Our Team

Christopher is a Pharmacology PhD Student at the University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences Campus. He is participating at a 2022 TL-1 Summer Scholar. Christopher is interested in translational and pharmacogenomic research, thriving to work on projects with a direct impact on underrepresented minorities.

Joanna is a rising sophomore at Washington University in St. Louis, and a participant in the Pediatric Student Research Program (PSRP) in 2021. She is Pre-Health and plans on majoring in microbiology and minoring in speech and hearing sciences. She has lived in St. Louis her entire life and is thrilled to pursue her college education and research in the city she grew up in!

Kathryn is a rising senior at Washington University in St. Louis, where she is majoring in Biology and minoring in Spanish. She is also on the pre-medical track. Kathryn grew up in Charlotte, North Carolina, and enjoys reading, running, and the casual study of languages in her spare time.

Katie graduated from the University of Southern California with a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry. Her interest in diabetes research started when she learned about the biochemical relationship between nutrition and health, as well as the development and treatment of metabolic syndromes. She has worked with Dr. Alicia McDonough at the USC Keck School of Medicine and performed research on the role of empagliflozin on chronic kidney disease in rats with hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and obesity. Katie aspires to attend medical school and become a family practice physician.

Aahil Merchant is a rising second-year medical student at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville. He is joining the lab as a participant in the NIDDK Medical Student Research Program. He received his BA in Economics from WashU in 2017, and he subsequently worked for the Federal Reserve in St. Louis for 4 years prior to pursuing a career in medicine. His interest in diabetes and obesity research stems from his time volunteering at a local free clinic in the St. Louis area. He is an avid film photographer, and he enjoys trying new restaurants with friends and family.

Michelle is a candidate for the post-baccalaureate program at Washington Univeristy. She is from Hanoi, Vietnam and just graduated from Augustana College with a Bachelor of Art in Biochemistry. Her research interest focuses on obesity and diabetes. Her plan is to pursue a PhD with a goal of developing therapeutic targets for metabolic syndromes. Outside the lab, she enjoys going to the coffee shops, cooking, and watching TV shows.

Megha Verma is a recent graduate of Saint Louis University where she majored in Neuroscience. She participated in the 2021 Pediatric Student Research Program (PSRP). In the lab, Megha reviewed medical records to publish a case report on a novel HNF1A variant in Monogenic Diabetes Type 3. Megha gained a better understanding of the genetic etiology of diabetes and the diagnostic utility of genetic testing. She matriculated to medical school at St. Louis University in 2021 at the conclusion of her PSRP.

Samantha is a rising pre-medical senior at Washington College in Maryland and is majoring in Biology and minoring in German. She is a summer 2023 participant of the “Short-Term Research Experience Program to Unlock Potential” (STEP-UP) at Washington University through the NIDDK branch of the National Institute of Health (NIH). She has also worked with Dr. Krystal Hans analyzing the role of weather on forensic entomological activity and the decomposition process of a body. Samantha grew up in rural Delaware and is looking to go to medical school for infectious disease or pathology. She enjoys running, camping, and cross stitch.