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WISE brings together interdisciplinary teams of faculty and students at NYMC, Touro University (TU), and BioInc@NYMC to connect students, researchers, faculty, and biotech entrepreneurs on- and off-campus to work collaboratively creating synergy to lead to groundbreaking scientific projects. 

“Interventions that create a path for women in science to become business leaders are most effective when introduced early in their educational and professional careers, and this program robustly promotes this goal,” said Marina K. Holz, Ph.D., M.P.H. ’23, dean of NYMC’s Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences (GSBMS), professor of cell biology and anatomy, and interim chair of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, who serves as director of WISE.

Over the summer of 2023, WISE hosted a Summer Trainees in Academic Research (STAR) Program, welcoming six students from Touro University Lander College for Women to participate in a six-to-eight-week program conducting research under the mentorship of NYMC faculty. “The WISE-STAR program provides the initial exposure of future women in biomedical science to basic translational research opportunities during their undergraduate education. It aims to strengthen their continued passion in biomedical career and further incubate their future scientific entrepreneurship ambitions,” said Austin M. Guo, Ph.D., assistant professor of pharmacology, program director of GSBMS’ Interdisciplinary Biomedical Science Program, and director of the WISE-STAR Program.

Participants were selected for their strong undergraduate academics and desire for a future health care career. Leah Gutman, who is pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree and expects to graduate in 2025, investigated cancer dormancy in the laboratory of Julie Di Martino, Ph.D., assistant professor of cell biology and anatomy.

“The chance to participate in this program was a remarkable opportunity to see how discoveries in science come about. I learned about the tremendous amount of research, time, and effort that goes into a scientific discovery. In addition, I have a better understanding of tumor cells and will use that as a foundation for further analysis on this topic,” said Gutman who is currently studying for the MCAT and will be applying to medical school. “The WISE-STAR program allowed me to gain hands-on experience while developing lab skills. Learning new lab techniques and implementing them into the research process was invigorating.”

Another WISE-STAR participant was Rachel Kasztl, a biology major who will graduate in 2024 with the goal of attending graduate school and earning a Ph.D. She worked in the laboratory of Xiu-Min Li, M.D, M.S., professor of pathology, microbiology, and immunology and of otolaryngology, and was mentored by GSBMS students Daniel Kopulos, M.S. candidate; Fariba Ardalani, M.S., a Ph.D. candidate; and Ibrahim Musa, Ph.D. ’23, post-doctoral fellow.

Kasztl spent time in the lab learning skills and procedures and running assays, as well as reading scientific papers and literature. “I started an experiment in which I cultured U266 cells with Berberine and then ran an ELISA to determine IgA levels. That experiment is still underway and is just a step in a much larger research question, so there is no title yet,” said Kasztl. “I had experience with PCR, cultured mammalian cells, and related skills in my previous lab internships, but had never run an ELISA. I also wanted to be able to immerse myself in the scientific literature on a topic for which I did not have a background on to improve my scientific literacy skills.”

Kasztl is appreciative of her time at WISE and NYMC. “The Ph.D. and master’s students I worked with were passionate, focused, and incredibly knowledgeable. They were amazing teachers,” she said. “I fine-tuned my abilities to work under the hood and cell culture. These skills are incredibly important in any lab, so I will definitely use these skills in the future. I also learned research presentation skills and how to design an experiment. I will use these skills in my future lab experiences, but also to teach and explain science to others. Having a deep understanding of the experimental process and gaining the ability to present to various audiences with different backgrounds is a much-needed skill to promote scientific literacy.”

Kasztl also had the opportunity to attend the Ninth East-West Integrative Medical Symposium for Immunology and Wellness Clinical Practice, Science, and Technology hosted by NYMC in July 2023. It was the first scientific conference she attended, and she was quite impressed. “It was amazing to see how scientific dialogue works, see the innovative way the scientists applied their research in practical applications, and hear testimonies from patients who see direct benefits from the research being done. It was a wonderful experience and something I am truly grateful I got to participate.”

“The WISE-STAR Program was a huge success, and we are already looking to expand it for next summer,” said Dr. Holz.

WISE is also supporting Master of Science students in the GSBMS. Five WISE scholarships were awarded to students who show dedicated interest in women-centered entrepreneurship in the field of biomedical sciences: Sharine Adams, Fedan Avrumova, Anne Frances Garana, Kamya Shah, and Rachel Owusu-Takyi.