EDUCATION

Post Doctorate (PhD) in Pathology Molecular Medicine, University of Washington — Seattle, January 2018

Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Molecular Biology, University of California — San Diego, January 2011

EXPERIENCE

Oncology Medical Science Liaison, Natera Inc., — San Carlos, CA                                                             January 2021 – March 2023

As a GI, early detection, and portfolio MSL, managed internal, regional, and international relationships to expand critical research with and clinical adoption of Natera's suite of oncology diagnostic assays.

·       Educated and developed constructive, long-term relationships with clinicians including key opinion leaders, community health care providers, and researchers to increase awareness and adoption of the Signatera, Altera, and Empower platforms; augmented positive organizational and public profile for new and existing contacts.

·       Supported Signatera and Altera users through clinical case review, technical assistance, and data analysis; drove successful development of an early detection assay via relationship building and collection of technical and competitive intel.

·       Participated in a cross-departmental, interdisciplinary internship with the early detection product development team gaining experience with market research and assay development; clearly conveyed messaging on key missives and important updates across team, departmental, business, organizational, and geographic lines to refine procedure.

·       Provided cutting-edge education and training in molecular biology, next generation sequencing, and Natera technology and data to internal partners including members of medical affairs, marketing, and sales via regional and company-wide presentations and workshops; was instrumental to skills development and work execution.

·       Generated, contracted, and managed first-rate investigator-initiated trials across tumor types including Merkel cell carcinoma, head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, various gastrointestinal malignancies, and others.

·       Developed and curated a personnel and file management system for domestic and international conference coverage to facilitate a growing team and expanding repertoire of histologies of interest.

·       Created and managed internal and external slide decks for newly released Signatera data and served as a peer mentor to three colleagues on the GI team preparing them for a final training presentation and field duties; fostered skills, competence, morale and retention of talent pool to bolster service delivery and performance excellence. Participated in the Rise Up Leadership conference to continue to develop professional leadership skills.

Postdoctoral Scholar, Paul Spellman Lab & Cancer Early Detection Advanced Research (Cedar) Group, Knight Cancer Institute

Oregon Health, & Science University (OHSU) — Portland, OR                                                                   January 2019 – January 2021

Spearheaded and led projects focused on the development and utilization of sequencing technology for the early detection of cancer and contributed to internal and external science communication initiatives. Managed a small team of 3 people, including biologists and engineers with a budget of $5000 working to study mitochondrial DNA dynamics and detection in patient plasma.

·       Performed sophisticated research in early cancer detection as part of the Cancer Early Detection Advanced Research (CEDAR) group, including leading a multidisciplinary team with a budget over $125k to use error-corrected next generation sequencing to analyze circulating tumor DNA release in the blood of non-small cell lung cancer patients following stereotactic body radiation therapy, ultimately leading to the preparation of a scientific manuscript.

·       Attended the 2019 Early Detection Summer School at Cambridge University to learn about the scientific, clinical, and policy challenges associated with developing and validating cancer screening technologies and interventions, as well as to build relationships with colleagues abroad through the Alliance for Early Cancer Detection (ACED).

·       Participated in world class CIMER Mentoring Up Academy to develop skills in mentorship and communication; taught science communication skills to 10 colleagues of all levels to establish the CEDAR Speaker Bureau whose goal was to better share the story of early detection with diverse audiences.

·       Learned how to establish relationships within the CEDAR community and with the external Portland and Oregon Communities as a member of the health disparities interest group and the social engagement committee.

·       Volunteered with the Knight Cancer Institute communications team to develop skills in scientific writing and to train colleagues across the institute in public speaking for the Knight School public seminar series.

Graduate Student, Rosana Risques Lab, University of Washington — Seattle, WA                          March 2015 – December 2018

Worked to characterize mitochondrial DNA mutations in colorectal cancer progression in the context of ulcerative colitis; analyzed TP53 mutations in the context of high-grade serous ovarian cancer for early detection.

·       Performed meaningful research in early cancer detection as a member of the Molecular Medicine and Mechanisms (M3D) Program, working to characterize mitochondrial DNA mutations in ulcerative colitis-associated colorectal cancer progression and TP53 mutations in the context of high-grade serous ovarian cancer via an ultra-sensitive next-generation sequencing technology called duplex sequencing; this work preceded and ultimately lead to the publication of a review and a research article as well as presentations at local and national meetings.

·       Gained skills in teaching and management as teaching assistant for upper division biochemistry student, mentor for a high school and undergraduate student managing the Risques lab. Created and chaired the Pathology Graduate Student Association which provided opportunities for student involvement in departmental functions and for professional development as well as fostering the graduate student community.

·       Attended Summer Institute in Statistical Genetics taking courses in probability and statistical inference, R programming, and regression methods. Completed course in Advanced Technical Communication in Public Health designed to train graduate students in written, visual, and oral communication of public health subjects to both technical and public audiences.

Research Assistant I, Scott Lesley Lab, The Scripps Research Institute — San Diego, CA                              April 2013 – July 2014

Excelled as part of Joint Center for Structural Genomics; contributed to crystallization trials designed to elucidate protein structures by conducting small-scale protein expression and purification in prep. for large-scale expression for JCSG pipeline.

·       Gained experience in multi-center collaboration through work shared between TSRI, The Genomics Institute of the Novartis Foundation, and several major universities on a variety of targets including stem cell transcription factors and nuclear hormone receptor ligand and DNA binding domains.

Research Associate I, Roka Bioscience — San Diego, CA                                                                               January 2012 – April 2013

Thrived as member of the Microbiology Department and E. Coli team, worked to develop a molecular detection assay for E. Coli O157 and Big Six STEC strains for use on the Roka instrument, Atlas.

·       Developed skills in microbiology by culturing pathogenic bacteria in various food matrices, managing a digital database of bacterial strains and conducting strain and oligo screening.

·       Served as a member of the molecular biology team by performing PCR, qPCR, transcription mediated amplification, immunomagnetic bead separation, and DNA and RNA extraction on foodborne E. Coli.