SLOKA IYENGAR
  • About me
    • Profile
    • Service
    • Invited talks and interviews
    • Continuing education
    • Contact me
    • Public Events
  • Science
    • Science consulting
    • Global health >
      • Capacity building in global health >
        • Capacity building through leadership
        • Disaster relief
      • Mental health
      • Aging and palliative care
      • Neurological disorders
    • Clinical science
    • Preclinical science
    • Science advocacy >
      • Advocacy activities
      • ABC newsletters
    • Patient communication and advocacy >
      • Patient communication and advocacy (articles)
    • Science education
    • Publications
    • Awards
  • Dance
    • Dance resume >
      • Pictures and videos
      • Community engagement
    • Vichaar >
      • Vichaar: Episode 1 transcript
      • Vichaar: Episode 2 transcript
      • Vichaar: testimonials
    • Bharatanatyam for creative aging >
      • Bharatanatyam for all
      • Bharatanatyam for all: testimonials
      • Bharatanatyam for all: instructional videos
      • Resources for seniors >
        • Guiding Your Senior Loved One Through Financial Decisions
        • Signs Your Aging Parent Needs Help

Science advocacy activities  ​

Top image: At Capitol Hill, lobbying for basic neuroscience funding 
New Jersey Society for Public Health Education (NJ SOPHE)
11/2019: I helped develop a policy brief on e-cigarettes.  
NJ SOHE e-cig Position Brief.pdf
File Size: 324 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File


American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Science, Technology and Human Rights conference 
10/2019: As part of the AAAS Science, Technology, and Human Rights Conference, my colleagues and I presented our work with Scholar Rescue Fund on how the scientific community can support science and human rights by creating effective advising networks for displaced scientists. 

PictureFeatured in a book "Beacon of Hope - IIE's first 100 years of scholar rescue"
Advisor, Institute of International Education’s Scholar Scholar Rescue Fund (IIE-SRF) 
05/2018 - present: The Institute of International Education’s Scholar Rescue Fund (IIE-SRF) advisorship is a one-on-one relationship between an advisor and an IIE-SRF refugee scholar with the purpose of supplementing the fellow’s efforts in career advancement and professional development. As an advisor, I help mentees with resumes, CVs, cover letters, teaching statements,  and generally ​help the fellow build her or his academic presence. An additional advisor Florence Chaverneff and I were interviewed regarding our experiences as advisors. 
Featured in a book "Beacon of Hope - IIE's first 100 years of scholar rescue". 


Reviewer: Journal of articles in support of the null hypothesis (JASNH) 
03/2014 - present: I serve as a reviewer for The Journal of Articles in Support of the Null Hypothesis - a peer-reviewed journal that publishes original experimental studies in all areas of psychology where the null hypothesis is supported. JASNH provides scientists to publish results that do not reach statistical significance. 

Cell Interview
04/2017: 
I was interviewed for an article by Susan Matheson in the April 6, 2017 issue of Cell about advocating for science on Capitol Hill. Here is a link to the full article.​
  • It’s very empowering,” said Sloka Iyengar, an ambassador who visited Capitol Hill in 2015. She had just completed her postdoctoral work studying epilepsy and the causes of seizures at the Nathan Kline Institute in New York when she met with six different senators and representatives from New York and New Jersey. “That was my first time ever doing anything like this,” said Iyengar. The lawmakers were “quite interested” and were “very, very receptive.” Visiting lawmakers, said Iyengar, “allows you to see the impact of what you’re doing in the lab.

Visited The Taub Institute with NY State Senator Liz Krueger
08/2016: I co-organized a site visit for State Senator Krueger of the laboratories conducting research on Alzheimer's Disease. We spoke with the Board of Directors regarding how the Alzheimer's Bond Bill would provide foundation for groundbreaking Alzheimer's research.​

Picture
ComeBeBraiNY event at New York University
03/2016: In collaboration with BraiNY, I organized an event 'Train to Advocate' at NYU,  a workshop for scientists who wanted to learn how to lobby Congress.  Attendees worked on developing and practicing elevator speeches and participated in a workshop run by Geoff Grimwood of Improv Workshops that taught attendees how to develop improvisational skills. The Director of Advocacy, Outreach, and Training at SfN, Michael Heintz, provided an introduction on why advocacy is important, and the basic components of advocating with an elected official. 


Academics for the Future of Science
06/2016: I wrote an article for Academics for the Future of Science (AFS) on what it's like to lobby for science.  

Capitol Hill Day 
03/2016: 
I visited Capitol Hill and talked about neuroscience funding to elected representatives from New York and Texas.  I also mentored two Advocacy fellows to guide them on how to effectively advocate for increased and sustained budget for science in the state and federal levels. 

Society for Neuroscience (SfN) 
  • 2015: I served as the co-chair of the Advocacy division of the Greater NYC Chapter of the Society for Neuroscience.
  • 03/2015: Early Career Science Policy Fellow - I was awarded the Early Career Science Fellowship by the Society for Neuroscience. This was a year-long fellowship as part of which I went to Capitol Hill to advocate to New York and New Jersey senators and Congressmen about science funding. I wrote an article (see below) for Neuronline about my experiences on Capitol Hill.  
  • In January 2016, I spoke at a webinar where I summarized my advocacy efforts over 2015-2016. 
What I learned at SfN's Capitol Hill Day_Neuronline
File Size: 569 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Advocacy event at the Rockefeller University
09/2015: I co-organized an advocacy event at the Rockefeller University entitled ‘Science funding: what can we do about it?' Read about the program and the invited panelists here.​ 

American Brain Coalition newsletters
03/2015 - 12/2016: I compiled the newsletter for the American Brain Coalition (ABC), a non-profit organization comprised of some of the United States’ leading professional neurological, psychological, and psychiatric associations and patient organizations. Here is a list of all ABC newsletters. 

Foundation for Biomedical Research 
05/2016: I wrote an article recounting my first experience doing an experiment on an animal  for the Foundation of Biomedical Research (FBR). This was a moment of great significance for me, as I worked at an animal shelter before starting graduate research. 

Alliance for Patient Access
05/2016: I co-authored an article about improving cancer patients’ access to precision medicine for The Alliance for Patient Access. 
Last updated: March 29, 2023
Proudly powered by Weebly
  • About me
    • Profile
    • Service
    • Invited talks and interviews
    • Continuing education
    • Contact me
    • Public Events
  • Science
    • Science consulting
    • Global health >
      • Capacity building in global health >
        • Capacity building through leadership
        • Disaster relief
      • Mental health
      • Aging and palliative care
      • Neurological disorders
    • Clinical science
    • Preclinical science
    • Science advocacy >
      • Advocacy activities
      • ABC newsletters
    • Patient communication and advocacy >
      • Patient communication and advocacy (articles)
    • Science education
    • Publications
    • Awards
  • Dance
    • Dance resume >
      • Pictures and videos
      • Community engagement
    • Vichaar >
      • Vichaar: Episode 1 transcript
      • Vichaar: Episode 2 transcript
      • Vichaar: testimonials
    • Bharatanatyam for creative aging >
      • Bharatanatyam for all
      • Bharatanatyam for all: testimonials
      • Bharatanatyam for all: instructional videos
      • Resources for seniors >
        • Guiding Your Senior Loved One Through Financial Decisions
        • Signs Your Aging Parent Needs Help