John is a third-year Biomedical Engineering student at the University of Cincinnati. As a member of the UC Enable club, he contributes to designing and enhancing prosthetics for pediatric patients. He is also actively involved in the Sales Engineering Club and serves as the team lead for the Innovation Challenge. John has completed two co-op rotations as a Supplier Engineer at Cook Medical, a leading company in minimally invasive vascular procedures. In the summer of 2024, he joined Dr. Sadayappan's lab, where he expanded his research knowledge by studying Myosin Binding Protein C1 and C2 in muscle tissues. During this time, he developed a range of research skills, mastering laboratory techniques such as H&E staining, PCR testing, Sanger sequencing, and more.
Ella is an undergraduate in neuroscience and minoring in psychology at the University of Cincinnati. Following graduation, she plans to pursue her Ph.D., although she is considering a two-year gap to join the Peace Corps. She has always been an active volunteer, including being the head coach of the Special Olympics Hamilton County gymnastics team. In Fall 2023, she will take on the role of Vice President for UC's inaugural Special Olympics Club. Additionally, she will be inducted into Psi Chi, the esteemed Psychology Fraternity. She is also a member of Neuro-Society and the National Society of Leadership and Success. She has spent the last five years as a server at the Queen City Club and The Kenwood Retirement Community. She joined the Sadayappan lab as a research volunteer to define the mechanism of genetically linked muscle diseases. Later in 2023, she received the AHA SURF fellowship and presented her work at the 2024 NAS-ISHR annual meeting in Long Beach, CA.
Jorja is currently majoring in Health Sciences at the University of Cincinnati. Upon completion of her undergraduate degree, she plans on attending medical school to pursue a career as a physician. She joined Dr. Sadayappan’s lab as an undergraduate student worker with hopes of learning more about lab techniques and diseases while gaining valuable medical research experience. When not in the lab, Jorja is involved in the Phi Delta Epsilon Pre-Medical Fraternity, TEDxUCincinnati, a volunteer at The Christ Hospital, and is a member of UC’s Dean’s List. Jorja learned a lot of primary research lab assays and presented her work at the 2023 OPS in Toledo, OH, where she won the oral presentation. Her long-term goal is to become a clinician treating patients.
Sophia was majoring in Medical Sciences and pursuing a minor in Spanish at the University of Cincinnati. Her goal is to attend medical school and become a practicing physician in the future. As an undergraduate student worker in Dr. Sadayappan's Lab, she hopes to become more familiar with basic laboratory techniques, gain experience in research, and learn about cardiovascular health and diseases. Sophia is excited to be part of a collaborative lab environment and to learn from all the other student researchers and scientists on Dr. Sadayappan's team. On campus, she is involved in the University's Student Alumni Council, Students Consulting for Nonprofit Organizations, Medical Sciences Ambassadors, and Crossroad Health Center. Currently, she is a medical student at the Boonshoft School of Medicine at Wright State, Fairborn, OH 45324.
Hannah graduated from The College of Wooster in 2021 with a Bachelor of Arts in Neuroscience. She is currently a member of the PREP program at the University of Cincinnati (https://med.uc.edu/education/graduate-education/PREP). She visited Dr. Sadayappan’s lab to expand her knowledge of biomedical research, such as skeletal and cardiac muscle research. This experience has allowed her to understand how concepts within the nervous system may relate to muscle research.
Caroline was majoring in Medical Sciences at the University of Cincinnati. Her long- term goal is to become a physician. She joined Dr. Sadayappan's lab as a volunteer in order to gain experience, develop fundamental lab techniques, and learn more about cardiovascular diseases. Outside of the lab, Caroline is involved in RISE UC, UC Best Buddies, Queen City Consulting, and is a medical scribe at Cincinnati Children's Hospital while also maintaining a spot on the Dean's List. She learned from the knowledgeable and accomplished scientists in Dr. Sadayappan's lab and is excited to learn as much as she can about research and cardiovascular health. Currently, she is a medical student at the Boonshoft School of Medicine at Wright State, Fairborn, OH 45324.
Darshit is a third-year international student pursuing undergraduate studies at the University of Cincinnati. He is double majoring in Biological Sciences, with a focus on biomedical studies, and Neuroscience. He has a minor in medicine and a certificate in Global Health Studies. He was born and raised in Gujarat, India until he came to the United States in January 2019 for college. His primary goal is to pursue medical school after his graduation and become a physician. As an undergraduate researcher in Dr. Sadayappan’s Lab, he hopes to learn basic hands-on laboratory techniques such as creating gel plates, running polymerase chain reactions, isolating DNA from samples and designing his own PCR primers. With this opportunity, he looks forward to solidifying his medical school interests and building a network.
