Maternal & Child Health Research Institute (MCHRI)
Showing 101-150 of 211 Results
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Lili Liu
Postdoctoral Scholar, Epidemiology
BioLili (Larry) Liu, PhD, is a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Epidemiology & Population Health at Stanford University. As an integrative epidemiologist, Dr. Liu unifies molecular biomarkers, large-scale population cohorts, and real-world health data into coherent, hypothesis-driven research with a sustained focus on how early-life exposures, genetic variation, lifestyle, and pharmacological factors shape inflammation, biological aging, and chronic disease risk across the life course. Trained in cancer genetic and nutrition epidemiology with complementary expertise in pharmacoepidemiology, his doctoral research at Vanderbilt University included a multi-ancestry GWAS of urinary prostaglandin E2 metabolite (PGE-M), development of PGE-M–derived dietary and lifestyle scores via elastic net with extensive bootstrapping, and Mendelian randomization analyses linking PGE-M to colorectal cancer across ancestries. At Stanford, Dr. Liu extends his research to maternal–fetal and placental epidemiology, building nationwide claims-based pregnancy cohorts (e.g., MarketScan) to examine gestational diabetes and downstream liver disease risk, and creating mother–infant pair cohort to investigate systemic antibiotic exposure in relation to subsequent inflammatory bowel disease and celiac disease. Parallel collaborations focus on extracellular vesicles and angiogenic signaling in placental health. Methodologically, Dr. Liu works at the interface of causal inference, pharmacoepidemiology, and machine learning with reproducible data engineering (R/Python, SQL, HPC), with the overarching goal of translating mechanistic insights into actionable biomarkers and risk tools for chronic disease prevention in diverse populations.
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Lin Liu
Postdoctoral Scholar, Chemistry
BioI finished my undergraduate study in general chemistry at Shandong Normal University in 2014. Later, I continued to my master’s studies in organic chemistry at Lanzhou University. In 2018, I moved to Baylor University conducting research under the mentorship of Professor John L. Wood. During my graduate studies, I mainly focused on the total syntheses of natural products. In 2024, I joined the Khosla lab and Cui lab as a joint postdoc. Outside the lab, I like cooking, playing basketball, and watching movies
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Qianheng Ma
Postdoctoral Scholar, Psychiatry
BioQianheng (Jessica) Ma obtained her PhD degree of biostatistics at University of Chicago under the supervision of Prof. Donald Hedeker and is the 2021 recipient of the dissertation grant from Society of Multivariate Experimental Psychology (SMEP). Her current research focus are modern statistical methods and deep learning techniques for mining (multivariate) intensive longitudinal data especially psychological/behavioral measures collected by mobile/wearable devices. Besides research, she loves playing the piano and is good at Jazz improvisation and she can speak fluent Cantonese.
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Brittany Elizabeth Matheson, PhD
Clinical Assistant Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
BioBrittany Matheson, PhD, is a clinical assistant professor and licensed clinical psychologist in the Eating Disorders Clinic. She completed her undergraduate degree at Duke University, doctorate from the Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology at San Diego State University and the University of California, San Diego, and APA clinical internship at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford (LPCH)/Children’s Health Council. Dr. Matheson is a certified family-based treatment (FBT) therapist and consultant. She is also the director of the Stanford Eating Disorder Research Program Data Coordination Center and collaborates with colleagues on NIH-funded randomized clinical trials. Dr. Matheson's research interests include examining the psychosocial, neurocognitive, and familial factors related to disordered eating and excess weight gain in youth. She is interested in the development and implementation of evidence-based treatments for youth with disordered eating as well as better understanding factors that influence pediatric bariatric surgery outcomes. Dr. Matheson has specialized research and clinical expertise in the interplay among obesity, disordered eating, and autism spectrum disorder and is the director of psychological services for the LPCH adolescent metabolic and bariatric surgery program. She conducts comprehensive evaluations and provides evidence-based treatments for individuals across the age-spectrum with eating disorders, including anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder, and other specified feeding and eating disorders. Her recent research focuses on reducing access to care barriers by digitizing evidence-based treatments and utilizing technology to enhance treatment outcomes.
