Ellen A. Lumpkin, Ph.D.

Professor of Cell Biology, Development & Physiology

Dept. of MCB and Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute

Ellen A. Lumpkin is a Professor of Cell Biology, Development and Physiology in MCB and the Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute.  She started her lab as Sandler Fellow at UC San Francisco, and most recently was Associate Professor of Somatosensory Biology at Columbia University.  Prof. Lumpkin’s research focuses on genes, cells and neural signals that give rise to the skin sensations of touch, pain and itch.  Dr. Lumpkin earned her BS from Texas Tech University and performed her PhD training in neuroscience at UT Southwestern Medical Center and The Rockefeller University.  In addition to research and teaching, Prof. Lumpkin is passionate about mentorship and career development in STEM.  At UC Berkeley, she serves as founding director of the Inclusive Faculty Mentorship Program for Assistant Professors in the Life Sciences, Head Graduate Advisor for the MCB PhD Program, and Director of the formerly NIH-funded Maximizing Access to Research Careers Program for undergraduate students who  to pursue PhD training.

Linet Mera, PhD

she/her/ella

Co-Executive Director

calicoculture.org

Linet is Executive Director at Calico Culture Strategies - a Bay Area nonprofit dedicated to combating systemic injustice by transforming each community we work with through custom programs so everyone can belong. She is a Colombian scientist with a PhD in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry from UCSF and has 12 years of experience in diversity, equity, and inclusion program design and a passion for helping people reach their dreams in equitable, inclusive spaces. 

Erin Doherty, Ph.D

Dr. Erin Doherty is a postdoctoral fellow in the lab of Dr. Jennifer Doudna at the Innovative Genomics Institute (IGI), where she investigates novel viral immune evasion mechanisms using biochemistry and structural biology. She has been a leader in expanding access to research for historically excluded groups, launching a summer internship program in partnership with Hampton University, a Historically Black College and University (HBCU). This successful pilot is now serving as the foundation for a broader initiative that will host eight HBCU students annually across IGI labs at UC Berkeley, UC San Francisco, UC Davis, and UC Los Angeles.

Ruth Y. Shoge, OD, MPH

Chief Diversity Officer

Associate Professor of Health Sciences

 Dr. Shoge is currently an Associate Professor of Health Sciences and the Chief Diversity Officer at the University of California Berkeley Herbert Wertheim School of Optometry & Vision Science.  She received her Doctor of Optometry degree from the Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO), completed a residency in Pediatrics and Vision Therapy at PCO, and received her Master of Public Health from Temple University.   She has been involved in several institution-specific and national initiatives to improve education, policies, and practices within the eyecare profession. She has served as an investigator in several federally funded research studies and has had the opportunity to present nationally and internationally about binocular vision, vision therapy, the management of concussion-related vision disorders, cultural humility and bias awareness training, and DEIB leadership training.