Gargi is a student in the Medical Sciences Program who is minoring in Psychology at the University of Cincinnati. Her plans consist of finishing her undergraduate degree with a strong background in foundational sciences and then attend medical school to ultimately pursue a career in Internal Medicine or Pediatrics. She is currently involved in UC College of Medicine's Tribunal as the Wellness Committee Chair and a member of the Alpha Epsilon Delta National Pre-Health Honor Society as the Historian and Public Relations Head. She serves as the undergraduate Teaching Assistant for the Psychology of Interpersonal Relations class. Mostly, she volunteers her valuable time towards tutoring students of all ages as well as communicating with retirement home residents every week. She believes that having exposure to a laboratory setting will help her understand the diverse medical field and benefit her future career endeavors. She is excited to be in the Sadayappan lab and learn valuable skills.
Dr. Avaz is the first exchange visitor through the early career committee of the American Heart Association Basic Cardiovascular Science Council exchange program. He is an assistant professor and the director of Computational Cardiovascular Bioengineering Laboratory in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Texas A&M University. Dr. Avaz earned his PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania (2014) in the area of constitutive modeling of soft materials, and his postdoctoral research training focused on cardiac biomechanics. Dr. Avaz’s primary research interests are in developing and implementing multiphysics computational-experimental models of the cardiovascular system under normal, pathological and therapeutic conditions for understanding the underlying remodeling mechanisms and the patient-specific design of regenerative therapies. He visited Dr. Sadayappan lab for a week in March 2020 to understand the pathogenesis of HCM and HFpEF, which are two areas of his major interest.
Priya is currently attending the University of Cincinnati, majoring in Medical Sciences. She plans on attending medical school following undergraduate school and become a physician with a specialty in pediatric medicine. She is involved with The Rogue Writers of UC and works with several nonprofit organizations. She also volunteers with Mercy Health Clermont Hospital in Batavia, Ohio and with the Amelia branch of the Clermont County Public Library system. As a student worker in Dr. Sadayappan’s Lab, she helps with many projects including running polymerase chain reactions, casting agarose gels, imaging gel results, and maintaining lab cleanliness. She is excited to gain basic laboratory experience and learn more about cardiovascular research and its implications.
Heather is currently attending the University of Cincinnati, majoring in Medical Sciences and minoring in Spanish. She plans on attending medical school after undergraduate school and becoming a physician with a focus on serving under represented populations. While maintaining a spot on the Dean’s List, Heather is also involved in UC’s chapter of Free the Slaves and volunteers at several local nonprofits. As a student worker in Dr. Sadayappan’s lab she helps with many projects including maintaining lab cleanliness, mouse genotyping, running polymerase chain reactions, and casting agarose gels. She is excited to gain laboratory skills and learn more about cardiovascular research and diseases.
Ryann is currently attending the University of Cincinnati, majoring in Medical Sciences and minoring in Criminal Justice. She plans on attending medical school after undergraduate school and become a physician. She is involved in Alpha Epsilon Delta and Cats for a Cause as well as maintaining a spot on the Dean’s List. As a volunteer in Dr. Sadayappan’s lab she helps post-docs with mouse genotyping, running polymerase chain reactions, and casting agarose gels. She is excited to help out in the lab and learn more about both the basic and clinical research projects.
Kamal Kassem is in the physician scientist track program. His previous work includes how PGE2 utilizes different receptors in the heart and mechanisms that ultimately decrease MMP expression and NVF migration. He spent time studying the net effect of nitric oxide on urine volume via the NKCC2. Also, Kamal has spent time after medical school to study the mechanism in which fructose leads to the development of salt sensitive hypertension. He has recently won the Kidney Council New Investigator Award at the American Heart Association Council on Hypertension at San Francisco (2017) and Post-Doctoral Research Recognition at the APS-Renal Section in Chicago (2017).
Hannah Kim is an undergraduate at the University of Cincinnati majoring in Medical Sciences in the Connections Dual Admissions BS/MD Program. She plans to attend medical school after graduation. Hannah is learning fundamental lab techniques and procedures such as Western Blotting and immunohistochemistry under Dr. Taejeong Song. She is excited to learn more about cardiovascular research and diseases in Dr. Sadayappan’s lab. Outside of the lab, her passion is serving underrecognized populations in the community through volunteering and tutoring.
Shelby is currently an undergraduate student at the University of Cincinnati. She is majoring in biological sciences while minoring in chemistry and psychology. She is volunteering in the lab of Dr. Sadayappan in order to gain research experience, further her knowledge on the topic of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, as well as to complete her senior capstone. She hopes to continue her research in the lab during the upcoming summer through a fellowship program. After graduation she has plans to attend medical school and aspires to one day be a cardiovascular surgeon. Outside of the lab and university, she finds herself shadowing cardiologists at both Good Samaritan and Mercy Fairfield hospitals frequently in order to gain experience for medical school.
