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Phylogeny Lab Members
(c) indicates current member

Physicians & Medical Students

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Karam Gill, MD (c)

UCLA-Olive View Internal Medicine Residency, '23

 

Research Topics:

  • Natural Models of Arrhythmia Resistance

  • Inherited Adaptations to the Diving Reflex​

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Emily Schwitzer, MD (c)

UCLA Pulmonary and Critical Care Fellowship

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Research Topics:

  • Giraffe as Model for Resistance to Gestational Hypertension 

  • Evolved Pulmonary Adaptations to Ambient Volcanic Matter in Other Species for Human Health 

  • Female Health Across the Tree of Life: A Community Education Project for One Health in Rwanda

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Sameer Kejriwal, MD (c)

UCLA Internal Medicine PGY2

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Research Topics:

  • How Gene Age Shapes Future Treatment Strategies in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis

  • One Health in Medical Education

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Camillo Tancredi Strizzi, MD (c)

Nephrology, Dialysis & Transplantation Unit, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS
Department of Translational Medicine and Surgery, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore
Division of Renal Medicine (CLINTEC), Karolinska Institutet
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Research Topics:

  • Phylogenomic approaches to identify evolutionary trade-offs

  • Phylogeny of rare kidney diseases (renal tubulopathies, polycystic kidney disease)

  • Phylostratigraphy and gene onthology of renal physiology associated genes

  • Naturally occurring tubulopathies across species

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ZoeAnn Kon, MD, MPH (c)

UCLA Internal Medicine PGY2

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Research Topics:

  • Drug Development Strategy to Minimize Side Effects: Evolutionary Origins of Endometrial Cancer Genes​

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Julia Cho (c)

Harvard Medical School,

M.D. Candidate​

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Research Topics:

  • Lactation Across the Tree of Life

  • Phylogeny of Disordered Eating

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Alix Masters, MD (c)

UCLA Internal Medicine Resident PGY1

 

Research Topics:

  • Postpartum Syndromes Across the Tree of Life 

  • Giraffe as Model for Resistance to Gestational Hypertension 

Graduate Students

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Rishab Haldar (c)

UCLA, B.S. '24
WashU, M.S '26

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Research Topics:

  • Bioinformatic Approach for Graph Machine Learning Incorporating Evolutionary Information for Gene-Disease Target Prediction in PrimeKG

  • Bioinformatic Approach to Evolution-Aware Drug Repurposing [Atherosclerosis]

  • Bioinformatic Approach to Evolutionary Trade-Offs [Atherosclerosis]

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Alin Mazmanian (c)

UCLA, B.S. '23

UCLA, M.S. '25

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Research Topics:

  • Cardiovascular Sex Differences

  • Sex Differences in Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy

  • Visualizations of Gene Overlap Between Physiological Processes and Diseases

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Kaitlyn Smolens (c)

UCLA, B.S. '23

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Research Topics:

  • Cardiovascular Sex Differences

  • Visualizations of Gene Overlap Between Physiological Processes and Diseases

  • Bioinformatic Approach to Evolutionary Trade-Offs  [Atherosclerosis]

Undergraduate & Secondary School Students

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Molly Abroms

UCLA, B.S. '24

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Research Topics:

  • Cardiovascular Sex Differences

  • Shared Genetic Pathways of Cardiac Diseases

  • Ventricular Tachycardia in Dogs

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Siena Horton

Harvard University, A.B. '25​

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Research Topics:

  • The Use of Comparative Evolutionary Medicine to Destigmatize Drug Addictions

  • Assessing Public Understanding and Lay Beliefs about Evolution

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Ryan Shiels (c)

UCLA, B.S. '26

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Research Topics:

  • Evolutionary Cardiac Resilience

  • Comparative Genomics 

  • SCN5A Gene Variants in Arctic Ground Squirrels

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Itzel Cuevas (c)

UCLA, B.S. '26​

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Research Topics:

  • Evolutionary Cardiac Resilience

  • Adaptive Variations to Hepatic Necrosis in Antioxidant Genes

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Cordelia Kuiper Rauch (c)

UCLA, B.S. '26​

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Research Topics:

  • Comparative Evolutionary Genomics

  • Comparative Physiology of Iron Regulation

  • Iron Overload-Induced Liver Cirrhosis

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Kate Stevens (c)

Harvard University, A.B. '24​

 

Research Topics:

  • Evolved Adaptations for Ovarian Protection in Subterranean Species 

  • Menopause, Diapause, and Adaptive Reproductive Strategies

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Camille Dash

Harvard University, A.B. '24

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Research Topics:

  • Cardiovascular Sex Differences

  • Placental Morphology and Cardiovascular Sexual Dimorphism

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Zoey Marsh

Oakwood Secondary School, '24​

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Research Topics:

  • Sex Differences in Sports-Related Concussions

  • Visualizations of Gene Overlap Between Physiological Processes and Diseases

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Talon Flodman

Harvard University, A.B. '25​

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Research Topics:

  • Coevolution of Inflammation and Depression

  • Bioinformatics to Find Coexpression of Biological Processes

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Noa Oranim

Oakwood Secondary School, '25​

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Research Topics:

  • Masculinization of Female Phenotypes: Response to Male Harassment

  • Visualizations of Gene Overlap Between Physiological Processes and Diseases

  • Evolution of Mental Illness

B. Natterson-Horowitz, MD, PhD​

Harvard Medical School | UCLA

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