People

Dr. Moding is a physician scientist in the Department of Radiation Oncology at Stanford University. He received his bachelor's degree in Biochemistry from Colorado College in 2008 where he performed population genetics and analytical chemistry research. He completed the Medical Scientist Training Program at Duke University School of Medicine in 2015. For his PhD, Dr. Moding worked in the laboratory of Dr. David Kirsch studying the mechanisms regulating tumor response to radiation therapy. He performed his postdoctoral research in the laboratory of Dr. Maximilian Diehn at Stanford University as part of the Holman Research Pathway using circulating tumor DNA to monitor the response of patients with lung cancer to radiation therapy.

Dr. Wang received her BE in biopharmaceutics at Beijing University of Chinese Medicine. She obtained her PhD in Nutritional Biology at UC Davis, where she worked in the laboratory of Dr. Patricia Oteiza investigating the mechanisms involved in the beneficial effects of (-)-epicatechin on high-fat-induced intestinal permeability and endotoxemia. She currently works as a postdoctoral fellow, establishing a platform to rapidly validate the functional impact of genetic alterations in tumor cells and potential therapeutic targets in the stromal cells of primary tumors. She is as passionate about working in the lab as she is about enjoying nature by doing outdoor activities like hiking, skiing, travelling, and trying out new foods.

Ajay received his degree in bioinformatics with a minor in chemistry from the University of Pittsburgh. He has always been interested in statistics, never failing to have the box score up in games. Machine learning and computational research in undergrad peaked his interest into the world of data science and cancer research. Using data to help solve problems is his passion and cancer biology is his deep interest. He was previously at Moffitt Cancer Hospital and worked on various projects including using patient gene expression data to develop a model for personalized radiation therapy. He also loves visual arts, basketball, and football, and he enjoys nature by scuba diving and hiking while avoiding getting lost.

Dr. Soudi earned her PhD in evolutionary biology from Germany. After finishing her PhD, she spent several years as a postdoctoral research fellow in Canada and USA studying the evolutionary genomics of adaptation to stressful environments and convergent-parallel evolution where she developed a deep interest in understanding the role of evolution in shaping cancer. Her major areas of interest include the discovery of novel cancer genes, the identification of somatic mutation processes operative in tumors, and the characterization of patterns of tumor progression and treatment resistance using multi-omics data. Her ultimate goal is to discover fundamental principles in evolutionary biology of cancer to inform the future design and application of novel therapeutic options to directly address tumor evolution.

Dr. Testa completed his Internal Medicine residency at Stanford University, and he is currently an Oncology Fellow at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. He is interested in solid tumor oncology, and specifically sarcomas and immunotherapy. A native of Italy, he obtained his medical degree at the University of Naples “Federico II”, and moved to the USA in 2019 to start his post-doc in the Ronald Levy lab at Stanford University where he studied a novel type of immunotherapy – intratumoral vaccination – with a specific focus on mRNA vaccines. He plans a career as a physician scientist working at the bench and at the bedside to develop novel immunotherapy strategies for patients with sarcoma.

Dr. Ewongwo is a resident physician in the Department of Radiation Oncology at Stanford University. She earned her bachelor's degree at the University of Arizona in 2014, majoring in physiology and biochemistry. She completed the MD/MPH program at the University of Arizona, College of Medicine-Phoenix where she worked on global health implementation and health disparities research.  Currently, her research interests include global health capacity building, clinical research focused on sarcoma and other cancers, and circulating tumor DNA analysis for monitoring tumor response.

Dr. Johns is currently a Fellow in Pediatric Oncology at Stanford Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital. She completed her undergraduate at UC Berkeley with a degree in Molecular and Cell Biology. She received her MD at UC San Francisco in 2019 and subsequently completed pediatrics residency at UCSF in 2022. Her research in the Moding Lab focuses on establishing circulating tumor DNA as an individualized biomarker in pediatric sarcomas. Outside of lab and clinical work, she enjoys skiing, rock-climbing, yoga, concerts, and culinary adventures.  

