Funmi Ayobami, PhD
Associate Dean for Student Success and Engagement
Morningside Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
Olufunmilayo.Ayobami@umassmed.edu

Funmi mentors and supports GSBS trainees as they write grant and fellowship applications, and she facilitates writing accountability groups to encourage community building and a daily writing habit. In addition, she provides workshops on research communication, especially around communicating science to broader audiences. Funmi received her BS in both Biomedical Engineering and Professional Writing from Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and her PhD in Biomedical Engineering from Cornell University.

Works on: NSF Graduate Research Fellowship writing workshops, HHMI Gilliam Fellowship writing workshops, science communication, writing accountability groups, community building, student advocacy, student success.

Haley Barlow, PhD
Senior Program Manager of Outreach
Biochemistry & Molecular Biotechnology Department
Haley.Barlow@umassmed.edu

Haley completed her PhD training at UT Southwestern Medical Center where she studied the dynamics of the developing mouse pancreas. As a Senior Program Manager of Outreach for the Biochemistry & Molecular Biotechnology Department at UMass Chan, Haley writes scientific content and facilitates community engagement efforts.

Works on: Webpages, outreach, science writing, social media, new research coverage, graphic design
Twitter: https://twitter.com/UMassChan_BMB
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/82584841

Kimberlee Cantin
Communications Specialist
Center for Clinical and Translational Science

Twitter: https://twitter.com/UMassCCTS
Linkedln: https://www.linkedin.com/company/82584841

Darryl Conte, PhD
Associate Professor
RNA Therapeutics Institute
Darryl.Conte@umassmed.edu

Darryl works as a scientific writing coach and editor, helping RTI faculty, students, and postdocs develop successful grant proposals and manuscripts. Darryl earned his BS in Mathematics from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and his PhD in Biomedical Sciences from the State University of New York at Albany. Darryl discovered and cultivated his passion for helping others write well while he was a postdoc and then research faculty in Dr. Craig Mello’s laboratory.

Works on: Manuscript and grant writing, writing coaching, research development, guidance and editing on any narrative document.

Sara Deibler, PhD
Senior Scientific Writer
Molecular, Cell, and Cancer Biology
Sara.Deibler@umassmed.edu

Sara earned her BS in Biochemistry from the University of Calgary and her PhD from Baylor College of Medicine, where she studied yeast telomere biology. She joined UMass Chan in 2001 as a science writer for Michael Green, MD, PhD, who served as Chair of MCCB until 2023. She currently provides scientific writing and editing support to MCCB faculty, assisting primarily in the preparation of manuscripts and grant applications.

Works on:  Writing, editing, formatting, and proofreading manuscripts and grants; preparing diverse research-related written and visual scientific communication materials.

Thomas Gallagher, PhD
Senior Scientific Writer
Horae Gene Therapy Center
Thomas.Gallagher@umassmed.edu

Tom earned his PhD in Biochemistry studying the neurogenetics of appetite control in C. elegans. Then he conducted post-doctoral research in metabolism in a genetic model of diabetes in fruit flies. He was a freelance science writer and editor for three years before becoming a full-time scientific writer.

Works on:

UMass Chan: Edits manuscripts and grant applications for faculty in the Gene Therapy Center and writes and edits letters of support for Dr. Guangping Gao. Works with students and postdocs on seminar and poster presentations and updates the Gene Therapy Center website.

Human Gene Therapy: Checks new submissions for missing information (e.g., author accounts match names on title page, affiliation/contact, manuscript files, conflict of interest, IACUC/IRB approval, disclosures) and plagiarism/fraud. Resolves issues related to manuscript submission, review, and publication, plans content and cover designs for upcoming issues and conducts semi-weekly journal editorial meetings.

Emily Green, PhD, MA
Associate Vice Provost for Faculty Development
Associate Professor of Psychiatry
Office of Faculty Affairs
Emily.Green@umassmed.edu

An educator by training, Dr. Green has made her career in medical education for the past 25 years. Prior to arriving and UMass Chan, she served as the Assistant Dean for Faculty Development at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University where she implemented educational programming and oversaw the Continuing Medical Education Office. She was the founding director of the Program in Educational Faculty Development, which served as the only centralized source of programming on teaching and learning for faculty. In 2019 she expanded her focus to include other areas of non-clinical professional development including research skill development, leadership skill development, career development, diversity and inclusion, and faculty wellness. 

