Current Trainees
Class of 2025
Current Trainees Class of 2025
Graduate Student, Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology
During my PhD, my research will focus on defining how the stomach microbiota influences Helicobacter pylori virulence and gastric disease progression. Our collaborators have identified key commensal microbiota differences between H. pylori-infected individuals who developed gastric cancer or gastritis alone. However, the mechanisms behind these phenotypes remain poorly understood. To address this gap, I will use in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo model systems to investigate the changes in microbial and host factors that are modulated by these microbe-microbe interactions. My approach will integrate bacterial co-culturing systems, fluorescence microscopy, and discovery-based tools such as metabolomics to uncover mechanistic insight and identify how non-H. pylori microbes contribute to oncogenesis. To ensure clinical relevance and translational capacity of my findings, human cell lines and gastric organoids generated from human tissue will be leveraged. The insights gained from this study will have direct implications for clinical applications in strengthening risk assessment through utilizing microbiome profiling for non-invasive prognostic methods, disease management, and targeted therapeutic approaches for personalized interventions for gastric disease. By elucidating key microbe-microbe interactions, my research will contribute to a deeper understanding of disease progression and support the development of targeted strategies for managing H. pylori-associated illnesses.
Class of 2024
Current Trainees Class of 2024
Graduate Student, Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology
Jim Cassat (Thesis)
Bryan Harris (Clinical)
Graduate Student, Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology
James Crowe (Thesis)
Kevin Dee (Clinical)
Graduate Student, Neuroscience
Julio Ayala (Thesis)
Barbara Gisella Carranza-Leon (Clinical)
Graduate Student, Molecular Physiology and Biophysics
Nancy Carrasco (Thesis)
Kristin Ancell (Clinical)
Graduate Student, Cell and Developmental Biology
Neil Dani (Thesis)
Lealani Acosta (Clinical)
Postdoctoral Scholar, Molecular Physiology and Biophysics
Julio E. Ayala (Mentor)
Sahar Takkouche (Clinical)
Graduate Student, Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology
Kristin Patrick (Thesis)
Brent Ferrell (Clinical)
Graduate Student, Human Genetics
Digna Velez Edwards (Thesis)
Lauren Prescott (Clinical)
Class of 2023
Current Trainees Class of 2023
Graduate Student, Cell and Developmental Biology
Julie Bastarache (Thesis)
Mona Mashayekhi (Clinical)
Graduate Student, Molecular Physiology and Biophysics
Julio Ayala (Thesis)
Gitanjali Srivastava (Clinical)
Graduate Student, Cell and Developmental Biology
Kathleen DelGiorno (Thesis)
Marcus Tan (Clinical)
Graduate Student, Chemical and Physical Biology
Jeffrey Spraggins (Thesis)
Jonathan Schoenecker (Clinical)
Graduate Student, Biological Sciences
Allison Walker (Thesis)
George Nelson (Clinical)
Class of 2022
Current Trainees Class of 2022
