Highlight on Alumni

Noel Warfel recieved his M.S. in Biotechnology in May 2006 as part of the NIH/JHU fellowship in Molecular Targets and Drug Discovery. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D in Biomedical Sciences at the University of California, San Diego "My experience working at the NIH gave me an excellent foundation in basic research and scientific writing. My focus at the NIH was primarily investigating small molecules to determine their mechanism of action, particularly for use in lung cancer. Combined with my JHU, MS in Biotechnology degree, I feel well prepared for doctoral studies at UCSD in the fall."

Jen Toolan received her Master of Science in Biotechnology with a concentration in Bioinformatics in 2006. She is applying what she learned to her current job at Johns Hopkins Hospital as data analyst for various genetic and clinical databases. "The classes in this program have greatly contributed to both my understanding of the biology behind the data and to my understanding of the programs used to analyze it." She also credits the diverse contacts made through the program with illuminating the versatility of the Biotechnology field. She next plans to pursue a PhD in genetic epidemiology.

Jane Oswecki was a Primary Patent Examiner at the USPTO while doing the bulk of the JHU program, and completed the program with on-line courses. She then moved to Connecticut to take a position as patent attorney for CuraGen Corporation in Branford. After less than a year there, she accepted a position in Cambridge, Mass., as the first patent counsel for IdenixPharmaceuticals, a privately held, small but growing international biopharmaceutical company. Prior to joining the USPTO, Jane earned a law degree and M.S. in organic chemistry. Jane says, "the JHU classes updated my background in biology, and provided me with usable knowledge for my work. Today my JHU degree hangs proudly in my office!"

Ram Gupta received his Master of Science in Biotechnology in 1999. He joined the faculty in the Biotechnology Program in 2000 and currently teaches Practical Computer Concepts for Bioinformatics. When Ram received his B.S. in Biology from the University of Illinois in 1996, he was already working intensively with computer applications. He moved from his home in Illinois to work as a Research Associate in the Gene Discovery group of Human Genome Sciences (HGS). After a transfer into the Bioinformatics group, Ram began working with scientists and patent attorneys to facilitate the patenting of genes. Ram currently works at the American Type Culture Collection.

Edward Gometz has worked with issues relating to HIV/AIDS and other infectious disease since 1998. He has a Masters in International Affairs with emphasis in economic and political development from Columbia University. Over the past four years, he has worked with two United Nations development programs, one as a consultant working in the field and the other within the UN Secretariat in New York and Geneva. As a project consultant for UNICEF in 2000-2001, he conducted an institutional assessment of community schools emerging in Zambia and examined HIV/AIDS education in grades 6th and above. He also worked with a small, but ambitious, nonprofit organization called PharmAccess based in Amsterdam. PharmAccess seeks to establish pharmaceutical agreements with companies to provide drug access for their employees living with HIV/AIDS. Edward is interested in vaccine development and ways that biotechnology may help the developing world. “I chose the biotechnology program at Hopkins because it offers flexibility that can fit my schedule as a working professional. The program also brings together a very diverse and experienced student population spanning several industries, and backgrounds. This is one of the reasons that I helped establish the Hopkins Biotech Network (HBN), a non-profit, student run organization committed to promoting education, career development, and networking in the field. The HBN provides an ideal environment to learn from leaders in the industry, while networking with fellow students in the program and build relationships. Since the HBN is a university-wide organization, it also helps link the Montgomery County campus with the Homewood and Medical campuses in Baltimore. This experience has shown me that learning isn’t limited to the classroom."