Committees
ZDMS committees are dedicated to advancing the Zebrafish Disease Models Society. Each committee works towards providing support and advice to the membership.
Advocacy Committee
The ZDMS Advocacy Committee aims to promote the value, impact, and societal relevance of zebrafish disease models by engaging with key external stakeholders, including patients, patient advocacy groups, funders, policymakers, educators, and the general public.
Committee Members:
Rita Fior (Chair), Champalimaud Foundation, Portugal
Yi Feng, University of Edinburgh, UK
Marina Mione, University of Trento, Italy
Rui Monteiro, University of Birmingham, UK
Aleksandra Divac Rankov, Institute of Molecular Genetics and Genetic Engineering, Serbia
Awards Committee
The Awards Committee works within ZDMS to develop, promote and honor outstanding research in the zebrafish disease model community.
The committee is responsible for all ZDMS Awards.
Committee Members:
Teresa Bowman, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, USA
Eirini Trompouki, Institute for Research on Cancer and Aging, France
J. Kimble Frazer, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, USA
Communnications & Outreach Committee
The ZDMS Communication & Outreach Committee (COC) was established to develop and maintain a coherent, sustainable, and community-driven communication structure for the Zebrafish Disease Models Society. The COC serves as the central coordinating body for society-level communication and outreach, ensuring that ZDMS messages are clear, accurate, timely, and aligned with the Society’s mission.
Committee Members:
Sofia de Oliveira (Chair), Albert Einstein College of Medicine, USA
Alice Alhaj Kadour, University of Wisconsin Madison, USA
Caghan Kizil, Columbia University, USA
Octavia Santis Larrain, University of Wisconsin Madison, USA
Kevin Thiessen, University of Bristol, UK
Rich White, Ludwig Cancer Research, UK
Diversity, Equality and Inclusion (DEI) Committee
The DEI Committee promotes diversity, equality, and inclusion within ZDMS through different initiatives.
Committee Members:
Sylvia Brugman, Wageningen University, The Netherlands
Ben Shih-Lei Lai, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
Carmen Feijoo, Universidad Andres Bello, Chile
Kelly Petersen-Ross, Stellenbosch University, South Africa
Poornima Geemon, University of Manchester, UK
Priyanka Jamadagni, Yale School of Medicine, USA
Early Career Investigator (ECI) Committee
The purpose of the ECI committee is to have early-career ZDMS researchers drive the events catered to their growth and to give them a voice and representation in the greater ZDMS community. The ECI committee is comprised of graduate students, postdocs, and junior faculty. The committee is led by Wade Sugden and Antonella Lauri with Genevieve Kendall as the Executive Liaison.
Elections Committee
The Elections Committee coordinates the society’s election process for both the board of directors and executive board.
These tasks consist of identifying vacancies to providing recommendations for nominees.
Committee Members:
Teresa Bowman, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, USA
Rita Fior, Champalimaud Foundation, Portugal
Sofia de Oliveira, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, USA
Membership Committee
The Membership Committee aims to sustain and expand ZDMS membership. Its primary role is to communicate the value of membership to the community through regular website updates, targeted email communications, and social media outreach.
Committee Members:
Teresa Bowman (Chair), Albert Einstein College of Medicine, USA
Andrew Cox, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Australia
Yi Feng, University of Edinburgh, UK
Raquel Espin Palazon, Iowa State University, USA
RIG Coordination Committee
The purpose of the RIG coordination committee is to provide support for the RIG leadership teams. The committees tasks include facilitating interaction between ZDMS RIGs for cross-collaboration purposes and to assist RIG leaders with implementing the RIG Best Practices.
Committee Chairs:
Phil Elks, University of Sheffield, England
Kimble Frazer, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, USA