School of Medicine
Showing 1-31 of 31 Results
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Maryam Amirahmadi
Postdoctoral Scholar, Cardiovascular Medicine
BioDr. Maryam Amirahmadi is a microsurgery expert and postdoctoral research fellow at Stanford Cardiovascular Institute. She obtained her Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree from Hamadan University of Medical Sciences. After more than a year of experience as a Family and Emergency Physician, she spent around 4 years at the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences where she served as a pediatric and adult Cardiac Intensive Care physician and received training in cardiovascular surgery at Namazi and Faghihi hospitals. She then spent a year in the Department of Vascular Surgery at the University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine, serving as a postdoctoral researcher and performing microsurgery on animals, with her research focused on therapeutic strategies to improve neovascularization after limb ischemia. Dr. Amirahmadi joined Stanford Cardiovascular Institute in 2022 where she is now a postdoctoral research fellow under the supervision of Prof. Philip S. Tsao, a renowned cardiovascular scientist. Her research interests and practical expertise include Microsurgery, and the effect of e-cigarette vaping on factors of inflammatory or immune pathways that can subsequently be related to the molecular mechanisms involved in angiogenesis and arteriogenesis in the murine model of hindlimb ischemia, as well as the mechanisms of e-cigarette and nicotine’s effects in augmenting Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) in rodent models of aortic aneurysm, including porcine pancreatic elastase-induced AAA. Dr. Maryam Amirahmadi and her colleagues are currently investigating the transgenerational effects of vaping/nicotine on abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) risk.
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Adrian Matias Bacong
Postdoctoral Scholar, Cardiovascular Medicine
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsAdrian M. Bacong, PhD, MPH is a social epidemiologist by training. His research seeks to identify social and structural factors that underlie health inequities by race, ethnicity, and immigration status. Specifically, his work has explored the role of socioeconomic factors in explaining health disparities by immigrant legal status and visa type. Furthermore, Adrian is interested in the effects of immigration on health. He received a NIH F31 award (1F31MD015931-01A1) to examine factors affecting the health of Filipino migrants to the U.S. compared to Filipinos remaining in the Philippines.
Adrian has also examined the intersections of race, ethnicity, and immigration status among older adults. Finally, Adrian written upon the role of data disaggregation as a method of public health critical race praxis. Currently, Adrian is researching the role of social and policy level factors underlying health disparities among immigrants. -
Pauline Brochet
Postdoctoral Scholar, Cardiovascular Medicine
BioPauline Brochet is a French scientist from Souraide, France. She completed her undergraduate studies in Molecular, Cellular and Physiological Biology (BSc, Université Clermont-Auvergne) and earned a Master's degree in Software Development and Data Analysis (MSc, Aix-Marseille Université). Pauline pursued a PhD at TAGC (Theories and Approaches for Genomic Complexity) in Marseille, France.
Under the supervision of Dr. Christophe Chevillard and Dr. Lionel Spinelli, Pauline integrated multi-omics data from human heart tissue to investigate the pathogenic processes associated with Chagas Disease Cardiomyopathy (CCC). Notably, she contributed to the development of ChagasDB, the first database associating key features with the different stages of Chagas disease. Her research identified the involvement of mitochondrial DNA mutations, non-coding RNA, transcription factors, and DNA methylation in various pathogenic processes, all leading to the progression of CCC.
Currently, at Stanford University, under the guidance of Dr. Matthew Wheeler and Dr. Daniel Katz, Pauline is conducting postdoctoral research on multi-omics data analysis as part of the Molecular Transducers of Physical Activity Consortium (MoTrPAC). Her work focuses on identifying key covariable features associated with physical exercise, with the ultimate goal of discovering exercise-mimetic drugs that could help prevent heart diseases. -
Ming Li (Estella) Chen
Postdoctoral Scholar, Cardiovascular Medicine
BioI am an MD from Chung Shan Medical University, Taiwan. Before coming to Stanford, I obtained my MS degree in epidemiology at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, where I completed graduate training in clinical, pharmacologic, and genetic epidemiology, and pursued advanced skills in biostatistics and causal inference.
