Current Students

MD / PhD Program

Sarah Lulu

Year 8, Clinicals
Dissertation: Combination CAR-T and TLR agonism Modulates the Myeloid Compartment of Glioblastoma

sarahlulu@usf.edu

Evan Potts

Year 7, Clinicals
Dissertation: A multi-omics approach to map a clinically diverse large cohort with homozygous founder RAG1 p.C176F variant among Old-Order Mennonites

davidevanpotts@usf.edu

Natasha Ram

Year 7, Clinicals
Dissertation: A spatiotemporal characterization of outer membranes in chronic subdural hematomas

natasharam@usf.edu

Vincent Lok

Year 6, Dissertation Research
Lab: Dr. Brian Czerniecki
Research Interests: Leveraging dendritic cell-based immunotherapy to break immune tolerance in breast cancer.

vlok@usf.edu

Emily Otmanowski

Year 6, Dissertation Research
Lab: Dr. Jasenka Zubcevic
Research Interests: Investigating the role of gut microbiota, intestinal nutrient transport, and the gut-brain axis in the pathogenesis of diet-associated cardiometabolic disease.

emilyotmanowski@usf.edu

Jacob Connolly

Year 5, Dissertation Research
Lab: Dr. Nathan Schilaty
Research Interests: My research interests are in the fields of biomechanics, neuromechanics, and medical imaging of the effects of non-surgical spinal decompression as a treatment alternative to surgery.

connolly45@usf.edu

Derek Jacobs

Year 5, Dissertation Research
Lab: Dr. Zachary Porterfield
Research Interests: I am studying HIV reservoirs in lymphatic tissue and working towards an HIV cure. The Porterfield lab also has a strong focus on global health.

derekjacobs @usf.edu

Aahir Srinath

Year 3, Directed Research

asrinath@usf.edu

Cristina Dabrowski

Year 3, Directed Research
Lab: Dr. Jasenka Zubcevic

cdabrowski@usf.edu

Carolina De Paula Cunha Almeida

Year 2, Pre-Clinical
Research Interests: I have a diverse research background spanning social neuroscience and neuropsychiatric disorders, regenerative medicine focused on cardiovascular and multisystem repair, neuromodulation approaches for obesity treatment, and the neuroscience of empathy, particularly in medical education and patient care. I plan to focus my future research on how interactions between the brain and peripheral systems influence health and disease. I am drawn to interdisciplinary, translational work that bridges neuroscience with immunology and metabolism, using systems biology frameworks to better understand and address complex conditions.

cdepaulacunhaalmeida@usf.edu

Cemre Kayisli

Year 2, Pre-Clinical
Research Interests: My current research interests lie in vascular biology, with a particular focus on the microcirculatory response to injury and infection.

cemrekayisli@usf.edu

Megan Ly

Year 2, Pre-Clinical
Research Interests: I investigate the genetic and molecular mechanisms of aging and neurodegeneration. As an NIH Oxford-Cambridge Scholar, I will research the progression of retinal diseases such as age-related macular degeneration and develop gene-based therapeutics targeting vision loss.

synvie@usf.edu