Learning & Development Quarterly July - September 2026
About this Newsletter... 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.
In this Issue Introducing our 2026 Graduate Students Celebrating significant Institute milestones for National Postdoc Appreciation Week! In Case You Missed It: 50th Anniversary Employee Block Party
Inspiring the Next Generation: Preuss School Summer Internship Program Recent Graduate Student & Postdoc Accomplishments Thesis Defenses Graduate Student & Postdoc Counts
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Introducing our
Graduate Students By: Sara Sandoval, MS
We are excited to welcome our incoming class to the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences! They arrive with diverse academic experiences and a shared drive to understand the mechanisms of health and disease. As you see our newest graduate students on campus, we encourage you to say hello and help them feel at home at the Institute. We look forward to the questions they will ask, the discoveries they will make, and the many ways they will strengthen our scientific community!
Pictured from left: (1) Josue Navarrete, B.S., California State University San Marcos (Deshpande Lab); (2) Yuhan Lin, B.S., University of Waterloo (Boutros Lab); (3) Mel Luo, M.Eng., University of California, Berkeley (Boutros Lab); (4) Anamika Yadav, B.Tech., Maharaja Agrasen Institute of Technology (Sinha Lab); (5) Isabel Sakowicz, B.S., University of California, Riverside (Tharp Lab); (6) Allen Lee, B.S., University of California, San Diego (Tharp Lab); (7) Yang Qing, B.S., University of California, San Diego (Feng Lab); (8) Sanah Langer Sheregar, M.S., Northeastern University Boston (Sun Lab); (9) Michelle Brown, B.S., University of San Diego (Kumsta Lab); (10) Haley Ohlson, B.S., University of San Diego (Kersten Lab); (11) Ruomin Xin, B.S., University of California, San Diego (Tian Lab); (12) Zhaoyi Chen, B.S., University of Science and Technology of China (Zhang Lab); (13) Jessie Lee, M.Sc., University of Toronto (Vasciaveo Lab).
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Celebrating significant Institute milestones for National Postdoc Appreciation Week! By: Nisha Cavanaugh, PhD
This National Postdoc Appreciation Week, Sanford Burnham Prebys marked not one, but three remarkable milestones. Alongside celebrating 150 years of postdocs with the National Postdoctoral Association, the Institute honored 25 years of the Annual Biomedical Research Symposium – formerly the Postdoctoral Research Symposium – and the Institute’s 50th Anniversary, with special recognition of our current trainees and esteemed alumni! Held September 16 & 17, 2026, and co-hosted by the Office of Learning and Development and the SBP Science Network, the two-day Symposium showcased the depth and breadth of biomedical research at the Institute through oral talks, flash talks, and poster presentations from current postdoctoral researchers, graduate students, and Staff Scientists.
he s of t e e d Awar nual n A h 25t l edica Biom ch ar Rese um posi Sym
Michael Alcaraz (Adams Lab) Winner of Best Poster, Judges' Selection
Dominic Denk, MD (Karin Lab) Winner of Best Podium Talk, Judges’ Selection
Meenakshi Sudhakaran, PhD (Kersten Lab) Runner-Up for Best Podium Talk, Judges’ Selection & Winner of Best Podium Talk by Popular Vote
Kokila Shankar, PhD (Sheffler Lab) Runner-Up for Best Poster, Judges' Selection & Winner of Best Flash Talk by Popular Vote
Monica Nicolau (Puri Lab) Winner of Best Flash Talk by Popular Vote
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The celebration featured a keynote presentation from Sanford Burnham Prebys alumna Dr. Fiona Scott (Vice President, Lead Generation Biology at Neurocrine Biosciences), who shared her career journey from bench to biotech leadership.
