PostBac Researcher Alumni

Ewurama Abrefi Cann is a graduate of Barnard College, Columbia University. Her research focuses on how staphlococous aurea affects the inflamatory response in human monocytes/macrophages, in the laboratory of Dr. Lionel Ivashkiv.

Jackson Appelt is a graduate of the University of Virginia. His research focuses on the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying joint Tenosynovial Giant Cell tumors in the laboratory of Dr. Laura Donlin.

Caroline Brauner, a graduate of Cornell University, studied "Regulation of inflammatory responses in macrophages" in the laboratory of Dr. Lionel Ivashkiv.

Max Chao is a Bio-engineering graduate of Cornell University. His research is focused on "Next generation sequencing, data mining and analysis" in the HSS Genomics Center under the direction of Dr. Alessandra Pernis.

Gabriel Cuilan is a graduate of Bowdoin College. His research focuses on the molecular and cellular mechanism of osteoblast activity under genetic differentiation as well as potential genetic markers for specific populations of osteoprogenitor cells within bone and muscle in the laboratory of Dr. Ugur Ayturk.

Nathaniel Disser (2018-2020), a graduate of Gonzaga University, studied "Mechanobiology of skeletal muscle and tendon during tissue growth and regeneration" in the laboratory of Dr. Christopher Mendias.
Nate is attending The University of Texas McGovern Medical School (Houston).

Adriana Echeverria Gonzalez, a graduate of Columbia University Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science, studied the "Rapid and precise diagnosis of joint infections using next-generation sequencing" in the laboratory of Dr. Laura Donlin.

Danny Flores is a graduate of Stevens Institute of Technology. His research is focused on the mechanisms by which alterations in cholesterol homeostasis affect the development and severity of systemic lupus erythematosus in the laboratory of Dr. Alessandra Pernis.

Daniel Jenkins is a graduate of the University of Michigan. His project is focused on "Mechanotransduction, the ROCKs and Arthrofibrosis" in the laboratory of Dr. Alessandra Pernis.

Alejandro Kochen is a graduate of Boston University. His research is focused on "The mechanisms of pathological gene fusions in Tenosynovial Giant Cell Tumors" " in the laboratory of Dr. Laura Donlin.

Maxwell Konnaris is a graduate of Ithaca College Health Science and Human Performance. His research is focused on developing data science and machine learning pipelines for applications in musculoskeletal health and precision medicine, in the laboratory of Dr. Miguel Otero.

Jacob Moore is a graduate of Cornell University. His research is focused on “the effects of aging on cells that contribute to osseointegration” in the laboratory of Dr. Ugur Ayturk.

Brian Oh is a graduate of Columbia University. His project focuses on “Mechanisms and regulation of osteoclast differentiation and inflammatory bone destruction” in the Park-Min Lab.

Ashley Pekmezian, a graduate of Cornell University College of Engineering, focused her research on "Understanding the relationship between contact mechanics and tissue degeneration in osteoarthritis" in the laboratory of Dr. Suzanne Maher.

Michael Pierides (2018-2020) a graduate of Cornell University College of Engineering, studied the "Contribution of the immunoproteasome in controlling TLR-induced inflammatory response" in the laboratory of Dr. Franck Barrat.
Michael is attending Fordham University.

Claude Regis is a graduate of Stony Brook University.  He works with Dr. Carl Imhauser in the Biomechanics Department, where he studies knee joint stability. His current study involves obtaining objective knee laxity data with a novel knee tester and seeing how that relates to patient reported outcomes. He is also working on retrospective studies with Dr. Brian Chalmers in the Adult Reconstruction and Joint Replacement department.

Miracle Rogers has a Master's Degree from Syracuse University. Her research is focused on “Functional evaluation of novel proteins involved in osteoblast differentiation” in the laboratory of Dr. Ugur Ayturk.

Melissa (Missy) Romoff is a graduate of Northwestern University. Her research focuses on "Investigating the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying joint Tenosynovial Giant Cell Tumors" in the laboratory of Dr. Laura Donlin. 

Brennan Rourke, a graduate of the University of Michigan, studied the "Evaluation of fibrosis in a mouse model of load-induced osteoarthritis" in the laboratory of Dr. Miguel Otero.

Martin Schonk, a graduate of STAPS University of Montpellier, France, studied “Biophysical and biochemical signals that regulate tendon stem cell biology” in the laboratory of Dr. Scott Rodeo.

Ethan Seltzer is a graduate of Cornell University. His research is focused on "Regulation of lymph node stromal CCL2 expression to regulate plasma cells in a lupus mouse model" in the laboratory of Dr. Theresa Lu.

Sara Shanaj (2018-2020), a graduate of Hunter College, City University of New York, studied “Precision medicine assays for infections and rheumatic disease" in the laboratory of Dr. Laura Donlin.
Sara is attending the College of Osteopathic Medicine- NYIT. 

Gayathri Shibu (2018-2020), a graduate of Cornell University, studied "Targeting components of transcription elongation machinery in macrophages to inhibit inflammation" in the laboratory of Dr. Inez Rogatsky.
Gayathri is attending the Weil Cornell Medicine Graduate School of Medical Sciences Immunology and Microbial Pathogenesis Program. 

Isabel Sollohub, a graduate of Columbia University, studied "Immune cell-mediated regulation of vascular-stromal compartment in lupus skin and lymph nodes" in the laboratory of Dr. Theresa Lu.

Branden Sosa (2019-2020), a graduate of Hunter College, City University of New York, studied "Characterization of immune response in implant osseointegration model" in the laboratory of Dr. Xu Yang and Dr. Mathias Bostrom.
Branden is attending Weill Cornell Medical College. 

Estelle Strangmark graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a B.A. in Chemistry and Hispanic Studies. She then pursued an MPhil in Medical Sciences (Surgery) at the University of Cambridge within the Division of Trauma and Orthopedic Surgery. At HSS's Center for Regenerative Medicine, her research is dedicated to elucidating the molecular/cellular composition and identifying the bioactive components of platelet-rich plasma and synovial fluid.

Eun Sung Suh, a graduate of Cornell University, studied the “Differential contribution of bone cells to skeletal development and repair” in the laboratory of Dr. Ugur Ayturk.

Tamar Nicole Soussana is a graduate of Stern College for Women, Yeshiva University. Her research in the laboratory of Dr. Inez Rogatsky focuses on targeting RNA Polymerase II pausing in macrophages, and evaluating the consequences on transcription in the context of inflammatory setting in vitro and in vivo, such as mouse models of inflammatory arthritis.

Andrew Thomson is a graduate of Boston College. His research focuses on “The role of LEPR in arthroplasty-related fibrous integration” in the laboratory of Dr. Mathias Bostrom.

Stephen Vulcano is a graduate of James Madison University and Temple University. His research is focused on "ABC-mediated networks controlling autoimmunity and musculoskeletal diseases” in the laboratory of Dr. Alessandra Pernis. 

Roanne Yehia is a graduate of Cornell University College of Engineering. Her research focuses on “developing systems and technology to understand contact mechanics as it relates to physiological function and patient outcomes” in the laboratory of Dr. Suzanne Maher.

Yunwei Xia (2019-2020), a graduate of Cornell University, studied "Host immune response to bone injury in a murine tibial implant model" in the laboratory of Dr. Lionel Ivashkiv.
Yunwei is attending the MD/PhD program at Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell.