Dr. Greetchen Díaz is the Director of the Science Education Program and Community Partnerships of Ciencia Puerto Rico (CienciaPR). For more than 10 years, Díaz was a volunteer, part of the administrative team of CienciaPR. At CienciaPR, she participated in numerous projects in science communication, science outreach and science education. She is the founder and coordinator of CienciaPR's "Borinqueña," the bilingual blog for Hispanic and Puerto Rican Women in science and technology. Also, Díaz is founder and coordinator of the photoblog "Ciencia a tu alrededor." In 2015, she was the coordinator of "Semillas de Triunfo" (Seeds of Succeed), the first STEM ambassador program for middle school girls in Puerto Rico.

Before joining CienciaPR's staff in 2017, Díaz was the Grants Program Director at the Puerto Rico Science, Technology and Research Trust. Díaz was responsible for the implementation of the first local grants mechanism in Puerto Rico with initiatives such as the Science and Technology Research Grants, the Small Research Grants and the Researcher's Startup Funds. At the Trust, Díaz also coordinated the outreach activities that include the Research & innovation Meetups, the Forward Research & Innovation Summit and the Forward Grantees Symposium, among many others.

Díaz is the president of the Puerto Rico Society of Microbiologists (PRSM), where she previously served as the PRSM's board of birector's secretary, and ASM councilor. The PRSM is the local branch for the American Society for Microbiology (ASM), where Díaz is a member of its board of directors.

Díaz completed a B.S. and M.S. in biology at the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez. Then she earned her Ph.D. in molecular, cellular and developmental biology at The Ohio State University, where she studied intracellular protein trafficking, using budding yeast as a model system. Her research described a requirement of the spindle pole body (yeast centrosome) for targeting/tethering peripheral proteins to the inner nuclear membrane. After earning her Ph.D., Díaz started as a postdoctoral researcher at the Nebraska Center for Virology, University of Nebraska at Lincoln, where she got a NIH T32 postdoctoral fellowship to conduct studies in reproduction of human papilloma virus.

Díaz has received numerous awards and honors from various organizations such as CROEM Alumni, the University of Puerto Rico, The Ohio State University, ASM, SACNAS and the Ford Foundation, among others. In 2017, Díaz was recognized by the Senate of Puerto Rico for her professional achievements and her election to the ASM Board of Directors. Her work and projects have been featured on local and international media outlets, such as El Nuevo Día, el Vocero, Noticel, Metro, Caribbean Business, News in my Business, Diálogo, Voces del Sur, Periódico La Perla, Microbe and Scientific American, among others.

Catherine Eze, Ph.D. is a researcher in public health microbiology and an environmentalist with over 15 years’ experience in a wide variety of laboratory and field techniques. Eze is a specialist devoted to the implementation of existing technology in microbiology, public health and the environment. Eze’s research interests include focusing on the influence of the environment on human health, controlling such influences through prevention and intervention strategies and predicting and manipulating the microbial community with a goal towards protecting and sustaining human and environmental health. Eze also works to investigate areas of health systems and evaluation of health programs/interventions. Her ongoing community-based projects include disease-specific research, mainly on malaria, HIV/AIDS and vector control involving designing, conducting and analyzing trials and surveys.

Joel Oppenheim, Ph.D. is currently a Professor Emeritus of Microbiology at NYU School of Medicine. Oppenheim served on the NYU School of Medicine’s M.D. and M.D/Ph.D. committees and chaired the Ph.D. admissions committees for over 20 years. 

Oppenheim has served on many national advisory committees (AAMC, NIH, NRC, NSF, ASM, Leadership Alliance, and UNCF/Merck), grant study sections (NCATS, NIAID, NIGMS, NSF, Sloan Foundation, UNCF/Merck), and as a reviewer of numerous NIH, NRC, NSF and NAS reports involved with graduate education, pipeline issues and the recruitment and retention of underrepresented students to graduate programs. Oppenheim has been an invited speaker to over 70 colleges and universities, at the NRC, NSF and NIH as well as at ABRCMS, IRACDA, Leadership Alliance, McNair, SACNAS and UNCF/Merck national meetings.

