Current position: Postdoctoral fellowship, Lab of Dr. Anil Rustgi, Columbia University, Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center

PhD thesis title: Targeting Metabolic Vulnerabilities in Breast Cancer Brain Metastatic Cells

• Received the 2025 Amedeo Bondi, PhD, Endowed Graduate Award for excellence in research performance during the training experience
• Received the 2024-2025 Jane Clifford, PhD, Award for Outstanding PhD Dissertation in Biochemistry, Drexel University College of Medicine
• Received the Research Excellence Award- Expanding the Impact of Research, Graduate College, Drexel University, May 2024
• Selected for short talk at 2024 Drexel University Emerging Graduate Scholars Conference
• Received First Place for Outstanding Graduate Student Short Talk presentation at the 2023 Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center Trainee Retreat, at Thomas Jefferson University
• Received First Place for Outstanding Graduate Student Poster presentation at the 2022 Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center Trainee Retreat, at Thomas Jefferson University
• Awarded NIH NCI Pre-Doctoral Minority Supplemental Fellowship (6/22-5/25)
• Received 2021 Excellence in Research Thesis Master’s Award, DUCOM
• Received the 2021 Jane Clifford, PhD, Best Master’s Thesis Award DUCOM
• Awarded Third Place for Outstanding Junior Graduate Student Poster presentation at Discovery Day 2020: Drexel University College of Medicine

Current position: Postdoctoral fellowship, Lab of Dr. Reshma Taneja, National University of Singapore, Singapore

• Received the 2024 Amedeo Bondi, PhD, Endowed Graduate Award for excellence in research performance during the training experience
• Selected for short talk at 2022 Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center Trainee Retreat, at Thomas Jefferson University
• Awarded 2022 Dean’s Fellowship for Excellence in Collaborative or Themed Research, Drexel University College of Medicine
• Awarded Honorable Mention for Outstanding Senior Graduate Student Poster presentation at Discovery Day 2020: Drexel University College of Medicine

Current position: Postdoctoral fellowship, Lab of Dr. Fernanda Herrera, Lausanne University, Ludwig Cancer Center, Lausanne, Switzerland

• Received the 2022-2023 Jane Clifford, PhD, Award for Outstanding PhD Dissertation in Biochemistry, Drexel University College of Medicine
• Selected for short talk at the 2021 AACR Annual Meeting Minisymposium on Metabolic Pathways in Cancer
• Received the 2022 Research Excellence for Original & Creative Work Award, DUCOM
• Received the 2022 Graduate College Research Excellence Award for Most Original & Creative Work, Drexel University
• Selected for short talk at 2020 Drexel University Emerging Graduate Scholars Conference to present her thesis research.
• Received a 2020 Biomedical Sciences Graduate Student Association Travel Award from Drexel University.
• Selected platform presentation speaker, Discovery Day 2020, Drexel University College of Medicine.
• Received the 2019-2020 Dean’s Fellowship for Excellence in Collaborative or Themed Research, Drexel University College of Medicine, for her work titled “Targeting CDK5/ACSS2 Axis Using Novel Glioblastoma Ex Vivo Model.”
• Was chosen for a short talk at the September 2019 Biology of Cancer: Microenvironment & Metastasis Conference in Cold Spring Harbor, New York, to present part of her thesis research "O-GlcNAc Transferase Regulates Glioblastoma Acetate Metabolism via Regulation of CDK5-dependent ACSS2 phosphorylation.”
• Received third prize for Best Senior Graduate Student Poster presentation at Drexel's 2018 Discovery Day. Lorela’s poster was entitled “The essential role of O-GlcNAc transferase in intestinal homeostasis.”

Current position: Assistant Professor (tenure-track), Department of Pharmacology, University of Maryland School of Medicine

Thesis title: O-GlcNAcylation: Linking Metabolic Reprogramming to Cancer Cell Survival, Invasion and Metastasis

