Personal Information
(redacted)
Education
Current Harvard Medical School, Division of Medical Sciences
PhD Student: Harvard-MIT Program in Speech and Hearing Bioscience and Technology,
Concentration in Neurobiology and Physiology
Research performed in the Molecular Neuro-Otology and Biotechnology Laboratory of the Eaton Peabody Laboratories, Dept. of Otolaryngology, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Harvard Medical School, supervised by Konstantina Stankovic, MD, PhD, FACS
2014 Brigham Young University (Provo, UT) | Bachelor of Arts: Linguistics
Magna cum laude and University Honors; 3.98 GPA, student speaker at honors commencement
Honors thesis in Linguistics, completion of premedical coursework, minors in Korean Language and Ancient Near Eastern History
Research experience
Harvard Medical School, Molecular Neuro-Otology and Biotechnology Laboratory, Eaton Peabody Laboratories, Massachusetts Eye and Ear (Sept 2015 – Present)
PI: Konstantina Stankovic, MD, PhD, FACS
PhD student in the Stankovic laboratory developing translational solutions for sensorineural hearing loss, neurofibromatosis type 2, and vestibular schwannoma.
Harvard Medical School, Department of Neurobiology (June– August 2015)
PI: Lisa Goodrich, PhD
Rotation student studying the molecular neurobiology of spiral ganglion cells in the vestibulocochlear nerve. Project focused on creating probes for in situ hybridizations to examine the differential expression of cMaf, a product of the Gata3 transcriptional network that may control the distribution of presynaptic voltage-gated potassium channels (as yet unpublished).
Brigham Young University Department of Asian and Near Eastern Languages (April 2013 – April 2014)
Composed an honors thesis on recent trends toward acceptance of Koreanized English in contemporary editorial media and the influence of such acceptance on modern Korean linguistic identity. Independent research approved by the BYU Honors department; thesis overseen by Julie Damron, PhD.
Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Research Intern (June 2010 – August 2010)
Participated in the summer undergraduate research program sponsored by the Harvard Stem Cell Institute.
Isolated and cultured mesenchymal stem cells to study the effects of beta-catenin stabilization on colony-
forming units in bone marrow. Research supervised by Diana Carlone, PhD (Harvard Medical School, Children’s Hospital Boston).
Brigham Young University Physiology Department, Research Assistant (August 2008 – December 2009)
Explored the histological profiling of genetic mutations that cause spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita. Developed a modified Mankin scoring system to assess damage to articular tissue in knee joint. Research supervised by Robert Seegmiller, PhD. Acquired skills in tissue sectioning, staining, and imaging.
Teaching experience
Harvard College, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Graduate Teaching Fellow (August 2015 – Present)
Assist Drs. Jeff Lichtman and Joshua Sanes in teaching MCB 80: Neurobiology of Behavior. Create original content for sixteen undergraduates in a 90-minute section once per week; grade problem sets, papers, and exams; manage neurobiology labs; meet with students in office hours and outside of class.
Only teaching fellow for this course publicly recommended on the undergraduate course evaluation guide; received outstanding student reviews in 2015, and was awarded a Certificate for Distinction and Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching by Harvard College and the Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Educational Studies Program, Primary Instructor (February – April 2016)
Crafted a course syllabus, lecture presentations, and weekly reading assignments for a novel six-week course on the short fiction of David Foster Wallace. Interviewed and pitched the course to the Educational Studies Program heads, was accepted as a primary instructor, and taught a section of fifteen students for one hour every week. Received flawless student reviews and an open invitation to return.
Mather House, Harvard University, Summer Proctor (June – August 2015)
Supervised, mentored, and lived among 50 Harvard College students who were volunteering in Phillips Brooks House Association community development programs throughout the greater Boston region. Held meetings; mediated conflict; organized events; enforced rules.
Provo MTC, Korean Language Instructor (April 2013 – June 2014)
Taught intensive Korean immersion courses to first- and second-year university students from a variety of cultural and academic backgrounds. Consistently earned the highest evaluation ratings in my department and was selected for in-classroom observation by the New York Times.
Provided as-needed simultaneous translation at large-group meetings (English-Korean and Korean-English).
Mentored and provided one-on-one assistance to students at extremely varied language-learning levels (heritage speakers, international students with or without knowledge of English, seasoned language learners, first-time language learners) and tailored class to fit specific needs.
Brigham Young University Molecular Biology Department, Teaching Assistant (August 2009 – April 2011)
Assisted Dr. Eric Wilson in teaching senior-level Medical Parasitology (MMBio 417) to Clinical Laboratory Science, Microbiology, and Molecular Biology majors for four consecutive semesters.