Nadia graduated from Eastern Michigan University with a degree in Biochemistry, where she deeply engaged in studying the mechanisms of autophagy-related proteins at the Backues Lab for over 3 years. After graduating, Nadia joined Dorian Therapeutics in the Bay Area, an innovative startup focused on aging, where she played a key role in a team developing promising small-molecule drugs. Following her passion for translational medicine, Nadia is analyzing human tissue and blood samples to identify critical mediators of treatment resistance and enhance the efficacy of cancer therapy. Outside the lab, Nadia enjoys dancing, hiking, traveling, photography, and capturing the essence of her experiences.

Dr. Hong is an orthopaedic surgery resident at Stanford University who is pursing an adult reconstruction fellowship followed by an orthopaedic oncology fellowship after graduation. She completed her undergraduate at Duke University with a music performance major and chemistry/biology minors. She then stayed at Duke to complete her medical degree in 2020 where she worked with Dr. David Kirsch, investigating the immune system’s response to radiation therapy in sarcomas. Her research interests lie in optimizing surgical resection outcomes by learning more about the immune system’s role in disease response and using biomarkers such as circulating tumor DNA to guide adjuvant treatment.

Dr. Francis earned her BS in Biology at Notre Dame University – Louaize. She completed her MS in Physiology and PhD in Biomedical Sciences at the American University of Beirut, where she worked in Dr. Youssef Zeidan’s lab investigating the role of the sphingolipid-modifying enzyme SMPDL3b in radiation nephropathy. Her research interests revolve around improving cancer treatment outcomes and patients’ quality of life by optimizing radiation therapy, combined treatment strategies, and personalized precision oncology. She is also interested in identifying biomarkers of cancer initiation, therapy-induced tumor response, and collateral treatment-associated toxicities. In her postdoctoral work, she is using genomic analysis of patient samples and preclinical models to identify new targets that sensitize sarcoma to treatments like radiation and immunotherapy. Outside of work, she enjoys playing sports, traveling, cooking, and watching sitcoms and Formula 1.

Faith graduated from the University of Pennsylvania where she received her Bachelor’s degree in Biology with minors in Chemistry and Fine Arts. During her undergraduate years, she conducted her thesis work in Dr. Evan Weber’s lab where she focused on improving CAR T cell fitness through the regulation of CAR expression kinetics. Outside of the lab, Faith enjoys drawing, yoga, baking, and hanging out with her three cats.

Gregory graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a degree in Molecular & Cell Biology. He previously was a Research Assistant under Professor Ashley Styczynski in the Division of Infectious Disease, where he studied risk factors for antibiotic resistance in developing countries. During his time at Berkeley, he was a Clinical Research Assistant at the Golden Bear Sleep & Mood Research Clinic, aiding in a study to promote positive circadian outcomes, and a Research Intern for CatenaBio, a biotech startup. In his free time, he enjoys playing golf, producing music, exploring restaurants, and watching football, basketball, and Formula 1.

Luke grew up in Ventura, California and earned his bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry from CSU Channel Islands. After gaining experience in industry, he returned to academia and joined the Biomolecular Engineering Department at UC Santa Cruz. As a Junior Specialist there he studied the molecular mechanisms underlying Wolbachia infection, which is an endosymbiotic bacterium with promising potential for controlling diseases like dengue fever. Luke plans to pursue a PhD in Bioinformatics with a focus on advancing precision medicine. Outside the lab, he’s an avid baker (his partner and dog are happy taste testers) and a loyal fantasy reader!

Max is attending medical school at the University of Nebraska.

TJ joined the Bioinformatics and Systems Biology PhD Program at the University of California San Diego.

Dr. Blomain is a physician scientist on the faculty at Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University.

Dr. Ellis-Caleo is completing his Hematology/Oncology Fellowship at Stanford University.

Eniola is studying Global Health and Epidemiology in graduate school.

Anish joined the Stanford Chemistry PhD program.

Serey joined the MSTP program at the University of California Los Angeles.