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Celebrating Diversity and Supporting Inclusive Environments: Why is it Important?
Thursday, June 24, 2021, 12:00 PM - 1:30 PM EDT
Category: Events

Just as a complete immune response relies on a diversity of leukocytes, it’s important that leukocyte biologists are diverse too! Join the SLB Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee for a discussion of identifying and dealing with barriers to success in science due to things like imposter syndrome and microagressions - and why it’s important to support a diverse and inclusive environment.

Register for SLB 2021 to join...

Featured panelists include....

Ernesto Leon is a 4th-year graduate student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His research focuses on the genetic modification of T cells to redirect them to tumors and render them resistant to tumor-associated inhibitory mechanisms. In addition to his research at UNC, he plays an active role in promoting an inclusive training environment for URM students. Ernesto was one of two graduate students that served on the board of directors for the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science and has also been involved with the SACNAS chapter at UNC serving as president, vice president, and currently as treasurer. During his spare time, he enjoys hiking, going to the lake with his dog, and exploring new places. 

 

Alexis S Mobley is a doctoral candidate in the Neuroscience and Immunology programs at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. She is a researcher in the Department of Neurology at McGovern Medical School under the mentorship of Jaroslaw “Jarek” Aronowski, Ph.D. and Louise D McCullough, MD, Ph.D. Alexis received her Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry at Angelo State University where she worked with TP53 mRNA in bats and other mammalian species, discovering a 23 nucleotide insert unique to small bats. She then completed a Master’s degree in Biotechnology at Texas Tech Health Sciences Center – Abilene, working on T-cell receptor-like antibody conjugates and elucidating antibody promiscuity by developing labeled and unlabeled screening platforms. Alexis’s current work focuses on the communication between microglia and innate lymphoid cells in rodent brains that are affected by aging and sex differences. She was recently awarded the Ruth L Kirschstein NRSA Fellowship to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research through the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) and is a co-founder of BlackInImmuno week. Alexis enjoys mentoring students, working on effective scientific communication, and advocating for underrepresented groups. Outside of the lab, she serves on the Board of Directors and sings for International Voices Houston, a non-profit organization that uses choral singing to “create global harmony by celebrating and giving voice to human difference.”