PhD Students
Salomat Abdulkhuseynova, MD
Fourth Year PhD Candidate, 2025 - 2026
Year Matriculated: 2021
Email: sabdulkh@wakehealth.edu
Education: Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University, 2017 Medical Residency, N.N.Blokhin Russian Cancer Research Center, 2019, MD
Research Mentors: Shay Soker, PhD/Lance Miller, PhD
Research Interest: Cancer biology; cancer immunology; immune response; cancer treatment; tumor organoids; translational science
Madeleine Bibby
Third Year PhD Student,2025 - 2026
Year Matriculated: 2023
Email: mbibby@wakehealth.edu
Education: Washington State University, B.S. in Neuroscience and Biology
Research Mentor: Graca Almeida-Porada, MD, PhD (WFIRM)
Research Interests: Bone Marrow; immunotherapy; hematological malignancies and conditions; organoids; immune system regeneration
Madeleine Bibby
Third Year PhD Student, 2025 - 2026
Year Matriculated: 2023
Email: mbibby@wakehealth.edu
Education: Washington State University, B.S. in Neuroscience and Biology
Research Mentor: Graca Almeida-Porada, MD, PhD (WFIRM)
Research Interests: Bone Marrow; immunotherapy; hematological malignancies and conditions; organoids; immune system regeneration
Marcel G. Brown, MD
Fifth Year PhD Candidate, 2025 - 2026
Year Matriculated: 2022
Email: marcebro@wakehealth.edu
Education: MMD, 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; degenerative disc disease and disorders of the spine; peripheral nerve injury and repair"
Justin Campbell
Fifth Year PhD Candidate, 2025 - 2026
Year Matriculated: 2021
Email: jdcampbe@wakehealth.edu
Education: PBachelor 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 Mentors: Thomas Shupe, PhD (WFIRM); Frank Marini, PhD (Cancer Biology)
Research Interests: Cell Biology; virology; tissue engineering; regenerative medicine
Alicia Costa-Terryll
Third Year PhD Student: 2025 - 2026
Year Matriculated: 2024
Email: acostate@wakehealth.edu
Education: B.S. Biology, the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 2019
Research Mentors: Dr. Michael Munley, PhD/ Dr. Jeffrey Willey, PhD
Research Interests: Relative biological effectiveness; radiation oncology and proton Therapy
Tameka Dean, DO, MS
Sixth Year PhD Candidate, 2025 - 2026
Orthopedic Physician Scientist Program
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
Fifth Year PhD Candidate, 2025 - 2026
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
Fifth Year PhD Candidate, 2025 - 2026
Year Matriculated: 2021
Email: maelliso@wakehealth.edu
Education: BS, Biology Major; Molecular Biology & Biotechnology concentration; Palm Beach Atlantic University, 2016
Research Mentors: Anthony Atala, MD/ Victoria Weis, Ph.D. (Regenerative Medicine)
Research Interests: Necrotizing enterocolitis; mucosal immunology; intestinal stem cell niche; placental stem cell-based therapeutics; regenerative medicine
Aya Abdel Raouf El-Taibany, MD
Sixth Year PhD Candidate, 2025 - 2026
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, Ph.D. (WFIRM)/ Anthony Atala, MD (WFIRM)
Research Interests: Neurodegenerative; neuroimmunological; blood brain barrier; molecular genetics; drug discovery and translational research
Yosuri Fernandez Figuereo
Fourth Year PhD Candidate, 2025 - 2026
Year Matriculated: 2023
Email: yfernan@wakehealth.edu
Education: BS, 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
Austin Foster, MD
Third Year PhD Student, 2025 - 2026
Year Matriculated: 2023
Email: jeafoste@wakehealth.edu
Education: University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville, MD; Furman University, BA in Business Administration
Research Mentor: Jeffrey S. Willey, PhD (Radiation Oncology)
Research Interests: Radiation and cancer-induced bone injury; bone health and metabolism; pathologic fractures; bone pain; analgesia
Balqees Khader
Third Year PhD Student, 2025 - 2026
Year Matriculated: 2023
Email: bkhader@wakehealth.edu
Education: MS; Biology/ North Carolina A&T State University, 2023, BS; Biology/ Physics Minor, North Carolina A&T State University, 2021
Research Mentor: Baisong Lu, PhD (WFIRM)
Research Interests: Cellular therapy; gene Editing; lipid nanoparticle regenerative medicine
Hannah LaMond
Fifth Year PhD Candidate, 2025 - 2026
Year Matriculated: 2021
Email: hlamond@wakehealth.edu
Education: MBS; 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
Nequesha Mohamed, MD
Sixth Year PhD Candidate, 2025 - 2026
Orthopaedic Surgery Physician Scientist Program
Year Matriculated: 2020
Email: nmohamed@wakehealth.edu
Education: MMD; University of Medicine and Health Sciences St. Kitts, 2016;
BS University of Toronto, 2011
Research Mentor: Kerry Danelson, PhD (Orthopaedics)
Research Interests: Arthritis, diabetes, joint replacement
Courtney S. Moore
Third Year PhD Student, 2025 - 2026
Year Matriculated: 2024
