
MEMBERS

Samir Ali, MD
Research Fellow
Poller Lab
Samir earned his MD in 2024 and is now a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Massachusetts General Hospital. Whilst building a clinical career in cardiology he is conducting research on coronary calcifications and advancing survival outcomes in sepsis.
Eman Akam-Baxter, PhD
Instructor in Investigation
Sosnovik Lab
Eman’s research focuses on the development of imaging tools that can inform on molecular mechanisms of fibrotic heart and lung diseases. Dr. Akam-Baxter received her PhD from the University of Arizona and completed her postdoctoral training at the Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging.
Eman is also passionate about mentoring, outreach, and the advancement and equal representation of historically marginalized communities in STEM fields. She is the co-founder of the Melanated and Dedicated (MaD) Scientist outreach program.
Eleni Angelaki (Kaxiras), PhD
Research Fellow
Eleni specializes in cardiovascular disease prediction through AI-enhanced electrocardiogram analysis. She holds a PhD in Computational Physics from the University of Crete, Greece, where her dissertation included AI-driven detection of left ventricular hypertrophy and hypertension from ECG waveforms, as well as Fenton-Karma model simulations of cardiac tissue conductivity. Prior to her current research, she was a lab instructor for data science courses at Harvard University. At the Ellinor lab, she currently works with Shaan Kurshid, MD developing AI models for detecting pharmacological substances via electrocardiogram analysis.
Fouad Bitar, MD
Research Fellow
Fahed Lab
Fouad attained his BS in Chemistry and MD from the American University of Beirut in Lebanon. His interest is focused on ischemia with no obstructive coronary artery disease through leveraging multiple datasets.
Patrícia J. Bota, PhD
Research Fellow
Armoundas Lab
Patrícia Bota earned her Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from Instituto Superior Técnico, where she gained expertise in software development, physiological data analysis, and machine learning algorithms. She is currently a research fellow at the Cardiovascular Research Center at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, under the supervision of Dr. Antonis Armoundas, focusing on developing personalized algorithms for cardiovascular diseases applications.
Claire Castro, PhD
Instructor in Investigation
Roh Lab
Claire began her career as a nurse before earning a PhD in Cellular Biology and Animal Physiology in France, where she focused on the study of the sodium channel Nav1.5 in fibroblasts and its role in long QT syndrome type III and age-related progressive cardiac conduction defects. Currently, her recent work has identified a paradoxical role of senescence, a hallmark of biological aging, in placenta and its senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) in pregnancy-induced heart failure. She is also exploring the SASP and investigating novel therapeutic strategies for arrhythmias, notably in atrial fibrillation.
Emeli Chatterjee, PhD
Research Fellow
Das Lab
As a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Cardiovascular Research Center (CVRC) at Massachusetts General Hospital, my research centers on elucidating the roles of circulating RNAs and extracellular vesicles as potential biomarkers for cardiometabolic disease, with a focus on understanding disease phenotypes and associated pathological processes.
Burak Cilhoroz, PhD
Research Fellow
Jaffer Lab
Burak is a cardiovascular physiologist with extensive research experience studying the effects of exercise on various cardiovascular diseases. During his PhD, he expanded his focus to the immunological mechanisms underlying atherosclerosis induced by promising cancer medications, specifically immune checkpoint inhibitors. Currently, he’s studying the endothelial and immunological markers associated with atherosclerosis using intravital imaging.
Shivnarayan Dhuppar, PhD
Research Fellow
Poller Lab
Shiv has a PhD in Physics from the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) India. In the Poller lab, he studies the effects of prenatal stress on the immunity and cardiac health of the offspring. He enjoys solving problems at the intersection of different disciplines.
Lydia Djenoune, PhD
Instructor in Investigation
Yuan Lab
Lydia is an instructor in the Yuan lab. She received her PhD from the French National Museum of Natural History under the mentorships of Dr. Claire Wyart and Prof. Hervé Tostivint studying the molecular and morphological heterogeneity of the cerebrospinal fluid-contacting neurons and the role of the polycystin channel Pkd2l1 in spinal cord development. For her postdoctoral training, she first joined the group of Prof. Iain Drummond at MGH to probe the role of calcium signaling in kidney glomerular morphogenesis. In the Yuan lab, Lydia aims to decipher the role of cilia, polycystin channels, and mechanosensation in cardiogenesis.
