What is WISDOM?

WISDOM stands for Women in Science, Development, Outreach and Mentorship. It is a student-run organization established for the purposes of providing support, professional networking, and mentorship opportunities for all graduate students with a focus on the inclusion of female students. To become a member of WISDOM, email WISDOM@livemail.uthscsa.edu . Keep your eye out for event announcement and volunteer opportunities. You can like our page on Facebook or follow us on Instagram @wisdom_uthscsa to stay in the know about all our activities.

What events do you organize?

Aside from our general meetings, which happen every semester, WISDOM has historically hosted or participated in several fun events throughout the years.

• • WISDOM is very involved in volunteering. Every year we send representative members to judge the Young Women’s Leadership Academy science fair, as well as set up a table at the Girls Inc.: Rockit into Science festival to encourage young women and girls to pursue their interests in STEM fields.
  • We host a recurring guest lecture series where we bring in notable women in science to talk about their various career paths and share their experience in knowledge with grad students. This is an opportunity to network in a relaxed environment, as well as ask questions that don’t typically get answered in a seminar setting.
  • This year we are implementing virtual events. If you have an idea for an event or a request for a speaker please reach out and let us know!

President: Alex McCoy

Alex McCoy is a third year Ph.D. student in the Neuroscience discipline in the Integrated Biomedical Sciences program. She received her B.S. in Behavioral Neuroscience from Western Washington University in Bellingham, WA. She now works with Dr. Alan Frazer and Dr. Flavia Carreno to develop novel therapies for the treatment of major depressive disorder. Her hobbies include backpacking, gardening and teaching others about composting.

Vice President: Katie Lillis

Katie Lillis is originally from Buffalo Grove, IL. She attended the University of Iowa where she received her B.S. in Human Physiology and B.A. in Psychology in 2018. While she was there, Katie worked in the laboratory of Dr. Ryan LaLumiere where she focused on studying the neurobiology of addiction. In 2018, she moved to San Antonio to pursue her Ph.D. in Integrated Biomedical Sciences at UT Health San Antonio. Katie is currently in the Neuroscience discipline and works with Dr. Anibal Diogenes. In this lab, she studies how sensory neurons modulate bone loss in dental infections. She also serves as the Vice President of Women in Science: Development, Outreach, and Mentorship (WISDOM) and will be taking over as the Science Communication Director for Enventure.

Treasurer: Cassidy Daw

Cassidy Daw is a third-year student in the Immunology and Infection discipline in the Ph.D. in Integrated Biomedical Sciences program. She received a Bachelor of Science in biology from Baylor University. In 2016, Cassidy joined the Master of Science in Immunology and Infection program at UT Health San Antonio, where she worked in the antibody laboratory under the mentorship of Dr. Paolo Casali. In 2018, Cassidy began her Ph.D. in the laboratory of Dr. Madesh Muniswamy where she studies mitochondrial biology and immunometabolism.

Originally from a small town in central Illinois, Jessica received her B.S. in molecular and cellular biology with a minor in chemistry from Illinois State University.  During her years at Illinois State, Jessica studied infectious disease in the lab of Dr. Marjorie Jones.  At the urging of her former mentor, who had previously graduated from UT Health San Antonio in ’82, she joined the Integrated Biomedical Science Program and the Physiology and Pharmacology department.  Her interest shifted from infectious disease to Alzheimer’s disease (AD) as she joined Dr. Sarah Hopp’s lab. Jessica is now in her third year and studies calcium, mitochondria, and microglia in AD.

Historian: Hannah Elam

Hannah received her B.S. in Psychology from the University of Texas in 2012 with the hopes of pursuing a career in the mental health field. She began a master’s program in Mental Health Counseling at Denver Seminary in Littleton, Colorado but quickly realized she was more interested in the neurobiology of psychiatric disorders than the behavioral therapy used to treat them. This ultimately led her to leave the master’s program and, instead, pursue a Ph.D. in Integrated Biomedical Sciences (Neuroscience discipline). She is now in her second year of the program, working in the lab of Dr. Dan Lodge studying the mechanisms that mediate psychiatric disorders, specifically schizophrenia.