PhD Students
Salomat Abdulkhuseynova, MD
Second Year PhD Student, 2023-2024
Year Matriculated: 2021
Email: sabdulkh@wakehealth.edu
Education: MD, Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University, 2017 Medical Residency, N.N.Blokhin Russian Cancer Research Center, 2019
Research Mentor: Shay Soker, PhD
Research Interest: Cancer biology; Cancer immunology; Immune response; Cancer treatment; Tumor organoids; Translational science
Marcel G. Brown, MD
Orthopaedic Surgery Physician Scientist Program, 2023 - 2024
Year Matriculated: 2022
Email: marcebro@wakehealth.edu
Education: MD, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, 2022
BA, Chemistry, Williams College, 2015
Research Mentor: Xue Ma, MD, PhD (Orthopaedics)
Research Interests: Regenerative medicine and applications of amniotic fluid stem cells; Degenerative joint disease; arthroplasty and periprosthetic joint infections; Peripheral nerve injury and repair
Justin Campbell
Third Year PhD Candidate, 2023 - 2024
Year Matriculated: 2021
Email: jdcampbe@wakehealth.edu
Education: Bachelor of Science Biology; Minor in Pre-Health;
Winston-Salem State University
Associate in Applied Science; Major in Biotechnology;
Associate in Applied Science; Major in Nanotechnology
Forsyth Technical Community College
Research Mentor: Thomas Shupe, PhD (WFIRM); Frank Marini, PhD (Cancer Biology)
Research Interests: Cell biology; Virology; Tissue engineering; Regenerative medicine
Samuel Carmichael II, MD
Fourth Year PhD Candidate, 2023 - 2024
Year Matriculated: 2022
Email: scarmich@wakehealth.edu
Education: MD, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, 2013
Research Mentor: Anthony Atala, MD (WFIRM)
Research Interests: Shock resuscitation; Intra-Abdominal adhesions
Tameka Dean, DO, MS
Orthopedic Physician Scientist Program, 2023 - 2024
Year Matriculated: 2021
Email: tamdean@wakehealth.edu
Education: Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine
Doctorate of Osteopathic Medicine, 2021
MS, Biomedical Science, 2021
Research Mentor: Xue Ma, PhD (Orthopedics)
Research Interests: Ischemia-reperfusion injury; skeletal muscle physiology
Hope Didier
Third Year PhD Candidate, 2023 - 2024
Year Matriculated: 2021
Email: hdidier@wakehealth.edu
Education: Kennesaw State University; BS, Molecular & Cellular Biology, 2021
BA, Dance, 2021
Research Mentor: Karen Haas, PhD: Microbiology & Immunology
Research Interests: Cancer immunology; Translational science; B lymphocyte response/differentiation; Tumor associated carbohydrate antigens; Anti-Tumor immune response
Maryssa Ellison
Third Year PhD Candidate, 2023 - 2024
Year Matriculated: 2021
Email: maelliso@wakehealth.edu
Education: Bachelor of Science, Biology Major; Molecular Biology & Biotechnology concentration; Palm Beach Atlantic University, 2016
Research Mentor: Anthony Atala, MD and Victoria Weis, PhD (Regenerative Medicine)
Research Interests: Necrotizing enterocolitis; hPCS therapy; intestinal stem cell niche; paracrine signaling; immunomodulation; pediatrics; translational science; regenerative medicine
Aya Abdel Raouf El-Taibany, MD
Fourth Year PhD Candidate, 2023 - 2024
Year Matriculated: 2021
Email: aeltaiba@wakehealth.edu
Education: MD, School of Medicine, Alexandria University, 2008
Internship, School of Medicine, Alexandria University, 2010
MS, Medical Genetics, Alexandria University, 2016
Research Mentor: Michael Seeds, PhD (WFIRM) and Anthony Atala, MD (WFIRM)
Research Interests: Neurodegenerative; Neuroimmunological; Blood brain barrier; Molecular genetics; Drug discovery and translational research
Lindsey Farris
Fifth Year PhD Candidate, 2023 - 2024
Year Matriculated: 2019
Email: lfarris@wakehealth.edu
Education: BS Biology & Chemistry
Research Mentor: Leslie Poole, PhD (Biochemistry)
Research Interests: Cancer therapeutics & translational medicine
Yosuri Fernandez Figuereo
Second Year PhD Student, 2023 - 2024
Year Matriculated: 2023
Email: yfernan@wakehealth.edu
Education: Bachelor of Science in Ecology and Environmental Management; Pontificia Universidad Catolica Madre y Maestra-PUCMM; Associate in Applied Science; Biotechnology; Forsyth Technical Community College
Research Mentor: Stephen J. Walker, PhD (WFIRM)
Research Interests: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD); Intestinal stem cells; Intestinal organoids; Blood-brain barrier; Genetics and genomics; Immunology
Mackenzie Fitzpatrick
