Christina Lewis, PhD, a postdoctoral scholar at UCSF, has been elected to serve on the Executive Board of the National Postdoctoral Association (NPA).
Lewis' two-year term of service on the NPA Executive Board began Jan. 1, 2006.
Currently training as a postdoctoral scholar at UCSF, Lewis conducts her research at the Lung Biology Center, Department of Medicine, in the laboratory of David Erle. Lewis' research at UCSF investigates mechanisms of asthma pathogenesis.
Lewis earned her doctorate in physiology from Colorado State University in Ft. Collins, CO, and conducted her doctorate research at the National Jewish Medical & Research Center in Denver, CO.
Lewis has had extensive experience in matters of postdoctoral advocacy through her roles as the current President of the UCSF Postdoctoral Scholar's Association and as the Chair of the University of California system-wide Council of Postdoctoral Scholars. During her three years at UCSF, Lewis has served on numerous academic committees and has also served on the NPA's Annual Meeting and Outreach committees.
"In the current landscape of challenges facing postdoctoral scholars on matters of policy, training, career development, and bridging the gap between fellowship and faculty appointment," Lewis noted, "establishing mechanisms to address these obstacles are critical to the vitality and propagation of the scientific enterprise."
"My aspirations as a NPA board member are to actively engage and stimulate the current infrastructures at institutional and government levels in professional endeavors that will allow for and promote the necessary evolution of the postdoctoral scholar appointment that will ultimately contribute to the betterment of higher education. I look forward to this very important work and the opportunity to contribute to the national voice of postdoctoral scholars," she concluded.
The mission of the National Postdoctoral Association is to advance the US research enterprise by maximizing the effectiveness of the research community and enhancing the quality of the postdoctoral experience for all participants. The NPA is sponsored by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), with support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.
