Dennis C. Copertino Jr is a Research Specialist in the Awesome Jones Lab! Dennis uses He/Him Pronouns. He is committed to scientific discovery with a particular interest in Laboratory and Biomedical research for diseases with no known cure. Personal connections from Dennis’ life have provided motivation and helped him to discover his love of science in these particular areas of research. Dennis’ research has focused on HIV Virology, HIV Immunology, and Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplants since 2017. He graduated Cum Laude from Hunter College in NYC in 2019. During his time at Hunter College, he was the Vice President of the Gift of Life Club, which aims to build the transplant list with new potential Stem Cell donors. He was a volunteer coordinator for the LGBT Health Workforce Conference in the previous 2 years at Hunter College. He has worked for leaders in the HIV field such as Jeffrey Laurence, MD, Douglas Nixon MD, PhD, and now Brad Jones, PhD. Dennis is a part of numerous ongoing and completed research projects in the lab. He is a specialist on multiple techniques relating to HIV reservoirs and T cell immunology, including the Intact Proviral DNA Assay (IPDA), and is an independent Mouse Technician. He is also a current member of the Department of Medicine’s Racial Justice and Equity Task Force at WCM. He is excited to be a part of REACH which in part is helping to extend the use of the IPDA for use on diverse cohorts from Uganda, with HIV subtypes A & D. This is currently a major barrier to extending HIV cure trials to HIV subtype diverse cohorts. He plans to apply to Immunology, Biology and Biomedical Graduate programs for enrollment in this upcoming Fall 2023 Cycle.

Fun fact: Dennis is an avid cyclist and bikes to work every day of the week, no matter the weather! Dennis’ dog Baby Girl LaFonda is the love of his life.