• Awarded NIH NCI Pre-doctoral Minority Supplemental Fellowship (8/12-7/15, $65,000)
• Received first prize, Outstanding Senior Graduate Student Poster, Discovery Day 2012: Drexel University College of Medicine
• Awarded Keystone Symposia-NIGMS Ancillary Training Program travel scholarship to present her research at 2013 Keystone Symposia on Tumor Metabolism, Keystone, Colorado
• Received travel award and chosen for short talk platform presentation at 2013 Cancer Biology & Therapeutics meeting at Cold Spring Harbor Labs, Cold Spring Harbor, New York
• Received NIH-National Cancer Institute NRSA (F31) Predoctoral Fellowship Award: 10/13-09/15 ($125,079)
• Selected platform presentation speaker, Discovery Day 2013: Drexel University College of Medicine
• Received travel award and chosen for short talk platform presentation at 2014 Mechanisms & Models of Cancer meeting at Cold Spring Harbor Labs, Cold Spring Harbor, New York
• Received Bondi Fellowship Award for excellence in research at Discovery Day 2014, Drexel University College of Medicine
• Awarded Keystone Symposia-NIGMS Ancillary Training Program travel scholarship and chosen for short talk platform presentation at 2015 Keystone Symposia on Biology of Sirtuins, Santa Fe, New Mexico
• Awarded AACR Scholar-in-Training Award to attend and present her work at 2015 AACR Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Received the 2016 Amedeo Bondi, PhD, Endowed Graduate Award for excellence in research performance during the training experience. This is the highest recognition given to PhD students in Biomedical Graduate Studies Programs

Current position: Assistant Professor (tenure-track), Department of Cancer & Cellular Biolgy, Fels Cancer Institute for Personalized Medicine, Temple University Lewis Katz School of Medicine

Thesis title: The Role of Hypoxia in Mediating Resistance to Breast Cancer Therapy

• Received third prize, Outstanding Senior Graduate Student Poster, Discovery Day 2012, Drexel University College of Medicine
• Selected for short talk platform presentation at 2013 Third AACR International Conference on Frontiers in Basic Cancer Research in National Harbor, Maryland
• Awarded Graduate Student Travel Award to present his research at 2014 AACR Annual Meeting, San Diego, California
• Awarded Graduate Student Travel Award ($2,000) for thesis project
• Received second prize, Best Graduate Student Poster, 2014 Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center Consortium, Thomas Jefferson University
• Selected platform presentation speaker, Discovery Day 2014, Drexel University College of Medicine

Current position: Research Network Manager for BC MS Cell Therapies Translational Research Network, The University of British Columbia

Thesis title: The role of O-GlcNAc transferase and O-GlcNAcylation in regulation of breast cancer stemness and tumor initiation

• Awarded DUCOM GSA Student Travel Award to present her research at 2016 Keystone Symposium: Stem Cells and Cancer, Breckenridge, Colorado
• Selected Oral Presentation, Emerging Graduate Scholars Conference, Drexel University, April 2017
• Was chosen for a short talk at the October 2017 Biology of Cancer: Microenvironment & Metastasis Conference in Cold Spring Harbor, NY, to present her thesis research "O-GlcNAc transferase regulates breast cancer tumor-initiating cells."
• Chosen for a short talk at the September 2018 Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center at Thomas Jefferson University Educational Retreat to present her thesis research, "O-GlcNAc transferase regulates breast cancer tumor-initiating cells."
• Received first prize for Best Poster at the Sydney Kimmel Cancer Center Breast Cancer Symposium in November 2018. Neha’s poster was entitled "O-GlcNAc transferase regulates breast cancer tumor-initiating cells."

Current position: Research Assistant Professor, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee

Postdoctoral fellowship: laboratory of Dr. Jeffrey Rathmell, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee

Thesis title: Role of O-GlcNAc transferase in glioblastoma growth and acetate metabolism and in tissue homeostasis

• Received 2nd Prize, Best Platform Presentation Speaker, Discovery Day 2017: Drexel University College of Medicine
• Awarded Dean's Graduate Student Travel Award and chosen for short talk platform presentation to present his research at 2016 Keystone Symposium: New Frontiers in Understanding Tumor Metabolism in Banff, Alberta, Canada
• Awarded DUCOM PhD Biomedical Sciences GSA Fellowship Award ($2,000) for thesis project
• Awarded International Travel Award from the Office of Global Engagement and Education Abroad at Drexel University to present his research at 2017 Keystone Symposium, Tumor Metabolism: Mechanisms and Targets, in Whistler, Canada
• Awarded 2017 Dean's Fellowship for Excellence in Collaborative or Themed Research ($3,000), Drexel University College of Medicine

Current position: Associate Editor, Communications Medicine

Postdoctoral fellowship: laboratory of Dr. Denise Connolly, associate professor, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Thesis title: Regulation of O-GlcNAc Transferase in breast cancer and its role in regulating lipid metabolism

• Selected platform presentation speaker, Discovery Day 2015, Drexel University College of Medicine
• Received NIH-National Cancer Institute NRSA (F31) Predoctoral Fellowship Award: 7/15-06/17 ($123,830)
• Awarded Dean's Graduate Student Travel Award to present her research at 2015 Biology of Cancer meeting at Cold Spring Harbor Labs, Cold Spring Harbor, New York
• Received third prize, Best Graduate Student Poster, 2014 Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center Consortium, Thomas Jefferson University
• Awarded Drexel University College of Medicine Graduate Student Student Travel Award to present her research at 2013 Keystone Symposia on Tumor Metabolism, Keystone, Colorado
• Received first prize, Outstanding Junior Graduate Student Poster, Discovery Day 2012, Drexel University College of Medicine

Current position: Manager, Field Applications Scientists, BioTek Instruments Inc.

