Dr. Kristina Ames is a biomedical scientist and passionate educator, responsible for the Cancer Research Training and Education Coordination (CRTEC) at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Dr. Ames is a biomedical scientist focusing on bridging the existing educational gap in research training for young generation of students, especially from underserved communities and underrepresented backgrounds in STEM. As a biomedical scientist, she studied the role of the Class 1A PI3K in the hematopoietic stem cells and aimed to understand the role of the autophagic cellular recycling in the maintenance of stem cell function. As an academic administrator, Dr. Ames uses analytical, leadership, and creative skills, to develop and define the vision, goal, and strategies for Cancer Research Training and Education programs. She is enthusiastically working toward “bridging gaps" and “connecting dots” in different aspects of the biomedical research to raise a new generation of researchers. She aims to develop multigenerational mentorship teams for young biomedical scientists in the evolving STEM landscape.
Dr. Ames supervises cancer education training pipeline programs at the Montefiore Einstein Cancer Center. She oversees the effectiveness of the programs and works closely with the students, postdoctoral fellows, faculty, and advisors to support students’ academic success. Dr. Ames leads several programs: (1) BEYOND ALBERT (Bronx Einstein Youth Oncology Network Dedicated to Academic Learning, Biomedical Education and Research Training) - the High School program that introduces Bronx high school students to scientific research and (2) collaborative Einstein Discover Research Program that allows students from Masters of Biological Sciences program of Lehman College, CUNY gain high quality research experience and contribute their research findings toward the Masters of Science degree. Additionally, Dr. Ames closely collaborates with the BOLD (Bronx Oncology Living Daily) Internship Program in collaboration with Community Outreach and Engagement (COE), Office of Postdoctoral Affairs, Office of Graduate Programs in Biomedical Sciences and participates in the Albert Einstein Graduate Division’s science outreach programs, such as Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) and the Einstein PREP.