Personally instructed the diagnostic pathology lab that accompanies the lecture for three years. Prepared material for weekly lectures, held office hours and review sessions, graded papers and exams, and composed and administered lab exams.
POSTERS, Abstracts, And talks
Ren Y, Sagers JE, Landegger LD, Bhatia SN, Stankovic KM. “Tumor-penetrating nanocomplexes for delivery of siRNA therapeutics to human vestibular schwannomas.” Poster presentation, 150th Annual Meeting of the American Otological Society, San Diego, CA, April 2017.
Sagers JE, Landegger LD, Nadol JB, Stankovic KM. “Audiometric correlates of primary auditory neuropathy: a temporal bone study.” Poster presentation, 40th Association for Research in Otolaryngology (ARO) Midwinter Meeting, Baltimore, MA, February 2017.
Sagers JE, Landegger LD, Nadol JB, Stankovic KM. “Audiometric correlates of primary auditory neuropathy: a temporal bone study.” Original research talk, Harvard-MIT Program in Speech and Hearing Bioscience and Technology End-of-Summer Symposium, Boston, MA, September 2016.
Sagers JE, Guerra S. "Science in the News Harvard: A model for graduate student training and effective public engagement." Poster presentation, Communicating Science National Workshop, Cambridge, MA, June 2016.
Sagers JE, Yu WM, Goodrich LD. “cMaf controls firing properties of spiral ganglion neurons.” Original research talk, Harvard-MIT Program in Speech and Hearing Bioscience and Technology End-of-Summer Symposium, September 2015.
Carlone DL, Riba RD, Ambruzs DM, Sagers JE, Breault DT. “Stabilization of beta-catenin in mTert-expressing cells results in depletion of mesenchymal stem cells and bone loss.” BASIC: Bone, Calciotropic Hormones, and Vitamin D, Endocrine Society Annual Meeting, Boston, MA, June 2011.
Sagers JE, Carlone DL, Breault DT. “Functional role of telomerase-expressing mesenchymal stem cells in skeleton.” Poster presentation, Harvard Stem Cell Institute Undergraduate Internship Symposium, Cambridge, MA, August 2010.
PUBLICATIONS
Sagers JE, Landegger LD, Worthington S, Nadol JB, Stankovic KM. “Human cochlear histopathology reflects clinical signatures of primary neural degeneration.” Scientific Reports 7, 4884 (2017).
Landegger LD*, Sagers JE*, Dilwali S, Fujita T, Sahin MI, Stankovic KM. “A unified methodological framework for vestibular schwannoma research.” Journal of Visualized Experiments (JoVE) 124, e55827 (2017).
Sahin MI, Sagers JE, Stankovic KM. “Cochlear implantation: vast unmet need to address deafness globally.” Otology and Neurotology 38 (2017).
graduate coursework
Biology of the Inner Ear (M. Charles Liberman), Harvard Medical School
Acoustics of Speech and Hearing (John Rosowski, Satrajit Ghosh, Louis Braida), MIT
Dissection Anatomy of Speech and Hearing (James Heaton), Harvard Medical School
Speech Communication and Processing (Satrajit Ghosh), MIT
Clinical Aspects of Speech and Hearing (Konstantina Stankovic), Harvard Medical School
Audition: Neural Mechanisms, Perception, and Cognition (Daniel Polley, Josh McDermott, Bertrand Delgutte), Harvard Medical School
The Physical Voice: Vocal Training for Teachers and Scholars (Sarah Jessop), Harvard University
Neurobiology of Disease (Ed Kravitz), Harvard Medical School
Molecular Biology of the Inner Ear (Albert Edge), Harvard Medical School
Responsible Conduct of Science (Raju Kucherlapati), Harvard Medical School
Neural Plasticity in Learning and Memory (Susumu Tonegawa), MIT
Molecular Medicine (George Daley), Harvard Medical School and MIT
Precision Medicine and Genomics (Isaac Kohane), audited, Harvard Medical School
Translational Pharmacology (Donald Coen, David Golan), Harvard Medical School
Pharmacokinetics and Modern Drug Discovery (Tim Mitchison), Harvard Medical School
AWARDS AND honors
Lasker Foundation 2017 Biomedical Research Essay Contest Winner (Honorable Mention), $1000 prize and publication of winning essay (shared by Improbable Research’s Ig Nobel Awards!)