In 2010, Oppenheim was the recipient of the American Association of the Advancement of Sciences (AAAS) Life Time Mentoring Award, one of the nation’s highest mentoring awards. Oppenheim was also one of the founding members of the Leadership Alliance in 1992, which in 2010 received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Engineering and Mathematics.

Dioscaris R. Garcia, Ph.D. is an assistant professor of orthopaedics (research) and co-director of The Diane N. Weiss Center for Orthopaedic Trauma Research at Rhode Island Hospital. Garcia is an experienced pharmacologist and microbiologist specializing in drug development and infectious diseases.

Through a diverse multidisciplinary approach, Garcia has amassed extensive experience in the development and characterization of translational technologies at both the academic and industrial level. Garcia has also received numerous recognitions for his mentorship and research training of hundreds of students at Brown University’s Alpert Medical School. Garcia has also received several accolades and awards for being a leader in diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in the region.

Garcia’s work on infectious diseases in the department of orthopaedics at Brown University has led to the development of cutting edge diagnostic technologies, and antimicrobial coatings against the emerging threat of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Garcia has also received several municipal, state and national citations for his leadership and role as an architect of the Rhode Island State COVID-19 response. Garcia currently serves on a number of committees focused on improving public health disparities, improving the urban education to college pipeline and optimizing diversity, equity and inclusion at Brown University.

Margaret Powers-Fletcher, Ph.D. is an assistant professor in the Internal Medicine, Infectious Diseases Division at the University of Cincinnati. She received her doctorate in pathobiology and molecular medicine from the University of Cincinnati Medical Center in 2013 and completed fellowship training in medical microbiology at the University of Utah in 2016. Dr. Margaret Powers-Fletcher is a board-certified clinical microbiologist and devoted to improving health care outcomes through diagnostic stewardship research and education. She is also passionate about enhancing the accessibility and appreciation of science in the community.

Rachel Roper, Ph.D. is a professor at East Carolina University’s Department of Microbiology and Immunology in the Brody School of Medicine. Roper has published over 50 manuscripts on viral genomics, virulence genes, immune regulation, bioinformatics and vaccines and has been cited more than 6800 times. She has published on flavivirus, coronaviruses, poxviruses and oncolytic viruses. Roper was part of the team that first sequenced and analyzed the SARS Coronavirus genome and oversaw SARS vaccine development and testing. She has served on numerous national and international Grant Panels and Editorial Boards and received funding from the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation as well as regional centers and industry partners.

Roper is a recipient of the East Carolina University Woman of Distinction Award, the School of Medicine Women’s Advocacy Award, and the Faculty Senate Extraordinary Service Award.
 
Roper became interested in DEI issues in science, and has published on bias and strategies for improving diversity and inclusion in academia and STEM. She has given numerous national and international seminars and workshops on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. She was a Co-Principal Investigator on a National Science Foundation ADVANCE grant to promote Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM).

Melanie Mormile currently serves as the Associate Dean for Research and External Relations for the College of Arts, Sciences and Business at the Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T). She is also a professor of biological sciences. She began her career at Missouri S&T in 1999 as an assistant professor. Prior to joining S&T, she did postdoctoral work for Drs. Jim Fredrickson and Brent Peyton at the Pacific Northwest National Lab. She holds a Ph.D. in microbiology from the University of Oklahoma.

At Missouri S&T, Mormile has published on many topics in environmental microbiology that span the fate of antibiotics in pig waste lagoons, identifying new species of halophilic bacteria, to possible industrial uses of halophiles. She holds 2 patents on biohydrogen production from cellulosic materials and 1 on the production of propanediol from waste glycerol, all under alkaline and saline conditions. In addition, Mormile has served as the main faculty advisor for the Mars Rover Design Team (MRDT) of Missouri S&T since its inception in 2012. Along with research, administration and advising MRDT, she also teaches courses that range from the Introduction to Biological Sciences (freshmen) to Bioremediation (graduate level).

Katherine Caflisch is a Ph.D. candidate at the Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences in Rochester, Minn. and a member of ASM’s Committee on the Status of Women in Microbiology (CSWiM). In addition to her research on Staphylococcus aureus bacteriophage, Caflisch enjoys exploring topics at the intersection of science and daily life, including the history and culture of science, training and career development, scientific advocacy and biomedical ethics.
 

