Hello Everyone!
I am Erika Deppenschmidt, but you can call me Erika Depp since my last name is awfully long and sometimes I cannot remember it all either. I am a second year Ph.D. student in the Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology program at Stony Brook University School of Medicine. I recently joined the Colognato lab in May of 2018 after completing my first year of rotations and course work. I am working on a project that focuses on stem cell maintenance in relation to a potential dystroglycan-notch axis that I am investigating. At Stony Brook University I am a part of the SBU club field hockey team, as well as being secretary for the student rep meetings and also am co-chair of the social media committee for the pharmacology department. I started the “Goaled Mind Mentorship Program” at my middle school for alumni to mentor current students in relation to possible career choices and have an alumni career day for students, in the works as well.
A Little About Me:
Background – I grew up in Center City Philadelphia in a little neighborhood called Fishtown. I did research at Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia for 2 summers when I was in high school which led me to pursue science in undergrad. I went to undergrad at Notre Dame of Maryland University located in Baltimore, MD where I received my bachelors degree in chemistry with a minor in mathematics. I received membership to 5 different national honors societies, which are as follows: Gamma Sigma Epsilon, Delta Epsilon Sigma, Beta Beta Beta, Kappa Mu Epsilon and Chi Alpha Sigma. I was a 4 year athlete in field hockey, being a nationally ranked defensive player. I was a dual-sport athlete for 3 of years undergrad being a member of both the swim team and basketball team. I did research at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in the pharmacology department from June 2016 – June 2017 and this experience led me to pursue a graduate degree in Pharmacology.
Hobbies – Other than enjoying field hockey, I love to travel. I have been many places and still have so much of the world to see! I have a cat, named Mogley, and he is the cutest little guy ever. I like to sing in the shower or if there is karaoke at a party. I love live music so I have attended many concerts throughout the years. I play guitar on occasion. I pride myself on being an amazing parallel parker and I am always down for a good challenge. I am a diehard Flyers fan, Eagles fan and Sixers fan.