The APBD Research Foundation is delighted to introduce our newest team member, Becca Reef, MS, who has joined us as our part-time Science Coordinator.
Growing up just outside of Boston, Massachusetts, Becca was inspired to focus on making the diagnostic journey more patient-centric after watching her grandfather navigate the challenges of a rare disease. Her commitment to rare disease advocacy was strengthened at the University of Rochester, where she majored in neuroscience and minored in clinical psychology. As an undergrad, she connected with the Special Olympics organization and found herself helping write memoirs of people who had been diagnosed with cerebral palsy. She describes the experience as “profound.”
Natacha Pires, MS, MBBS — the Foundation’s Executive Director — shared, “Becca’s responsibilities involve outreach to researchers, clinicians, industry partners, and other stakeholders to create new and strengthen existing collaborations. She will be instrumental to our efforts to translate preclinical research into patient studies and trials and make treatments a reality for the APBD and allied disease community.”
Becca recently graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a Master of Science degree in Genetic Counseling. During her two-year program, she gained a broad range of experience in clinical, research, laboratory, advocacy, and industry settings. In her prior role at Boston Children’s Hospital, she worked on tailoring education to different patient populations and successfully spearheaded the implementation of several educational and outreach initiatives for patients and providers.
Becca added, “Whether it’s creating new initiatives to raise awareness or fostering collaborations to accelerate our drug development, I am committed to doing everything I can to make a difference for the community.”
In her spare time, Becca is working towards obtaining her certification to teach Pilates. She also enjoys finding local farmers markets, seeing the ocean whenever possible, and cheering for Boston sports teams.