Lindsey Clark is an assistant professor in the laboratory sciences department at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock and is a member of ASM’s Committee on the Status of Women in Microbiology. She is a certified Medical Laboratory Scientist (ASCP) and is earning her Ed.D. at the University of Louisiana Monroe after completing her M.P.H. in 2019. Her research interests include biosafety in molecular and microbiology laboratories, interprofessional education and the use of virtual reality in laboratory science curriculum.

Enas Newire is a molecular microbiologist (early-career researcher) with extensive antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and bacterial whole genome sequence (WGS) analysis experience.

Newire received her B.Sc. in Biology from the American University in Cairo (AUC), M.Sc. in Infectious Diseases from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and Ph.D. in Microbial Diseases from University College London (UCL) in 2018. After her Ph.D., Newire worked as a postdoctoral research assistant at the University of Lincoln.

Newire has also occupied research and academic positions since 2004 at the United States Naval Medical Research Unit-3 (US. NAMRU-3), AUC and UCL. She handled several molecular and microbiological typing projects and collaborated with lower and middle-income countries (LMIC).

Her research activities focus on the emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance amongst bacteria, particularly bacterial evolutionary studies, bacterial plasmid transfer and fitness studies, natural bacterial immune systems (CRISPRs) analysis and bioinformatic analysis of bacterial genome sequences.

Amy Reese, Ph.D., is an associate professor of biology at St. Louis College of Pharmacy in St. Louis, Mo., where she teaches Microbiology, Biology I, and Science, Ethics, and Society. She also leads a research team of students in studying fungal organisms that cause disease in humans whose immune systems have been suppressed or compromised.

Reese's undergraduate degrees were in chemistry and music at The College of Wooster, in Wooster, Ohio. She obtained her Ph.D. in biochemistry at the University of Minnesota. It was during her postdoctoral work at Washington University School of Medicine that she found microbiology and fell in love with studying microbes. She was able to combine that interest with her passion for teaching when she joined the faculty at the women’s liberal arts institution of Cedar Crest College, in Allentown, Penn. in 2004, where she taught for 11 years. In 2015, she joined the St. Louis College of Pharmacy faculty to help expand their undergraduate program offerings and perform research with students. In 2018, she was invited to join the team of faculty and staff delivering the co-curricular social awareness and cultural sensitivity training for pharmacy students.

Rachel Roper, Ph.D. is a professor at East Carolina University’s Department of Microbiology and Immunology in the Brody School of Medicine. Roper has published over 50 manuscripts on viral genomics, virulence genes, immune regulation, bioinformatics and vaccines and has been cited more than 6800 times. She has published on flavivirus, coronaviruses, poxviruses and oncolytic viruses. Roper was part of the team that first sequenced and analyzed the SARS Coronavirus genome and oversaw SARS vaccine development and testing. She has served on numerous national and international Grant Panels and Editorial Boards and received funding from the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation as well as regional centers and industry partners.

Roper is a recipient of the East Carolina University Woman of Distinction Award, the School of Medicine Women’s Advocacy Award, and the Faculty Senate Extraordinary Service Award.
 
Roper became interested in DEI issues in science, and has published on bias and strategies for improving diversity and inclusion in academia and STEM. She has given numerous national and international seminars and workshops on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. She was a Co-Principal Investigator on a National Science Foundation ADVANCE grant to promote Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM).

Carolyn Teschke is a professor in the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, and professor of chemistry at the University of Connecticut. Her NIH funded research group studies how viruses assemble using bacteriophage P22 as a model system. Her group also investigates how Mycobacteria species secrete proteins, and is participating in a collaborative projects on phage therapy. She is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and is an Associate Editor for Science Advances and the Journal of Virology. She is a 2022 recipient of a Fulbright Scholarship to study virus assembly reactions at the University of York, UK. In 2018, Teschke was awarded the Alice C. Evans Award for the Advancement of Women by the American Society of Microbiology for “major contributions toward fostering the inclusion, development, and advancement of women in careers in microbiology, demonstrated commitment to women in science through mentorship and advocacy, and by setting an example through scientific and professional achievement.” Teschke was Jefferson Science Fellow at the U.S. State Department in 2015-2016, where her work primarily focused on global health issues, including anti-microbial resistance, and the cooperative science relationship between the U.S. and Japan.

