Peer Mentors
CLIMB Peer Mentors are alumni of the CLIMB program and current PhD students in Northwestern's bioscience programs. As successful alumni, these mentors have succeeded to become official PhD candidates in their respective programs.
| Name | Undergrad Institution | Academic Program & Start Date | Research Interest |
|---|---|---|---|
 Shannon Allen |
Chicago State University |
Integrated Graduate Program (IGP) Start: 2007 |
To date, no study has focused on the effectiveness of immobilizing HIV to limit movement and invasion within the vaginal epithelium. My research will determine whether viral trapping either by exogenous manipulation of HIV-1 or cervical mucus can decrease viral diffusion within the female genital mucosa. |
 Yomayra Guzman |
University of Puerto Rico at Rio Piedras |
Northwestern University Interdepartmental Neuroscience (NUIN) Start: 2007 |
Social interactions are important in the development and treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder. My work employs a novel mouse model that incorporates social and fear learning to determine the role of oxytocin signaling and the neuroanalytical regions involved in the social modulation of fear. |
 Diana Monsivais |
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign |
Integrated Graduate Program (IGP) Start: 2008 |
In our lab we study how estrogen and progesterone signaling contribute to the pathology of the female reproductive system, such as the development of uterine fibroids and endometriosis. I am interested in transcriptional regulation by estrogen receptors in endometriosis, especially in determining how the over-expression of ERbeta results in abnormal gene regulation. |
 Mario Shields |
University of West Indies |
Integrated Graduate Program (IGP) Start: 2007 |
Fibrosis is a major contributing factor to the progression of pancreatic cancer, one of the most aggressive forms of cancers. My research seeks to examine the roles of Snail transcription factors and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), extra-cellular matrix degrading enzymes, in fibrosis-driven pancreatic cancer progression. |
 Leidamarie Tirado |
Clemson University |
Interdepartmental Biological Sciences (IBiS) Start: 2008 |
Cells are capable of transporting a variety of molecules required for physiological processes across cellular membranes by using transporter membranes by using transporter proteins embedded in the cellular membrane. My work will use a combination of structural, biochemical, and genetic techniques to better understand the transport mechanism of a subset of transporter proteins known as ABC transporters, which have been linked to multidrug resistance, virulence of pathogenic bacterium, and a number of human genetic diseases such as adrenoleukodystrophy. |