Amelia Peabody Fellowship, Eaton Peabody Laboratories, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, awarded by Otolaryngology research faculty members to two promising mid-PhD students
American Otological Society, President’s Award (first place poster presentation), awarded to Yin Ren for Combined Otolaryngology Spring Meetings (COSM), San Diego, CA, April 2017 (Ren Y, Sagers JE, Landegger LD, Bhatia SN, Stankovic KM. “Tumor-penetrating delivery of nanoparticles to human vestibular schwannoma”)
2017 Harvard Science Policy Group Washington D.C. Travel Scholar; granted competitive admission to meet with science policy experts and officials at the White House, in Congress, and in federal agencies
2017 Association for Research in Otolaryngology (ARO) Travel Award for 40th Annual Midwinter Meeting, Baltimore, MA, February 2017
Invited panelist, 29th Annual Harvard-Radcliffe Women in Leadership Conference, January 2017
2016 NSF Junior Investigator Travel Grant for "Listening into 2030" workshop (Berkeley, CA); competitive admission awarded to eight early-career student and postdoctoral researchers studying auditory neuroscience throughout the United States.
Competitively granted admission to the Harvard Program in Therapeutic Science, a multidisciplinary, NIH-funded certificate program for Harvard PhD students investigating pharmacology, toxicology, and drug discovery.
2016 ComSciCon (Communicating Science Conference) National Fellow: Competitively selected as one of fifty graduate students in the United States to actively participate in an expert-led science communication conference in Cambridge, MA.
Fall 2015 Derek C. Bok Center Certificate of Distinction and Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching; recommended by undergraduate students and faculty for distinction in teaching MCB 80: Neurobiology of Behavior (Harvard College).
Invited judge in neurobiology, nominated by Harvard undergraduate students: National Collegiate Research Conference at Harvard College (January 2016).
Popularly elected as chair of the executive board of Harvard Graduate Women in Science and Engineering (HGWISE), the flagship organization for women in STEM in Harvard’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.
Brigham Young University Honors Program graduate, with thesis, the highest baccalaureate distinction awarded by the university (April 2014)
Selected by Honors Department faculty as student commencement speaker, Brigham Young University Honors Commencement (April 2014)
Honored as graduate with highest GPA in the Department of Linguistics (April 2014)
Brigham Young University Heritage Scholarship (full tuition)
Brigham Young University Jerusalem Center Merit Scholarship (for study abroad)
Dean’s List, all semesters
David O. McKay Award (BYU prize for excellence in creative nonfiction, + publication)
2014 Kim Insuk Outstanding Sijo Award: Award for the best original piece of poetry composed doubly in Korean and English; personally judged by South Korean author Kim Insuk
BYU Honors Program Personal Essay Competition, first place winner (+ publication)
Robert C. Byrd Scholar (Utah state merit recognition award, with scholarship)
National Merit Scholar (with scholarship)
Professional Memberships
Association for Research in Otolaryngology, student member (2016 – Present)
American Auditory Society, student member (2016 – Present)
National Association of Science Writers, student member (2015 – Present)
Languages
ACTFL certification of Advanced fluency in Korean speaking and writing. Lived abroad for two years in a complete immersion work and home environment, then tested into fourth-year university coursework (literature, history, translation) upon return to the United States.
Qualified to pass South Korean government-administered Chinese character reading proficiency exam
(漢字 능력 검정 시험, 6급)
Intermediate level in Arabic (2.5 years of study)
Reading and translation knowledge of Biblical Hebrew (1.5 years of study)
EDITING
Full grammatical and content editing with acknowledgement on the following peer-reviewed, published papers:
Landegger LD, Psaltis D, Stankovic KM. Human audiometric thresholds do not predict specific cellular damage in the inner ear. Hearing Research 2016;335:83-93.
Kim BG, Fujita T, Stankovic KM, Welling DB, Moon IS, Choi JY, Yun J, Kang JS, Lee JD. Sulforaphane, a natural component of broccoli, inhibits vestibular schwannoma growth in vitro and in vivo. Sci Rep. 2016 Nov 2;6:36215.
National Public Radio (NPR) Science Desk, Guest Editor (December 2016 – Present)
WRITING
"Re-Engineering Cures for the Big Data Age: Precision Medicine and Computational Drug Repositioning," Science in the News, graduate student science communication publication of Harvard Medical School (May 2016)
"EtBr" and "Resilience," poetry published in Harvard's graduate student literary magazine, the Dudley Review (May 2016). Invited to read at the launch party for the publication.
"Earthbound," short story included in Microchondria III, a fiction anthology published by Harvard Book Store in March 2016. Invited to read at the launch party for the publication.
LEADERSHIP, community Service, and activities
Harvard Graduate Women in Science and Engineering, Cambridge Chair (June 2015 – Present)
Currently serving second year as elected chair of the executive board. Oversee all aspects of HGWISE; chair meetings; serve as main contact and liaison to Harvard-internal organizations; oversee the planning of events; draft agendas; attend regular meetings with GSAS deans; coordinate publicity; plan and organize up to forty events per year for groups ranging from 10-200 participants.