Dr. Michael D. L. Johnson received an A.B. in Music from Duke University before obtaining his Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Biophysics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. After completing his dissertation in bacterial motility and attachment, he went to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in the Department of Infectious Disease to study how bacteria process nutrients, specifically metals, during bacterial infections. He then worked in the Department of Immunology studying newly discovered ways of how the body eliminates harmful pathogens. During his postdoctoral fellowship, he also founded Science Sound Bites, a science podcast for kids. Currently, Dr. Johnson is an assistant professor at the University of Arizona in the Department of Immunobiology where he studies mechanisms of metal toxicity in bacteria. In short, he’s killin’ it with copper. He is active in science outreach through events like The National Summer Undergraduate Research Project, DNA Day, The BIO5 Postdoctoral Fellowship Program, in minority scientific affairs through the American Society for Microbiology, and online through Twitter @blacksciblog.
 

Dr. Rita Tamayo completed her Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio and conducted her postdoctoral research at Tufts University School of Medicine. She is Associate Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of North Carolina (UNC) School of Medicine and a UNC Simmons Scholar. Tamayo’s lab studies the regulatory mechanisms controlling the motility and virulence of Clostridium difficile, the most common cause of nosocomial infections in the United States and an urgent public health threat. Her lab has characterized the role of the bacterial signaling molecule c-di-GMP and its RNA-based sensors (riboswitches) in controlling multiple modes of C. difficile motility, as well as cytotoxin production. In addition, her group is defining the mechanisms of phase variation and determining the consequences of the resulting phenotypic heterogeneity to C. difficile physiology and pathogenesis. Tamayo serves on the editorial board for the Journal of Bacteriology and Infection and Immunity, as an associate editor for Frontiers in Microbiology and as an ad hoc reviewer for many ASM and other journals.

Dr. Jorge Vidal is an associate professor at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. Vidal is also a member of the 1ASM Subcommittee on Microbiological Issues Impacting Minorities and the ASM Subcommittee on Minority Education. He studied medical laboratory science (Honors) at the University of Puebla, Mexico, and then obtained a master's degree (Honors) in microbiology (2001, “Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biologicas”) and a Ph.D. in cellular microbiology (2006, Center for Research and Advanced  Studies), both from the National Polytechnic Institute (IPN) in Mexico City, after which he moved to the University of Pittsburg School of Medicine. There he conducted post-doctoral research in bacterial genetics (2006-09) in the laboratory of Professor Bruce A. McClane. Vidal was recruited as an assistant professor at the Emory University Rollins School of Public Health in Sept. 2009 by Keith P. Klugman and promoted to associate professor. Vidal was later recruited by Larry McDaniel to the UMMC Department of Microbiology and Immunology, where he currently has his research laboratory. His research programs and academic activities have been generously funded through grants from the NIH, BMGF, Pfizer, Cempra pharmaceuticals, Melinta Pharmaceuticals, Nabriva Pharmaceuticals, NIH-sponsored ACTSI and others.

Luis R. Martinez, Ph.D. was born and raised in Puerto Rico. He is an associate professor at the University of Florida, where his laboratory is a magnet for trainees from historically underrepresented groups (HUGs). His research focuses on elucidating the mechanisms of fungal brain invasion and colonization in immunocompromised individuals.

Martinez is well-published and -NIH funded. He serves on the editorial boards of mBio and Infection and Immunity. He is the interim chair of the ASM’s subcommittee on Microbiological Issues Impacting Minorities. Martinez is particularly interested in engaging URM into the scientific dialogue as well as to promote an inclusive environment at ASM. He was a member of the AAAS Leshner Leadership Institute for Public Engagement with Science in Infectious Diseases cohort. He is an active advocate of scientific citizenship and involved on diversity issues in the natural sciences and medicine. Martinez is currently the Profession of Microbiology track leader for ASM Microbe. He has taught in several minority-serving institutions at the community college, liberal arts, doctoral, dental, and medical school levels. He serves in external advisory committees for NIH-funded programs focused on increasing HUGs in STEM.

