People

Everett Moding, MD, PhD

Principal Investigator

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.

emoding@stanford.edu

Ziwei Wang, PhD

Postdoctoral Scholar

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.

wangzw@stanford.edu

Ajay Subramanian, BS

Bioinformatician

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.

ajayss@stanford.edu

Stefano Testa, MD

Clinical Instructor

Dr. Testa completed his Internal Medicine residency at Stanford University and his Oncology Fellowship 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.

testa21@stanford.edu

Marina Francis, PhD

Postdoctoral Scholar

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.

marinasf@stanford.edu

Luke Sylvester, BS

Research Assistant

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!

l2825@stanford.edu

Asim Kalco, BS

Graduate Student

Asim grew up in Bosnia and Herzegovina and received his B.S. in Biomedical Engineering, with a minor in Physics, from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. During his time at Cornell, he worked in Dr. Warren Zipfel’s lab, where he contributed to the development of FemtoSeq, an imaging-guided spatial genomics technology for sequencing DNA from specific regions within the nucleus. He is currently interested in spatially mapping the tumor microenvironment and identifying key regulators and predictors of radiation response in sarcoma. Outside of the lab, he enjoys running, playing basketball and tennis, and traveling.

akalco@stanford.edu

Justin Jagodinsky, MD, PhD

Postdoctoral Scholar

Dr. Jagodinsky received his bachelor's degree in molecular biology and neuroscience from Coe College where he performed computational biophysics research. He completed the Medical Scientist Training Program at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. His thesis work was conducted in the laboratory of Dr. Zach Morris and focused on investigating how radiation influences immune activation and developing combination treatment strategies with different immunotherapy agents. He is currently a radiation oncology resident and is interested in identifying novel radiation resistance mechanisms. Outside of medicine he enjoys hanging out with his wife and dog, trying out new breweries with friends, golfing, and cheering on Wisconsin sports teams.

jago@stanford.edu

Lynn Mawaldi, BS

Assistant Clinical Research Coordinator

Lynn earned her bachelor’s degree in Exercise and Health Sciences from Virginia Tech. During her time there, she supported Dr. Honglin Jiang’s research investigating the roles of growth hormone and IGF-1 in regulating skeletal muscle and adipose tissue. She later joined Dr. Imad Damaj’s Pharmacology and Toxicology lab at Virginia Commonwealth University, where she helped implement a “grimace face” assay to assess spontaneous pain in mouse models of neuropathy and multiple sclerosis. In her free time, she enjoys watching and playing tennis, being outside, and spending time with her calico cat, S’mores.

mawaldi@stanford.edu