Email: cosmoore@wakehealth.edu
Education: Tuskegee University College of Veterinary Medicine, DVM and University of North Carolina at Pembroke, BS in Biology
Research Mentor: J. Mark Cline, DVM, PhD, DACVP
Research Interests: Genetic mutations; radiation-induced sarcomas
Alexis Elizabeth Morse
Fourth Year PhD Candidate, 2025 - 2026
Year Matriculated: 2023
Email: aemorse@wakehealth.edu
Education: MS Biomedical Science; Concentration in Cancer Biology; Wake Forest University; BS 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
Fourth Year PhD Candidate, 2025 - 2026
Orthopedic Physician Scientist Program
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 outcomes, mortality epidemiology, and molecular biology
Emma Parsons
Sixth Year PhD Student, 2025 - 2026
Year Matriculated: 2020
Email: ecparson@wakehealth.edu
Education: B.A. 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
Daniela A. Key- Planas
Third Year PhD student, 2025 - 2026
Year Matriculated: 2023
Email: dkeyplan@wakehealth.edu
Education: BS Computational Biology, Florida State University, 2021
Research Mentor: Michael Olivier PhD, (Molecular Medicine)
Research Interest: OMICS research; mass spectrometry technologies; cardiovascular diseases; genetics
Patrick Ralph
Sixth Year MD/PhD Dual Degree Candidate, 2025 - 2026
Year Matriculated: MD 2019, PhD 2021
Email: pralph@wakehealth.edu
Education: BS Biology, William Peace University
Research Mentor: Sang Jin Lee, PhD (WFIRM)
Research Interest: Tissue engineering; model development; neurobiology; regenerative medicine; neurodegeneration; behavioral neurology; neuropsychiatry
Kaitlyn Reno
Fifth Year PhD Candidate, 2025 - 2026
Year Matriculated: 2021
Email: kreno@wakehealth.edu
Education: B.S. 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; identifying novel biomarkers of NSCLC progression and radiation resistance; radiation oncology; identifying biomarkers of progressive fibrosis and pneumonitis in NSCLC
Gemma Nomdedeu-Sancho
Fourth Year PhD Candidate, 2025 - 2026
Year Matriculated: 2022
Email: gnomdede@wakehealth.edu
Education: BS in Human Biology from Universitat Pompeu Fabra (Barcelona, Spain), 2020; MS in Biomedical Research from Universitat Pompeu Fabra (Barcelona, Spain), 2021
Research Mentors: Shay Soker, PhD/ Anthony Atala, MD
Research Interests: Skin biology, in-vitro 3D models, organoids, melanoma, regenerative medicine
Austin Foster, MD
Third Year PhD Candidate, 2025 - 2026
Year Matriculated: 2024
Email: jeafoste@wakehealth.edu
Education: University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Greenville, MD; Furman University, BA in Business Administration
Research mentor: Jeffrey S. Willey, PhD (Radiation Oncology)
Research Interests: Radiation-induced musculoskeletal changes; bone health and metabolism; pathologic fractures; bone pain; analgesia
Christina Stevens, DVM
Fourth Year PhD Candidate, 2025 - 2026
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 Interests: Colon; mucosal immunity; inflammaging; digital pathology
Nicholas Schneider
Third Year PhD Candidate, 2025 - 2026
Year Matriculated: 2024
Email: nfschnei@wakehealth.edu
Education: University of South Carolina, Columbia, BS in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Research Mentor: Tao Ma, MD; PhD
Research Interests: Alzheimer’s disease; dementias, neuropsychiatric disease
Kayla Vandiver
Second Year PhD Student, 2025-2026
Year Matriculated: 2025
Email: kvandive@wakehealth.edu
Education: MSc in Applied Physiology, University of Colorado, 2023; BS in Biology, University of Colorado, 2021
Research Mentor: P. Darrell Neufer, PhD (Molecular Medicine)
Research Interests: Mitochondrial bioenergetics; redox biology; obesity; insulin resistance; women’s health
Vy H. Voung
Fourth Year PhD Candidate, 2025 - 2026
Year Matriculated: 2023
Email: vvuong@wakehealth.edu
Education: BA, Cell & Molecular Biology, Barnard College, 2019
Research Mentor: Patrick McNutt, Ph.D. (WFIRM)
Research Interests: Ocular toxicity, vapor exposure, injury & wound healing
Sarah Wachtman
Fourth Year PhD Candidate, 2025 - 2026
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
Lauren E. Washco
Second Year PhD Student, 2025-2026
Year Matriculated: 2025
Email: lwashco@wakehealth.edu
Education: BS in Biochemistry from Muhlenberg College, 2024
Research mentor: Adam Hall, PhD (Biomedical Engineering)
Research Interests: Nucleic acid biomarkers; DNA damage/repair; solid-state nanopores
Kathryn E. Wilson
Second Year PhD Student, 2025-2026
Year Matriculated: 2025
Email: kaewilso@wakehealth.edu
Education: BS in Biology with a concentration in Biomedical Science- Gardner Webb University, 2023
Research Mentor: Giselle Melendez, MD; Jared Weis, PhD
Research Interest: Chemotherapy, gut-heart axis, chronic inflammation