Gregory R. Gipson, PhD
T32 Research Fellow
Yu Lab
Gregory studied Biochemistry at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and pursued research in the fields of infectious disease and gastrointestinal disease before receiving his doctorate in Structural Biology at the University of Cincinnati. He is currently studying the impact of TGF-b signaling on vascular diseases such as atherosclerosis and HHT.
Priyanka Gokulnath, PhD
Research Fellow
Das Lab
Priyanka completed her doctoral research in Molecular Cell Biology as a Marie Curie ESR Fellow at the National Research Council in Naples, Italy, focusing on the role of long non-coding RNA in High-Grade Serous Ovarian Carcinoma. Currently, her work focuses on identifying and understanding the role of circulating extracellular RNA biomarkers in heart failure and COVID-19. She is also studying the function of long non-coding RNAs in the context of heart failure and am exploring targeted therapy against specific diseases using conditional siRNAs.
Jingyi Gong, MD
T32 Research Fellow/Clinical Cardiology Fellow
Neilan Lab
Jingyi grew up in Shanghai, China and attended Brown University where she graduated Magna Cum Laude in Neuroscience. She attended the Harvard-MIT Health Sciences and Technology program under Harvard Medical School where she discovered her passion for cardiology. Since medical school, she has studied cardiovascular outcomes in cancer patients and is currently working at the Smith Center for Outcomes Research in Cardiology at Beth Isreal Deaconess Medical Center to study cardiovascular diseases in cancer population as well as cardiometabolic diseases leveraging real-world data including national claims and national surveys.
Julian Haimovich, MD
T32 Research Fellow/Clinical Cardiology Fellow
I am a Cardiovascular Medicine Fellow at Massachusetts General Hospital with a background in machine learning and cardiovascular research. My research focuses on leveraging machine learning and artificial intelligence approaches to advance cardiovascular care.
Takenori Ikoma, MD, PhD
Research Fellow
Lewis Lab
Takenori received an MD and PhD in Japan. Specializing in clinical heart failure, he has conducted research on arrhythmias, cardiomyopathies, and cardiopulmonary exercise testing, as well as foundational studies using mass spectrometry. His primary interest is in the areas of hemodynamics and the impact of metabolism during exercise.
Mohamed Ariff Iqbal, PhD
Research Fellow
Wrann Lab
Mohamed is a Research Fellow in the Wrann lab. He received his PhD from the University of Ottawa in the Cellular and Molecular Medicine Department. There, he investigated the role of mitochondrial dynamics in neural stem cells’ fate decisions. For the postdoctoral research in the Wrann lab, Mohamed Ariff investigates the molecular targets of exercise in Alzheimer’s disease.
Wanlin Jiang, PhD
T32 Research Fellow
Malhotra Lab
Wanlin focuses on targeting epigenetic regulation, autophagy, and cardiovascular disease. She earned an MS in Biotechnology from Georgetown University and a PhD in Biomedical Sciences from Creighton University. As a research fellow at MGH under Dr. Rajeev Malhotra, she explores the role of HDACs and autophagy signaling in vascular calcification.
Mahira Kaabeche, PhD
Research Fellow
Jaffer Lab
I moved here from France where I obtained a bachelor’s degree in physiology and a master’s degree in experimental and regenerative medicine. During my master’s studies, I did an internship at the Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI). I then obtained my doctorate in physiology with a specialty in electrophysiology. My research focuses on vein wall fibrosis and inflammation in deep vein thrombosis (DVT). The aim of my study is to better understand the link between stress, anxiety, depression and DVT.
Adam L. Johnson, MD
Research Fellow/Clinical Cardiology Fellow
Malhotra Lab
Adam is currently a clinical fellow in Cardiology at Massachusetts General Hospital. He earned his BS in Physics and Mathematics at Johns Hopkins University, and his MD from Weill Cornell Medical College. His research focuses on the applications of machine learning, genomics, and data science to the study of pulmonary vascular biology and arterial calcification.
Lova Prasadareddy Kajuluri, PhD
Research Fellow
Malhotra Lab
Lova earned his PhD in cell and molecular biology from CSIR-CDRI, India. Before joining the lab of Dr. Rajeev Malhotra at MGH, he worked as a postdoctoral fellow at Boston University. His research interests include the identification of therapeutic targets and developing gene therapy to treat vascular calcification.
