About Secretary

Stephanie M. Cologna

University of Illinois Chicago

Candidate Statement
I am honored to be nominated for the role of Secretary. ASMS, and my society membership, has been a critical part of my scientific and professional development over the past 16 years. As an independent scientist, I am now able to see the trainees in my group have similar experiences when they attend their first meeting. As Secretary, I would seek to give back to ASMS and contribute to the continued growth, inclusivity, and development of the society for all members.

Stephanie M. Cologna received a B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Arizona followed by a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Texas A&M University under the mentorship of Dr. David H. Russell. Following her doctoral studies, Dr. Cologna pursued post-doctoral training at the National Institutes of Health with Drs. Alfred L. Yergey, III and Forbes D. Porter. Dr. Cologna is currently an Associate Professor of Chemistry and Associate Vice Chancellor for Research at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC). She also holds affiliate appointments in Biological Sciences, and Neuroscience as well as serves as the Faculty Advisor for the UIC Mass Spectrometry Core.

Dr. Cologna’s research program lies at the intersection of analytical chemistry and human health. Using mass spectrometry as the central tool, her group is dedicated to better understanding neurodegenerative disorders with focus on lipid and protein imbalance. In particular, her group studies Niemann-Pick Type C disease, a fatal, neurodegenerative disorder often referred to as childhood Alzheimer disease. The work from Dr. Cologna’s group has been recognized by multiple organizations and awards include UIC Rising Star (Junior Research of the Year), US HUPO Robert C. Cotter New Investigator Award and an NSF CAREER award. Dr. Cologna’s group is funded by both the NIH and NSF as well as private foundations.

Dr. Cologna has actively participated in ASMS annual conferences for several years. She has chaired two conference sessions including quantitative proteomics and ion mobility. As a member of the ASMS Digital Communications Committee, Dr. Cologna served two terms (4 years). She holds active memberships in ASMS, US HUPO and AAAS. Dr. Cologna was a co- organizer for the 2021 US HUPO annual conference and is on the Editorial Advisory Board for the Journal of Proteome Research. She also is the faculty advisor for Chicago Mass Spectrometry Day, a local conference that facilitates continued education and provides professional development opportunities for early career researchers in Chicagoland and the greater Midwest. Overall, Dr. Cologna is passionate about both research and mentorship and is excited to serve the society in this important role.

Caroline J. DeHart

NCI RAS Initiative (FNLCR)

Candidate Statement
I am grateful for the nomination and for the opportunity to give back to the ASMS community after everything they have given to me over the past ten years. It would be an honor to serve the Society as Secretary on the Board of Directors and contribute to new collaborative and career development opportunities for the benefit of all ASMS members.

Caroline J. DeHart received a B.S. in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, as an M16 in the Meyerhoff Scholarship Program. She received an M.A. and Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from Princeton University under the mentorship of S. Jane Flint, followed by postdoctoral training in the laboratories of Neil L. Kelleher at Northwestern University and Christopher L. Hendrickson at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory. Dr. DeHart subsequently served as the Director of Outreach and Training, then Director of Cancer Proteomics for the National Resource for Translational and Developmental Proteomics (NRTDP) at Northwestern University, while achieving the rank of Research Assistant Professor in the Dept. of Molecular Biosciences. Dr. DeHart is currently a Principal Investigator and the Mass Spectrometry Group Leader for the National Cancer Institute (NCI) RAS Initiative at the Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research (FNLCR).

Dr. DeHart’s research interests focus on the characterization of intact and modified protein forms (proteoforms) of key oncoproteins by targeted top-down mass spectrometry. Her ultimate goals are to visualize the comprehensive proteoform landscape of each oncoprotein, validate any novel post-translational modifications (PTMs), and determine the biological significance of these PTMs and proteoforms. Her group also employs a combination of global, targeted, top-down, native, and crosslinking-based proteomic workflows to support internal and external RAS Initiative collaborative projects with the goal of better understanding (and inhibiting) RAS-dependent signaling in human cancer.

Dr. DeHart served as an ASMS Interest Group Coordinator for Top-Down Proteomics from 2021-2022 and chaired the Top-Down Protein Analysis oral session at the 2021 ASMS annual conference. She presented tutorial talks on advanced top-down proteomic methods at both the 2019 and 2018 ASMS annual conferences and the 2017 ASMS Fall Workshop on Top-Down Proteomics. She also developed standard protocols, designed course materials, and led hands-on training as part of the NRTDP Scholar Exchange Program and Top-Down Proteomics Training Course from 2015-2018. Currently, Dr. DeHart serves as the co-chair of the Consortium for Top-Down Proteomics Early Career Researcher Committee. She is also an ad hoc reviewer for various journals and NCI-based funding mechanisms.