Adding to the celebration, Dr. Lorenzo Puri was named the 2026 recipient of the Mentor of the Year for Postdoctoral Training award. Established in 2022, this honor recognizes faculty who excel at mentoring postdocs, celebrating the critical role effective mentorship plays in biomedical research and shaping the next generation of scientific leaders. September 16, 2026: 50th Anniversary Alumni Panel & Reception hosted by the Office of Learning and Development The program also highlighted an Alumni Panel moderated by alumna Dr. Caroline Kumsta (Sanford Burnham Prebys Assistant Professor and GSBS Associate Dean of Student Affairs), followed by a reception. The panel(including Drs. Jonatan Matalonga Borrel, Paloma Sánchez Pavón, Eric Lau, Miguel ReinaCampos, Eric Lau, and Michaela Romero) sparked an engaging conversation, underscoring the lasting impact of the Sanford Burnham Prebys training environment and the strength of the community it continues to build. Page 4
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Our alumni are not just former graduate students and postdocs, but proof that our community shapes and develops highly motivated and interconnected leaders across industry and academia. Their journeys did not simply end when moving on to new opportunities; no matter where their paths lead, they will always have a home at Sanford Burnham Prebys. Read more about the alumni panel here. Graduate Student and Postdoc alumni at the reception following panel.
September 17, 2026: Fishman Awards Ceremony hosted by Philanthropy Originally established in 2001, the Fishman Awards honor the Institute’s founders, Dr. William and Lillian Fishman. Four Career Development Awards each provide $10,000 to outstanding Sanford Burnham Prebys postdocs to support career development activities that help them reach their long-term research and career goals. Every other year, the Institute also awards the Fishman Fellowship to a postdoc based on their submitted fellowship research proposal. The fellowship provides up to two years of support at a salary above standard postdoctoral levels, an investment in future scientific leaders.
Pictured from left: Amador Gallardo de los Reyes, PhD, Jimmy Massenet, PhD, Lucia Alcober Boquet, PhD, Dominic Denk, MD, & Robert Wiesheu, PhD Continued to next page
Read more about the 2026 Fishman Awardees and ceremony here. Page 5
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September 16 & 17, 2026: 25th Annual Biomedical Research Symposium hosted by the Office of Learning and Development and the SBP Science Network
Symposium attendees during the lunch break.
Postdoc, Alejandro Lillo, PhD (Pasquale Lab), presenting his poster.
Audience members watching keynote and oral presentations.
Graduate Student, Carolina Cano Macip (Tian Lab), presenting her poster.
September 25, 2026: 7th Annual Postdoc Town Hall & Appreciation BBQ Lunch hosted by the Office of Learning and Development
Postdocs and faculty mentors enjoying lunch on Chairman’s Patio during the BBQ.
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In Case You Missed It: 50th Anniversary Employee Block Party By: Lauren Mitchell, MS
On Friday, July 10th we transformed our campus into a lively summer block party in honor of the Institute’s milestone anniversary. Organized by Workforce Engagement & Belonging (WEB), SBP-Science Network (SBP-SN), and the Human Resources Benefits team, the event was all about celebrating together, and we did, with over 350 attendees! Check out a few highlights below, including President & CEO, David A. Brenner, MD, enjoying the petting zoo alongside employees, family, and friends.
nd Deve Le a rn in g a
lo p m e n t T e
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Paca Allie & acas the Alp
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Inspiring the Next Generation: Preuss School Summer Internship Program By: Sara Sandoval, MS
Every summer an influx of high school interns join our campus, and this summer was no different. If you noticed some new faces exploring our campus and asking questions about fruit flies, you probably met our 2026 Preuss School summer interns. Located on the University of California San Diego campus in La Jolla, the Preuss School educates students striving to be first-generation college graduates. For three weeks, five Preuss high school students spent their summer break for hands-on biomedical science projects. Students investigated eye and gut tumor development and systemic effects on the model organism Drosophila melanogaster.
From left: *Alisha Kirkland, Fatim Avila, *Katya Marchetti, Hailey Villa, Derek Arista, Eliud Tapia, Zemeron Russom, *Daniel Rebibo, & *Joshua Minyard. (*Graduate Student Mentors)
The interns also gained a variety of technical skills including Drosophila behavioral assays, DNA extraction, bacterial assays, imaging and quantifying staining, drug screening, and analyzing data. The program ended with a research symposium where parents, teachers, and members of our scientific community were invited to hear what the interns worked on this summer.