Mohamad Kassab, MD
Research Fellow
Jaffer Lab
Mohamad’s research focuses on evaluating the impact of therapeutics and imaging agents on vascular inflammation, utilizing advanced intravital and intravascular molecular imaging systems.
Thomas Kite, PhD
Research Fellow
Aguirre Lab
Tom received his PhD in Astrophysics at the University of Manchester (UK), and is now a postdoc in Dr Aguirre’s lab. His research focuses on using artificial intelligence combined with MGH’s telemetry monitoring systems to develop novel metrics of patient progress and early warning signs for patient deterioration.
Alok Kumar, PhD
Instructor in Investigation
Sosnovik Lab
Alok earned his Ph.D. in Biomaterials for tissue engineering from the Materials Science & Engineering Department at IIT Kanpur. At MGH/Harvard Medical School, he applies his expertise in 3D bioprinting and tissue engineering to develop advanced cardiac tissue analogs. His work focuses on creating 2D and 3D structures that mimic the myocardium’s complex architecture and function, advancing applications in disease modeling and regenerative medicine.
Isabela Landsteiner, MD
Research Fellow
Lewis Lab
Isabela earned her MD degree from Marilia Medical School – Brazil. She is currently a postdoctoral research fellow at the Cardiovascular Research Center at Massachusetts General Hospital, where she focuses on investigating mechanisms of exercise intolerance, metabolic response patterns to exercise, and deep phenotyping in the HCM and heart failure population.
Sujin Lee, MD, MS
Research Fellow
Malhotra Lab
Sujin is an integrated vascular surgery resident at MGH and a research fellow at the MGH Cardiovascular Research Center working in Dr. Rajeev Malhotra’s laboratory. She graduated with honors from Cornell University with a degree in Biology and Chemistry. She then went back home to Atlanta, Georgia, where she earned her MD and MS in Clinical and Translational Research from Emory University School of Medicine and the Laney School of Graduate Studies. Funded by an F32 from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, she is currently studying novel molecular regulators of vascular calcification and peripheral artery disease.
Mohammed Mahamdeh, PhD
Instructor in Investigation/T32 Reseach Fellow
Yuan Lab
Mohammed is a biophysicist, optical engineer and microscopist who seeks to apply cutting-edge optical techniques to address fundamental and translational questions in cell biology, biomechanics, development and disease. In particular, he is interested in cilia signaling and mechanics and the role of cilia in heart development, function and disease.
Kyle Mentkowski, PHD, MSc
T32 Research Fellow
Nahrendorf Lab
Kyle is a research fellow in the Center for Systems Biology and Cardiovascular Research Center. He earned his PhD at the University at Buffalo in Biomedical Engineering and has a background in cardio-immunology. His research focuses on advancing our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying cardiovascular disease, with a specific focus on immune cell production and recruitment to the heart in settings of chronic inflammation.
Brianna Moon, PhD
Instructor in Investigation
Sosnovik Lab
Brianna earned her BS in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Arizona and a PhD in Bioengineering from the University of Pennsylvania. Her work focuses on the use of molecular MR-PET imaging to detect and assess cardiovascular disease.
Ohad Oren, MD
T32 Research Fellow
Natarajan Lab
Ohad is currently a Cardiovascular Medicine fellow at the Massachusetts General Hospital. Having previously trained in Hematology and Oncology at Mayo Clinic, he has a special interest in clonal hematopoiesis and its effects on the cardiovascular system. Ohad hopes to take advantage of his cross-disciplinary expertise and utilize big data and genetic epidemiology to better understand the mechanisms underlying the heightened risk of cardiovascular disease in patients with clonal hematopoiesis.
Harvard Catalyst
Mohamed Ariff Iqbal, PhD
Research Fellow
Jaffer Lab
Tao is vascular surgeon from Guangzhou, China. His research focuses on imaging and understanding in vivo inflammation and thrombogenesis in vascular disease
Rashmi Richa, PhD
Research Fellow
Lindsay Lab
Rashmi’s expertise is in molecular mechanisms of vascular dysfunction. She holds a PhD and MS degree from Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India. Currently, her research interests revolve around deciphering the intricate signaling pathways involved in Multisystemic Smooth Muscle Dysfunction Syndrome (MSMDS) and developing innovative gene therapeutic approaches for targeted modulation of vascular function.
Christopher Rock, PhD
Instructor in Investigation
Sosnovik Lab
Christopher received his PhD from Drexel University and was a T32 fellow at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. His research interests include: biomechanics, optical microscopy, biomedical image analysis and processing, and diffusion tensor MRI.