My past research focused on real-world epidemiology studies using patient registries and national health insurance databases to elucidate the predictors or risk factors of immunologic diseases. For my graduate study, I conducted pharmacoepidemiology studies using electronic health record (EHR) data to elucidate the predictors of anti-drug antibodies development and its correlation to autoimmunity, to identify the generation of immunogenicity that may impact the effectiveness of monoclonal antibody therapies in individuals with autoimmune diseases. I gained experience in genetic data manipulation to investigate polymorphisms in response to monoclonal antibody therapies in asthma patients.
At Stanford, I am involved in research on the identification of molecular determinants of cardiometabolic diseases. -
Joshua Gillard
Postdoctoral Scholar, Cardiovascular Medicine
BioDr. Josh Gillard is a Canadian biomedical data scientist with experience in bioinformatics, machine learning, and immunology. After completing a BSc and a MSc in Experimental Medicine at McGill university, he relocated to the Netherlands for his PhD in bioinformatics at Radboud University in Nijmegen. During his PhD, he gained experience analyzing and interpreting complex immunological data (bulk and single-cell transcriptomics, high-dimensional cytometry, high-throughput proteomics) derived from human observational or intervention studies (vaccination and experimental human infection) in order to discover molecular and cellular correlates of clinically important endpoints such as disease severity, symptom progression, and antibody responses. In 2022, Josh relocated to Stanford to join the Gaudilliere lab to develop and apply multi-omic data integration and machine learning techniques, establishing that early gestational immune dysregulation can predict preterm birth. Since 2024, in the Ashley lab, Josh is focused on applying deep learning models to investigate aberrant splicing in cardiovascular disease.
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Bruna Gomes
Postdoctoral Scholar, Cardiovascular Medicine
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsThe increasing availability of very large datasets, along with recent advances in deep learning based tools for automatic extraction of cardiac traits, has led to the discovery of further common variants associated with cardiac disease. However, the genetic underpinnings of valvular heart disease remains understudied. I am interested in developing deep learning techniques to automatically extract cardiac flow information to facilitate genome-wide association studies of cardiac flow traits.
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Hirotaka Ieki
Postdoctoral Scholar, Cardiovascular Medicine
BioCardiologist in Japan.
Research interest: precision medicine in cardiovascular disease. Genomics, Exposomics. -
Hiroyuki Inoue
Postdoctoral Scholar, Cardiovascular Medicine
BioPhysician-scientist passionate about bridging research findings and clinical practice
- Board certified cardiologist with 10+ years clinical experience, focused on cardiovascular diseases including heart failure, ischemic heart disease, arrhythmia, and general internal medicine
- Experience of 400+ cases as the primary operator in percutaneous coronary intervention, catheter ablation, and cardiac device implantation
- Research expertise in extracelluler vesicles, regenerative medicine, genome editing and gene therapy
Dr. Inoue joined the Yang lab in 2022. His research focuses on developing novel therapeutics for heart failure by targeting cardiomyocyte metabolism -
Arash Keshavarzi
Postdoctoral Scholar, Cardiovascular Medicine
BioArash has a background in molecular biology and chemistry, and earned his PhD in AI-driven drug discovery, where his work led to the identification of three candidate drugs for breast cancer, validated both in vitro and in vivo. Following this, he joined a lab at UCSF for his first postdoctoral position which led to a patent for AI drug discovery applications which led to multiple patents and articles. Throughout his career, Arash has also been involved in multiple ventures. He served as the Chief Scientific Officer at Nucleus Genomics with $17 million seed funding, and co-founded Lumos Bio, a stealth focused on RNA-targeted drug discovery. Currently, Arash is a NIH T32 fellow postdoc in the Ashley Lab and an investment fellow in Mubadala Capital
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Pik Fang Kho
Postdoctoral Scholar, Cardiovascular Medicine
BioI obtained my PhD in genetic epidemiology at Queensland University of Technology (Australia), where my research was focused on using genetic and genomic approaches to identify risk factors for endometrial cancer. During my graduate studies, I gained experience in large-scale genetic association studies and leveraging the correlation between diseases in genetic studies to identify novel genetic variants associated with endometrial cancer. I also developed expertise in various statistical genetic approaches in multi-omics data, including fine-mapping and colocalization analyses, to prioritize candidate causal variants and genes. I also gained extensive experience in genetic causal inference analysis to infer causality between risk factors and health outcomes.
