Current PhD Students
First Year
Mariam Garcia Escobar
PhD Student
Bachelor's: University of Nebraska at Kearney
Supervisor: Padmashri Ragunathan, PhD
Research Interests: Epigenetic regulation, neurodevelopmental processes (including auditory processing in FASD), and immunology.
Gretchen Simon
PhD Student
Master's: University of Nebraska Medical Center
Supervisor: Kelly Stauch, PhD
Rosaline Smillie
PhD Student
Bachelor's: University of Ghana, Ghana
Second Year
Abigail Agbolade
PhD Student
Bachelor's: Osun State University, Nigeria
Supervisor: Palsamy Periyasamy
Research Interest: Epigenetics
Christianah Aloba
PhD Student
Master's: University of Central Florida
Supervisor: Lynda Harris
Camryn Davis
PhD Student
Bachelor's: Utah State University
Supervisor: Stephen Gliske
George Njoku
PhD student
Master's: BioHealth Engineering, University of Grenoble, France. Bachelor's: Biochemistry, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Nigeria
Supervisor: Saraswathi Viswanathan, PhD
Research Interest: NeuroHIV, with a specific focus on HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND)
Bunmi Owolabi
PhD Student
Bacherlor's: Obafemi Awolowo University
Master's: University of Ibadan
Supervisor: Michele Plewes, PhD
Ella Rowe
PhD student
Bachelor's: Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
Supervisor: Rebekah Gundry, PhD
Research Interest: Stem Cells
Collin White
MD/PhD Student
Bachelor's: Washington University
Supervisor: Christopher Barrett, MD
Research Interest: Coagulation and fibrinolysis
Third Year
Joy Adewumi
PhD student
Master's: Biotechnology, University of Texas at Tyler
Supervisor: Rebekah Gundry, PhD
Research Interest: Cardiovascular Physiology
Emmanuel Adu-Agyekum
PhD student
MBBS: Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology
Supervisor: Yulong Li, MD, PhD
Research Interest: Cardiovascular Physiology
Colman Freel
MD/PhD student
Bachelor's: University of Wisconsin-Madison
Supervisor: Ann Anderson-Berry, MD,PhD
Research Interest: Cardiovascular Disease
Co-Chair: IPMM Student Body Committee
Misha Gansvind
PhD student
Bachelor's: University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Supervisor: Karen Gould, PhD
Research interest: B cells in the context of lupus and autoimmunity
Rasha Attia Barakat Ghorab
PhD student
Master's: Veterinary Medicine, Damanhour University
Supervisor: Kendra Clark, PhD
Adedayo Ogunware
PhD student
Master's: Biology, University of Texas-San Antonio
Supervisor: Tammy Kielian, PhD
Research Interest: Development, inflammation and degeneration of the nervous system
Co-Chair: IPMM Student Body Committee
Afia Saabea Owusu Konadu
PhD student
BMBS: Medicine, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology
Supervisor: Yulong Li, MD, PhD
Research Interest: Cardiac electrophysiology
Fourth Year
Kwadwo Boateng
PhD student
OD: Optometry, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology
Supervisor: Wallace B. Thoreson, PhD
Research Interest: Ocular pathophysiology and retinal neurodegeneration
Anna Kosmach
MD/PhD student
Bachelor's: Biochemistry and Mathematics, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Supervisor: Pooneh Bagher, PhD
Research Interest: Vascular physiology and disease, calcium imaging
Chair: IPMM Student Body Committee
Fifth Year
Shaurav Bhattarai
PhD student
Master's: Microbiology, South Dakota State University
Supervisor: Howard E. Gendelman, MD
Research Interest: Neurodegenerative disease, neuroimmunology, and Alzheimer's disease
Rana Kadry
PhD student
Master's: Pharmacy, University of Georgia
Supervisor: Howard E. Gendelman, MD
Research Interest: Cell signaling, proteomics, pulmonary diseases
Delia Omar
PhD student
Master's: Clinical Pharmacy, University of Jordan
Supervisor: Micah Schott, PhD
Research Interest: Regenerative medicine in cardiovascular diseases, stem cell therapy
Dalton Staller
PhD student
Bachelor's: Midland University
Supervisor: Ram Mahato, PhD
Research Interest: Fatty liver disease
Sixth Year
Mane Polite Roneldine Mesidor
PhD student
Bachelor's: Oklahoma Baptist University
Supervisor: Rebekah L. Gundry, PhD
Research Interest: Cell surface proteins in heart failure progression
