Staff
DIRECTOR
Dr. Carey is the Director for STAR-PREP. He received his PhD in Biochemistry from the Medical College of Virginia. He was a postdoctoral fellow at the Guthrie Institute and a Research Fellow in the Department of Immunology at the Holland Lab of the American Red Cross. He is an Associate Professor of Microbiology and Immunology and a member of the Experimental Therapeutics Team in the Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center. His research interest is in cancer biology; more specifically he investigates the signal transduction mechanisms employed by lymphoma for maximal growth and proliferation and to resist killing by therapeutic interventions. He is currently exploring how lymphoma cells utilize reactive oxygen species (ROS) in unconventional manners to resist death. He has been NIH funded for 14 years and is currently the co-P.I. on an NIH cancer research grant. He has support on NIH-funded training mentoring grants.
Dr. Carey is the Executive Director of Student Research and Community Outreach in the Dean’s Office of Student Research (OSR). He directs the research activities of all of the Medical Students at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and he also directs two funded training programs in the OSR for medical and undergraduate students. He has mentored students and faculty at various levels of their academic pursuits. He has mentored underrepresented minorities who have gone on to excel in competitions and in graduate and professional school. Students who have completed the UM Scholars Program he co-directs, have gone on to be authors on papers and be competitive candidates for medical and graduate school. Dr. Carey assists students and scholars with connecting the lab, classroom, and training experiences. Dr. Carey will have a pivotal role in the STAR-PREP and much like his prior mentoring experiences, he will assist with multiple facets of the program, including being a liaison for summer students, outreach, and PREP. He will assist with selection, recruiting, and counseling. He will attend PREP events to facilitate understanding and conversation.
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR
Dr. Jones is the Associate Director for STAR-PREP. She received her PhD in Environmental Health Sciences/Toxicology from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She went on to complete postdoctoral fellowships at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda in the Laboratory of Experimental Carcinogenesis and in the Tumor Biology Oncology Program at the Georgetown University. She is an Assistant Professor in the Dept. of Epidemiology and Public Health with a secondary appointment in the Dept. of Pharmacology. She is a member of the Hormone Responsive Cancer Program in the Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center. Her basic science research has led to important areas of discovery that has contributed to understanding the relationship between BRCA1 mutations, sex hormone levels, and cancer risk. Currently, her research seeks to understand the interplay of biological and non-biological factors (e.g. social determinants of health) as she partners with transdisciplinary research teams and communities that seek to reduce cancer health disparities. She is currently the co-P.I. on an NSF environmentally-related research grant. Given her strong interest in health disparities, Dr. Jones recently returned to graduate school to earn her MPH. She was awarded her MPH in December 2018 after successfully presenting her capstone project.
She is very passionate about providing meaningful mentorship and guidance to students that will help them to reach their professional career goals. She has intentionally sought opportunities to mentor students and provide rich and productive research experiences at the high school, undergraduate, graduate and medical school levels. Her past mentees have experienced a great degree of success and have gone on to pursue medical school, PhD and MD/PhD programs and have graduated from doctoral and PhD programs, and produced several high quality publications. She also serves in numerous supporting roles (e.g. applicant review committees, mock interviews) and mentoring roles for several of the UMSOM student research programs including the UM Scholars Summer Research Program, the Nathan Schnaper Intern Program in Translational Cancer Research, and the UMB Continuing Umbrella of Research Experiences (CURE) Scholars Middle School Program. Dr. Jones will have a pivotal role in the STAR-PREP and co-lead multiple facets of the program as Associate Director.
CO-DIRECTOR
Dr. Antalis is a Co-director for STAR-PREP. She received her PhD in biochemistry from Rice University and went on to complete a postdoctoral fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine. Her current involvement at the University is extensive. She is a Professor of Physiology, Associate Director of the Center for Vascular and Inflammatory Diseases, University of Maryland Comprehensive Cancer Center Training and Education Director, and Director of the Molecular Medicine Program in the GPILS program. She has provided important oversight to the Cancer Biology program since 2006. At the current time, she is co-director of a T32 Training program in Cancer Biology, which is funded by NIH. She is an investigator with a strong interest in oncology. She is extremely involved in conducting research and training scholars in basic and translational research.
