School of Medicine
Showing 11-20 of 42 Results
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Francisco Galdos
MD Student, expected graduation Spring 2024
Ph.D. Student in Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, admitted Summer 2017
MSTP StudentBioMy journey to pursue the physician-scientist track stems from an early fascination with biology and my family’s eight-year struggle to save my younger brother’s life. My brother was born with a complex congenital heart defect known as Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS). In 2003, my brother received a heart transplant, but despite this, he passed away in 2004. Growing up, I strived to find an explanation for my brother’s congenital heart defect and became interested in medicine at a young age. Looking to pursue this goal, I attended the Michael DeBakey High School for Health Professions, a top pre-health and science public school, and in 2011 I was accepted to Harvard University where I pursued a major in the department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology. During my college years I took classes in developmental and stem cell biology where I became interested in the use of these fields to understand congenital defects. I began my research career in Drs. Caroline and Geoffrey Burn’s lab studying the development of the great vessels of the heart in zebrafish, Throughout my time at Harvard, I was awarded numerous fellowships that supported my undergraduate research, including the prestigious Amgen Scholars Fellowship that supported summer research in Dr. Michael Longaker’s lab at Stanford University. I pursued my undergraduate honors thesis in Dr. Richard Lee’s laboratory where I identified the role of Apolipoprotein E as a factor necessary for maintaining mature beta cell gene expression. These experiences culminated in my decision to apply to the physician-scientist program at Stanford University where I am currently training to pursue a career in academic medicine with the ultimate goal of practicing as a pediatric cardiologist and a university professor with an active laboratory. Currently, I am a graduate student in Dr. Sean Wu’s laboratory where I study the development of ventricular development in the heart using both bioinformatic approaches such as scRNA-seq and human induced pluripotent stem cells to study the development of the left and right ventricles. Through my work, I aim to understand the mechanisms that give rise to single ventricle congenital heart defects with the hope of making a difference in the lives of children born with these diseases.
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Fikunwa Kolawole
MD Student, expected graduation Spring 2028
Ph.D. Student in Mechanical Engineering, admitted Summer 2019BioFikunwa is a mechanical engineering Ph.D. candidate in the cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Lab (Ennis Lab) in the Stanford Radiology Department. His research, which is at the intersection between medicine and engineering, is focused on developing mechanics-based clinical biomarkers for heart disease. Through his research, he aims to establish a comprehensively validated and clinically viable tool for estimating in vivo heart tissue stiffness to better understand and manage heart failure.
He began his academic journey as a mechanical engineering undergraduate student at Howard University during which time he also worked as a researcher at the FDA’s department of applied mechanics, characterizing the mechanical response of metals used in implantable cardiovascular devices. At Howard, he also supported research in the Applied Mechanics and Materials Lab and Biosensors Lab, as an undergraduate research assistant. Upon completing his undergraduate studies, in 2019, he joined Stanford University’s mechanical engineering department. He is also affiliated with the Radiology departments at Stanford and the Veterans Administration Palo Alto Health Care System. He is deeply passionate about empowering minority students to pursue STEM careers. Additionally, he is a fellow of the Bio-X, Stanford’s Interdisciplinary biosciences institute
