About us.
With the support of Yale University, Iniciativa Proxima harnesses the power of science and education to drive social change.
Founded in 2020, Proxima was launched with a commitment to advancing science and education. Building on the success of the Seminars in Biomedical Sciences symposium, which connected talented young scientists in the Global South with leading researchers worldwide, we established the Yale-Proxima Mentorship Program. This program supports students in developing the skills needed for careers in biological and biomedical sciences. The Proxima Symposium acts as a catalyst, providing networking opportunities for our scholars to connect in person with peers and established scientists. Through these initiatives, Proxima aims to offer young scientists in the Global South world-class training and foster an environment that encourages scientific discussions and high-quality research.
Iniciativa Proxima is funded by our supporters and donors, and we are deeply grateful for their generous contributions. These donations enable us to continue our mission of nurturing the next generation of scientists in the Global South. Please consider supporting our work by making a donation.
Meet the team.
Iniciativa Proxima is entirely run by volunteers, and we are always looking for new members to join our team. If you are interested in contributing to our mission, please contact us.
Associate professor of Comparative Medicine and Neuroscience at the Yale School of Medicine, Marcelo studies the physiological mechanisms underlying the development and regulation of behaviors in mammals. In addition to training scientists in his lab, he is passionate about growing the pipeline of young scientists in his native Brazil. He was instrumental in developing a joint program between Yale University and the Brazilian Federal Agency for Support and Evaluation of Graduate Education (CAPES) to recruit top graduates from institutions in Brazil to attend Yale’s combined Ph.D. program in Biological and Biomedical Sciences (BBS). The CAPES-Yale Graduate Scholars Program trains the most promising Brazilian students and prepares them to become international leaders in academia and industry. In addition, Dietrich and his colleagues organize the Yale-CAPES Seminars in Biomedical Sciences, an annual symposium that brings international researchers to Brazil where they interact with and inspire Brazil’s next generation of aspiring scientists.
Rafael is a Ph.D. candidate in Cellular and Molecular Physiology at Yale University. In the Gracheva laboratory, he is investigating the neurophysiological mechanisms of puberty initiation in hibernating male juvenile ground squirrels. Originally from southern Brazil, he holds a BSc in Biology from the University of Caxias do Sul and an MSc. in Biochemistry from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul. Throughout his academic journey, Rafael has benefited from the mentorship of numerous Brazilian scientists. Inspired by their support, he is committed to fostering the next generation of Brazilian researchers through active engagement in outreach initiatives. Rafael aims to contribute to the advancement of physiological research while creating opportunities for emerging scientists in Brazil.
Bruna was born in Imperatriz, MA, Brazil. After graduating as a pharmacist and completing part of her undergraduate studies in Australia, she earned a Master’s degree in Pharmacology from the University of São Paulo in 2019, when she was first introduced to Dr. Dietrich. In January 2020, she joined Dietrich's Lab in the department of Comparative Medicine at Yale University and worked under his supervision until August 2022. She is currently a PhD student in Neuroscience at Arizona State University, and strongly believes in the transformative power of education and science and their positive impacts on the development of Brazil.
Natasha is a Postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Therapeutic Radiology at Yale. In the Escobar-Hoyos lab, she is developing multidisciplinary projects to understand essential mechanisms that can serve as targets for the development of new and more effective therapies to fight pancreatic cancer. Natasha is originally from Rio de Janeiro where she got her Bachelor and Master’s in Microbiology and Immunology at UFRJ. Once awarded the Science without Borders/CAPES fellowship, she came to USA where she obtained her PhD in host-pathogen interactions in 2019 from the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at Stony Brook University. Besides Iniciativa Proxima, she is involved in different outreach programs including the Yale Postdoctoral Association (YPA). She enjoys being a mentor, a scientist and strongly advocates for gender equality in STEM. Currently, Natasha is a Workshop Coordinator for the Yale-Proxima Mentorship Program.
Aline is a Postdoctoral Fellow at University of Calgary, Canada. At Kathy McCoy Lab, her research is focused on how exposure to commensals impacts immune cell functions, from early life into adulthood. Aline is originally from São Paulo where she got her Master’s in Microbiology and PhD in Immunology at University of São Paulo. Besides Iniciativa Proxima, she is also a member of the Snyder Institute Trainee Committee at UofC. Aline is passionate about basic research and teaching-learning, and wishes to motivate young Brazilian scientists to pursue their dream career.
Ilze has a Bachelor degree in Biotechnology from Federal University of Alfenas (UNIFAL-MG), and a master's degree in Genetics from the University of Sao Paulo (FMRP-USP). She is currently a second year BBS PhD student in the Genetics department, working with peptide hormones and cancer at Dr. Muzumdar Lab. Ilze is looking forward to learning from other Brazilian scientists and to helping them to accomplish their goals in academia.
Edenia is investigating central nervous system development and its disruptions using models of prenatal stress, with my current research focusing on the neural circuitry underlying psychiatric disorders. Edenia earned her BS in Speech-Language Pathology from the Federal University of Sergipe and is now a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research (NKI) and the New York University School of Medicine (NYU).
Gustavo is investigating the neural basis of olfactory navigation in fruit flies, a complex behavior that integrates sensory information with ongoing decision making. Originally from Brazil, Gustavo obtained his BS in Computer Engineering from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul and is now a Ph.D. student in the Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program and the Physics, Engineering and Biology Program at Yale University. Gustavo is passionate about outreach and mentorship and is excited about supporting young scientists in their journey in the Iniciativa Proxima Mentorship program.
Vinicius Suzart received his BSc degree at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) in Brazil before moving to the U.S. to work as a research assistant at CWRU. Vinicius joined the Biomedical Research Training Program (BSTP) in July 2021 and his previous experiences include research on CAR-T cell therapy, HIV-1, Zika virus, and SARS-CoV-2. His graduate work focuses on applying cutting-edge technology and immunological assays to investigate human CD4 T cell recognition of Mtb-infected macrophages.
Leopoldo is investigating bacterial pathogenesis and persistence mechanisms, he is pursuing innovative ways to employ biotechnology and genetics to study bacterial host-pathogen interactions. Leopoldo received his bachelor and master’s degrees in pharmacy from Federal University of Minas Gerais in Brazil and completed a PhD in Biotechnology in the University of Manchester in the UK. Currently he is a postdoc in the Galan Lab at Yale University. Leopoldo is very engaged by programs and opportunities aimed to promote research and science education. He was involved in mentorship programs at oSTEM and currently he is excited to support young scientists in their journey through the mentorship program of Iniciativa Proxima. In his free time, he enjoys doing meditation, exercising, running and traveling.
José Carlos is a coach and entrepreneur. Based on his experience, José develops projects for companies, groups, and individuals, focusing on strategies that lead to personal learning and change. He has professional experience in projects involving team-building activities, personal development, coaching, classes, and mediations, as well as design thinking and experiential lectures. He believes that multi- and interdisciplinary approaches are essential in developing a project.
We thank past team members for getting us here.
- Carolina Piletti Chatain (2020-2023)
- João Victor Teixeira Gomes (2023)
- Maria Fernanda Forni (2021)
- Mariana Nigro Mattos (2020-2022)
- Matthew Little (2022-2023)