Dr. Green has a particular interest in presenting as an academic skill, and is the author of the book, Healthy Presentations: How to Craft Exceptional Lectures in Medicine, the Health Professions, and the Biomedical Sciences. She speaks frequently to faculty about presentation skills including the topic of evidence-based slide design. One of her professional missions is to raise our collective standards for academic lecturing and presenting, and to teach faculty how to best facilitate learning on the part of their audience.

Works on:  Oversees the design and delivery of professional development initiatives for the T.H. Chan School of Medicine, the Tan Chingfen Graduate School of Nursing, and the Morningside Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences.

Emily Haberlin, PhD
Senior Scientific Writer
RNA Therapeutics Institute
Emily.Haberlin@umassmed.edu

Emily earned her Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry from Providence College in 2010, and her PhD in Nutritional Biochemistry from Tufts University in 2016. Before joining the RTI, Emily worked as a postdoc at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging in Boston, where she studied the effects of dietary bioactive compounds on vision and cognition. Emily’s scholarly activities as a student and postdoc sparked her passion for communicating science. In the RTI, Emily provides one-on-one grant and manuscript writing support to students, postdocs, and faculty. She also hosts writing accountability groups, informational seminars, and workshops to help students and postdocs prepare fellowship applications.

Works on: Grant and manuscript editing, hosting writing accountability groups, and developing informational seminars and workshops for fellowship applicants.

Nese Kurt-Yilmaz, PhD
Associate Professor
Biochemistry and Molecular Biotechnology Department
Nese.KurtYilmaz@umassmed.edu

Nese's research interests lie in deciphering the molecular-level mechanisms underlying the biological function of proteins. Using a combination of computational and experimental techniques, she also explores how viral proteins develop resistance to current therapies. While carrying out her PhD work, she was a visiting fellow in Dr. Schiffer’s lab, where she investigated the native state dynamics and substrate specificity of HIV-1 protease using computational techniques. Doing post-doctoral research at UW-Madison, she studied protein structure and folding with a variety of biophysical spectroscopy techniques (including multidimensional NMR, fluorescence, circular dichroism). She joined UMass as a faculty member in 2011, where she studies viral protein dynamics, structure, and intermolecular interactions related to drug resistance. She has been both a leader and a key team member in multiple research projects, including two large collaborations funded by the NIH and Department of Defense. She is passionate about mentoring a diverse group of aspiring scientists and effectively communicating science to secure research funding and disseminating research discoveries.  

Works on: Grants and manuscripts, F30 fellowships, student/postdoc mentoring (including regular meetings)

(Cindy) YuShuan Lai, MD, PhD
Senior Data and Scientific Communications Manager
Program in Microbiome Dynamics, Department of Microbiology
Cindy.Lai@umassmed.edu

Cindy graduated from UMass Chan in 2016 with an MD-PhD in host-pathogen interactions. Prior to returning to UMass, Cindy completed one year of internship (hospital internal medicine) at St. Vincent Hospital and worked in early stage biotechs. She also worked as a freelance writer in medical education and completed a 6-month data science bootcamp. In her hybrid role within the PMD, she supports PMD faculty and trainees in written, oral, and visual communication as well as data analytics.

Works on: Grant, manuscript, and poster editing; visual data representation, seminar presentation support; data cleaning (python based) and organization; data management support for NIH grants.

Merin MacDonald
Communications Manager
Department of Medicine
Merin.MacDonald@umassmed.edu

Merin oversees communications strategic plans and initiatives for the Department of Medicine (DoM). She works closely with DoM leadership to streamline processes and enhance the internal and external profile of the department’s clinical, research, education, and DEI enterprises through digital and social media. Merin has a bachelor’s degree in English from UMass Amherst and a master’s degree in Non-Profit Management from Worcester State University. Prior to her work in communications, Merin was a senior science writer and she also served as a project manager for several years.

Works on: strategic planning, project development, website design and management, social media design and management, graphic design, print media, content writing and editing

Caryn Navarro, PhD
Assistant Professor
Department of Systems Biology
Caryn.Navarro@umassmed.edu

Caryn received her PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Connecticut and trained as a postdoc in Developmental Genetics with Ruth Lehmann at the Skirball Institute, NYU Medical Center. She ran her own lab at Boston University School of Medicine, studying how piRNAs and the cytoskeletal machinery control differentiation and polarity in Drosophila oocytes. She left bench science to be the editor at Trends in Genetics and then an editor at Molecular Cell.  

Works on: Manuscripts, grant writing, scientific advising, maintaining the department website

Todd Pearson
Assistant Professor
Department of Dermatology
Todd.Pearson@umassmed.edu

Todd earned a BA in Biology from the College of the Holy Cross in 1998 and a PhD from UMass Chan Medical School in 2003. During his graduate and postdoctoral training, he researched autoimmunity and transplantation immunology, and was a lead author on several early papers describing the use of “humanized” NSG mice as models for human immunity. Before returning to UMass Chan in 2023, Todd was most recently a Media Editor for biology textbooks at W. W. Norton and Company, where he worked on texts including Molecular Biology of the Cell by Alberts, et al. and The Immune System by Peter Parham. 

Works on: Grants and manuscript writing for faculty members in the Department of Dermatology, project management for two large program/center grants in the department (overseeing a pilot grant program, research symposia planning, coordinating remote research trials, investigating new research techniques and approaches, patient outreach and engagement), writing mentorship to departmental trainees, advises the chair on other departmental initiatives.

Mary Pickering
Director of Public Engagement with Science
RNA Therapeutics Institute
Mary.Pickering@umassmed.edu

Mary earned her BS in Biology and BA in Chemistry at Providence College, prior to completing her PhD in biomedical sciences from UMass Chan Medical School. Following graduation, she developed curriculum for a variety of nonmajor, introductory, and advanced courses as a Visiting Assistant Professor of Biology at the College of the Holy Cross and Assumption University. Mary’s research focuses have included cell cycle and cell size regulation, cellular and viral-induced DNA damage signaling, and miRNA regulation of the cell cycle. In 2020, Mary co-founded a STEM educational outreach program, called ScienceLIVE, at UMass Chan. Earlier this year, Mary completed an Advanced Graduate Certificate in Science Communication through the Alan Alda Center at Stony Brook University.

Works on: Planning, executing, and evaluating all ScienceLIVE outreach activities; science communication training for UMass Chan trainees, education, curriculum development, community partnerships and engagement, grant writing.

Justine Pinskey, PhD
Senior Scientific Writer
Investigator Career Advancement Program, Office of Health Equity
justine.pinskey@umassmed.edu

Justine has a background in cell and developmental biology with expertise in grant writing, professional development, and scientific communication. Prior to her role at UMass, Justine was an F32-funded postdoctoral researcher at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, where she characterized cilia structures from diverse organisms using cryo-electron tomography. She also worked as a freelance science communicator for Arcadia Science, where she developed short blog posts and videos to explain scientific concepts. Justine has experience teaching at a variety of levels and co-founded Developing Future Biologists - an educational outreach program to engage historically underrepresented undergraduate students in developmental biology. In addition, Justine has facilitated professional development workshops through organizations like the Association for Women in Science and Dress for Success Michigan. She earned her bachelor's and master's degrees in biology from Northern Michigan University and her PhD in cell and developmental biology from the University of Michigan, where she was supported by NIH T32 and F31 mechanisms, among other fellowships.

Works on: Substantive editing to help incoming tenure-track faculty develop grants, manuscripts, websites, figures, presentations, posters, and other scientific communication-related projects. Justine also facilitates writing professional development through workshops, coaching, and writing retreats.  

Twitter: @JustinePinskey
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinempinskey

David Reynolds
Director of Foundation Relations
UMass Chan Office of Advancement
David.Reynolds@umassmed.edu 

David works with faculty and researchers to secure private institutional philanthropic funding for education and research. In this role, Dave helps PIs strategize which foundations to approach and helps with preparing applications. Dave came to UMass Chan from MIT most recently and several education and health focused non-profits before that.

Works on: Identifying, tailoring and curating potential philanthropic funders for faculty and researchers; widely sharing private philanthropic funding opportunities with the UMass community; assisting in aligning applications with funder priorities and offering support in application process; developing and maintaining long-term relationships with funders on behalf of UMass Chan.  

Pamela Stamegna, M.D.
Senior Scientific Writer
Department of Medicine
Pamela.Stamegna@umassmed.edu

Pamela joined UMass in August 2021 to coordinate IRB submissions for nationwide COVID-19 testing studies and recently transitioned to supporting faculty in the Program in Digital Medicine. Pam received her MD from UMass Chan Medical School and completed a combined residency in Internal Medicine/Pediatrics at the University of Illinois in Chicago. She practiced as a primary care physician in New Hampshire before joining UMass.

Works on: Protocols/recruitment materials for clinical studies; outreach to public health departments. Getting started in grant writing and manuscript writing.

Melanie Trombly
Assistant Professor
Department of Medicine
Melanie.Trombly@umassmed.edu

Melanie has been with the Department of Medicine (DoM) since 2010, assisting on grants, manuscripts, and program management. Melanie earned her BA from Cornell University in Biology and Alternative Chemistry and her PhD from Northwestern University in the Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Cell Biology, where she studied the RNA interference pathway using mouse embryonic stem cells. With support from the DoM, she became a board-certified editor in the life sciences and an American Medical Writers Association member. She enjoys working with DoM faculty members and their trainees and learning about their exciting research. 

Works on: Grants (all pieces except the budget), manuscripts, program management for four large multi-project grants (reporting requirements and presentations, occasionally organizing meetings), graphic design (grant figures, manuscript figures, cover art, graphic summaries), PowerPoint presentations for faculty, nomination letters, and workshops for scientific communication to the IMSD-PREP students (with Nese Kurt-Yilmaz).

Brynn Detwiller
Formerly: Associate Director of Foundation Relations
Office of Advancement

Brynn has worked in institutional fundraising for 14 years, the latter half of which was spent writing grants, facilitating innovative research collaborations, and managing corporate and foundation relationships in the healthcare space – predominantly for Partners in Health and Boston Medical Center. She holds an MS in Arts Administration and a Graduate Certificate in Fundraising Management from Boston University.

Worked on: Brynn conducted in-depth prospect research, managed funder relationships, and helped UMass Chan secure private institutional grant revenue for research and educational initiatives. Partnering with faculty and researchers, Brynn helped strategize which funders to approach as well as how best to frame PIs’ work to demonstrate optimal alignment with unique funder interests and priorities.

Connie Johnson
Retired. Formerly: Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations
Office of Advancement

Connie Johnson, PhD, served as the Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations in the Office of Advancement at UMass Chan Medical School from 2011-2023. Her group focused on private funding for the wide range of programs at UMass Chan, and developed the biweekly digest of Private Funding Opportunities that still comes out every other Friday morning. Connie worked with faculty to source and identify strategic funding, created funding strategies to support institutional programs, wrote and edited executive summaries and proposal narratives, and crafted distinctive concept papers to introduce faculty to key program officers at national foundations.

Leonora Martínez-Núñez, PhD
Formerly: Senior Program Manager for Outreach
Biochemistry and Molecular Biotechnology

Leonora obtained her PhD in Mexico, then moved to the US to work as a postdoctoral researcher in Mary Munson’s Lab studying molecular machines involved in membrane trafficking. She left the bench to pursue a career in Science Communication and Outreach within the BMB department. Leonora focuses on scientific illustration and visual communications. View her portfolio at www.leonoramartinez.com.

Worked on: Graphic design (web) to 2D & 3D scientific illustration (figure making for grants, papers, graphical abstracts, cover art).

Gail Musen
Formerly: Senior Scientific Writer
UMass Cancer Center

Trained as a cognitive neuroscientist, Gail began her career studying memory. She earned her PhD at UC Berkeley and was an Assistant Professor in Psychology at Barnard College, Columbia University, before relocating to Boston, serving as a principal investigator at the Joslin Diabetes Center. In 2018, she transitioned to science writing. At Boston Children’s Hospital, she focused on donor-facing materials as well as helping the Foundations team with faculty applications to private foundations.

Worked on: Maintaining both the internal (SharePoint) and external website, writing and blogging for the website, and managing social media accounts, primarily on Twitter and LinkedIn. She handled membership requests and prepared slide decks and communications related to the Cancer Center's initiatives for the Cancer Center director.

Edith Pfister
Formerly: Scientific Writer
Program in Bioinformatics and Integrative Biology

Edith Pfister was the Scientific Writer for the Program in Bioinformatics and Integrative Biology (BIB). She has a degree in Computer Science from Brown University and a Ph.D. in Biomedical Science from UMass Chan Medical School. Prior to joining BIB, she worked in Gene Therapy focusing on RNAi therapeutics for Huntington's Disease.

Worked on: Worked with students and faculty on papers, grants, and other writing projects. Edith also maintained some of her previous collaborations, although she focused more on computational topics.

Anna Sivachenko, PhD
Formerly: Scientific Writer
Genomics and Computational Biology
Anna.Sivachenko@umassmed.edu 

Anna received her PhD in Human Genetics from the University of Utah and trained as a postdoc in Michael Rosbash's lab at Brandeis University, studying the molecular mechanisms underlying neuronal activity and circadian behavior in fruit flies. She has worked as a writer in the pharmaceutical and medical device industry since 2016. 

Worked on: Manuscripts, getting started on grants.