WiSTEM Symposium
9th Annual WiSTEM Symposium: Past, Present, & Future
Friday, March 28th 2025
Location: Nighthorse Campbell at CU Anschutz
Join us as we highlight the historical and future role of women in science through a mix of talks, workshops, and scientific discussions
Event Registration
Registration includes: Complementary light breakfast, complementary lunch, afternoon light snacks and drinks, conference materials , and a day of exciting talks and workshops!
Program Overview:
9:00 - 12:00 Past - Women in STEM through the years
Keynote Speakers Ashley Bourke PhD, Allison Swain PhD, and Darleen Sandoval PhD
12:00 - 1:00 Future - Career Development and Social Equity in the Workplace
Join us for 2 Breakout sessions of Career Development Workshops
1:00 - 3:00 Present - Current Studies by Women in STEM
Keynote Speaker Kristyn Masters PhD
Lighting Research Talks by Lyndsey DuBose PhD, Jennifer McKey PhD, and Josiane Broussard PhD
3:00 - 4:00 Student Poster Session and Campus Organization Networking
This year we will be wrapping up the event with a research poster session open to everyone! This is a great opportunity to showcase the innovative research happening within the Anschutz community. Whether you’re looking to hone your presentation skills, share exciting new findings, or give yourself a bit of motivation to finalize a side project, we encourage you to apply!
Meet the Speakers
Ashley Bourke, PhD
Title of Talk: “A European perspective on structural barriers to women’s career progression in (neuro)science”
Dr. Ashley Bourke is a neurobiologist and postdoctoral fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Brain Research in Frankfurt, Germany. She earned her PhD in 2020 from the Pharmacology program at Anschutz, where she studied neuronal protein trafficking as an HHMI Gilliam Fellow and NSF GRFP recipient in Dr. Matt Kennedy’s lab. Her current research utilizes omics techniques—such as proteomics and ribosome profiling—to explore ribosome dynamics and local translation at neuronal synapses. In addition to her research, Ashley is committed to advancing diversity and equity in science, serving as an Equal Opportunity Officer at her institute and as Secretary of “Natives in Neuro”, a global organization supporting Indigenous researchers in neuroscience. In 2015, she co-founded the Women in STEM group at Anschutz and is delighted to see that the community continues to thrive and grow.
Allison Swain, PhD
Originally from New Jersey, Allison M. Porman Swain started biochemistry research as an undergraduate at Lehigh University where she graduated with a B.S. in Molecular Biology in 2009. The following fall, she entered the Ph.D. program in Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, and Biochemistry at Brown University where she performed her thesis research on mechanisms of epigenetic switching in the pathogenic yeast Candida tropicalis. After spending 2.5 years working on farms in Israel and Colorado, she started her postdoctoral position in 2017 at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus studying the RNA modification N6-methyladenosine (m6A) and its role in long noncoding RNA-mediated breast cancer metastasis with Dr. Aaron M. Johnson.
During her postdoctoral studies, Allison served as WiSTEM Postdoc Liaison (2017-2018), President (2018-2019), and Mentorship Program Director (2019-2021). She also pioneered an area of independent research by combining her graduate and postdoctoral work to investigate the role of m6A in Candida albicans cell state switching. She started as an Assistant Professor at the U.S. Air Force Academy in 2024 where she continues to perform research on m6A in Candida biology. In addition to her research, Allison is passionate about supporting diversity & Women in STEM.
Dr. Sandoval is currently a Professor of Pediatrics, Section of Nutrition and Medicine, Division of Endocrinology at University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus (CU-AMC). She received her Ph.D. in Exercise Science at Arizona State University and was a Postdoctoral Fellow at Vanderbilt University in the Division of Endocrinology. Her research focuses on the role of the gut-brain axis in regulation of metabolism. There are two underlying themes to this work. One is focused on understanding the mechanisms and consequences of bariatric surgery. The other is focused on understanding the physiology, pharmacology, and pathophysiology of the gut peptide, glucagon-like-peptide-1 (GLP-1). The metabolic success and widespread physiological effects of bariatric surgery and of GLP-1-targeted therapeutics for obesity and diabetes underscore the critical role of the gut in regulating homeostasis She has over 130 publications and has been funded by the NIH, the American Diabetes Association, and various other foundation and pharmaceutical research grants. She was co-founder and the inaugural co-chair of the Women’s Interprofessional Network of the American Diabetes Association (ADA), she serves as Director of Women Inspiring and Elevating Leadership in Diabetes, and she is Associate Director of the NIH-funded Colorado Nutrition Obesity Research Center.
Kristyn Masters, PhD
Jen McKey, PhD
Title of Talk: “Functional regionalization of the developing mammalian ovary and implications for adult ovarian functions”Jen McKey is a developmental and reproductive biologist at the University of Colorado. Jen grew up in France and received her undergraduate and graduate training at the University of Montpellier. Her thesis work focused on development of the gastric smooth muscle using the chicken embryo as a model organism. After graduating with a PhD in Developmental Biology, she joined the laboratory of Blanche Capel at Duke University Medical Center in North Carolina. Jen’s postdoctoral work established an integrated framework for the study of the mouse ovary in its native context, revealed the dynamic morphogenesis of the perinatal ovary, and raised the question of how external forces and surrounding tissues affect ovary morphogenesis and the establishment of ovarian subdomains. Jen was awarded an NIH pathway to Independence award (K99/R00) by the NICHD in 2021 to investigate the role of the rete ovarii in ovary development and adult homeostasis. Jen started her independent lab in the section of Developmental Biology of the department of Pediatrics at The University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus in January 2023. Research in her lab focuses on integrating ovary morphogenesis with ovarian differentiation, with the goal of uncovering fetal and perinatal determinants of female fertility and reproductive longevity. In 2024, Jen received the Boettcher Webb-Waring new investigator award to support our research on the role of perinatal folliculogenesis in the establishment of the ovarian reserve.
Josiane Broussard, PhD
Dr. Josiane Broussard is a clinical and translational scientist interested in the intersection of sleep & circadian rhythms and cardiometabolic health at the whole body as well as tissue-specific level. She received her PhD in Molecular Metabolism and Nutrition from the University of Chicago, then completed postdoctoral training with Dr. Richard Bergman in Los Angeles, CA studying the effects of diet-induced obesity on insulin sensitivity in a large animal model.In 2015 she moved to the University of Colorado Boulder for in-depth training in clinical circadian physiology with Dr. Kenneth P. Wright, Jr. In July of 2018 she started her independent laboratory at Colorado State University where she studies the mechanistic underpinnings of insulin resistance due to insufficient sleep and/or circadian misalignment, as well as potential countermeasures.