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Esmeralda Melgoza
Postdoctoral Scholar, Emergency Medicine
BioEsmeralda Melgoza, PhD, MPH, CHES is a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Stanford University's School of Medicine. Her research examines health inequities in the U.S. healthcare system, with a focus on emergency medical services provided in the prehospital setting and the emergency department. She centers her research on the experiences of underserved populations, including Latine/Hispanics, older adults, and people with limited English proficiency. She is trained in both quantitative and qualitative methods. Her research has been published in peer-reviewed journals, including JAMA Network Open, Medical Care, the Journal of the American Heart Association, Health Affairs Scholar, Prehospital Emergency Care, and SSM-Qualitative Research in Health, among others. She is a current recipient of a grant from the CARESTAR Foundation.
Dr. Melgoza received her PhD in Community Health Sciences from the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health and a minor in Gerontology from the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology. Her dissertation research was funded by an R36 grant from the National Institute on Aging. Dr. Melgoza is a former Senior Research Analyst at the UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Institute and an alumna of the Yale Ciencia Academy at Yale University. She is bilingual in English and Spanish. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, mentoring, and hiking. -
Vaishali Mittal
Member, Maternal & Child Health Research Institute (MCHRI)
BioVaishali Mittal, MD is a Postdoctoral Clinical Fellow in the Department of Dermatology at Stanford University under the guidance of Dr. Jean Y. Tang.
Her current research is focused on epidermolysis bullosa (EB), a group of rare diseases that cause the skin and mucous membranes to blister easily. She is involved in conducting long-term clinical trials examining the application of an autologous, gene-corrected keratinocyte sheet for the treatment of recessive dystrophic EB (RDEB). In addition, she is currently leading several research projects, including investigation of genotype-phenotype associations in multiple subtypes of EB, creation of an online platform for EB patients/families and investigators to collaborate together on research, and development of an online genetic registry for EB patients using a novel, home-based genetic testing kit.
Vaishali received her medical degree from Stanford University School of Medicine and completed her internship at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center/Brockton Hospital. -
Masashi Miyauchi
Basic Life Research Scientist, Medicine - Med/Hematology
BioMasashi Miyauchi, MD, PhD, is a physician-scientist specializing in hematology, oncology, immunology, and stem cell biology, with over a decade of experience in clinical hematology and oncology. Dr. Miyauchi's academic career commenced at Kyoto University, where he obtained his MD in Medicine. He furthered his expertise with a PhD in Internal Medicine from The University of Tokyo, Graduate School of Medicine. Following his comprehensive clinical training and professional appointments at The University of Tokyo Hospital, Dr. Miyauchi embarked on a postdoctoral journey at Stanford University in the Nakauchi lab, starting in July 2019.
Dr. Miyauchi's clinical training is extensive, including a Senior Residency in Internal Medicine and a Clinical Fellowship in Hematology and Oncology at The University of Tokyo Hospital. This period was complemented by his participation in a Cancer Professional Training Plan. After completing his clinical fellowship, Dr. Miyauchi has served in various pivotal roles at The University of Tokyo Hospital and The University of Tokyo. His positions as a clinically-focused Project Assistant Professor and Assistant Professor in the Department of Hematology and Oncology have enabled him to contribute significantly to pioneering research and education for the next wave of medical professionals.
In his PhD research, Dr. Miyauchi specialized in the disease modeling of cancers and cancer stem cells, employing cancer patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). His work with iPSCs notably includes scalable ex vivo manufacturing of human neutrophils. In his postdoctoral research under the guidance of Dr. Hiromitsu Nakauchi in Genetics at Stanford, Dr. Miyauchi has been concentrating on developing a stable hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) expansion system in both mouse and human models. His research is focused on exploring the potential applications of this expansion system, underlining his commitment to advancing the fields of stem cell biology, regenerative medicine and oncology. -
Kouta Niizuma
Basic Life Research Scientist, Stem Cell Bio Regenerative Med Institute
BioI am a Research Scientist in Prof. Hiromitsu Nakauchi's laboratory at Stanford University. I obtained my PhD in Immunology from the University of Tsukuba, Japan. During my doctoral studies in Prof. Akira Shibuya's laboratory, I focused on the characterization of cell surface receptors expressed on immune cells. I successfully cloned a novel human immunoglobulin-like receptor, CD300H, and established a specific monoclonal antibody. My research demonstrated that CD300H is expressed on a subset of human monocytes and dendritic cells and plays a crucial role in enhancing inflammation by promoting the production of inflammatory cytokines and chemokines.
During my PhD, I also studied as a visiting scholar in Prof. Lewis L. Lanier's laboratory at UCSF, where I investigated the role of the activating receptor NKG2D on NK cells in viral immunity.
