School of Medicine
Showing 1-38 of 38 Results
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Laura van Dam
Postdoctoral Scholar, Immunology and Rheumatology
BioI am both trained as a biomedical researcher and medical doctor in internal medicine and strive to close the gap between the clinic and fundamental sciences with translational research. My focus is to study the mechanisms of autoimmune diseases and to translate research insights into therapeutics targeting autoimmunity. I have received my PhD in 2022 in Leiden for studying neutrophil extracellular traps and autoreactive B cells in renal autoimmune diseases. My postdoctoral research project in the Robinson lab focuses on investigating the underlying molecular mechanisms of the pathogenesis of ANCA-associated vasculitis. I particularly aim to identify potential microbial triggers and molecular mimicry in ANCA-associated vasculitis, by characterizing the nasal microbiome and sequencing T cells and B cells of ANCA-associated vasculitis patients.
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Laurens van de Wiel
Postdoctoral Scholar, Cardiovascular Medicine
BioI am a post-doctoral researcher at Stanford University under supervision of Matthew Wheeler and Stephen Montgomery. My research focuses on understanding the entire spectrum of genetic variation effects on protein function and structure in order to decipher molecular mechanisms of disease.
My post-doctoral work centers on developing novel software methodologies which combine multi-omics data to interpret the functional impact of genetic variants in undiagnosed patients. I am part of the Undiagnosed Disease Network (UDN) at Stanford Center for Undiagnosed Diseases (CUD), Genomics Research to Elucidate the Genetics of Rare Diseases (GREGoR) consortium at GREGoR Stanford Site (GSS), and the Molecular Transducers of Physical Activity Consortium (MoTrPAC) at the Bioinformatics Center (BIC).
Before joining Stanford. I was received my Ph.D. in 2021 at the Radboud University Medical Center under supervision of Christian Gilissen, Gert Vriend, and Joris Veltman. I received my MSc degree in 2014 at Radboud University under supervision of Tom Heskes, Evgeni Levin, and Armand Paauw. Before my Ph.D, I worked as a Data Scientist at FLXone, where I developed machine learning solutions within a large-scale, real-time infrastructure.
Research
I am interested in a variety of topics in Bioinformatics and Computer Science. In particular, I am interested in the application of Artificial Intelligence and Statistical Modelling to analyse human (Rare) Mendelian Disease Genetics, Evolutionary Comparative Genomics, Protein Domain Homology, and Molecular Structures. -
Henk van Voorst
Postdoctoral Scholar, Radiology
BioDr. van Voorst is a postdoctoral scholar in Radiology studying the interfaces of artificial intelligence and neuroradiological imaging in stroke. Originally educated as an MD, Dr. van Voorst gained additional degrees in Finance and Data Science. As a PhD student, Dr. van Voorst focused on cost-effectiveness modeling and developed machine learning and deep learning algorithms with applications in acute ischemic stroke imaging. In his current research, Dr. van Voorst develops artificial intelligence algorithms to automatically extract information from arteries and veins in radiological stroke imaging.
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Gil Vantomme
Postdoctoral Scholar, Neurology and Neurological Sciences
BioGil Vantomme, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow, Stanford University
Dr. Vantomme is a neuroscientist specializing in electrophysiology and neural circuit dynamics. His research focuses on understanding the role of thalamocortical networks in cognition and neurological disorders, including epilepsy and autism spectrum disorders. Leveraging innovative in vitro and in vivo electrophysiological assays, Dr. Vantomme investigates the mechanisms underlying cognitive deficits and explores novel therapeutic strategies, including drug development and neuromodulation. -
Alun Vaughan Jackson
Postdoctoral Scholar, Genetics
BioCollaborative postdoctoral fellow between the groups of Prof. Michael Bassik (Stanford) and Dr Andreas Puschnik (CZ Biohub) interested in host-virus interactions with the innate immune system.
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Gabriel Velez, MD, PhD
Postdoctoral Scholar, Ophthalmology
BioGabriel Velez is a PGY3 ophthalmology resident at Stanford. He received his bachelor’s degree in molecular biology from Winona State University in 2014. He completed his MD and PhD degrees at the University of Iowa. His PhD research focused on studying the structure of the calpain-5 (CAPN5) protein and its role in the development of Neovascular Inflammatory Vitreoretinopathy (NIV), a rare blinding eye disease. His research interests include translational proteomics, retinal disease, ocular oncology, structural biology, biophysical chemistry, drug design, and bioinformatics.
