Emil Chuck
Dr. Emil Chuck joined George Mason University as Health Professions Advisor and Term Assistant Professor of Microbiology and Molecular Biology in July 2006. An active member of the National Association of Advisors in the Health Professions, Dr. Chuck oversees and advises over 200 undergraduate students, postbaccalaureates, and alumni who intend to pursue careers in dentistry, pharmacy, optometry, veterinary medicine, human medicine, and other health professional careers. He is the student organizations advisor for the campus chapter of Alpha Epsilon Delta (the national premedical/prehealth honor society) and the Predental Society; in 2007, he has guided the establishment of the campus Pre-optometry Club and the Pre-pharmacy Society, and is aiding in the formation of the GMU bioengineering program and the revival of the GMU chapter of Sigma Xi. He teaches the introductory cell biology class for all biology and prehealth majors. As an active member of Sigma Xi and the Diversity Committee of the National Postdoctoral Association (co-chair beginning in 2007), he has delivered and is analyzing data from the 2004 Sigma Xi Postdoctoral Survey.
Dr. Chuck received his bachelor's degree in biomedical engineering at Duke University and his doctoral degree in cell biology from Case Western Reserve University. In his postdoctoral training at Metrohealth Medical Center (Cleveland), Duke University Medical Center, and Mt. Sinai Medical Center (New York City), he has been interested in the maintenance of electrical function in the heart during embryonic development and in heart failure models. His postdoctoral training has been funded by prestigious fellowships from the Heart Rhythm Society, the National Institutes of Health, and the Novartis Foundation (London).
More recently, Dr. Chuck has been working as an advocate in scientific education and workforce development. He founded postdoctoral researchers' organizations at Case Western Reserve University and Duke, and has been an active participant with Science Careers (the career services branch of Science mgazine). During his transition from the bench to administration, he remained active with the Parents@Duke support group as Special Events Director. He taught and advised hundreds of students in preparing for the MCAT, DAT, OAT, GRE, and GMAT as an instructor and student advisor for Kaplan Test Prep & Admissions. Furthermore, he digested peer reviewed journal articles as a Research Associate/Writer for Cancer Monthly, a website that supports patients with highly aggressive cancers. Outside of the laboratory, he finished his Certificate in Non Profit Management in 2006 to improve his skills as an executive officer of three non profit organizations. His community service and activism was recognized with the 2006 Young North Carolinian Award from the North Carolina Jaycees.
Dr. Chuck has been invited to organize or participate in external advocacy or career related presentations with the National Postdoctoral Association, Duke University Pratt School of Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, and Chantilly Academy programs (Fairfax County Public Schools).