This program would not be possible without co-leads Katya Marchetti (Ocorr Lab) and Joshua Minyard (Cosford Lab), who worked with the interns every day to build their Lab techniques and biology background and to prepare them for their final presentations. Interns also attended lunchtime talks with scientists at every career stage, from graduate students to core directors. Programs like this succeed because our trainees invest so much in mentoring the next generation. Thank you to Katya Marchetti, Joshua Minyard, Daniel Rebibo, and Alisha Kirkland for mentoring our interns; to Yoav Altman, Benji Portillo, Neha Niranjan, and Josue Navarrete for sharing how they found their way into science; and to Dr. Raghuveer Ramachandra and the Center for Therapeutics Discovery for an inside look at drug discovery. We’re also grateful to the Cancer Center for its continued support, and to Debby and Wain Fishburn, whose generosity makes this program possible. Page 8
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Recent Graduate Student Accomplishments Nahal Azimi, a graduate student in the Deshpande Lab, was awarded the 2026 Cancer Center CABTRAC Retreat Travel Award to represent Sanford Burnham Prebys at the 2026 Cancer Biology Training Consortium (CABTRAC) Annual Retreat, October 4–7 in Lexington, Kentucky.
Cheska Galapate, a graduate student in the Commisso Lab, was awarded an NIH F31 Graduate Training Fellowship to study the Role of P2X4 Receptors in Golgi pH Regulation in Pancreatic Cancer.
Katya Marchetti, a graduate student in the Ocorr Lab, was awarded an NIH F31 Graduate Training Fellowship to study the Identification and Characterization of the ETS Downstream Signaling Pathway in Cardiac Hypertrophy.
Laurence Haddadin, a graduate student in the Sun Lab, was named as an inaugural ARCS (Achievement Rewards for College Scientists) Foundation Scholar for the 2026-27 academic year supporting his research aims to find treatments for glioblastoma, one of the most aggressive and treatment-resistant primary tumors in adults.
Erik Hultenius, a graduate student in the Tian Lab, was named as an inaugural ARCS (Achievement Rewards for College Scientists) Foundation Scholar for the 2026-27 academic year supporting his research exploring cellular reprogramming of brain cells to counteract aging and age-related neurodegenerative diseases.
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Congratulations to Dr. Tatiana Moreno! Dr. Tatiana Moreno successfully defended her thesis on September 30, 2026. Dr. Moreno conducted her thesis research “Transcriptional Regulation and Functional Outcomes of Autophagy in Aging,” under the mentorship of Assistant Professor, Dr. Caroline Kumsta.
Graduate Student & Postdoc Counts POSTDOCS AS OF SEPTEMBER 30, 2026
GRADUATE STUDENTS AS OF SEPTEMBER 30, 2026
TOTAL POSTDOCS
52
TOTAL GRADUATE STUDENTS
67
Postdoc Associates Postdoc Fellows
42 10
GSBS Graduate Students External Graduate Students
59 8
LAST QUARTER NEW HIRES JULY - SEPTEMBER 2026 TOTAL
16
Postdocs GSBS Graduate Students External Graduate Students
2 13 1 Page 10
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Learning & Development Team
Diane Klotz, PhD
Annalisa Cracchiolo, MBA
Chief Learning Officer Accreditation Liaison Officer
Lead, Learning & Academic Support
Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences (GSBS) Angelica Rocha, PhD
Sara Sandoval, MS
Megan Elyamani
Director, Graduate School Administration & Institutional Research
Recruitment, Admissions, and PhD Pathways Programs Manager
Academic Programs Specialist & Registrar
Office of Learning and Development (OLAD) Nisha Cavanaugh, PhD
Nicole Villa, MA
Associate Director, Career Development & Postdoctoral Programs
Program Coordinator, OLAD
Workforce Engagement & Belonging (WEB)
Lauren Mitchell, MS Director, WEB Leadership Support
Alessandra Sacco, PhD
Linda Bradley, PhD
Dean, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
Faculty Advisor, Postdoctoral Training
Office of Learning and Development
Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
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