BOARD OF OFFICERS

The present board is very pleased to have a full complement of officers for the year.  However, fresh voices are always welcomed and needed, and if you have any suggestions and/or wish to be an officer or know someone who does, please let the board know.

Dixie Fisher, Ph.D. PRESIDENT	Specialty : Academic Medicine e-mail :   Dr. Dixie Fisher received her B.A. in Microbiology/Chemistry and her M.S. in Veterinary Science from the University of Nebraska.  She received her doctorate in Education from the University of Southern California (USC), specializing in Higher, Adult, and Professional Education with a focus on research methodology.  She has taught the Master’s Research Seminar for the Division of Medical Education since 1993.  She served as a mentor in the Professionalism and the Practice of Medicine course for first and second-year medical students. Dr. Fisher's research is in the area of the development of clinical reasoning in medical students.  She is certified by Multi-Health Systems, Inc. Toronto, Canada to administer the MSCEIT emotional intelligence ability test, and to deliver the Emotional Intelligence Critical Skills for Success workshop.  Prior to joining the Division of Medical Education, she directed the Veterinary Diagnostic and Disease Surveillance Laboratory at USC.  She isolated, characterized, and named the marine bacterium Vibrio damsela as reported in the research journal, Science.  She has peer-reviewed publications in the areas of animal, fish, reptilian, and educational research. Among her favorite pastimes are playing USTA tennis and training her dog, KayDee.
Virginia Carson, Ph.D. VICE PRESIDENT	Specialty : Biology, Psychopharmacology  e-mail :
Margaret Carson, B.A. TREASURER	Specialty : Earth Science e-mail :   Margaret Carson earned a double major Bachelors degree in Geology and Biology from Mount Holyoke College. She enjoys knitting and swimming.  She also enjoys her travels to Ecuador, where she also owns a home.
Katherine Baum LIAISON	Specialty : e-mail :
Helen Clucas, Ph.D. MEMBERSHIP	Specialty : Mathematics, Higher Education e-mail :   Dr. Helen Clucas holds an A.A. from Fullerton College, and both an A.B. from the University of California-Los Angeles and M.A. from the University of Oregon in Mathematics.  She received her Ph.D. from the University of Southern California for Higher Education and is currently Professor Emeritus at Fullerton College in Fullerton, CA. The thirty years that Helen Clucas taught mathematics at Fullerton College was a very fulfilling experience for her.  However, the discrimination against women students in the awarding of scholarships, that she observed there, motivated her to do as much as she could to promote the recognition of women, whether science student or professional scientist.  She feels very fortunate that she was invited in 1992 to join GWIS, because its goals of "advancing the participation and recognition of women in science" are so important to her personally. The OC GWIS Sigma Chapter has had at least one science conference at which women scientists were featured speakers every year since its inception in 1987.  Student scientific presentations were added to the 1996 conference, when 14 presentations were given.  At the 18th Student Research Conference in 2007 a high of 31 presentations was reached.  The total prizes awarded grew from $200 the first year to $1500 in 2007, with a total of $8200 being awarded in prizes over all those years.  This triumph for OC GWIS Sigma Chapter has been very meaningful to her.  Since joining GWIS in 1992, Helen has served in many differing capacities on the board of officers, including president of OC GWIS Sigma Chapter from 1996 to 1997. Helen's family, which includes her husband, Ted, their children, spouses, and grandchildren, have occupied all her "spare" time, and continue to do so.  She enjoys RV trips together to national parks and forests, with fishing, hiking, photography, and boating being important activities.
Mitra J. Hooshmand, B.S. PUBLIC RELATIONS	Specialty : Neuroscience e-mail :    Mitra graduated in the fall of 2002 from UC Irvine (UCI) with a Bachelor's degree in Biological Sciences and a minor in Philosophy. During her undergraduate studies, she conducted research in areas of Down syndrome and Alzheimer disease. Additionally, Mitra was highly active within her residential community, serving as a community programmer, program advisor, and resident advisor.   After a short break during which she worked at Wells Fargo Bank, Mitra began her graduate career at UCI in the department of Anatomy and Neurobiology. She joined Dr. Aileen Anderson’s laboratory in the spring of 2004. Her dissertation study investigates the effect of the microenvironment after spinal cord injury, specifically the fate of human central nervous system stem cells and the ability of transplanted cells to promote functional recovery. Mitra is also the co-founder of the department-wide Anatomy and Neurobiology Journal Club (established in 2005) which allows graduate students the opportunity to critically read, interpret, and present scientific literature to fellow peers, post-doctoral fellows, and faculty.   Additionally, Mitra is the founding president of Dialogue Society, a student-run organization with numerous chapters and affiliates (established in 1998). The Dialogue Society dedicates itself to exploring ethical, moral, and humanistic aspects of various schools of thought including the sciences and the arts.   Mitra participated in the 2008 OC GWIS Student Research Conference and was awarded the first-place prize in the PhD category. She has been an official OC GWIS member since 2008.   When not in the laboratory, Mitra volunteers her time at the Orangewood Children’s Foundation, a non-profit organization with the vision to reduce child abuse and neglect, especially within the foster youth community. She is also addicted to exercise, spending most of her evenings swimming, biking, doing yoga, Pilates, or lifting weights.
Viorela Pop, Ph.D. COMMUNICATIONS & OUTREACH	Specialty : Neuroscience e-mail :   Viorela is currently a post-doctoral fellow at Loma Linda University in California and works on molecular aspects of traumatic brain injury in rodents. She obtained her Ph.D. in Biological Sciences with the department of Neurobiology and Behavior at the University of California-Irvine, where she studied "Beta-Amyloid Pathogenesis in the Canine Brain: Effects of Age and Antioxidants".  She holds a dual bachelor's in Neuroscience and English from the University of California-Los Angeles. Viorela is a member of the UCLA Alumni Association and has served on their scholarship committee since 2005.  She is also an active member of the Society for Neuroscience (SfN) and has taken part in Brain Awareness programs for elementary school kids.   Her involvement with GWIS dates back to 2004, participating in student oral research presentations, helping with various chapter events, and serving on the national GWIS Fellowships Committee. Apart from science, Viorela enjoys spending time with her husband and kids.  Together with other relatives and friends, she enjoys spending time outdoors, movies, cooking parties, and art.