PROMISE Engineering Alumni Speaker Series: Dr. Allen

Dr. Allen works on the development of non-oral biologic formulations for diseases ranging from cancer to autoimmunity. She received her B.S. in Chemical and Biological Engineering from Tufts University where she worked to characterize the anchor and secretion signal mechanisms of the mucus binding protein, MucBP, in the lactobacillus probiotic for treatment of galactosemia. She completed her Ph.D. in Chemical and Biochemical Engineering at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Her thesis work was at the intersection of immunology and engineering. The goal of her project was to use a nanoparticle platform to deliver drugs to specific immune cells driving disease in lupus.

During her tenure as a graduate student, Dr. Allen has been awarded the Meyerhoff Graduate, GEM Associate, LSAMP Bridge to Doctorate, and Lupus Foundation of America Gina M. Finzi Student Research Fellowships. She has also volunteered as a Higher Achievement tutor for Lakeland Elementary/Middle School students and served on the Meyerhoff Graduate Program advisory board and her department’s graduate student organization. Dr. Allen is not only interested in showing up for research, but also for advocacy. She has clinically shadowed the Lupus Clinic at the University of Maryland Medical Center to learn more about the day-to-day of people living with lupus. She has also hosted congressional meetings to increase lupus awareness and advocate for increased research and educational funding in support of those impacted by the disease.

Pre-pandemic, Dr. Allen was learning mixed martial arts and kickboxing in her free time. Currently, she enjoys reading fiction, trying out new foods, and catching up on nostalgic cartoons.