Shreya Sangam, PhD
Research Fellow
Yu Lab
Shreya is currently working as a Research Fellow in Dr. Paul Yu’s laboratory. She is involved in basic, translational, and clinical research in the areas of vascular biology and vascular medicine, particularly pulmonary hypertension. Her research interests include cardiovascular and pulmonary vascular diseases.
Yanxi Shi, MD
Research Fellow
Roh Lab
Yanxi has a background in clinical diagnostics and the treatment of cardiovascular and arrhythmia disease. Her main research direction is the intersection of cardiovascular disease and aging.
Kuldeep Singh, PhD
Instructor in Investigation
Malhotra Lab
Kuldeep is Instructor in Investigation at the Cardiovascular Research Center, MGH. He has a background in molecular biology and cardiovascular physiology. His research focuses on understanding the molecular mechanism of atherosclerosis, vascular calcification, and aortic stiffness. A major objective of his current research is to identify and validate novel genetic targets for vascular calcification.
Yang Sui, PhD
Research Fellow
Fahed Lab
Yang earned her PhD from Chinese Academy of Sciences. Her research interest is to identify the genetic loci of coronary disease and improve risk prediction.
Isra Tamim, MD, PhD
Research Fellow
Poller Lab
Isra is a neurology resident at Charité University Hospital, working in the interdisciplinary stroke research group led by Prof. Matthias Endres. She pursued her MD/PhD research in the Neurovascular Research Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital under the supervision of Prof. Cenk Ayata, completing her degree in 2023 at Charité. Her doctoral research explored the bidirectional interactions between migraine and epilepsy, with a focus on spreading depression as an endogenous antiseizure mechanism.
Currently, her work in the Poller Lab investigates central stress circuits activated after stroke and their role in cardiac damage.
Geerthy Thambiraj, PhD
Research Fellow
Armoundas Lab
With expertise in biomedical engineering, Geerthy focuses on leveraging physiological signal processing techniques embedded with AI algorithms to automate and enhance medical diagnostics.
My research aims to advance diagnostic precision and continuous monitoring systems in healthcare.
Keisuke Usuda, MD, PhD
Research Fellow
Ellinor Lab
I am a board-certified cardiologist and electrophysiologist from Japan, with a career dedicated to the treatment and research of arrhythmias. In 2019, I pursued my PhD in medicine, conducting research on cardiac ion channels related to arrhythmias. Following the completion of my PhD, I joined Massachusetts General Hospital and Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard as a postdoc in October 2024 to advance my career in machine learning-driven research in arrhythmias.
Aatira Vijay, PhD
Instructor in Investigation
Jaffer Lab
Aatira’s research focuses on vein wall fibrosis and inflammation in deep vein thrombosis (DVT), aiming to enhance DVT resolution with the ultimate goal of reducing future post-thrombotic syndrome (PTS) events in patients. She is using a two-pronged approach by a) preventing the recurrence of DVT and b) in case of surgery/thrombectomy, using adjunct therapies to reduce vein wall inflammation to prevent PTS.
Lu Chen Weng, PhD
Instructor in Investigation
Ellinor Lab
Lu-Chen is responsible for conducting analysis by collaborating with researchers globally and performing meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies for various arrhythmias, including atrial fibrillation, supraventricular tachycardia, and bradyarrhythmia. She supports other projects by defining disease outcomes through electronic medical record in hospital-based study.
Peng Xia, PhD
Instructor in Investigation
Yu Lab
Roh Lab
Aguirre Lab
Peng focuses on age-related endothelial cell biology and microvascular pathophysiology in multiple cardiovascular diseases, with the support of the NIH/NIA K01 award.
Juan Yang, PhD
Research Fellow
Yuan Lab
In November 2023, following the completion of her PhD at the University of New Hampshire in September 2023, Juan became a member of the Yuan lab. During her doctoral studies, she focused on researching primary cilia and neuron migration in the postnatal developing mouse brain. At the Yuan lab, her current research continues the study of primary cilia, utilizing zebrafish and human embryonic stem cell-induced heart cells as model systems to unravel the involvement of primary cilia in cardiac development.
Jing Zhu, PhD
Research Fellow
Poller Lab
Jing is a research fellow at the Cardiovascular Research Center, MGH, specializing in the interplay between the brain and cardiovascular diseases