TEAM

Prof. Atef is a Scientist, Clinical Specialist, and Pharmacist with an extensive track record of 20+ years in education management, postgraduate research, and academic teaching. His interdisciplinary proficiency spans a wide range of scientific domains, including Nanomedicine, Nanodiagnostics, Nanotherapeutics, Theranostics, Microfluidics, Magnetic Nanoparticles, Drug formulation & delivery systems, Cancer & Molecular cell biology, Neuroscience, Animal models, Medical & biological imaging, Drug discovery, Stem cells (Mesenchymal & iPSC), and Microbiology & Immunology.

Dr. Evin Gultepe is an Affiliate Research Scientist at Northeastern University, where she specializes in nanomedicine and data analytics. Her research focuses on using bioinformatics to trace and understand the development of nanotechnology in the medical field, particularly its clinical applications and impact on real-world patient outcomes. Her primary goal is to harness the convergence of nanotechnology and the complexities of the human body to create innovative solutions that will transform patient care. Dr. Gultepe has interdisciplinary research experience encompassing the medical applications of nanotemplates and surgical micro-mechanical devices. She earned her PhD in Physics from Northeastern University.

He holds a PhD with specialization in Medical Biotechnology and Immunotherapy, from the University of Cape Town (UCT). As a postdoctoral scientist at Cedars Sinai hospital, he has contributed to elucidating immune resistant mechanisms causing immunotherapeutic treatment failures. He has over 12 years of academic and industrial research expertise focused on the development of antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) and photoconjugates (APCs) for photoimmunotherapeutic (PIT) application. Dr. Biteghe scientific efforts are focused on PIT, a novel light-dependent therapy utilizing the targeted binding of antibody-IR700 conjugate to a specific tumor antigen, with subsequent illumination, causing ROS production thereby inducing rapid cell death. After acquiring industry experience at Rakuten Medical and Takeda Oncology, Dr Biteghe joined Global Health Catalyst (GHC), an organization whose mission is to curb the growing cancer crisis and save millions of lives by catalyzing win-win collaborations for global health and innovation. Additionally, he is interested in developing the next generation of biotech entrepreneurs and improving biotech accessibility to underprivileged and historically disadvantaged communities, through his Nucleate activities. He has extensive experience in teaching biotechnology and enjoys translating his industry and research experience for academic application.

Dr. Anne L. van de Ven is Associate Professor of Physics at Northeastern University, specializing in nanomedicine and experimental nanotherapeutics. With 17 years of experience, she is Director of Online Programs in the Master’s and Graduate Certificate degree programs in Nanomedicine and leads educational initiatives to diversify the STEM workforce. Her research focuses on optimizing nanotherapeutics for cancer and antibiotic-resistant infections, combining nanoparticle synthesis with imaging and modeling. She received her PhD from Rice University.

Rita Kaderian is an experienced administrator who manages several research and educational programs. She received her BS from UMass Boston and MS from Northeastern University.

Dr. Needa Brown is Assistant Professor at University of Central Florida, specializing in Immunotherapy and Nanomedicine. She directs the MS and Graduate Certificate degree programs in Nanomedicine. Her interdisciplinary research bridges physics, engineering, and biology, aiming to translate theranostic nanoparticles to clinical use. Dr. Brown’s work emphasizes optimizing nanomedicine interactions within disease microenvironments for synergistic treatment approaches and she has contributed significantly to the literature on cancer therapy and imaging. Her recent research includes developing time-released treatments for breast and ovarian cancer to reduce hospital visits. Dr. Brown holds a PhD from Oklahoma University.