Gina Jerome

Gina Jerome received her B.S from Eastern Illinois University where she majored in botany and her M.S from Louisiana State University with an emphasis on plant physiology. She started her career in pharmaceutical research and developed a keen interest in this field, never looking back. She spent 20 years at a pharmaceutical company in small molecule drug discovery research where she focused on identifying small molecules to modify inflammation, primarily osteoarthritis. While there she co-authored many research publications. Her most fulfilling project involved research for an inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase, a proposed mechanism of action in the numerous, inflammatory pathways of osteoarthritis.

Her role as staff scientist currently centers on the Biomarker Core Lab for the Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer Network Observational Study (DIAN-OBS) and external collaborations. This includes laboratory and biorepository functions and assorted duties that keep the lab running. The analysis of DIAN OBS samples is an important aspect of her job which includes planning/execution of various analyte determinations and development/validation experiments. She manages sample collection, CSF and plasma, intake from over 20 sites worldwide for DIAN-OBS.

Outside of the office she enjoys Netflix binges, gardening, reading, all music and has recently joined Shutter Bee, a research project enlisting “citizen scientists” with backyard bee photography to improve conservation practices. Her time in Louisiana sparked an interest in cooking all thing’s Creole and Cajun and an appreciation of the culture in southern Louisiana -Laissez les bons temps rouler!