She has a large amount of experience with training, as she has supported and mentored students pursuing master’s level degrees, predoctoral students and postdoctoral students over several decades. She has also provided insight and support as a member of over 30 thesis examination committees. She has recruited highly qualified mentees and designed programs tailored to their needs. Dr. Antalis is fully invested in supporting efforts to recruit, train, and encourage underrepresented students in the sciences. She is enthusiastic about the opportunity to assist STAR-PREP scholars with honing their scientific skills and creating pathways to success. As a Co-Director, Dr. Antalis will serve on the STAR-PREP Selection committee and assist with graduate school applications, identifying strengths and weaknesses for STAR-PREP scholars, and help in developing solutions through the use of Individual Development Plans.
INDIVIDUAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN TEAM MEMBERS
Dr. Webb is one of two IDP Team Members for STAR-PREP. She is currently an Associate Professor at the University in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology. She is also a member of the Tumor immunology and Immunotherapy group in the Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center. She received her PhD from Indiana University in Viral Immunology. She went on to complete postdoctoral fellowships at Indiana University in Transplant immunology and at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Cancer Immunology. Her research investigates efficacy of ex vivo expanded natural killer T cells as a cancer immunotherapeutic strategy.
She has experience with mentoring students at all levels including high school students, graduate students, fellows, medical students and residents. Her past mentees have experienced a great degree of success and have gone on to go on to medical school, PhD programs, graduated from doctoral and medical programs, and produce several high quality publications. Dr. Webb looks forward to using her research and training skills to help STAR-PREP scholars build on their talent. Her primary role in the program will be to ensure that PREP scholars are striving to meet their goals and strengthening their skills. She will provide counseling for PREP scholars and will help them to navigate through career and personal issues. She will also lead the forums that are specifically designed for PREP.
Dr. Hassel is one of two IDP Team Members for STAR-PREP. He received his PhD in Biochemistry from Johns Hopkins University and completed postdoctoral studies at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences and the Cleveland Clinic Foundation where he and colleagues were the first to clone the endonuclease RNase-L, a key mediator of antiviral activity. He is a tenured Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at the UMSOM where he has identified broader roles for RNase-L in cancer and innate immunity through research funded by NIH, ACS and the VA.
Dr. Hassel’s mentoring and teaching experience as a laboratory PI led to leadership roles in training, education, and outreach programs as central components of his current professional activities. He serves as Director of the Molecular Microbiology and Immunology graduate program, Assistant Director of Training and Education for the Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center and is PI of the undergraduate UMGCCC/Nathan Schnaper Intern Program in Translational Cancer Research. Much of Dr. Hassel’s education service focuses on students from groups that are under-represented in the biomedical sciences. Specifically, he is the PI on the Bridges to the Doctorate partnership with Towson University, BUILD2 ASCEND program with Morgan State University and Scholar Liaison for the Science Training for Advancing Biomedical Research Post-baccalaureate Research and Education (STAR-PREP) program. Dr. Hassel is a founding member of the Leadership Team, Sustainability Subcommittee and Scholar Mentor for the UMB CURE Scholars STEM education program for middle school students from disadvantaged West Baltimore communities. Through Dr. Hassel’s central role in UMB CURE, and leadership service in minority-focused partner programs at Morgan State University, UMBC and Coppin State University, he has been instrumental in the development of a STEM education pipeline in Baltimore. Dr. Hassel’s prior mentoring and training experiences are ideal for his role an IDP Team Member. His primary role in the program will be to ensure that PREP scholars are striving to meet their goals and strengthening their skills. He attends PIFS, counsels scholars, and helps to integrate STAR PREP functions into an array of research and professional development training.