

Vice-Chair of communications = Daisy Shu; daisy_shu@meei.harvard.edu

Vice-Chair of liaisons = Konstantina Sampani; Konstantina.Sampani@joslin.harvard.edu 

Secretary = Chhavi Saini; chhavi_saini@meei.harvard.edu

Treasurer = Michal Skowyra;Michal_Skowyra@hms.harvard.edu

 

Committee chairs:

Advocacy = Emily Moore; Emily_Moore@hsdm.harvard.edu

Social = Dijana Vitko (dijana.vitko@childrens.harvard.edu) and Yao Wei Lu ( yaowei.lu@childrens.harvard.edu );

Entrepreneurship = Vaskar Gnyawali; vaskar.gnyawali@wyss.harvard.edu

Outreach = Lisa Kozicky; lkozicky@bwh.harvard.edu

Professional development = Michael Schappe; michael_schappe@hms.harvard.edu

 

 

 

HMPA Chair: Rosa Martinez Corral

Postdoctoral Fellow, HMS Systems Biology Department

"I'm excited to work with my colleagues to ensure that HMPA continues to serve the HMS postdoc community. Despite the current challenging circumstances, we want to ensure that postdocs feel welcome and included, and have the resources they need to thrive personally and professionally during their time at HMS."

 

HMPA Vice-Chair of Communications: Daisy Y. Shu

Postdoctoral Fellow, Schepens Eye Research Institute, Mass Eye and Ear, Harvard Medical School

"I'm excited to serve as the new Vice-Chair of Communications following on from the great work of the former Vice-Chair, Rohan Singh. This year, I will be further developing our growing social media platforms (Twitter, Instagram and Facebook) and working with HMPA to increase engagement online and give an online voice to our HMS postdoc community."

 

HMPA Vice-Chair of Liaisons: Konstantina Sampani

Affiliations: Beetham Eye Institute of Joslin Diabetes Center, Harvard Medical School

"I am thrilled to serve as the Vice-Chair of liaisons for HMS, HSDM and affiliated hospitals! My goal is to become one of the strong connective bonds among the post-docs and spread the word of our achievements around the community. Being a great proponent of team spirit, I strongly believe together we can (and we will!) face the unprecedented challenges of the coming year."

 

HMPA Secretary and Advocacy Committee Member: Chhavi Saini

Institutional affiliation: Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Harvard Medical School

Current program of study: Kpro/Glaucoma Research Fellow

"As a fellow post doc and the secretary of the HMPA, I am thrilled to contribute to this vibrant and diverse group. I look forward to help build a sense of community and strengthen our bonds over this coming year and enrich our experiences as post docs. My research centers on glaucoma in corneal transplant patients, particularly in artificial cornea(keratoprosthesis) patients. When not at the hospital, you can find me painting, watching Naruto, playing my violin (mandatory quarantine hobby) and drinking bubble tea."

 

 

 

HMPA Treasurer: Michal Skowyra

Department of Cell Biology

"As treasurer of the HMPA, I will strive to ensure that we are able to host many exciting, educational, and entertaining events throughout the year."

 

 

HMPA Outreach Committee Chair: Lisa Kozicky

Postdoctoral Fellow at Brigham & Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School

"I am excited to serve as the Chair of the Outreach Committee for 2020/2021! The committee and I hope to continue to connect postdocs in these challenging times and promote mentorship with undergraduates from nearby universities."

 

HMPA Advocacy Committee Chair: Emily Moore (Third year member)

Affiliation: Harvard School of Dental Medicine

Program: Developmental Biology

"I’ve always been passionate about helping people of all walks of life succeed in their personal and professional lives. I’m really excited to see what our diverse, empathetic, and enthusiastic committee can accomplish this year! In addition to my research, I love watching and playing sports, cooking, traveling, and listening to true crime podcasts."

 

HMPA Advocacy Committee Member: Davide Valeriani (Second year member)

Affiliation: Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Harvard Medical School

Program: Dystonia and Speech Motor Control Laboratory

"I enjoy cooking (I am Italian, what would you expect?), playing (badly, so far) guitar, and advocating for postdocs!"

 

HMPA Advocacy Committee Member: Esra Yalcin (Former Chair and Third year member)

Affiliation: Boston Children’s Hospital, HMS

"I spend my free time exploring recipes for my sourdough yeast and vegetable gardening: my two favorite vegetables to grow are spinach and broccoli."

 

HMPA Advocacy Committee Member: Lawson Ung (New Member)

Affiliation: Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Harvard Chan School of Public Health

Program: Epidemiology

"I like to wind down after a long day by playing Bach on my wonderful cello!"

 

HMPA Advocacy Committee Member: Mayank Chugh (New Member)

Affiliation: Harvard Medical School

Program: Systems Biology

"Outside the lab, I spend most of my time baking pastries and cakes, cooking, reading fiction for Harvard Review, hiking, running, and exploring restaurants and pubs in Boston."

 

HMPA Advocacy Committee Member: Saffron Homayoun Mirza (New Member)

Affiliation: Massachusetts General Brigham, Harvard Medical School

Program: Pediatric Neuropsychiatry

"Outside of work I love to get out into nature as much as possible- hiking, outdoor swimming, snowboarding. I’m also a great fan of the arts and (used to) visit museums and attend music gigs and film screenings as much as I could!"

 

 

HMPA "Intercommittee" Member: Dora Correia (New Member)

Affiliation: Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School

Program: Radiation Oncology, Pediatric Proton Therapy

"I am delighted to join such a diverse and motivated group and looking forward to helping the HMS Postdoc community thrive. Especially in difficult times, it is crucial to work together for the common good.”

 

HMPA Professional Development Chair: Michael Schappe

"I am proud to serve as Chair of Professional Development Committee. We're excited to connect postdocs with opportunities to gain and improve their professional skills. This year, we will be focused on how to maximize your communication in virtual settings and prepare for career opportunities during these exceptional times."

 

 

HMPA Entrepreneurship Committee Chair: Vaskar Gnyawali

Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University

"I am interested in learning and leading. Now, it's time to learn different things, in different ways, than I am used to."

 

HMPA Entrepreneurship Committee Member: Wardiya Afshar Saber

Boston Children's Hospital, Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School.

"I am excited to work with my colleagues to ensure that the HMS postdoc community has access to the resources they need to build their skills and explore entrepreneurship."

 

HMPA Entrepreneurship Committee Member: Alen Juginović

Harvard Medical School

HMPA Entrepreneurship Committee Member: Sukanya Punthambaker

HMS and Wyss Institute

"I'm excited to network with fellow postdoc members and make entrepreneurship resources and opportunities available to the community."