Training & Education Steering Committee

Gabriella Albert, BS

Gabriella Albert, BS, is a 5th year predoctoral trainee in the Immunology Graduate Program at CU Anschutz. During her training, she has served on the Immunology graduate program curriculum and admissions committees. Gabriella has taught lectures for the CRTEC symposium series and is the teaching intern for the Immunology Master’s course (IMMU 7530). Gabriella is active in science communication and community outreach having presented at several academic and public forums and serving as the graduate student director of Think Like a Scientist (TLaS). Her research is focused on developing cellular immunotherapies for cancer treatment.

Aimee Bernard, PhD

Aimee Bernard, PhD, is the Executive Director of the Human Immunology and Immunotherapy Initiative (HI3) and is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Immunology & Microbiology at the University of Colorado Anschutz. She is actively involved in the CU School of Medicine Trek curriculum reform, serves on the advanced sciences committee, and is a course director for the Year 3 Trek advanced sciences immunology and immunotherapy course. She also teaches immunology within the graduate school, medical school, dental school, and the Child Health Advocate / Physician Assistant (CHA/PA) program on the Anschutz Medical Campus. Aimee is also the faculty director for Think Like a Scientist (TLaS), an after-school community outreach science program offered for free in elementary schools surrounding the Anschutz campus that serve a majority of historically underrepresented groups in STEM. 

Evelinn Borrayo, PhD

Evelinn Borrayo, PhD, is a Professor in the Department of Community & Behavioral Health at the Colorado School of Public Health, Associate Director of Research at the Latino Research & Policy Center (LRPC), and Associate Director for Community Outreach and Engagement with the CU Cancer Center. Borrayo’s research focuses on health disparities in the prevention, control, and treatment of cancer among medically underserved Latinos. Her research projects have focused on the psychological, cultural, and social factors involved in cancer prevention and control and in the treatment of lung and head-and-neck cancers among Latinas and Latinos affected by these cancers.

Edward Evans Jr., PhD

Edward Evans Jr. is a senior research scientist in the Biochemistry & Molecular Genetics Department. His research entails investigations on the causes of genetic mutations and the consequences of different microenvironmental contexts that enable their growth, enabling him to address the most at-risk populations for diseases like cancer. He has been officially involved with K-12 education & mentorship and community involvement in African American, Latino, and rural communities since his time as an undergraduate. Coupling his work in addressing health and educational disparities, he is currently an advisor to the Black Graduate Student Associations on both the Denver and Anschutz campuses.

Sonia C. Flores, PhD

Sonia Flores, PhD, is a Professor in the Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary Sciences and Critical Care Medicine. In addition to her research on pulmonary vascular remodeling in HIV, she developed several research education programs funded by NIH, including the NHLBI-funded GEMS program (Graduate Experiences for Multicultural Students) and the Colorado PRIDE program focused on Impact of Ancestry and Gender on omics of lung diseases.  In addition, she is a PI on the NIGMS-funded MARC*USTAR program at the Denver campus.  In 2016, she was appointed as Vice Chair of Diversity and Justice where she has focused on implicit bias and microaggression training of faculty, staff and trainees.

Kryszelda Gorrell, MEd

Kryszelda Gorrell has been in education for 15 years, starting out teaching high school physics in Chicago Public Schools. She taught for 6 years before deciding to move into leadership here at DSST. At DSST she's held different leadership roles preparing her to become a school director for AST High School - starting as a Director of Curriculum and Instruction at Conservatory Green Middle School, then moving into an Associate School Director at Henry Middle School and AST Middle School, and finally a School Director in Training at AST Middle School. She got her undergraduate degree in Physics from CU Boulder, and got her Master's in Education from Columbia University. Her career is dedicated to providing opportunities to underrepresented students in STEM fields to build STEM leaders of the future.

Teri Hernandez, PhD, RN

Teri Hernandez, PhD, RN, is the Associate Dean for Research and Scholarship in the College of Nursing, and she has a long-held appointment in the Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Diabetes.  She has been teaching in the graduate school for >10 yrs and actively mentors both pre- and post-doctoral trainees and Jr. faculty.  She finished her PhD at CU in 2009.  Dr. Hernandez’s research focuses on intrauterine influences, such as maternal nutrition, on fetal growth patterns.  She is a nurse scientist at Children’s Hospital Colorado, and is the Associate Director of the CCTSI Early Life Exposures Research Program.  She is a cardiac nurse by training and worked as an oncology nurse earlier in her career.

Dominic F. Martinez, EdD

Dominic Martinez, EdD is the Assistant Vice Chancellor for the Office of Inclusion and Outreach and is an Assistant Professor in the CU School of Medicine, Department of Family Medicine at the University of Colorado Anschutz. He oversees the Office of Inclusion and Outreach, Undocumented Student Services, CU Denver Colorado-Wyoming Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (CO-WY AMP) Program, and the Colorado Clinical & Translational Sciences Institute (CCTSI) Summer Undergraduate Multicultural Mentoring in Translational Science(SUMMiT), and Denver Student Training in Research Science (STaRs) Programs.

Meredith Tennis, PhD

Gionni Thompson, EdD

Gionni Thompson, EdD, Chief Education Officer, is a Colorado native with extensive experience in education at all levels.  He earned his Doctorate degree in Education with an emphasis in Leadership for Educational Equity. He has a Master’s degree in Education Administration & Supervision and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry. Before his current career in non-profit, Gionni was a Chief Operations Officer, Executive Director, High School Principal, and Secondary Teacher.  He has a wealth of experience in public education and valuable leadership skills. While most recently serving the non-profit sector, he focuses on legislative initiatives, federal programs, grants, and regulatory compliance.  He combines his deep understanding of K-12 education and operations, to develop legislative strategies and solutions which support the vision and mission of public schools and higher education.  

Scott Troy

Scott Troy is a high school science teacher in the Denver Public Schools and Westminster Public Schools, where he has taught a variety of science and STEM courses for the last 22 years. He currently serves as the Biotechnology and Biosciences Pathway Lead for the Ranum Innovation Campus, where he is responsible for the development and implementation of career-focused biotechnology programming and Concurrent Enrollment college courses for high school juniors and seniors. He is also involved in the education pathway of the Colorado Biosciences Association's Bioscience Institute, and Scott was a member of the 2024-2025 teacher cohort for the BEST (Bioscience Educator Support and Training Program). During the summer of 2025, Scott and two students from the Ranum Innovation Campus participated in a pilot cancer research internship (the START program) with CRTEC and the CU Cancer Center at CU Anschutz.