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Banita Verma
Postdoctoral Scholar, General and Vascular Surgery
BioI am Banita Verma, a postdoctoral researcher at Stanford University, currently working with Dr. Fredrick M. Dirbas at the Department of Surgery. Our research focus is to understand the type of cell death and the nature of immune responses triggered by FLASH versus conventional radiotherapy in various murine breast cancer models. Additionally, we aim to explore the role of DAMPs released by dying cells in generating immune responses after both FLASH and conventional radiotherapy. Furthermore, we are interested in studying the mechanism behind the low toxicity of the FLASH compared to conventional radiotherapy to the adjacent non-cancerous tissue. To accomplish this goal, our laboratory is actively collaborating with Dr. Bill Loo, who holds great expertise in the field of radiation oncology.
Before joining Stanford University, I served as a postdoctoral researcher at Karolinska Institutet, Sweden from 2021-2023. My research aimed to study the activation mechanism of Cholineacetyltransferase (ChAT), a pivotal enzyme in acetylcholine synthesis. This enzyme is known to be hypoactive in neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. Our group successfully synthesized novel compounds capable of enhancing ChAT activity.
I completed my doctoral research in cancer biology at the Department of Experimental Medicine and Biotechnology, PGIMER Chandigarh, India, in 2021. My work was the evaluation of role of TNF-α mediated Necroptosis in breast cancer cells. My primary research interests are cancer biology and cell death pathways. -
Erika Viana Cardenas
Postdoctoral Scholar, Infectious Diseases
BioMedical Doctor passionate for public health and evidence-based decision making with experience in data management and surveillance systems in the Colombian government sector and academic research.
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Hannah Vicars
Postdoctoral Scholar, Developmental Biology
BioHannah Vicars (she/her) is a Propel Postdoctoral Scholar in Dr. Margaret Fuller’s lab in the Department of Developmental Biology. Hannah is fascinated by how cells make "decisions", particularly the molecular circuitry that controls how cells transition from a dividing state to becoming specialized cell types. She earned her B.S. and Ph.D. in Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology at the University of California, Santa Cruz, under the mentorship of Dr. William Sullivan. Hannah emphasized equitable and inclusive teaching when she served as the instructor-of-record for multiple upper- and lower-division biology courses at UC Santa Cruz and Foothill Community College. Throughout her academic career, she has mentored underrepresented students across undergraduate and graduate mentorship programs. When she is not conducting research or teaching, Hannah can be found tending to her vegetable garden, going on runs with her dogs, or playing Dungeons & Dragons.
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Aaran Vijayakumaran
Postdoctoral Scholar, Biochemistry
BioAaran Vijayakumaran, PhD is a Postdoctoral Scholar at Stanford University School of Medicine, where he researches the cell biology of inherited Parkinson’s Disease in the Department of Biochemistry under Professor Suzanne Pfeffer.
He completed his PhD at the University of Cambridge, applying volumetric electron microscopy and artificial intelligence to generate the first nanoscale map of the human airway epithelium. His doctoral work revealed how cellular architecture and metabolism remodel during differentiation, with a particular focus on the motile cilia, their rootlets, and their structural contacts with mitochondria and the consequences for mitochondrial metabolism. Beyond research, Aaran is active in the biotech and innovation ecosystem. He was awarded a scholarship to join EnterpriseTECH at Cambridge Judge Business School, served as an Investment Fellow Intern at Syncona, and worked as a Venture Builder Intern at Cambridge Future Tech and OmniBuds, a medical device startup. In these roles, he contributed to early-stage strategy, clinical trial planning, and commercial development. -
Elisa Mariel Visher
Postdoctoral Scholar, Genetics
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsElisa Visher is broadly interested in the (co)evolution of life history strategies, niche breadth, diversification, and adaptability. They use mostly experimental evolution methods in microbial systems to test the predictions and assumptions of theoretical literature. Currently, they am especially interested in understanding the genetics of trade-offs in microbes to better understand patterns of diversity in nature and constraints to adaptation.
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Allison Vreeland
Clinical Instructor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences - Child & Adolescent Psychiatry and Child Development
BioDr. Allison Vreeland (she/her) is a licensed clinical psychologist specializing in working with children, teens, and families. Dr. Vreeland received her PhD in Clinical Psychological Science with a minor in Quantitative Studies at Vanderbilt University. She completed her predoctoral clinical internship in Child Psychology at UCSF with specialty training through the Child Trauma Research Program. She completed a research and clinical fellowship in the Immune Behavioral Health Clinic at Stanford University, where she focused her research efforts on examining neurological markers of patients diagnosed with pediatric acute neuropsychiatric syndrome (PANS). Clinically, Dr. Vreeland’s program of clinical care is focused on the delivery of evidence-based clinical interventions for individuals with anxiety, OCD, PANS/PANDAS, mood disorders, and behavioral challenges.
