Our Team

Sushma Reddy, MD

Associate Professor of Pediatrics (Cardiology)

Sushma Reddy is Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, Stanford University. She is a cardiac intensivist caring for children and adults with acquired and congenital heart defects. Her research focuses on understanding the mechanisms of heart failure in congenital heart disease and developing novel heart failure therapies. Sushma enjoys teaching and mentoring students and is part of the Cardiovascular Institute and the Maternal Child Health Research Institute education committees. She serves as the Research Director for the pediatric Cardiac Critical Care team. Sushma enjoys traveling and learning about new places and cultures with her family.

Ankit Kushwaha, PhD

Postdoctoral Fellow

Ankit Kushwaha, a post-doctoral scholar from India, holds a Master's degree from IIT Roorkee, India and a Ph.D. degree from MNNIT Allahabad, India where he studied mitochondrial dysfunction and autophagy in host-pathogen interaction. His work in the Reddy lab focuses on endothelial dysfunction and the development of mitochondrial-targeted therapies for Congenital Heart Disease, in particular to prevent heart failure progression in single ventricle heart disease. In addition to his research pursuits, Ankit is an enthusiastic reader and writer, finding solace in exploring the world through books. 

Sushrima Gan, PhD

Postdoctoral Fellow

A biostatistician by training, Sushrima Gan pursued a Ph.D. specializing in pharmacogenomics, focusing on understanding drug responses in diverse ethnic populations. Her research concentrated on comparing the determinants of drug response to anti-hyperglycemic agents between Asian Indians and White Europeans. After earning her Ph.D., She engaged in research at the University of Pennsylvania, exploring the genetics and proteomics of heart failure. Her work in the Reddy lab will focus on developing biomarkers of heart failure progression in children with congenital heart disease. Sushrima enjoys volunteering to educate underprivileged children in developing countries.

Aihua Zhu, MD

Lead CVICU research coordinator

Aihua Zhu is a senior research coordinator at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital. She has over 12 years of experience conducting clinical and translational research at Stanford including IRB submission, recruiting patient, and working with multiple Stanford agencies to ensure compliance with research protocol including MTA and DUA. She has worked on several industry-sponsored clinical trials and multi-institutional & local research projects. In the Reddy lab, she has been instrumental in creating and recruiting for the human tissue, blood Biobank, and the Fontan-biomarker study. Aihua enjoys creating wonderful culinary dishes and gardening.

Affiliation and Certification 

Certified Clinical Research Professional (CCRP), SoCRA  - 2014

Manisha Ummadi, BA

Lab Manager and Research Associate

Manisha is the lab manager and a research associate in the Reddy Lab. She graduated from UC Berkeley in 2020 with a degree in Molecular & Cell Biology, specializing in Immunology and Pathogenesis, as well as Molecular Toxicology. Previously, Manisha was at UCSF/Gladstone Institutes, where she studied host-virus protein interactions between viruses like SARS-CoV-2 and HIV and the human immune system. Manisha’s work in the Reddy lab focuses on identifying biomarkers involved in pediatric heart failure progression, as well as investigating potential mitochondrial-targeted therapies for congenital heart disease. Manisha is also passionate about mentoring students and making science more accessible to marginalized communities. Outside of lab, Manisha loves hiking, reading, and playing video games. 

Jennifer Woo, MD

Clinical Assistant Professor

Dr. Woo is a board-certified, fellowship-trained cardiologist with the Adult Congenital Heart Program at Stanford Health Care. She is also a clinical assistant professor in the Divisions of Cardiovascular Medicine and Pediatric Cardiology at Stanford University School of Medicine. She diagnoses and treats a range of cardiovascular diseases, with a focus on adult congenital heart disease. Dr. Woo’s research is focused on studying long-term outcomes within the adult congenital heart disease (ACHD) population, including investigating proteomic biomarkers associated with heart failure progression in Fontan failure.

Katie L Clouthier, DO

Dr. Clouthier is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Children's Hospital Los Angeles. Dr. Clouthier worked for developing a plasma proteomic signature of right heart failure progression in tetralogy of Fallot with pulmonary atresia and intact ventricular septum.

Joiliana Lecointe

Medical student, Meharry Medical College

Joiliana’s work includes understanding the plasma proteomic signature in extracellular vesicles in single ventricle heart failure.

Bella Grace Binti Vincent, MS (Epi)

Bella Vincent is a 2^nd-year master’s student in Epidemiology and Clinical Research at Stanford with a concentration in Infectious Disease and Global Health. She joined the Reddy Lab in October 2022 and is investigating how premature aging in congenital heart disease leads to early atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Bella is also evaluating how the cardiac microvasculature influences heart failure using virtual reconstruction and analysis of pediatric cardiac tissue. 

Bella is the Vice President of the Stanford Biosciences Student Association, leading the development of campus-wide community engagement initiatives and programs. She is an editor for Intersect, the Stanford Journal of Science, Technology, and Society, and is a Senior Partner and Teaching Assistant for the Stanford Health Care Group. Bella is a Graduate Public Service Fellow at the Haas Center, working on health equity and cohousing projects in San Mateo County. She also serves on the Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion committee in the Department of Epidemiology and Clinical Research and is passionate about the advocacy of women in STEM research.

Shoko Ichimura, MS

Lab Manager

Shoko completed her MS in the Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kumamoto University, Japan. After working as a pharmacist in Japan for 10 years, she joined the Reddy lab as a lab manager in 2021. She is experienced in standard laboratory methods. In addition, she is an expert in Transmission Electron microscopy, statistical analysis using PRISM, and creating lab websites. Shoko enjoys traveling and looking for wild animals in national parks.