My research focus since moving to Stanford has been the identification of genetic and non-genetic determinants of cardiometabolic diseases. I am currently involved in projects including large-scale genetic association studies, multi-trait analysis with correlated traits, development and validation of polygenic risk scores, integrative analyses with multi-omics data, as well as Mendelian randomization analyses to advance our understanding of the genetic and environmental factors that contribute to cardiometabolic diseases. -
Hector Rodrigo Mendez
Postdoctoral Scholar, Cardiovascular Medicine
BioDr. Hector Rodrigo Mendez is a Medical Geneticist from Argentina. Rodrigo completed a residency program in Medical Genetics at Centro Nacional de Genetica Medica – ANLIS (Buenos Aires, Argentina) and a Master’s program in Medical Molecular Biology at Buenos Aires University.
Rodrigo continued his scientific career at a German Genomic Start-up, working as a human geneticist and providing his experience in rare disorders, genomic data (WGS/WES/gene panels) analysis, variant interpretation, and its integration with a deep focus on genotype-phenotype correlation.
Rodrigo’s areas of expertise are rare disorders, NGS technology, Whole Genome Sequencing analysis, and ACMG interpretation guidelines, and his research aims are:
- Collection and analysis of clinical data through deep-learning phenotyping approaches.
- Multi-omic data integration to elucidate complex and rare genetic disorders.
- Drive progress in curing rare genetic diseases, particularly among critically sick infants.
At Stanford University, under the supervision of Dr. Matthew Wheeler, he is conducting his postdoctoral research studies to achieve his scientific goals. -
Samuel Montalvo Hernandez
Postdoctoral Scholar, Cardiovascular Medicine
BioAs a clinical exercise physiologist and sport biomechanist, I am dedicated to advancing human exercise and sports performance. I hold certifications as a Performance and Sport Scientist (CPSS) and as a Strength and Conditioning Specialist with Distinction (CSCS, *D) from the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA). In 2022, I was honored with the Wu Tsai Human Performance Alliance Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship and a T32 Post-Doctoral Fellowship, Research Training in Myocardial Biology (TIMBS) at Stanford University.
My research focuses on understanding the mechanical, molecular, and physiological mechanisms that underpin human performance. I am also committed to developing innovative and practical training methods to enhance exercise and sports performance. Currently, I am a member of the Stanford Bioinformatics Core, contributing to the NIH-funded Molecular Transducers of Physical Activity Consortium (MoTrPAC) project. In this capacity, I analyze extensive clinical and exercise datasets, as well as multi-omic, multi-tissue, multi-exercise modality, and multi-species data, to uncover new insights into the biological mechanisms of physical activity and its impact on human health and performance.
In addition to my primary research focus, I collaborate with several teams at Stanford on projects involving Sports and Electrocardiography, Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing, Exercise and Neuromuscular Disease, and the Stanford Baseball Team.
Beyond research, I am deeply committed to teaching, mentoring, and promoting diversity. As a first-generation college graduate and a Mexican-American with Indigenous heritage, I bring a unique perspective to my work, which informs my dedication to creating supportive and inclusive spaces for underrepresented groups in science and education. I serve as a Post-Doc Mentoring Coach in collaboration with the Stanford Office of Postdoctoral Affairs, where I facilitate bi-weekly workshops on mentoring for postdocs. I am also part of the Stanford PRISM program, which promotes inclusion and diversity among postdoctoral scholars. Furthermore, I mentor prospective and current medical students through the MAVERICs program (Metascience Analyses and Explorations of Reproducibility in Cardiovascular Science) as part of the Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, supporting their growth in cardiovascular research.
