Peer Mentor Program
The Center for Injury Research and Prevention's (CIRP) Peer Mentor Program was established in 2018 by former CIRP graduate student and Injury Science Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) student Ethan Douglas, MSE. This program connects current or recent graduate-level students with REU students to help them learn more about the process of applying to graduate school, choosing a career track, and completing research.
The program includes:
- Assistance with technical work
- Guidance with asking their mentors difficult questions
- Advice on preparing their graduate school applications
Meet CIRP's Current Peer Mentors
Sicong (Grace) Ren, PhD
Sicong (Grace) is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow working under the supervision of Kristy Arbogast, PhD and Christina Master, MD, FAAP, CAQSM, FACSM. As part of the Minds Matter Concussion team, Dr. Ren studies the qualitative and quantitative physiological outcomes following sports-related concussion among children and adolescents. At the Center for Injury Research and Prevention, she works on several research projects that aim to examine post-concussion recovery. Dr. Ren is particularly interested in utilizing mHealth and data-driven approaches to advance the management of pediatric concussion.
Elizabeth Silvestro, MSE
Elizabeth is the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Hospital Additive Manufacturing for Pediatrics (CHAMP) 3D Lab Team Lead. She has a Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Bioengineering at the University of Pennsylvania, focused on the development of pediatric simulation phantoms. Elizabeth is also a member of CHOP's Innovation Ecosystem team and the Pennsylvania Pediatric Medical Device Consortium.
Maitland Witmer
Maitland is pursuing a Master's degree in Chemical Engineering at Drexel University and working at the Center for Injury Research and Prevention at CHOP under the supervision of Valentina Graci, PhD focusing on research regarding the safety of autonomous emergency breaking. Maitland is hoping to pursue a doctoral program in Biomedical Engineering at Drexel University focusing on occupant safety in modern vehicles.
Former Peer Mentors
- John J. Burns III, BS, operational excellence engineer, Viant Medical
- Gregory Chingas, MS, biomechanics innovation engineer in residence, Hospital for Special Surgery
- Ethan Douglas, MS, technical product managert, Zelus Analytics
- Madeline Griffith, MS, associate, vehicle engineering, Exponent
- Colin Huber, PhD, postdoctoral research fellow, Emory University
- Divya Jain, PhD, postdoctoral fellow, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
- Sarah O'Brien, BS, assistant product manager, exida
- Kristen Scudder, MS, freight program manager, Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission
