RTI Administration Mission Statement

Our Staff

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  Marie Bernard-Cook

  Executive Assistant to the Chair

  Marie joined UMass Chan Medical School in 2021 & brings with her twenty years of healthcare experience. In her current role she supports Dr. Phil Zamore, Chair of the RTI. She has knowledge of executive calendar management, budgeting, special projects, provider support and other administrative tasks. She was Co-Chair of Diversity & Inclusion at her previous organization and led many extracurricular events from company talent shows to holiday events. Outside of work, Marie enjoys travel, the arts, shopping, cooking and spending time with friends, family and her cats.

  Office Location: AS4-2045
  Office Phone: 774-455-6691

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  Darryl Conte Jr., Ph.D.

  Associate Professor, Research development and science writing

  Darryl works as a scientific writing coach and editor, helping RTI faculty, students, and postdocs develop successful grant proposals and manuscripts. Darryl earned his B.S. in Mathematics from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and his Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences from the State University of New York at Albany. Darryl discovered and cultivated his passion for helping others write well while he was a postdoc and then research faculty in Dr. Craig Mello’s laboratory. When not writing or editing grants or papers, Darryl enjoys working with his wife on their hobby farm near Glens Falls, NY.

  Office Location: AS4-1059
  Office Phone: 774-455-3690

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  Laura Cummings

  Administrative Assistant

  Laura comes to the RTI with a diverse background. Prior to joining the team in the RTI she worked in a fast paced, multinational office coordinating with outside vendors and assisting in both domestic and international travel arrangements for the local executives and visitors. Laura’s current responsibilities include assisting with various administrative initiatives. Outside of work, Laura enjoys cooking, reading, and having an active lifestyle in the outdoors with her family and 2 dogs.

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  Kathy Drolet

  Administrative Coordinator

  Kathy comes to the RTI with a variety of skills including program coordination, event, budget and grant management in academia. She values being able to make an impact while fostering collaboration within the team. Outside of work, Kathy is a founding member of a local non-profit, she writes when times allows, teaches meditation and spends time with her three children. Kathy supports the Grunwald, Li, and Pai labs.
  
  Office Locations: AS4-1046B
  LinkedIn Profile

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  Mary Beth Dziewietin

  Project Manager/NACC Lab Operations Manager

  With a professional background ranging from curating nineteenth-century manuscripts to freelance writing to clerking in an ICU, Mary Beth brings a variety of skills to her role as administrative coordinator for Anastasia Khvorova and Jon Watts and their labs. Since 2014, Mary Beth has managed their meetings, money, and most other non-science work; as Anastasia promised, the job is never boring. Outside the office, Mary Beth enjoys reading, hiking, and being with her family.

  Office Location: AS4-1046
  Office Phone: 774-455-3781

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  Amie Goodspeed

  Administrative Coordinator

  Amie began work as an Administrative Coordinator in the RTI in February 2019.  Prior to joining UMass Chan Medical School she was an Office Manager for a telecom company for 13 years. Amie supported the executive team and managed the company's travel and expense program.  She currently supports the Sontheimer and Xue Labs as well as other departmental administrative duties. 

  Office Location: AS5-2046
  Office Phone: 774-455-4322
  LinkedIn Profile

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  Nikki Grace

  HHMI Administrative Coordinator

  Nikki has over twenty years combined executive level administrative experience.  Prior to joining the Mello Lab, she spent ten years working for the Dean of the School of Nursing at MCPHS University where she fell in love with academia.  Nikki thrives in a cultured work environment that embraces transparency, values contributions, inspires employee autonomy, promotes a team atmosphere and communicates purpose and passion. 

  Office Location: AS5-2047
  Office Phone: 508-856-2856

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  Emily Mohn Haberlin, Ph.D.

  Senior Scientific Writer

  Emily earned her Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry from Providence College in 2010, and her Ph.D. in Nutritional Biochemistry from Tufts University in 2016. Before joining the RTI, Emily worked as a postdoc at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging in Boston, where she studied the effects of dietary bioactive compounds on vision and cognition. Emily’s scholarly activities as a student and postdoc sparked her passion for communicating science. In the RTI, Emily provides one-on-one grant and manuscript writing support to students, postdocs, and faculty. She also hosts writing accountability groups, informational seminars, and workshops to help students and postdocs prepare fellowship applications.

  Office Location: AS4-1055
  Office Phone: 774-455-4683

• Krista Lewis

  Administrative Coordinator

  Krista joined the RTI in April 2022, bringing with her a diverse background in clinical medical administration, business administration, and management. A busy mom of 3 children, Krista also volunteers her time outside of work with PTO and a successful youth sports non-profit that she and her husband are founding members of and remain as active board members. Krista supports the Grigorieff & Korostelev Labs as well as the Fuhrmann Group.