These experiences reflect my dedication to fostering an inclusive and supportive academic environment. My long-term goal is to become a professor, combining my passion for research, education, and mentoring the next generation of scientists to advance the fields of exercise physiology and sports science. -
Connor Galen O'Brien
Postdoctoral Medical Fellow, Cardiovascular Medicine
BioDr. O'Brien is a native of Menlo Park, CA. He attended medical school at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. At Columbia he was elected to both Alpha Omega Alpha and Gold Humanism Honors Societies. He completed an Internal Medicine residency as well as fellowship in Cardiovascular Medicine at Stanford University. In his third year of fellowship, he was selected Chief Cardiology Fellow.
He is currently a post-doctoral fellow performing regenerative medicine research, specifically studying the role of exosomes in treating cardiomyopathy. In addition to his basic science research, he is also involved in human clinical trials investigating the role of stem cells in treating various forms of cardiomyopathy. -
Disha Sharma
Postdoctoral Scholar, Cardiovascular Medicine
BioI am a computational biologist with more than 12 years of extensive experience aiming to pursue career in developing translational medicine- and healthcare-oriented solutions. I have Ph.D. in bioinformatics with technical expertise for next-generation sequencing assays, genome-wide association studies, bulk and single-cell multi-omics analysis, R, python, shell Scripting, cloud computing, Data structure and algorithms, as well as machine and deep learning algorithms. I have solid background in genomics, transcriptomics, epigenomics and metagenomics. I have worked with both complex and rare genetic disorders performing data analysis, data interpretation, data curation with clinical data and databases.
I am presently a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University for 4 years now where my main focus is to understand the genetic risks of cardiometabolic diseases using GWAS, integrating modalities including single-cell multiomics, CRISPR perturbation datasets. I am working on building machine learning models and use statistical genetics tools using large biobanks including UKBiobank, AllofUS and MVP. -
Laurens van de Wiel
Postdoctoral Scholar, Cardiovascular Medicine
BioLaurens van de Wiel is Dutch scientist from Berghem, The Netherlands. Laurens spent his undergrad in Software Development (BSc, Avans Hogeschool ‘s-Hertogenbosch) and Computing Science (MSc, Radboud University Nijmegen). Laurens continued his career at a start-up, where he created large-scale, real-time analytical software. Laurens continued on his academic trajectory at the Radboudumc in Nijmegen, where he started his PhD in bioinformatics.
During his PhD, Laurens integrated genetic data with protein 3D structures and protein domains. He utilized the skills he obtained before setting out on his academic trajectory; building large-scale, robust, reliable software. Exemplified by the MetaDome Web server (https://stuart.radboudumc.nl/metadome/). During his PhD, he developed novel methodologies for the interpretation of genetic variants of unknown clinical significance and, by integrating structural and evolutionary biology with genomics, Laurens identified 36 novel disease-gene associations for developmental disorders. These discoveries enabled diagnosis for over 500 families worldwide.
Laurens’ areas of expertise are (bioinformatic) software development, data integration of genetic variation with other omics, and his research aims are:
1.) Lessons long-learned in computer science aid computational biology
2.) Multi-omic data integration allows the impact measurement of genetic variation
3.) Diagnosing undiagnosed disorders will uncover novel insights into biology.
4.) International and multidisciplinary collaborations are key in diagnosing rare disorders.
At Stanford University, under guidance of Dr. Matthew Wheeler, he is conducting his postdoctoral studies in line with his research aims. -
Jiayan Zhou
Postdoctoral Scholar, Cardiovascular Medicine
BioI am a postdoctoral scholar and a research associate leading the identification of the genes responsible for cardiovascular disease in the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, School of Medicine, Stanford University, and VA Palo Alto Health Care System. My research work has been focused on population genetics and precision public health.
