Quarterly Learning & Development
The L&D Quarterly showcases the vibrant learning and development community at Sanford Burnham Prebys by highlighting major events and Institute-wide professional development for all employees, student and postdoc accomplishments, and programs that support the next generation of biomedical scientists Published each quarter, this newsletter keeps our community and stakeholders connected to the impactful work happening across the Institute's education and training initiatives.
In this Issue
Inaugural Postdoc Pitch Competition
GSBS Annual Holiday Luncheon
Women in Science Series
STEM Shadow Day
Advancing Inclusive Excellence at ABRCMS & SACNAS
Interview with LEAP Trainee Mahek Shaw
National Recognition for NPA Celebration
Thesis Defenses
Graduate Student & Postdoc Highlights
Upcoming Events & Workshops
Graduate Student & Postdoc Counts
Torrey Pines Mesa Institutions Launch Inaugural Postdoc Pitch Competition
Four leading biomedical research institutions on the Torrey Pines Mesa collaborated in 2025 to create the first Postdoc Pitch Competition, modeled after the successful 3-Minute Thesis (3MT) competition for graduate students.
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Finalists from each of the Institutions
Left to right: Aalok Varma, PhD; Alexandra Houser, PhD; Chloe Erikson, PhD; Irene Lopez Gutierrez, PhD; Jazmin Revanna, PhD; Jessica Proulx, PhD; Natasha Anita, PhD; Susanna Manenti, PhD
Sanford Burnham Prebys, the Salk Institute, Scripps Research, and UC San Diego developed the competition to spotlight innovative research conducted on the Mesa while providing postdoctoral researchers an opportunity to enhance their science communication skills for general audiences
Postdocs competed at their respective institutions, (Sanford Burnham Prebys top finalists pictured right), with the top two finalists from each advancing to a Mesa-wide final round
GSBS Annual Holiday Luncheon
By: Megan Elyamani
In December, the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences (GSBS) celebrated the holiday season with its Annual Holiday Luncheon, held at BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse in La Jolla. The event was attended by graduate students, administrators, and Deans. Attendees enjoyed a lunch buffet followed by a lively white elephant gift exchange among the students
Sanford Burnham Prebys was represented in the final round by Dr. Alexandra Houser from Dr. Shengjie Feng’s lab and Dr. Jessica Proulx from Dr. Peter Adams’ lab. Congratulations to Dr. Houser who earned third place in the inaugural competition!
Read more here or watch the finals here: 2025 Mesa-wide Postdoc Pitch Competition
Lab mates in the audience cheering on their postdoc in the the Mesa-wide final round competition
Left to right: Alexandra Houser, PhD, Jessica Proulx PhD, & James Marchant, PhD
Women in Science Series
By: Lauren Mitchell, MS
In October, the Institute kicked off its brand-new Women in Science Lecture Series with an inspiring event that had the whole auditorium buzzing. The first speaker was Susan Tousi, MBA—currently CEO of DELFI Diagnostics and formerly a senior leader at Illumina—who brought a wealth of experience from her time at companies like Kodak and Hewlett-Packard Susan shared her journey from engineering to executive leadership and gave us a peek into the future of cancer detection At DELFI, she’s leading efforts to develop a simple blood test for early lung cancer detection using next-generation sequencing and AI technology that could truly change lives.
After her talk, Susan was joined by Brooke Emerling, PhD, associate professor and director of the Cancer Metabolism and Microenvironment Program, for a fireside chat moderated by assistant professor, Kevin Tharp, PhD. The conversation was candid and engaging, touching on everything from navigating gender expectations in science to the emotional challenges linked to researching women’s health. Susan also shared her optimism about the convergence of genomics, multiomics, and AI, predicting a future where early detection and precision medicine become the norm
The inaugural event wasn’t just a lecture, it was a celebration of leadership, innovation, and inclusion. It set the tone for what promises to be an exciting series, amplifying the voices of women at the forefront of biomedical innovation and fostering a supportive ecosystem that inspires and equips future generations.
Brooke Emerling, PhD (left) & Susan Tousi, MBA (right) during the fireside chat
Attendees enjoying lunch and mingling after the talk and fireside chat
STEM Shadow Day 2025
By: Lauren Mitchell, MS
On November 20, 2025, the Institute hosted 15 college students (pictured above) for STEM Shadow Day, an annual event that gives students across San Diego County an opportunity to experience the real world of working in a research environment and to see first-hand how their classroom skills relate to the workplace STEM Shadow Day is organized by the MESA program, a state-wide academic enrichment program that broadens participation for students historically underrepresented in STEM.
