Irina Ellison

Dr. Ellison (B.A., Biology, Vassar College; Ph.D., Pathology, New York Medical College), a translational biologist with over 15 years of teaching and academic administrative experience at the graduate and undergraduate levels, is passionate about improving science literacy and guiding her students toward realizing their professional goals in the health sciences.  She co-founded and co-directs the Art in the Lab Workshops (www.artinthelab.com) , which give scientists and artists the opportunity to collaborate to create art based on active laboratory experiences.  A dynamic speaker, Dr. Ellison has presented extensively on the history of medicine in America and also on compassion-based healing as an alternative treatment option for Veterans.  Her interdisciplinary research interests focus on public health of cigarette smoking as well as the intersection of hunger, education and violence against women as a public health issue.  Dr. Ellison has been recognized for excellence in teaching; her effectiveness as a teacher is grounded in her command of the field and her ability to understand the needs of her diverse students and to assist them in making meaningful connections with the material.