Dr. Michael D. L. Johnson received an A.B. in Music from Duke University before obtaining his Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Biophysics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. After completing his dissertation in bacterial motility and attachment, he went to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in the Department of Infectious Disease to study how bacteria process nutrients, specifically metals, during bacterial infections. He then worked in the Department of Immunology studying newly discovered ways of how the body eliminates harmful pathogens. During his postdoctoral fellowship, he also founded Science Sound Bites, a science podcast for kids. Currently, Dr. Johnson is an assistant professor at the University of Arizona in the Department of Immunobiology where he studies mechanisms of metal toxicity in bacteria. In short, he’s killin’ it with copper. He is active in science outreach through events like The National Summer Undergraduate Research Project, DNA Day, The BIO5 Postdoctoral Fellowship Program, in minority scientific affairs through the American Society for Microbiology, and online through Twitter @blacksciblog.
 

Dr. Peter Lipke is a professor of biology at Brooklyn College. He is also a member of the ASM Subcommittee on Microbiological Issues Impacting Minorities. He is a microbiologist interested in the surface of fungi. Specifically, his group studies how protein amyloids affect adhesion of the fungi, the host response to colonization by fungi, and whether amyloid-targeted drugs can be developed as antifungals. His interests also include science education, minority opportunities in science, mentoring and student development.

He has authored over 100 papers and several patent applications, and has been elected to the American Academy of Microbiology and as a fellow of the AAAS.  

Andrea Rocha, Ph.D., is a scientist based in Geosyntec Consultant, Inc.’s Knoxville, Tennessee office. She has over 10 years of experience conducting innovative research using a broad range of geochemical, microbial, computational and genomics techniques within environmental microbiology, computational biology and engineering science. As a consultant, Andrea assists clients with environmental remediation planning and implementation, engineered phytoremediation using TreeWell^Ò technology, applied research and groundwater monitoring and data management. Her client work also includes environmental microbiomics research related to biogeochemical stabilization of metals in CCR; elevated temperature landfill microbiology; detailed biomass monitoring in bioreactors; surface water/groundwater interactions; critical shifts in microbial populations that are directly related to biogeochemical reactivity and biodegradation; and other applications, where deep microbial community analysis can provide key insights and opportunities for engineered solutions. 
 
Andrea serves on ASM’s Subcommittee for Issues Impacting Minority Microbiologists and  Geosyntec’s University Collaboration Initiative panel, which supports universities and affiliated student programs designed to help diverse student populations in STEM programs reach their career goals. She is also engaged with The National GEM Consortium’s Speaker Bureau to promote higher degrees of education in STEM by underrepresented groups. 

Dr. Jorge Vidal is an associate professor at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. Vidal is also a member of the 1ASM Subcommittee on Microbiological Issues Impacting Minorities and the ASM Subcommittee on Minority Education. He studied medical laboratory science (Honors) at the University of Puebla, Mexico, and then obtained a master's degree (Honors) in microbiology (2001, “Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biologicas”) and a Ph.D. in cellular microbiology (2006, Center for Research and Advanced  Studies), both from the National Polytechnic Institute (IPN) in Mexico City, after which he moved to the University of Pittsburg School of Medicine. There he conducted post-doctoral research in bacterial genetics (2006-09) in the laboratory of Professor Bruce A. McClane. Vidal was recruited as an assistant professor at the Emory University Rollins School of Public Health in Sept. 2009 by Keith P. Klugman and promoted to associate professor. Vidal was later recruited by Larry McDaniel to the UMMC Department of Microbiology and Immunology, where he currently has his research laboratory. His research programs and academic activities have been generously funded through grants from the NIH, BMGF, Pfizer, Cempra pharmaceuticals, Melinta Pharmaceuticals, Nabriva Pharmaceuticals, NIH-sponsored ACTSI and others.

Floyd L. Wormley, Jr., Ph.D. is currently a professor and associate provost for research and dean of graduate studies at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas. Wormley received his B.S. in cellular and molecular biology from Tulane University in New Orleans, La. and his M.S. and Ph.D. in microbiology, immunology and parasitology from Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans, La. He then conducted his post-doctoral studies in infectious diseases at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, NC.

Wormley is a 2019 Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Sciences, a 2017 Fulbright Scholar, and a 2016 Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology. The purpose of Wormley’s research program is to develop novel immune therapies and/or vaccines to treat and/or prevent invasive fungal infections and is currently supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of the National Institutes of Health.