The day began with a welcome breakfast and opening remarks by Eric Wang, PhD, Assistant Professor in the Center for Therapeutics Discovery and Faculty Chair of the Institute’s Education & Training Committee, whose membership organized the event. Students were then given tours and hands-on demonstrations in the Cryo-EM and Cell Imaging core facilities, and the Kumsta and Sheffler labs. In the afternoon, students from the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and postdoctoral researchers gave poster presentations (pictured above)and a panel discussion on the importance of undergraduate research experiences and how to initiate contact with a prospective lab
Feedback from the students lauded the Institute’s research facilities and programs, but many were especially struck by the positive culture demonstrated by our researchers, with one student putting it very succinctly: “I enjoyed the uplifting and welcoming community they provided Everyone was excited about their research and making the change they want to see ”
Advancing Inclusive Excellence: Learning & Development at ABRCMS and SACNAS
By: Lauren Mitchell, MS
The Learning & Development Team recently connected with emerging scientists at two national conferences to strengthen our efforts to recruit exceptional graduate students and postdocs into our research programs: the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minoritized Scientists (ABRCMS), organized by the American Society for Microbiology (ASM); and the National Diversity in STEM (NDiSTEM) Conference, organized by the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) By engaging in these events, we continue to expand national awareness of our distinctive training model, advance our commitment to closing educational attainment gaps in the biomedical sciences, and foster a community that attracts and supports scholars from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences.
Each conference also represented an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of current trainees. Aashna Lamba (pictured left), a CIRM Fellow and graduate student in the lab of Dr. Alexandre Colas, received a travel award to present her research at the SACNAS NDiSTEM Conference and serve as a mentor judge for undergraduate poster presentations.
Shortly thereafter, Mahek Shah, a postbaccalaureate trainee in the lab of Dr
Charles Spruck, attended ABRCMS in San Antonio, Texas to present research that she has conducted over the last year in the Lab Experience as Pathway to Graduate School (LEAP to Grad School) Program. On the following page, readers can get to know Mahek more through an interview highlighting her experiences in the LEAP to Grad School Program, her research journey, and her future aspirations.
Interview with LEAP Trainee Mahek Shah
By: Sara Sandoval, MS
What are you currently working on in the lab?
What inspired your interest in cancer biology?
Throughout college, I realized that I enjoyed research, especially wet lab experiments However, I didn’t realize I was interested in cancer research until I joined LEAP and had an opportunity to be immersed in it. The opportunity to conduct translational research to find therapies for a disease that has impacted everyone’s lives is what helped me realize that I am interested in cancer biology.
I am currently working on my project of identifying novel inducers or targets that can activate viral mimicry, specifically in breast cancer cells.
Shah presenting at ABRCMS 2025 in San Antonio, Texas
What motivated you to attend ABRCMS?
I had some experience presenting my research at Sanford Burnham Prebys events and wanted to build on this by communicating my results to a new audience. I chose ABRCMS specifically because it is a training conference geared towards preparing undergraduate and postbaccalaureate students for graduate school. Therefore, the different sessions discussing topics such as mentorship and scientific communication, were great motivators for attending ABRCMS.
Mahek
What was it like presenting your work at a national conference like ABRCMS?
What advice would you give to other students considering attending or presenting at a national conference?
It was initially nerve-wracking, but then just very exciting Realizing that there were researchers, both domestic and international, who were interested in learning more about my research was exhilarating. It was also an amazing opportunity to reinforce everything I know about my research by answering great, insightful questions from my judges.
Oftentimes, conference presentations are only a fifteen-minute to hour-long time commitment, out of a multi-day conference Therefore, there are so many opportunities to connect with peers and faculty, learn about research conducted across the country, and attend seminars on how to become a better scientist, researcher, thinker, collaborator, etc. Therefore, I would encourage other students to set concrete goals for what they would like to take away from the conference and plan their agenda accordingly If nothing else, attend with an open mind and willingness to talk– you never know what you’ll find out!
