School of Medicine
Showing 1-29 of 29 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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Mark Van Orden
Postdoctoral Scholar, General Internal Medicine
BioMark Van Orden is a postdoctoral scholar at the Stanford School of Medicine. His research applies causal inference and natural experiments to questions at the intersection of economics and health. His current work examines how shingles vaccination affects brain structure using MRI data from the UK Biobank, providing the first causal neuroimaging evidence of how vaccination protects against dementia. He received his PhD in Economics from the University of California, Irvine.
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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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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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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. -
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 deep-learning based image segmentation 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. -
Michael Von Gunten
Postdoctoral Scholar, Neurology and Neurological Sciences
BioMichael Von Gunten is a postdoctoral scholar in the Monje Lab at Stanford University studying neuron–glioma interactions in diffuse midline glioma (DMG/DIPG). His research focuses on how synaptic communication between neurons and glioma cells drives tumor progression, which he studies using patch-clamp electrophysiology.
Michael earned his Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Brigham Young University, where he studied synaptic plasticity in the ventral tegmental area under Dr. Jeffrey Edwards. His previous work investigated the effects of cannabinoids, opioids, and psychedelics on neural plasticity and reward circuitry using electrophysiology, behavioral assays, and molecular approaches. -
Allison Vreeland
Clinical Assistant Professor, 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.
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Orhun Vural, PhD
Postdoctoral Scholar, General Surgery
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsDeep Learning
Natural Language Processing
Computer Vision
Health Informatics
Computational Drug Discovery
