Highlight on Alumni

Alumni who have graduate from the program are involved in a variety of significant roles in the biotechnology industry. Learn more about what some of them are doing and their experiences with the program.

Dac Anh

What is your Masters Degree and what year did you graduate?
I received my M.S. in Biotechnology in 2006.

Where do you currently work and what do you do?
I am now an MD/PhD student in the NIH Medical Scientist Training Program at  the Mount Sinai School Of Medicine.

Why did you choose to get your Masters Degree from Johns Hopkins?
As I did not have much of a background in experimental biology before beginning the NIH/NCI/JHU Molecular Targets Fellowship, I hoped to join a  lab at the NIH/CCR while completing a graduate coursework sequence to  prepare myself for doctoral training.

What was your most memorable experience from the program?
The entire time that I spent in the Gene Silencing Section (Dr. Caplen's lab at the NIH/NCI/CCR) was very memorable for constantly interacting with Dr. Caplen and my lab-mates, particularly a post-doc in the  lab at the time, Dr. Martin, who I very much enjoyed getting to know. Beyond  being very memorable, working in the lab each day was very intellectually stimulating. Every day in lab was a chance to think about the experimental  problem at hand and try to come up with an answer- the fellowship was a great opportunity in that regard.

How has the program enhanced your career?
The fellowship certainly helped me understand what the experimental details of working in an RNA lab are and, as the devils are always in the details, it was immensely preparative with respect to feeling comfortable in the MSTP MD/PhD training that I am receiving now.

What are your future plans?
I am hoping to continue along the trajectory I am currently on and eventually seek funding to start a lab that would allow me to direct various open questions in basic neuroscience and biophysics towardapplication in  the clinic. In particular, I would like to be able to see lots of patients while also doing lots of experiments that would be designed to answer questions about the pathophysiology of their conditions.

John Badger

What is your Masters Degree and what year did you graduate?
My degree is in Biotechnology with a concentration in Biodefense. I finished my course work in December 2008 and will graduate in May 2009

Where do you currently work and what do you do?
I currently work for the NIH as a biologist in the National Institute of Neurologic Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). The lab I work in studies the trafficking and recycling of synaptic receptors. My work recently has been on glutamate receptors.

Why did you choose to get your Masters Degree from Johns Hopkins?
I chose Johns Hopkins for a variety of reasons.  The most important factor in my decision was the reputation of the university and the strength of the program. I also relied on the recommendation of a colleague who is an alumnus of the program. The final deciding factor was location. I live about 10 minutes from the Gaithersburg campus.

What was your most memorable experience from the program?
My most memorable experience was the first time one of the professors refused to answer a question because that material was considered classified.  I had never had to deal with that in a class before.

How has the program enhanced your career?
This degree will allow me further advancement in my current career, and the concentration in biodefense would allow me to explore other careers if I so choose.

What are your future plans?
My plans are to remain in my current job at the NIH, for the time being. However I am always exploring various options. 

Peter Gabriele

What is your Masters Degree and what year did you graduate?
The degree is in Biotechnology.
 

Where do you currently work and what do you do?
I am the technical director for ARmark Authentication Technologies, LLC. The company is an anti-counterfeit technology provider to the pharmaceutical industry. I am one of the founders. We are a subsidiary of Adhesives Research, Inc. in Glen Rock, PA. The actual idea for the technology platform that is the foundation of this company came to me while I was taking Advanced Cell Biology in the Biotechnology program.
 

Why did you choose to get your Masters Degree from Johns Hopkins?
I previously got a Masters from University of Pennsylvania PENN Engineering and The Wharton School of Business in Technology Management with a focus in Biotechnology. I quickly realized my biotechnology skills were weak and that in order for the business management program to be of more value it would be an added value to have a bona fide degree in the science from the best brand name school in research-Johns Hopkins (the attitude about branding is a bit of fallout from Wharton).

What was your most memorable experience from the program?
I am an older student (59 years old) and I still remember my freshman year at UCONN when the first micrograph of bacterial DNA was shown on an overhead projector using a Xerox stencil. To revisit the science several decades later and be in a classroom environment with about 25 people and ask questions to instructors who are themselves researchers (Dr. Rajavel for instance)was a great experience. This is an important benefit of this program: if you leave a class confused or still in the woods, it is your own fault because the faculty is so willing to teach.

What are your future plans?
My thesis has turned into a new business opportunity for my company and I am currently rallying everything I learned from PENN engineering and Wharton into the stability of what I learned at Hopkins to make my project a commercially viable exercise.

At my age I am having too much fun.

John Langer

What is your Masters Degree and what year did you graduate?
I received my Masters in Biotechnology in May 2008.
 

Where do you currently work and what do you do?
I currently work as a researcher in a drug discovery company.
 

How has the program enhanced your career?
Along with my Hopkins SOM research experience, they propelled me into a 3rd tier level researcher at a leading global drug discovery company in Rockville, MD. My experiences have prepared me to perform, at a high level, in developing cellular based bioassays and the underlying protocols. Furthermore, this advanced degree, from a highly touted scientific school, has provided me the platform to be able to teach basic science, current theory, and present industry practice to future researchers.
 

What are your future plans?
In the future, these talents will help me guide and lead the departments, in which I work and teach, constantly toward the leading edges of scientific research.

Robin Odom

What is your Masters Degree and what year did you graduate?
Biotechnology with a concentration in Biodefense

Where do you currently work and what do you do?
Currently, I hold a position as an Infection Control Consultant at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center in the Hospital Epidemiology Service.  I transitioned into this position in august 2008 after working as a Medical Technologist in the Department of Laboratory Medicine's Microbiology Service for 4 years.

Why did you choose to get your Masters Degree from Johns Hopkins?
While working in the Microbiology Service at NIH, I decided to pursue my M.S. at JHU to further enhance my knowledge of Infectious diseases and agents of Bioterrorism.

What was your most memorable experience from the program?
My most memorable experience from the program was visiting the J. Craig Venter Institute and witnessing the intricate microarray technology that is under development for use in the area of Biodefense.

How has the program enhanced your career?
The program provided a solid foundation in Biodefense, both from a historical and present-day perspective, highlighting the progress that has been made here in the U.S. and around the world to combat Bioterrorism. Gaining insight into the use of sophisticated surveillance systems and some of the most advanced diagnostic assays, in combination with many programs that have been implemented to heighten public awareness, has proved invaluable for me in my current position. The Infection Control field has many facets, including emergency preparedness, surveillance, and risk management.  This program has better enhanced my ability to address these issues from a hospital epidemiology perspective.

What are your future plans?
I am still settling in to my position and hope to continue my career in the federal government over the next several years.  I am looking forward to attending the upcoming Maryland Infection Control Network conference sponsored, in part, by Johns Hopkins Medicine.  I will also to pursue a Certification in Infection Control over the next year through the Certification Board of Infection Control an Epidemiology (CBIC).

Brad Peganoff

What is your Masters Degree and what year did you graduate?
I graduated in May 2006 with an MS in Biotechnology.

Where do you currently work and what do you do?
I am currently Director, Government & External Affairs at the University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute (UMBI). UMBI is Maryland's State Entity for Economic & Workforce Development in the Lifescience Industry.

Why did you choose to get your Masters Degree from Johns Hopkins?
I knew having a degree from Johns Hopkins would open doors and the Masters of Science in Biotechnology was the unique specific focus that would allowed for me to build upon my prior years of industry experience.

What was your most memorable experience from the program?
The friends and network connections I made by joining the Hopkins Biotech Network.

How has the program enhanced your career?
It was a great personal investment that has afforded me opportunities to work with many industry leaders as well as help shape both state and federal policy in the lifescience arena.

What are your future plans?
I would like to be part of a start up.

Sampada Shahane

What is your Masters Degree and what year did you graduate?
I have done MS- Biotechnology and graduated in the year 2006.
 

Where do you currently work and what do you do?
While I was pursuing my MS in Biotechnology, I volunteered for the Microscopy Center at Johns Hopkins University Rockville campus. I subsequently worked with SRL Ranbaxy and USV Ltd. in India. Currently I am working at NCGC on High Throughput and High Content Screening.
 

What was your most memorable experience from the program?
I like the entire program. I especially still remember my 1st presentation in the auditorium, establishing primary cell lines in Tissue Culture Technique laboratory course and all the coursework in High Throughput Screening Laboratory course.
 

How has the program enhanced your career?
In almost all the coursework, we had to give some presentations, whether it was a scientific paper or a particular kit. These presentations give you better understanding of the subject. It definitely enhances your oratory and language skills. In addition it also builds your strength as a stage performer.
 

What are your future plans?
Currently, I am enjoying my work at NCGC. I would always like to be a part of novel research.