Welcome to SASA-Student Association for STEM Advocacy

Frank Ferrari graduated from Armada High School and then went on to graduate from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor with a Bachelor of Science in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology with a Minor in Business. He is pursuing a Master’s in Clinical Research Administration from Eastern Michigan University.

During his time at Armada High School, Frank had a strong presence in the community serving as the Vice President of the National Honor Society, a tennis instructor for the Armada Community Enrichment Program, and a robotics mentor in both the elementary and middle schools.

In his extracurricular activities, he was a member of the Armada Chapter of Business Professionals of America for two years, a member of the Armada Varsity Tennis team for four years, and served as captain of the team in his final two. Frank also functioned as an important member of Armada High School robotics team, FRC Team 1718, The Fighting Pi. During his time on the team, he functioned for three years as one of the team’s presenters who are responsible for team public speaking obligations and any awards presentations at team competitions. Prior to his junior season, he was elected a team captain by his peers and would later go on to be picked by his mentors to serve as a team President in his final season. While on the team, his responsibilities included organizing the sponsorship, community outreach, and media sections of the team. During his final season, Frank would go on to found the Michigan Advocacy Conference, a conference designed to educate students on important STEM-related initiatives taking place in the Michigan Legislature and teach them how to voice their thoughts to their elected officials. Frank also attended the National Advocacy Conference during his final two years on the team. Frank was inducted into The Fighting Pi alumni Hall of Fame in 2022.

While attending the University of Michigan, Frank participated in Student Government in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts. He served as an elected representative during the 2018-2019 school year, the Vice-Chair and Chair of the subcommittee on technology, advising, and academic resources during the Winter 2019 and Fall 2019 semesters respectively.

Frank was also an active member of the Michigan Synthetic Biology Team for 2019-2020 serving as one of the science directors.

Frank was a lab technician in the Joglekar Lab in the Cell and Developmental Biology Department at the University of Michigan Medical School from 2018 until graduating in 2021.

Frank now works at the University of Michigan Health System as a Clinical Research Coordinator in the Department of Neurology. He serves as a lead coordinator on the National Ataxia Foundation’s CRC-SCA study and a member of the Coordinator Council on the Michael J. Fox Foundation’s PPMI study. His research studies focus primarily on movement disorders such as Parkinson’s Disease, Spinocerebellar Ataxia, Huntington’s Disease, and Multiple Systems Atrophy.

For the past seven years, Frank has been a pivotal member serving as one of the lead organizers for the National Advocacy Conference.

In 2020 Frank helped found the Student Association for STEM Advocacy and has served as President of the SASA Board for the past 5 years.