Fourth Year PhD Candidate, 2023 - 2024
Year Matriculated: 2020
Email: mackrobe@wakehealth.edu
Education: BS Neuroscience, Duke University, 2019
Research Mentor: Leah Solberg Woods, PhD (Molecular Medicine)
Research Interests: Genetics; Translational science; Obesity; Diabetes
Brendan Johnson, DVM
Fourth Year PhD Candidate, 2023 - 2024
Year Matriculated: 2020
Email: bjjohnso@wakehealth.edu
Education: DVM, University of Missouri, 2018
Research Mentor: Mark Cline, DVM, PhD (Pathology, Comparative Medicine)
Research Interests: Comparative medicine; Cancer biology; Radiation oncology; Cognition and memory
Sudarshan Krishnamurthy
Third Year PhD Candidate, MD/PhD dual degree program, 2023 - 2024
Year Matriculated: 2022
Email: sukrishn@wakehealth.edu
Education: BS Biomedical Sciences, University of South Florida, 2019
Research Mentor: Dr. Samuel Lockhart (IM - Gerontology) and Dr. Trey Bateman
Research Interests: Aging; Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias; Cardiometabolic index; Social deprivation; Health disparities; Health equity
Caroline Kuczynski
Fifth Year PhD Candidate, 2023 - 2024
Year Matriculated: 2019
Email: ckuczyns@wakehealth.edu
Education: BS, Biophysics with Honors, Wake Forest University, 2018
Research Mentor: Graça Almeida-Porada, MD, PhD (WFIRM)
Research Interests: Genetic hematologic disorders (particularly sickle cell anemia and other hemoglobinopathies), adeno-associated virus (AAV)-based gene therapy; prenatal gene therapy; and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations
Hannah LaMond
Third Year PhD Student, 2023 - 2024
Year Matriculated: 2021
Email: hlamond@wakehealth.edu
Education: Bachelors of Science; Biochemistry/Molecular Biology Major;
Writing Minor; Loyola University Maryland, 2020
Research Mentor: Dr. Ellie Rahbar, PhD (Biomedical Engineering)
Research Interests: Inflammation; Immunology; Liver; Polyunsaturated; Fatty acids
Kendall Langsten, DVM
Fifth Year PhD Candidate, 2023 - 2024
Year Matriculated: 2019
Email: klangste@wakehealth.edu
Education: DVM, University of Missouri, 2017
MS in Biomedical Sciences, University of Missouri, 2017
Residency in Anatomic Pathology, University of Minnesota, 2020
Research Mentor: Bethany Kerr, PhD (Cancer Biology)
Research Interests: Cancer biology; Pathophysiology
Daniel Lara, MD
Orthopedic Physician Scientist Program, 2023 - 2024
Year Matriculated: 2017
Email: dlara@wakehealth.edu
Education: BS, University of Notre Dame, 2011
MD, Creighton University School of Medicine, 2016
Research Mentor: Thomas Smith, PhD (Orthopedic Surgery)
Research Interests: Neuromuscular junction/peripheral nerve trauma and regeneration
Emma Parsons
Fourth Year PhD Student, 2023 - 2024
Year Matriculated: 2020
Email: ecparson@wakehealth.edu
Education: BA Biology and Sociology; Minor in Chemistry, Wake Forest University, 2018
Research Mentor: Anthony Atala, MD
Research Interests: Immunology; Translational science; Osteoarthritis; Immunomodulatory cell-based treatment; Cellular and molecular mechanisms
Alexis Elizabeth Morse
Second Year PhD Student, 2023 - 2024
Year Matriculated: 2023
Email: aemorse@wakehealth.edu
Education: Master of Science Biomedical Science; Concentration in Cancer Biology; Wake Forest University; Bachelor of Science Chemistry; Minors in Biology and Mathematics; Wingate University
Research Mentor: Karen Haas, PhD
Research Interests: Microbiology and Immunology, Immune Responses to Vaccines, Vaccinology
Ayobami S. Ogunsola, MD
Second Year PhD Student, 2023-2024
Year Matriculated: 2023
Email: aogunsol@wakehealth.edu
Education: Medical degree (MB; BS) - University of Ibadan, 2015;
Master of Public Health (MPH) - Texas A&M University, 2021
Research Mentor: Xue Ma, MD, PhD (Orthopaedics)
Research Interests: Clinical outcome, mortality epidemiology and RNA sequencing and Transcriptomics
Chirayu Patel
Fourth Year PhD Candidate, 2023 - 2024
Year Matriculated: 2020
Email: cpatel@wakehealth.edu
Education: MS Cancer Biology, Wake Forest, 2019
BS Cell and Molecular Biology, Appalachian State, 2014
Research Mentor: Jeff Willey, PhD (Radiology Biology)
Research Interests: The study of pharmaceutical countermeasures and artificial gravity as preventative measures of spaceflight induced musculoskeletal degradation on the International Space Station. The development and use of hardware to test interplanetary travel mission conditions at the NASA Space Radiation Lab.
