Postdoctoral Awards
“The MCHRI postdoctoral support allows me to investigate possible mechanisms that underpin symptoms in Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID), a type of eating disorder which onsets in childhood and can lead to psychosocial impairment and severe medical sequelae. This grant enables me to collect important pilot data characterizing interoceptive processes, a potential biological marker for dysregulated eating behavior. We hope these data will support the identification of treatment targets and improve physical and psychosocial outcomes for ARFID.”
Nandini Datta, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow, Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences
FY 2025 Fall Awards
Priscila Chiavellini, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow, Obstetrics and Gynecology (Reproductive, Stem Cell and Perinatal Biology)
Study Title: Partial reprogramming of the ovaries as a novel approach to enhanced fertility and healthspan.
Hanmin Guo, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (Major Laboratories and Clinical & Translational Neurosciences Incubator)
Study Title: Unraveling the Contribution of Structural Variants to Autism: Identification and Risk Prediction.
Wouter Huiting, MS, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow, Chemical and Systems Biology
Study Title: NCOR1 self-assembly and templating as an epigenetic pivot in development and disease.
Yellappa Palagani, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow, Cardiothoracic Surgery (Pediatric Cardiac Surgery)
Study Title: Innovative Technique to Develop an Adjustable Pulmonary Artery Band for Congenital Heart Disease.
Saumel Perez Rodriguez, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow, Medicine (Infectious Diseases and Geographic Medicine)
Study Title: Development of a phage-based gene delivery platform for restoring wild-type CFTR expression on the human lung epithelia.
Praveesh Valissery, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow, Cardiothoracic Surgery (Pediatric Cardiac Surgery)
Study Title: Mapping erythrocyte determinants of Plasmodium falciparum invasion.
Past Awards
Tamara Boltersdorf, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow, Chemical and Systems Biology
Study Title: Development of Optogenetic tools for Studying BMP Signaling
Kelly Bruton, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow, Pathology
Study Title: Investigating the Immunomodulatory Role of Lymph Nodes in Establishing Maternal-Fetal Tolerance
Yuankun Dao, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow, Pediatrics (Endocrinology and Diabetes)
Study Title: Developing Potent Antagonistic Insulin Derivatives to Treat Congenital Hyperinsulinism
Suchismita Dey, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow, Pediatrics (Critical Care Medicine)
Study Title: Understanding the Role of Mitochondrial Dynamics in the Development of Sepsis-Induced Multiple Organ Dysfunction Syndrome (MODS) in the Setting of Obesity
Prerna Giri, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow, Pediatrics (Cardiology)
Study Title: Z-Disc Mediated Mechanotransduction in Early-Onset Pediatric Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
Shan Huang, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow, Pediatrics (Pediatric Hematology, Oncology, Stem Cell
Transplantation and Regenerative Medicine)
Study Title: Development of Novel DNA-Guided Argonaute Base Editing for Correction of Genetic Diseases
Devin McCauley, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow, Pediatrics (Adolescent Medicine)
Study Title: Supporting Parents' Knowledge and Communication Strategies for Preventing Adolescent E-Cigarette Initiation and Use
Dhriti Nagar, MS, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow, Pediatrics (Neonatal and Developmental Medicine)
Study Title: Functional and Metabolic Dissection of Inhibitory Neurons Dysfunctions in 22Q11.2 Ds: From Mechanisms to Potential Therapeutics
Thi Thuy Tien Nguyen, MS, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow, Biochemistry
Study Title: Development of Pertussis Vaccine Providing Durable Immunity
Jun Hong Park, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow, Radiology
Study Title: Ultrasound-Assisted Nanoparticles for the Targeted Delivery of Melphalan for Retinoblastoma Treatment and Its Monitoring Through Passive Cavitation Mapping
Andrea Pedroza, MS, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow, Pediatrics (General Pediatrics)
Study Title: Consumption Patterns and Perceptions of Ultra-Processed Food Among School-Aged Children
Luisa Pimentel Vera, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow, Pediatrics (Pediatric Hematology, oncology, Stem Cell
Transplantation and Regenerative Medicine)
Study Title: Efficacy Studies of Genome Edited Hematopoietic Stem Cells for Gaucher Disease
Yimao Qu, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow, Developmental Biology
Study Title: Fundamental Mechanisms of Lineage Commitment, and Relevance to Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Siavash Shariatzadeh, MD, MBA
Postdoctoral Fellow, Surgery (Pediatric Surgery)
Study Title: Mechanotransductive Roles of YAP and YAP-Independent Regenerative Targets in Intestinal Stem Cell Differentiation and Epithelial Regeneration in Response to Mechanical Force
Stefanie Sveiven, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow, Pediatrics (Critical Care Medicine)
Study Title: The Role of Lung Capillary Endothelial Cells in NFkB-Directed Alveolarization
Wenshu Zeng, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow, Medicine (Cardiovascular Medicine)
Study Title: Clinical Trial in a Dish: MAOA Inhibitor Genistein Improves Therapeutic Output of Risdiplam in Spinal Muscular Atrophy By Ameliorating Cellular Stress
"The MCHRI postdoctoral support enables me to investigate the interplay of neurobiology, genetics, and behavior to improve our understanding of specific learning disorders in childhood. My research aims to identify neurobiological mechanisms underlying learning and to use neuroimaging data for the prediction of reading and mathematical skills in children at high genetic risk for specific learning disorders. Ultimately, we hope this research will allow early identification of learning impairments and development of targeted interventions that will ensure better learning outcomes in children."
Iliana Irini Karipidis, PhD
Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences
2020 MCHRI Funded Postdoctoral Fellow
Project Title: Functional Brain Signatures of Learning in Children with Sex Chromosome Aneuploidies: A Model For Neuroendophenotypes in Specific Learning Disorders
"X monosomy (XO) is the most common chromosomal abnormality in miscarriage, with nearly 99% of conceptuses aborting early in pregnancy. This suggests a crucial contribution of the sex chromosomes to early placental development that is not currently appreciated. MCHRI has made it possible for me to leverage the natural experiment of sex chromosome aneuploidy in placenta to investigate the mechanisms of sex-linked pregnancy loss and complication risk."
Amy Braun, PhD
Obstetrics & Gynecology (Maternal Fetal Medicine)
2020 MCHRI Funded Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Project Title: Determining the Role of Sex Chromosomes in Normal and Abnormal Placentation with Implications for Pregnancy and Child Health
"I am trying to determine how polymorphism in MHC-II locus alters B-cell repertoire and predisposed an individual to autoimmune disorders like type-1 diabetes (T1D) or juvenile diabetes. The MCHRI award will be instrumental to help me achieve the plans as an experimentalist. My immediate future plan is to use data generated from this project to apply for a K99 award to pursue further avenues using in murine model of autoimmune T1D."
Debopam Ghosh, PhD
Pediatrics (Human Gene Therapy)
2019 MCHRI Funded Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Project Title: MHC Class-II Molecule H2-M Affects the Development and Function of B-1 Cells
"I’m looking forward to the opportunity to use qualitative research to engage with diverse families about how they experience care in California Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs). This MCHRI award [postdoctoral support] has allowed me to incorporate family perspectives into the development of measures for family centered care in NICUs."
Krista Sigurdson, PhD
Pediatrics (Neonatal & Developmental Medicine)
2018 MCHRI Funded Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Project Title: Developing Measures for Family-Centered Care in the NICU