Career Development Spotlight

Nadia Lelutiu, MS, MBA, is the Program Director in the lab of Dr. Madhav Dhodapkar where she oversees the research operations of his cancer immunology program. Nadia held positions in the labs of Dr. Ray Dingledine and Dr. Richard Compans at Emory where she rose through the ranks before eventually landing the role in the Dhodapkar lab. Throughout her years in the Basic Science labs at Emory, Nadia gained invaluable experience that set her on a successful career trajectory.

Before she came to Emory, Nadia was enrolled in a PhD program at the University of Georgia (UGA) studying neuropharmacology and behavior. While in the PhD program, her career goals changed when she started a family. A more realistic goal was a Master of Science degree instead of a PhD. She finished her program in 2005 with a Master of Science degree in neuropharmacology and behavior and immediately started working in the Physiology & Pharmacology Department of the University of Georgia Veterinary School.

Wanting a change from UGA and more professional and personal opportunities, Nadia moved to the Atlanta area and began working at Emory in 2007 in the lab of Dr. Ray Dingledine, Chair of the Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology. Nadia worked on the microarray consortium project where she performed laser capture microscopy and analyzed gene expression changes in large microarray datasets. She contributed to drug development research using EP2 receptor targets, part of a collaboration with the Biological Discovery through Chemical Innovation Center that received an NIH Blueprint Neurotherapeutics award. During her tenure in the Dingledine lab, Nadia contributed to 5 peer-reviewed publications in scientific journals. After two years of outstanding work in the lab, Dr. Dingledine promoted Nadia to Research Projects Manager. She was also the department's representative for the School of Medicine Staff Development Council, one of Emory's many resources that encourage faculty and staff engagement.

Nadia took full advantage of the resources Emory provides to faculty and staff. She participated in the Mentor Emory program which played a huge role in her future endeavors. The yearlong program was a golden opportunity to navigate the steps in her career and network with people who supported her professional development. Her mentor Theresa Milazzo, Vice President of Emory Human Resources, continued to help Nadia throughout her career advancements at Emory. By 2014, Nadia's work at Emory and evolving career goals inspired her to enroll in an MBA program at Mercer University.

As she earned her MBA, Nadia moved in 2015 to the lab of Dr. Richard Compans in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology as a Research Administrative Coordinator. She was promoted to Research Laboratory Manager shortly thereafter. Nadia completed her MBA in 2016 and was promoted in 2019 to Associate Director of Research Projects. By 2020 the Compans Lab shut down due to underfunding during COVID. Nadia once again sought another position at Emory.

In 2021 Nadia was hired as the Program Director in the lab of Madhav Dhodapkar at the Emory Winship Cancer Institute. Nadia oversees lab and research operations for this productive cancer immunology program.

In addition to her dedication, reliability, and willingness to grow, Nadia attributes much of her career success to her connections and experiences at Emory. Her work in successful labs of accomplished Emory scientists with different organizational structures gave Nadia administrative and scientific experience in diverse work environments. Nadia received support and trust from her supervisors and peers allowing her to maintain a "work-life balance" to raise her sons as a single mom while managing a busy career.

When not working, Nadia enjoys spending time with her sons, CrossFit, hot yoga, tennis, reading, writing, live music, and brunch.

Please contact Nadia if you would like to learn more about her and her work.