Since May 2018, I have been a member of the Nakauchi lab. My current research focuses on the development of new immunotherapies using myeloid cells derived from iPS cells, the generation of monoclonal antibodies, and hematopoietic stem cell biology. -
Preethy Parthiban
Postdoctoral Scholar, Neonatal and Developmental Medicine
BioMy research centers on how the innate immune system shapes tissue remodeling in health and disease. During my PhD, I uncovered a key role for resident macrophages in driving cardiac fibrosis, identifying a macrophage-derived chemokine that directly activates cardiac fibroblasts. Building on this foundation, my postdoctoral work at Stanford focuses on neutrophil–macrophage crosstalk in disrupted alveolarization in neonatal mice and patients. By integrating cellular, molecular, and translational approaches, I aim to define how innate immune pathways orchestrate extracellular matrix remodeling. Ultimately, my goal is to identify critical therapeutic targets that improve outcomes in ECM-related diseases.
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Andrea Pedroza Tobias
Instructor, Pediatrics - General Pediatrics
BioDr. Andrea Pedroza is an instructor in the Department of Pediatrics in the Partnerships for Research in Child Health Lab. She earned a Ph.D. in Global Health from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and a Master of Science in Nutrition from the National Institute of Public Health in Mexico (INSP). Her research focuses on generating evidence for interventions and policy recommendations aimed at improving the dietary quality of children to impact their health and development. Currently, she is employing a community-engaged approach to design nutrition interventions and policy recommendations that aim to reduce the consumption of ultra-processed foods among low-income children to narrow the gap in health disparities.
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Deanna Pepin
Postdoctoral Scholar, Pathology
BioHey there! I was born in the small town of Selkirk, Manitoba, but lived most of my life in Edmonton, Alberta. I completed my Bachelor of Science at Kings University, focusing on biology and did undergrad research on Pink Pigmented Facultative Methylotrophs - bacteria that degrade petrochemicals. Following graduation, I became a Research Technician with Exciton Technologies Inc., a research and development company producing silver-based wound care products for treating infections. In 2016, I joined Dr. Benjamin Willing’s lab in Agriculture, Food, and Nutritional Sciences at the University of Alberta and completed a Master of Science focusing on how certain husbandry changes impact the development of the gastrointestinal microbiota, Salmonella infection resistance, and immune response in broiler production. In 2024, I completed my PhD in the department of Microbiology & Immunology at UBC, working with Dr. Carolina Tropini to understand the impact of osmotic stress on the gut microbiome.
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Julia Rachel Plank
Postdoctoral Scholar, Psychiatry
BioI am a postdoctoral researcher in the BRain Imaging, Development, and GEnetics (BRIDGE) Laboratory in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. Currently my work focuses on the use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for improving understanding of the neuropathophysiology underlying neuropsychiatric disorders with a genetic basis.
My PhD investigated the use of neuroimaging techniques (diffusion MRI, quantitative magnetization transfer, magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging, electroencephalography) for detection of neuroinflammation in human participants.
My research interests are centered on the clinical applications of MRI for elucidation of pathology and improving diagnosis and treatment. -
Ali Rahimpour Jounghani
Research Scientist, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences - Interdisciplinary Brain Sciences
BioMy long-term research interests lie in advancing our understanding of neuroimaging techniques and their application in mapping developmental pathways of brain networks, with a focus on how alterations in these networks contribute to mental health disorders. My academic training and multidisciplinary research background have provided me with expertise in a range of neuroimaging modalities, including functional MRI (fMRI), structural MRI, electroencephalography (EEG), and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS).
During my doctoral studies, I investigated the effects of contextually specific, action-based timing behavior on brain responses, as well as the functional impacts of timing behavior in cochlear implant users. These studies provided valuable insights into the temporal dynamics of brain function. My research has also extended to clinical and cognitive applications, such as studying brain functionality in infants in neonatal intensive care units and in adults with brain disorders.
Currently, as a research scientist at Stanford University, my work bridges psychiatry, cognitive science, and biomedical engineering. I focus on refining neuroimaging data analysis techniques and advancing the use of fNIRS and MRI to explore developmental cognition, particularly for ADHD. A significant part of my current research involves the development of a wearable, cost-effective fNIRS platform for precision mental health. Through my work, I aim to contribute to a deeper understanding of brain disorders and to create practical, cutting-edge tools that advance precision mental health care. -
Vasiliki Rahimzadeh
Member, Maternal & Child Health Research Institute (MCHRI)
BioVasiliki (Vaso) Rahimzadeh, PhD is an applied bioethics scholar with research interests at the intersection of precision medicine, data governance and public policy.