  Office Location: AS4-2045
  Office Phone: 774-455-6691
  LinkedIn Profile

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  Angela Messmer-Blust, Ph.D.

  Senior Scientific Advisor, Associate Professor | Co-founder, ScienceLIVE

  Dr. Angela Messmer-Blust studied cell motility during her graduate studies at the University of Toledo where she received her PhD (2009). She began her postdoctoral research at the CardioVascular Institute at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School under Jian Li, investigating transcriptional regulation in diabetes and obesity. Following her postdoctoral studies, she held editorial positions at the Journal of Visualized Experiments, and later joined Cell Press as the director of scientific conferences from 2012 - 2017. In 2017, Dr. Messmer-Blust joined the faculty of the RNA Therapeutics Institute as Assistant Professor and Senior Scientific Advisor where she develops and manages departmental initiatives including the annual scientific symposium and educational outreach in the Worcester area.

  Office Location: AS4-1057
  Office Phone: 774-455-4587
  LinkedIn Profile

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  Lissette Mendez

  Financial Assistant

  Lissette joined the RTI in January 2022 as a Financial Assistant IV and brings with her over twenty years of experience. Previously, she has worked in the Psychiatry Department and in the Grants and Contract Administration. Prior to coming to UMass Chan Medical School, Lissette worked as a Procurement Specialist.  In this role, she worked on several initiatives that streamlined respective businesses, including a transition to an eCommerce platform, increasing average order size, decreasing percent of returns, consolidating vendors, improving the payable process, educating the end user community.  Outside of work, Lissette enjoys reading, cooking, walks, traveling and spending time with family.

  
  Office Phone: 508-856-5026
  LinkedIn Profile

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  Stacey O'Neil

  Project Manager

  Stacey has over 20 years of experience in executive administrative support as well as project & event management.  She joined the RTI in 2017 and has been with the University of Massachusetts for over 10 years, previously working in business operations at UMassOnline in the President's Office.  She manages several initiatives including the annual RNA Therapeutics Symposium, ScienceLive Educational Outreach Program, the RTI seminar series, website development and immigration for foreign nationals joining the department.Outside of work Stacey enjoys kayaking, flea markets and time with her family.

  Office Location: AS4-1046A
  Office Phone: 774-455-4682
  Mobile: 508-380-6077
  LinkedIn Profile

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  Rina Paladino

  Grants & Contract Specialist

  Rina has rejoined the RTI in 2021 as the Grant & Contract Specialist. Previously, she was the Administrative Coordinator for Dr. Melissa J Moore as well as the Department of Orthopedics at UMMS.  She brings over 20 years’ experience in event operations, administrative planning, coordinating and grants/contracts.

  LinkedIn Profile

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  Mary Pickering, Ph.D.

  Director of Public Engagement with Science | Co-founder, ScienceLIVE

  Dr. Mary Pickering graduated from Providence College with Bachelor degrees in Chemistry and Biology. She completed her PhD and postdoctoral work at UMMS and returns to the university after serving as a Visiting Assistant Professor at area colleges. Dr. Pickering is one of the co-founders of ScienceLIVE, a STEM educational outreach program for middle school students in the Worcester area. She joins the RTI to expand the impact of the experiential program by developing and implementing engaging content and provide opportunities for trainees to develop science communication skills. 

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  James Thompson

  Senior Academic Administrator

  James been a part of the UMass Medical School family since 1993. He participated in one of the first cohorts of the High School Health Careers Program offered through UMMS’ office of Outreach Programs.  He served as a dorm parent for the same program in 2003. He has over twenty years of progressive experience in accounting, finance, and management in a variety of settings. James began his professional career at UMass Medical School in 2005 as a Financial Analyst. He then moved into a role as an Academic Administrator II in the Department of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences. As the lead Academic Administrator in the RNA Therapeutics Institute, he is responsible for oversight of departmental administration, finance, grants management, and operations. He is also a member of the National Council of University Research Administrators.

  Office Location: AS4-2059
  Office Phone: 508-856-8864
  
  

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  Hongyan Wang, Ph.D.

  Research Operations Manager

  Hongyan has many years of experience in Molecular Biology research and she is well equipped to oversee the daily operation of labs. Hongyan is responsible for maintenance, management, and training of all departmental equipment and facilities.  She also works closely with Facility Engineering, Enviromental Health and Safety, and Radiation Safety to ensure department facilities and laboratories are in compliance with federal, state and institutional regulation.  

  Office Location: AS4-1045
  Office Phone: 774-455-3684