Patrick Ralph
Fourth Year MD/PhD dual degree candidate, 2023 - 2024
Year Matriculated: MD 2019, PhD 2021
Email: pralph@wakehealth.edu
Education: BS Biology, William Peace University
Research Mentor: Sang Jin Lee, PhD (WFIRM)
Research Interests: Tissue engineering; Model development; Neurobiology; Regenerative medicine; Neurodegeneration; Behavioral neurology; Neuropsychiatry
Kaitlyn Reno
Third Year PhD Candidate, 2023 - 2024
Year Matriculated: 2021
Email: kreno@wakehealth.edu
Education: BS Biology, Chemistry Minor, Virginia Tech, 2021
Research Mentor: Jeff Willey, PhD (Radiation Oncology)
Research Interests: Identifying novel biomarkers of bone damage due to radiation therapy; Radiation Oncology; Identifying biomarkers of progressive fibrosis and pneumonitis in NSCLC
Gemma Nomdedeu-Sancho
Second Year PhD Student, 2023 - 2024
Year Matriculated: 2022
Email: gnomdede@wakehealth.edu
Education: B.S in Human Biology from Universitat Pompeu Fabra (Barcelona, Spain), 2020; MS in Biomedical Research from Universitat Pompeu Fabra (Barcelona, Spain), 2021
Research Mentor: Shay Soker, Ph.D. and Anthony Atala, MD
Research Interests: Skin biology, in-vitro 3D models, organoids, melanoma, regenerative medicine
Maggie Smith
FourthYear PhD Candidate, 2023 - 2024
Year Matriculated: 2020
Email: margsmit@wakehealth.edu
Education: BS Biology, Appalachian State University, 2018
Research Mentor: Fei Xing, PhD (Cancer Biology)
Research Interests: Immune checkpoint inhibitors; Hyperprogression; Lung cancer
Christina Stevens, DVM
Second Year PhD student, 2023 - 2024
Year Matriculated: 2023
Email: chmsteve@wakehealth.edu
Education: BA, Biological Sciences, Barnard College, 2018; DVM, Colorado State University, 2022
Research Mentor: Kylie Kavanagh, DVM, MS, MPH (Pathology, Comparative Medicine)
Research Interest: Adipose; Aging; Digital pathology; Microbial translocation; Microbiome
Vy H. Voung
Second Year PhD student, 2023 - 2024
Year Matriculated: 2023
Email: vvuong@wakehealth.edu
Education: BA, Cell & Molecular Biology, Barnard College, 2019
Research Mentor: Patrick McNutt, Ph.D. (WFIRM)
Research Interest: Ocular Toxicity, Vapor Exposure, Injury & Wound Healing
Sarah Wachtman
Second Year PhD Student, 2023 - 2024
Year Matriculated: 2023
Email: swachtma@wakehealth.edu
Education: BS, Biology, Florida State University, 2022
Research Mentor: Graça Almeida-Porada, MD, PhD (WFIRM) and Christopher Porada, PhD (WFIRM)
Research Interests: Stem cell and gene therapy; molecular genetics; Adeno-Associated Virus (AAV)-based therapeutics for Hemophilia A
Yuezhu Wang
Third year Candidate, 2023 - 2024
Year Matriculated: 2021
Email: yuewang@wakehealth.edu
Education: Master of Science in Genomic and Bioinformatics, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2019; Bachelor of Medicine, Soochow University, 2018
Research Mentor: Fei Xing, PhD (Cancer Biology)
Research Interests: Tumor immunotherapy; Cancer genomics; Genetic mutation