DEI News and Spotlights

Dr. Samantha Soldan, and infectious disease specialist and senior scientist in Wistar’s Lieberman lab, studies the connection between M.S. and Epstein Barr Virus (EBV). She is most intrigued with researching how the body responds to disease, including why sleeping viruses like EBV reactivate. But outside of her passion for science, she also has another love: spending time with her Corgis Xena and Thorin.

Congratulations to Maureen Murphy, Ph.D., Deputy Director of the Ellen and Ronald Caplan Cancer Center and Ira Brind Professor & Program Leader of the Molecular and Cellular Oncogenesis Program, who has been recognized by the Philadelphia Business Journal as a 2024 Woman of Influence. The distinction is given to women in the Greater Philadelphia region who are “often making the difficult look easy” while achieving their ambitious goals.

More than 200 people gathered in Wistar’s Sarah and Matthew Caplan Auditorium – with an additional 100+ people watching virtually — to recognize the 2023 Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine, Katalin Karikó, Ph.D. with the Wistar’s Helen Dean King Award. The award is bestowed each year in the memory of prominent geneticist and the Institute’s first female scientist, Dr. Helen Dean King.

Congratulations to The Wistar Institute’s General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, Gelvina Rodriguez Stevenson, JD, who has been recognized by the Hispanic National Bar Association as Latina Attorney of the Year. Ms. Stevenson is a champion for inclusivity in the legal profession and a leader in health law, teaching courses on drug and device development.

Dr. Gauri Mirji’s childhood curiosity may have led her toward a career as a doctor or engineer, but she opted to take a different path – one that is not terribly common in many Indian households: biomedical research. “What could be better than finding answers to the biggest health challenges facing people today?” Learn more about her work, and why Philadelphia holds a special place in her heart, in the latest edition of “We Are Wistar.”

Congratulations to the latest W-IDE Travel Award Winners! The Award, offered twice each year by The Wistar Institute Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity (W-IDE) Council, provides scholarships or travel assistance to trainees and junior researchers interested in attending career development conferences and meetings. The latest winners are:

Ricky Braithwaite (Villanueva Lab) – 2023 Society for Melanoma Research Congress 
Brennah Britten (Zhang Lab) – Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) 2023
Ebony Gary (Weiner Lab) – International Society for Vaccines (ISV 2023)

In a conversation with Dr. Hao, Wistar discussed the journey to her current role at the Institute, being a researcher from a another country, and where her research will take her.

Dr. Deliard highlights her professional journey, biomedical research challenges, and the importance of investing in underrepresented groups to propel forward Wistar Science.

Dr. Giron discusses her scientific background, impacts of her research, and the persistence and drive it takes to pursue science.

Giselle Lopez Fernandez discusses her background as a biomedical researcher, hurdles in the lab, and the importance of teamwork to Wistar Science.

Dr. Richard’s early and deep interest in plants and their derivatives as medicines has taken him on a scientific journey from Botswana to Canada to Philadelphia.