2022-2023 Executive Board
Mary Frazier, Executive Chair
Pronouns: She/her/hers
About: I enjoy making playlists, going on goofy bike rides, waving at dogs, finishing a good book, eating tasty foods, & playing outside. Ask me about my favorite dance move or about my Halloween costume last year!
Research: Living the dream in dissemination & implementation research by adapting evidence-based physical activity programs for health promotion and preventative medicine under Dr. Samantha Harden in the PARCI lab.
Program: Translational Biology, Medicine, & Health PhD program, 2nd year
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Haylee Downy, Administrative Chair
Pronouns: She/her/hers
About: I like podcasts and rocks (climbing and collecting). Ask me about things to do outside in Roanoke!
Research: I work in the Stein lab in the Center for Health Behaviors Research. We study the behavioral economics of health behaviors like smoking, food choice, and type 2 diabetes self-management.
Program: Translational Biology, Medicine, & Health PhD program, 2nd year
Collin Gregg, Treasurer
Pronouns: He/him/his
About: Outside of work I enjoy hiking, playing basketball, and running.
Research: I am interested in studying the impact of gut microbiome dysbiosis on the development of Autism Spectrum Disorder. My current project involves investigating the associations between levels of human milk-derived EV miRNAs across lactation and white matter development in human infants in both the Morton lab and the Howell lab.
Program: Translational Biology, Medicine, & Health PhD program, 2nd year
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Elliana Vickers, RGSA Wellness Chair
Pronouns: Sher/her/hers
About: I love reading, petting dogs, over-watering plants, scuba diving, falling asleep to aquarium live streams, and most importantly, staring lovingly at my cat. I live in Blacksburg, so ask me about the good eats and drinks in town!
Research: I am co-mentored between the Therapeutic Ultrasound and Noninvasive Therapies Lab in Blacksburg and the Comparative Oncology Lab in Roanoke. I study novel ultrasound-based ablation therapies and their uses in veterinary oncology.
Program: Translational Biology, Medicine, & Health PhD program, 2nd year
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Catie Burgess, Social Committee
Pronouns: She/her/hers
About: In my spare time I’m a competitive Highland Dancer. I spend a lot of my free time training for that, exercising, going for hikes, and running around visiting family and friends. Ask me about the local breweries or my thoughts on Dolly Parton!
Research: I’m in the Lahmers lab in Blacksburg currently working on expanding surveillance capacity for agents of Bovine Infectious Anemia in Virginia and surrounding states.
Program: Translational Biology, Medicine, & Health PhD program, 2nd year
Emma Leslie, Social Committee
About: Ask me about night life in Roanoke or where you can adopt your furry friend!
Research: I’m researching all things decision making, dopamine, and DONNUTs in the DiFeliceantonio lab!
Program: Translational Biology, Medicine, & Health PhD program, 2nd year
Mason Wheeler, Social Committee
Pronouns: She/her/hers
About: In my free time, I love to spend time with my fiancé Chance and our dogs Josie and Finn and our cat Bonnie. We love all things outdoors and all things food. Ask me about fun restaurants and breweries in Roanoke (I’m a native with all the insider info!)
Research: I am affiliated with the Pfleger Lab, investigating novel transcriptional targets implicated in cardiac insulin sensitivity and resistance in the context of diabetic cardiomyopathy. I am very passionate about this research, as diabetics are more than twice as likely to develop and die due to cardiovascular disease and subsequent heart failure. This cardiac dysfunction is especially important to characterize and target as obesity and TIID are increasing rapidly.
Program: Translational Biology, Medicine, & Health PhD program, 2nd year
Megan Evans, Social Committee
Pronouns: She/her/hers
About: Ask me about my favorite coffee shops and Grey's Anatomy trivia.
Research: I have a co-mentorship with Dr. Brittany Howell in the Maternal Influence on Neurodevelopment (MIND) lab and Dr. Stephanie DeLuca in the Neuromotor Clinic.
Program: Translational Biology, Medicine, & Health PhD program, 2nd year