Each year the LA CaTS Professional Development Core selects qualified Scholars into the program. The Roadmap Scholars are early stage faculty members whose goals are to become sustainable independent researchers. This year, in addition to a submitted application, Scholars were interviewed by all three Core Co-Directors and the Research Navigator. Please join us in welcoming the 12th Cohort of Roadmap Scholars: Nell Bond, PhD (Tulane University School of Medicine). In addition, the LA CaTS Professional Development Core has begun a new program, the Underrepresented Minority Roadmap Scholar program. Derek Werthmann, PhD, MPH (Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine) has been selected following the same process as Dr. Bond and will serve as the inaugural Underrepresented Minority Roadmap Scholar.

Both scholars began on July 1st and have enrolled in the Masters of Science in Clinical Research program. Dr. Bond's project is titled "Interrogation of accelerated aging as a mechanism of immune modulation and post-Ebola syndrome (PES) phenotype in pediatric survivors of Ebolavirus disease." and her work focuses on defining how Ebolavirus disease (EVD) and specific PES phenotypes are associated with accelerated cellular and immune aging in pediatric survivors. Dr. Werthmann's project is titled "The Effect of Pesticide Exposure on Immunological Responses in Children against SARS-CoV-2" and will evaluate the immunological response to pesticide and pesticide mixture exposure in individuals having SARS-CoV-2 infection and/or COVID-19 vaccination.

For further detail about each Scholar's project, please visit the following link on the Professional Development Core website: Roadmap Scholars Projects