Congratulations to Tania Miramontes and Yessica Santana Agreda for their placement in the Scientist Mentoring & Diversity Program (SMDP) program.
SMDP is a year–long career mentoring program that ‘pairs ethnically diverse students and early career researchers with industry mentors who work at companies in the medical technology, biotechnology and consumer healthcare industries. With their mentors, Scholars attend a 5-day training session to learn about career opportunities in industry and receive career development coaching. They also attend a major industry conference.’
Tania is a 5th-year neuroscience Ph.D. candidate in Dr. Kelly Monk’s lab, investigating how cannabinoid receptor activation affects myelination development using the zebrafish animal model. Throughout her graduate education, Tania has immersed herself in her research, having presented at various conferences nationally and internationally. Tania is always eager to learn new skills and explore topics outside her research topic, having been accepted into prestigious training courses focused on microscopy and computational neural analysis. Furthermore, she has engaged in several collaborative projects in both her research and the broader OHSU community through her DEI work. She is now looking to bridge these experiences to transition into an industry role, with an interest in pursuing a career in pharmaceutical research and development or in consumer regulatory affairs.
Yessica is a 4th year neuroscience Ph.D. candidate in Dr. Kevin Wright's lab. Her research investigates the role of the transcription factor Islet-1 in the development of starburst amacrine cells in the retina, focusing on its effects on neuronal maturation and morphology. Post-Ph.D., she plans to pursue a career as a medical science liaison or join the innovation/commercialization branch of a biotech firm.
