Lab Members

Peter Marinkovich, M.D.
Principal Investigator and Lab Director

Nazanin Ehsani-Chimeh - Nazanin received her MD from the State University of New York in Syracuse, including a tissue engineering research fellowship at UCLA. She completed two years of surgical residency training at the University of Arizona in 2013, just prior to joining the Marinkovich Lab. She would like to develop her clinical, and translational research skills in dermatology in order to improve future patient care with newer therapeutic options. Her main research interest areas are the immune-mediated skin disease psoriasis, tissue engineering, and Epidermolysis bullosa. In her free time, Nazanin enjoys hiking, kayaking, and traveling.

Jessica M. Fuhriman - Graduated from Humboldt State University in May 2014 with a BA in Biology and minors in Chemistry and Zoology. Currently involved in the C.I.R.M. Bridges Fellowship for 2014-2015. I am interested in regenerative medicine and currently focused on studying the proliferative epidermal cells involved in psoriasis. Other interests and hobbies include avian veterinary medicine, birding, photography, and sketching. 

Linette Jimenez - A graduate of UC Berkeley with bachelor's in Political Science and Italian Studies, Linette is interested particularly in comparative politics, and focused her studies in the political economy of the MENA region and Asian politics. Her Italian interests include Italian language, the Italian texts of Petrarch, Dante, Boccaccio, Machiavelli, as well as Italian art history and film. In her free time,  she dances Argentine Tango, organizes events, exercises, and practices yoga.

Martin Manoukian - I graduated from the University of California, Davis in 2013 with a B.S. in Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior, as well as minors in History and Anthropology. While at UCD, I also played as a defenseman on the Men's Lacrosse Team, serving as President and Team Captain. My research involves developing microneedle delivery systems that can insert type VII collagen into the skin of patients suffering from Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa, as well as the development of a device that can measure dermo-epidermal and intra-epidermal bond strength in patients suffering from various bullous diseases.

Ngon Nguyen - Graduate of UC Berkeley, class of 1997, and BA in Molecular Cell Biology.  Interests include basketball, fishing and biking.  Made the hike to Machu Picchu several years ago and look forward to topping Kilimanjaro in the near future.

Anusha Ponakala - I did my bachelor's in engineering biotechnology from SRM university, Chennai. After finishing my Under graduation I moved to US to pursue my Master's in Biological sciences with biotechnology concentration at California State University, East Bay. I worked as a Teaching Assistant at CSUEB and as Co-op at Genentech for my graduate thesis. I am currently working on protein therapy for EB as a Research Assistant in Dr. Marinkovich lab.

Jennifer Wang - I am a second-year medical student at Stanford University, where I also completed my B.S. in molecular and cellular biology in 2010.  I am interested in understanding the various factors driving cancer development, with the role of Laminin-332 in squamous cell carcinoma as my project's focus.  In my free time, I enjoy art, hiking, and volunteering at student-run free clinics.

Marten CG Winge - Marten had earned his MD and PhD from Karolinska Institutet, Sweden.  His overall goal in his clinical and research career is to ultimately contribute as much as he can to help patients suffering from common dermatological diseases.  He wishes to combine clinical work as a dermatologist, with basic research on the pathogenesis underlying common skin diseases.  His PhD work focused on genetic predisposition to the skin barrier dysfunction evident in common ichthyosis and atopic dermatitis.  He is currently focusing on the epidermal-immune interactions underlying psoriasis.  For leisure, he enjoys football (soccer), surfing, skiing, and traveling. 

Zhenjie Xu - Regulation and organization of cytoskeleton components provide an essential cellular environment for efficient cell migration. I am interested in understanding the molecular basis for cytoskeleton function during cancer development and metastasis using a combination of cell biology and biochemistry approaches.

Ricardo Azevedo-Pereira- I did my PhD at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil with short period in Seattle at the University of Washington. After working for seven years with embryonic and neural stem cells, I moved to dermatology field at Stanford to try to understand the mechanisms driven by laminin 511 on hair follicle with main focus on hair bulge stem cells. In my free time, I hang out with friends and also, doing sports like surf, capoeira, climb and more recently snowboard.

Haritha K. Duggireddy Lakshmireddy - Haritha was born in South India and accomplished most of her education there. Having finished masters in Biochemistry, she came to US to pursue Ph.D. in Molecular Biology and Genetics at Temple University, Philadelphia.  Her research in Ph. D. was focused on breast cancer using mice models. She published the findings of her research in two papers. After finishing her Ph.D. in 2008, she joined Marinkovich lab as a post doctoral fellow. The focus of her current research is on Laminin5 and its role in Sqamous Cell Carcinoma.

Javier Fernandez-Alcudia - After finishing my PhD in cardiology at the University of Barcelona, I joined Marinkovich lab where I study the extracellular matrix and its implication in cancer. My research is focused on type VII and type XVII collagen and the extracellular interactions required for Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC) turmorigenesis. I enjoy a lot hiking and cooking for my friends and traveling around the world, meeting new people and learning about their cultures!

Program in Epithelial Biology
Stanford University School of Medicine
269 Campus Dr., Room 2145
Stanford CA 94305