Science in the News, Harvard University, Division of Medical Sciences, Managing Editor (June 2015 – Present)
Provide editing and writing advice to writers and graphic designers to produce publishable articles for Science in the News, a monthly periodical designed to present current issues in science to the general public.
Harvard Division of Medical Sciences, Science Education and Lecture Teaching Certificate (January 2016 – Present)
Progressing through the curriculum and external teaching requirements of a pedagogical development and STEM education certification program sponsored by Harvard Medical School. In progress.
Horizons for Homeless Children, Playspace Activity Leader, Cambridge, MA (January 2015 – Present)
Lead weekly group activities in a shelter with local children who are homeless due to domestic violence or parental instability. Consistent one-evening-per-week commitment to the Cambridge YWCA that requires extensive training regarding homelessness, its causes, and its developmental effects on children.
Selnate International School, English Tutor and Cultural Mentor (September 2013 – January 2014)
Befriended and mentored international students from a variety of backgrounds as they experience American life and the English language for the first time.
Provided English tutoring and conversation practice as students prepare to apply to American universities.
BYU English Language Center, English Tutor and Cultural Mentor (June 2013 – August 2013)
Utilized skills as a Korean-English bilingual to serve as a cultural and linguistic mentor for Korean students.
Assisted newly arrived exchange students in their English study and in their understanding of local culture.
BYU Center for Service and Learning, Program Director (September 2009 – January 2010)
Served as pioneering program director for “Crisis: Hope,” a student organization that connects affected students and volunteers with local resources for victims of domestic violence, abuse, and rape.
Affiliated organizations include the House of Hope, the Utah Family Support and Treatment Center, the Utah County Crisis Line, and the Center for Women and Children in Crisis.
Provo Youth Mentoring, Elementary Youth Mentor (September 2009 – April 2010)
Served as friend, “big sister,” and academic mentor figure to two at-risk local fifth-graders, meeting weekly to participate together in activities like scavenger hunts, homework parties, and craft time.
Orchard Park Rehabilitation Clinic, Pianist (September 2008 – February 2009)
Played the piano to patients in the rehabilitation clinic/rest home every Saturday morning. Brightened the day of elderly residents who would bring favorite music and sing along.
International experience
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Volunteer Representative (July 2011 – March 2013)
Served as full-time volunteer service representative in and around Daejeon, South Korea.
Learned the Korean language fluently, supervised a network of peers, and provided periodic training in teaching and communication strategies. Provided community service to over 100 families. Taught free English classes and developed second language teaching skills.
Gained experience working as a team and in setting and achieving measurable goals. Learned to embrace and love Korean culture and understand differences in fundamental systems of thought. Consistently worked 10-12 hour days, six days a week, including holidays.
Brigham Young University Jerusalem Center, Study Abroad Participant (May 2009 – August 2009)
Studied the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the Arabic language, Judaism, and Islam over the course of a four-month study abroad based in Jerusalem. Academic excursions included extended travel to Egypt and Jordan.
Served as student field trip coordinator and managed hotel arrangements for 80 students and professors throughout the Middle East.
Vaccines for the Philippines, Medical Humanitarian Aid Volunteer (July 2007)
Organized free medical and dental clinics on the islands of Cebu and Bohol, helped the local community build functional bathrooms, and renovated the outpatient clinic of a local hospital. Received the President’s Volunteer Service Award.
Other Work experience
Brigham Young University Independent Study, Web Instructional Designer (August 2010 – June 2011)
Designed and edited web-based independent study courses in introductory physics and chemistry. The courses are live and can be accessed through the BYU Independent Study website.
Underwent intensive training for Adobe InDesign and acquired familiarity with the rest of the Adobe Creative Suite.
Edgemont Physical Therapy and Fitness, Physical Therapist’s Assistant (April 2009 – August 2009)
Performed basic patient care duties, including administration of neuromuscular electrical stimulation and anodyne heat therapy.
Handled sensitive medical records, communicated with insurance companies, scheduled appointments, and befriended regular patients.
Mountain View Family Practice Clinic, Phlebotomist and Medical Assistant (September 2007 – September 2008)
Handled basic patient-facing interactions, such as taking medical history, conducting physical exams, assessing vital signs, administering injections, and drawing blood.
Certifications
Playspace Activity Leadership Certification, Horizons for Homeless Children Boston (February 2015)
Rape Aggression Defense Certification, Harvard University (October 2014)
Utah State Medical Assisting Certification, Mountainland Applied Technology College (May 2008)
Phlebotomy Certification, Utah School of Phlebotomy (August 2009)
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