Stuart graduates and current parents in STEM fields visit the Upper School for career lunches

On Monday, the NCGLS hosted the annual Alumnae Career Lunches in the Upper School, with a concentration in STEM fields. As we continue to return to pre-pandemic programming, but continue to take advantage of the accessibility of virtual guest speakers, Stuart graduates and two Stuart parents joined us both in-person and virtually followed by small-group lunches in the student center. We’d like to thank the following guest speakers: 

• Jennifer Dias '12, a rising third-year medical student at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City who is leading efforts on implementing anti-racist initiatives, cultivating community, and conducting clinical research on pregnancy complications in high-risk underserved groups; 
• Abigail Girgis '14, a PhD student at Yale School of Public Health studying chronic disease epidemiology, specifically focused on gynecologic cancers; 
• Melissa Green (Stuart parent), is a member of the executive team and SVP of regulatory, pharmacovigilance, project management and medical writing at LFB USA and has over 20 years of experience in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry and most recently been focused on orphan drugs and gene therapy; 
• Elizabeth Henriquez (Stuart parent), a licensed occupational therapist and fellowship trained certified hand therapist for Mercer Bucks Orthopedics with a  speciality in the management of orthopedic shoulder, elbow, wrist, and hand conditions with an emphasis on post-surgical rehabilitation; 
• Susan Knox ‘12, a research scientist for Spark Therapeutics in Philadelphia, PA and the CEO of Your Edvantage, an academic and professional coaching company; 
• Tiana Sepahpour ‘15, a research program coordinator in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine where she manages a section of a national, NIMH-funded research study that seeks to learn more about individuals experiencing early psychosis; Keep reading below for full bios on our guest speakers. 
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Jennifer Dias ‘12 is a rising third-year medical student at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City. She leads efforts on implementing anti-racist initiatives, cultivating community, and conducting clinical research on pregnancy complications in high-risk underserved groups. She currently is dedicating a scholarly (research/gap) year to design, implement and manage a Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation-funded project, which focuses primarily on addressing racism and bias in 11 medical schools in the US and Canada. Additionally, she serves as a research trainee in the Department of Endocrinology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston where she is continuing her work on women with recent gestational diabetes. She’s interested in becoming a transformational physician-leader and clinical researcher, and dedicates time to mentoring students from underserved backgrounds. 

Her work has been featured on Good Morning America and Boston Globe. Before medical school, Dias earned her B.A. from Colgate University in 2016, where she majored in biology and Spanish, and ran Division I varsity track and field. Between college and medical school, she worked as a research assistant at Brigham and Women’s Hospital developing web-based interventions for women with a history of gestational diabetes. She enjoys singing and boxing in her free time.

Abigail (Abby) Girgis ‘14 is currently a PhD student at Yale School of Public Health studying chronic disease epidemiology, specifically focused on gynecologic cancers. After graduating from Stuart in 2014, she attended New York University where she was introduced to the field of public health. Interested in STEM and pursuing the sciences, she was fascinated by the intersecting fields and disciplines that impact disease prevalence and health outcomes. She worked at Johnson and Johnson as a Global Public Health intern where she witnessed the role of drug development in global contexts. Additionally, she has had the opportunity to serve on medical missions in Africa, South America, and Asia teaching preventative medicine practices alongside clinicians. She developed her research interests in social and cultural determinants of health, chronic disease prevention and control, and women’s health. 

Abby pursued a Masters of Public Health in epidemiology with a certificate in comparative effectiveness outcomes research at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. This training allowed her to further explore the pharmaceutical industry. She interned at Pfizer in Health Economics and Outcomes Research where she investigated the intersection of disease burden, unmet need for treatment, economic data, and clinical outcomes of chronic diseases in drug development. She then worked at Bristol Myers Squibb as an epidemiology consultant assessing malignancy events in immunology treatments. 

Abby is excited to continue her career in the field of public health and apply the valuable lessons and skills she has gained from her Stuart education.

Melissa Green (Stuart parent) is a member of the executive team and SVP of regulatory, pharmacovigilance, project management and medical writing at LFB USA. Melissa has over 20 years of experience in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry and most recently been focused on orphan drugs and gene therapy. She has led the teams accountable for global approvals of several drugs including Luxturna and Xermelo. Melissa received her BS in biochemistry and molecular biology from Carnegie Mellon University, MS in biochemistry from the University of Rochester and a MBA from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.

Elizabeth Henriquez (Stuart parent) is a licensed occupational therapist and fellowship trained certified hand therapist. Elizabeth specializes in the management of orthopedic shoulder, elbow, wrist, and hand conditions with an emphasis on post-surgical rehabilitation. She currently works for Mercer Bucks Orthopedics.
 
Elizabeth graduated from Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with a master’s degree in occupational therapy, bachelor's degree in occupation and health. Elizabeth is a member of the American Society of Hand Therapists.  She serves on the inaugural Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Committee. 
 
Elizabeth’s dedication to the advancement of the profession is demonstrated through her teaching appointments as adjunct faculty at Thomas Jefferson University and Rutgers University. When not working, Elizabeth enjoys spending time with her husband, daughter, and twin sons.

Dr. Susan Knox ‘12 is a research scientist at Spark Therapeutics in Philadelphia, PA. She received her Ph.D. in chemistry from The University of California, Berkeley, and her M.S. in chemical biology from Yale University. Prior to her graduate studies, Susan attended The College of New Jersey, where she majored in chemistry and completed a minor in biology. Outside of her scientist role, Susan is the Chief Executive Officer of Your Edvantage, an academic and professional coaching company.

Tiana Sepahpour ‘15 is a full-time as a research program coordinator in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, managing a section of a national, NIMH-funded research study that seeks to learn more about individuals experiencing early psychosis. After graduating from Fordham University, where she double majored in environmental studies and philosophy, she then went on to earn her master's in bioethics from Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health. She has worked on several research studies and has had a number of internships and volunteer experiences that helped shape her interest in mental health research.