National Recognition for NPAW Celebration
Sanford Burnham Prebys was featured in the NPA POSTDOCket for hosting one of the country’s standout National Postdoc Appreciation Week (NPAW) celebrations. The POSTDOCket is a publication of the National Postdoctoral Association (NPA) that highlights news, best practices, and success stories from postdoctoral communities nationwide The article features a photo from the ice cream social hosted by the Sanford Burnham Prebys Science Network (SBP-SN) following our Annual Biomedical Research Symposium in September, highlighting the strength and vibrancy of our postdoc community
This recognition reflects the collective efforts of the Office of Learning and Development, SBP-SN, and the Institute to enhance our postdoc training environment and foster meaningful community connections. We are proud to see this work recognized at the national level and to continue celebrating our postdocs
Congratulations to Dr. Sviatlana Zaretski!
Dr Sviatlana Zaretski successfully defended her thesis on November 17, 2025.
Dr Zaretski conducted her thesis research “Investigating novel roles of extracellular cytoplasmic chromatin fragments in secretion and intercellular signaling in cellular senescence,” under the co-mentorship of Drs Peter Adams and Malene Hansen
Congratulations to Dr. Cedomir Stamenkovic!
Dr Cedomir Stamenkovic successfully defended his thesis on November 20, 2025.
Dr Stamenkovic conducted his thesis research “Pro-Regenerative Role of Senescent-Like Muscle Stem Cells during Skeletal Muscle Repair,” under the mentorship of Dr. Alessandra Sacco.
Congratulations to Dr. Adarsh Rajesh!
Dr. Adarsh Rajesh successfully defended his thesis on November 25, 2025
Dr. Rajesh conducted his thesis research “Targeting a NonCanonical Cyclin D1-CDK6 Pathway to Mitigate Senescence-Driven Inflammation and Age-Associated Functional Decline,” under the mentorship of Dr. Peter Adams.
Congratulations to Dr. Ximena Diaz Olea!
Dr. Ximena Diaz Olea successfully defended her thesis on December 12, 2025.
Dr Diaz Olea conducted her thesis research “Tryptophan degradation by intestinal Bacteroides induces anti-tumor immunity and limits melanoma growth,” under the mentorship of Dr Ze’ev Ronai
Recent Graduate Student & Postdoc Accomplishments
Texia Loh, a graduate student in the Eric Wang lab, was awarded with a fellowship from the PhRMA Foundation, a nonprofit that provides grants and fellowships to early career researchers, 2025 Predoctoral Fellowships in Drug Discovery.
October Cancer Center Trainee Travel Awardees
These awards provide up to $1,000 to support trainees presenting their research at cancer-related scientific conferences.
Evelyn Sanchez Hernandez, PhD Postdoc; Bradley Lab
Conference: Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) 40th Anniversary Annual Meeting (National Harbor, MD)
Poster Title: “Disabling PSGL-1 abrogates immune suppression and resistance to PD-1 blockade in pancreatic cancer”
Marcos Garcia Teneche Graduate Student; Adams Lab
Conference: 67th American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting and Exposition (Orlando, FL)
Oral Presentation Title: “Restoring T-Cell Homeostasis to Limit Agedependent Leukemia Progression”
Theo Tzaridis, MD Postdoc; Adams Lab
Conference: 2025 World Federation of NeuroOncology Societies (WFNOS) and the Society for NeuroOncology (SNO) Annual Meeting (Honolulu, HI)
Poster Presentation Titles: “CD155 regulates tumor growth and immune evasion in diffuse midline glioma” and “ONC206 inhibits tumor growth and is a potential novel therapeutic strategy for refractory medulloblastoma”
Upcoming Workshops & Events
Upcoming Workshops & Events
Upcoming Workshops & Events
Graduate Student & Postdoc Counts
Learning & Development Team
Diane Klotz, PhD Chief Learning Officer Associate Dean, Administration & Professional Development
Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences (GSBS)
Angelica Rocha, PhD Director, Graduate School Administration & Institutional Research
Sara Sandoval, MS Recruitment, Admissions, and PhD Pathways Programs Manager
Nicole Villa, MA Program Coordinator, OLAD Office of Learning and Development (OLAD)
Nisha Cavanaugh, PhD Associate Director, Career Development & Postdoctoral Programs
Workforce Engagement & Belonging (WEB)
Lauren Mitchell, MS Director, WEB
Megan Elyamani Academic Programs Specialist & Registrar
Alessandra Sacco, PhD Dean, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
Linda Bradley, PhD Faculty Advisor, Postdoctoral Training Leadership Support