Thesis title: Mechanisms Regulating Breast Cancer Invasion in Response to Ionizing Radiation

Co-mentor: Jane Clifford, PhD

• Selected platform presentation speaker, Discovery Day 2011, Drexel University College of Medicine
• Awarded Graduate Student Travel Award to present work at 2012 AACR Annual Meeting, Chicago

Postdoctoral position: National Cancer Institute postdoctoral fellow, laboratory of Jayne Stommel, PhD, Radiation Oncology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland

Current position: Field application scientist, BioTek Instruments Inc.

Thesis title: Role of O-GlcNAc Transferase in Cancer Cell Metastasis and Metabolism

• Selected Platform Presentation Speaker, Discovery Day 2010, Drexel University College of Medicine
• Chosen for platform presentation at 2011 The Biology of Cancer: Microenvironment, Metastasis & Therapeutics at Cold Spring Harbor Labs, Cold Spring Harbor, NY
• Awarded Keystone Symposia Future of Science Fund travel scholarship to present his research at 2012 Keystone Symposia on Cancer and Metabolism, Banff, Canada

Postdoctoral fellowship: NJ Commission on Cancer Research postdoctoral fellowship, laboratory of Dr. Estela Jacinto, associate professor, Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, The Cancer Institute of New Jersey, UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School

Current position: QS scientist at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

 

Alexander Chong, Summer 2024

• Received Medical Student Summer Research Fellowship, Drexel University College of Medicine, 2024

Jessie Huang, Summer 2023

• Received Medical Student Summer Research Fellowship, Drexel University College of Medicine, 2023

Traci King, Summer 2017

• Received Medical Student Summer Research Fellowship, Drexel University College of Medicine, 2017

Harun Thimmiah, Summer 2015

• Received Medical Student Summer Research Fellowship, Drexel University College of Medicine, 2015

John Falcone, Summer 2012

• Received 1st Prize, Outstanding Medical Student Poster, Medical Student Research Day 2013, Drexel University College of Medicine

Ashley S. Doane, Spring/Summer 2009

• Received Medical Student Summer Research Fellowship, Drexel University College of Medicine, 2009

2022

• Steve Rutledge (Molecular and Cell Biology and Genetics) Fall 2022
• Roshni Kadam (Molecular and Cell Biology and Genetics) Fall 2022
• Shabnam Pirestani (Cancer Biology) Spring 2022

2020

• Ryan Sharp (Biochemistry & Molecular Biology) Fall 2020
• Aaron Slifer (Cancer Biology) Fall 2020
• Anna Zhang (Pharmacology) Spring 2020
• Tejsi Dhameliya (Molecular and Cell Biology and Genetics) Winter 2020
• Emily Esquea (Molecular and Cell Biology and Genetics) Winter 2020

2018

• Ruth Seuker (Cancer Biology) Spring 2018
• Shivani Sheth (Cancer Biology) Fall 2018

2016

• Courtney Fesko (Biochemistry & Molecular Biology) Fall 2016
• Kiana Shahidi (Cancer Biology) Fall 2016
• Michael Smith (Biochemistry & Molecular Biology) Spring 2016
• Chaitali Bhadiadra (Molecular and Cell Biology and Genetics) Winter 2016
• Khin Zar Win Pyae (Molecular and Cell Biology and Genetics) Winter 2016

2014

• Tracey Yenilaitus (Biochemistry) Winter 2014
• Samuel Flashner (Cancer Biology) Winter 2014
• Tong Lu (Cancer Biology) Spring 2014
• Safoora Deihimi (Cancer Biology) Fall 2014

2012

• Suyash Bhatnagar (Molecular and Cell Biology and Genetics) Spring 2012
• Matthew Leberer (MMS Program) Fall-2012

2010

• Celal Emre Yetkin (Molecular and Cell Biology and Genetics) Fall 2010

2008

• Nada Abdel-Magid (Molecular and Cell Biology and Genetics) Winter 2008

2006

• Hsiang-Hwa (Shawn) Chen (IMS Program) Fall 2005-Spring 2006