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Mahalakshmi Ramamurthy
Basic Life Research Scientist, Peds/Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics
BioI am a postdoctoral scholar working with Dr. Jason Yeatman. With a background in vision science, psychophysics and developmental cognitive neuroscience my long-term goal is to study the intersection of basic visual mechanisms and various neurodevelopmental disorders and to extend this understanding in creating effective early screening tools, and in advancing evidence-based therapeutic and remediation programs. Inherent to this interest is the need for developmental data in large and demographically diverse populations. I strongly believe that such inclusive research not only contributes to scientific advancements but can go beyond to bridge health and education disparities.
https://sites.google.com/view/maha-ramamurthy/bio -
Emily Scarpulla Raymond
Member, Maternal & Child Health Research Institute (MCHRI)
BioDr. Emily Scarpulla Raymond, PhD is a pediatric psychology fellow at Stanford University. She received her PhD at the University of Maine, Orono in clinical psychology in 2024 and received her bachelor’s degree in psychology at the University of Rochester in 2018. Emily has conducted research focusing on adolescent psychosocial behavior and outcomes with a particular emphasis on the role of social media in adolescent friendships. As a clinician, Emily works with children and adolescents with comorbid medical and psychological conditions in several medical clinics through Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford.
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Eduardo Pontes Reis
Affiliate, Rad/Integrative Biomedical Imaging Informatics at Stanford
BioI'm a visiting scholar at Stanford AIMI Center, working in the intersection of Artificial Intelligence and Medicine. My purpose is to contribute to our understanding of intelligence. And our best chance to achieve this is through AI.
Research highlights:
- Published BRAX, the Brazilian Chest X-ray Dataset - https://www.nature.com/articles/s41597-022-01608-8
- Open-sourced the PyTorch implementation of ConVIRT (Y Zhang et al), a contrastive learning method for radiologic images and text (before CLIP) - https://github.com/edreisMD/ConVIRT-pytorch
- Released Brain Hemorrhage Annotations - Brain Hemorrhage Extended - BHX (https://physionet.org/content/bhx-brain-bounding-box)
At Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein:
- Started the Health Story project, a medical history timeline to support research and a more personalized clinical practice
- Ran the development of AI algorithms for diseases of national importance: Tuberculosis, COVID, Melanoma and Head CT -
Neetu Saini
Postdoctoral Scholar, Stem Cell Transplantation
BioMy research interests focus on translational human T-cell immunology, with an emphasis on regulatory T cells (Tregs) and their therapeutic potential in restoring immune tolerance and tissue homeostasis. I am particularly interested in engineering FOXP3-programmed CD4⁺ T cells as a stable and functional alternative to conventional Tregs, especially in inflammatory settings where endogenous Tregs may be unstable or dysfunctional. My work integrates gene-editing approaches, immunophenotyping, and human organoid systems to study how these engineered cells interact with epithelial and stem cell compartments, with a focus on mechanisms of tissue repair and immune–epithelial crosstalk in barrier tissues such as the intestine. Moving forward, I aim to advance next-generation cell therapies by combining insights from T-cell biology, tissue biology, and disease modeling to develop durable and clinically relevant strategies for treating immune-mediated and epithelial barrier disorders.
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Rachel Schuck
Postdoctoral Scholar, Psychiatry
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsMy research interests center on improving support services for autistic individuals—particularly by incorporating feedback from the autistic/autism community—and increasing access to high quality supports. I am also interested in assessing attitudes toward neurodiversity and promoting understanding of neurodiversity amongst the general population in the hopes of improving quality of life for neurodivergent people and their families.
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Shailja
Postdoctoral Scholar, Radiological Sciences Laboratory
BioShailja is an engineer and computational scientist interested in the modeling of the human brain to study neurological diseases and guide neurosurgeries. As a Wu Tsai Neuroscience Institute’s postdoctoral fellow with Prof. Jennifer A. McNab and Prof. Josef Parvizi, she investigates tractography-based neurosurgical targeting. She is interested in mapping the whole brain structural connectivity network from diffusion MRI to functional connectivity in the human brain. Shailja received her PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of California, Santa Barbara and BS from Electrical Engineering Department, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur. Her doctoral research is on Reeb graphs for modeling white matter fibers in the human brain, which was awarded the Winifred and Louis Lancaster Best PhD Dissertation at UC Santa Barbara.