Lillian Walton is currently attending the University of Cincinnati. She is majoring in Biology with a concentration in Biomedical Science and plans to attend medical school after graduation. She is a member and appointed officer of the Omega Xi chapter of Kappa Delta. She is on the Dean’s List as of Fall 2018. While volunteering in Dr. Sadayappan's lab, she is great support to all of the post- docs. Lillie is learning basic lab procedures such as casting acrylamide gels and polymerase chain reaction, and is excited to learn more.
Jacob Feldman is an undergraduate at the University of Cincinnati majoring in Neuroscience with a minor in chemistry, and he carries a vested interest in cardiology and general physiology. Jacob works alongside Mr. Mohit Kumar, who is a graduate student, learning fundamental lab techniques and advanced cardiomyocyte technologies to measure pCa-force relationship. His long-term goal is to attend medical school and become a doctor. Outside of the lab, Jacob is very passionate about music (plays drums and guitar) and greatly enjoys skiing and soccer.
Matt received the Medical Student Research Grant in 2016, with which he performed a summer of clinical research in the University Hospital Department of Emergency Medicine studying the prevalence of community opioid dependence. He now joins Dr. Sadayappan’s laboratory focusing on the prevalence of the sarcomeric gene variants, as well as its significance in the development of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
Poonam is currently attending the University of Cincinnati where she is studying towards a bachelor’s degree in biomedical sciences with a minor in global studies and will be graduating in the spring of 2018. Her career goal is in the medical field and have been participating in various activities to help her achieve this goal. She currently volunteers at a local hospital in the cardiac cath lab. She is also an active member in various pre-medical campus organization. For the last couple of semesters, she has also been a learning assistant for a freshman biology class. During her time in the lab with Dr. Sadayappan she hopes to gain research experience.
Anne performed bench research at Stowers Institute for Medical Research for two summers in Paul Trainor's lab, working primarily on developmental genetics and craniofacial abnormalities. In addition, she studied the regulation of titin expression in a mouse model displaying a phenotype similar to dilated cardiomyopathy. Her summer project in the Sadayappan lab was focused on determining the presence of known polymorphic variants that would be a risk factor for developing heart failure in subjects carrying MYBPC3 mutations.
Vishnu performed his research internship while still a senior at Metea Valley High School. He mainly studied the effects of MYBPC3 mutations in vitro in the context of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. He consistently demonstrated his collegiality with other researchers. Vishnu learned about immunofluorescence, Western blotting, and heart muscle structures during his internship. He has expressed a desire to enter medical school.
Allison Giuffre currently attends the University of Illinois at Chicago where she is working towards a bachelor’s degree in biology with a minor in Spanish. Allison received an Undergraduate Research Research Fellowship from the American Physiological Society to work 10 weeks in Dr. Sadayappan’s lab. She studied the effect of three mutations in MYBPC3 known to cause hypertrophic cardiomyopathy based on the kinetics of cardiac muscle contraction. Allison is hoping to advance her research training and, hopefully, enter medical school.
Cecelia received the 2015 Frontiers in Physiology Research Teacher Professional Development Fellowship from the American Physiological Society to work in Dr. Sadayappan’s lab for eight weeks. This program supports the education of school teachers who want to learn the latest scientific advances and technologies in physiology so that they can, in turn, pass on their knowledge in the secondary classroom. Cecelia will present a poster at the Experimental Biology meeting in San Diego in April, 2016.
Aravind first started working in the Sadayappan lab as a summer intern in 2012, when he was a sophomore in college. In 2013, he received an APS Undergraduate Summer Research Fellowship to initiate his own project. Aravind graduated in 2014 from Loyola University as a biophysics major and worked full-time in the lab as a Research Assistant focusing on population studies with the MYBPC3 gene. After graduation from med school, he wants to be a practitioner specializing in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
Renata graduated from Loyola University Chicago in 2013 earning a Bachelor of Science in Biology (ecology emphasis), a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish Literature, and a minor in bioethics. Between May 2011 and May 2012, she worked as a clinical research assistant in the Department of Orthopaedics at the Children’s Hospital of Chicago assisting with an investigation of the efficacy of a knee injury prevention program in grades 5-8 throughout CPS. She also volunteered in Dr. Freitas’s biochemistry lab, generating data on a specific G-protein coupled receptor implicated in bipolar disorder. During spring of 2013, Renata participated in an internship program in the Department of Medicine at the University of Chicago. The focus of her project was to demonstrate the differential expression of antimicrobial peptides, specifically ANG-4 and REG3-3γ, in the intestinal mucosa of healthy mice and models of inflammatory bowel disease. Renata was a medical student at Loyola University Chicago-Stritch and worked on a project entailing cardiac MyBP-C under the mentorship of Dr. Sadayappan.
Hobbies : Renata is an avid cyclist and spends a lot of her free time biking in various places and absorbing the beauty of the surroundings. She enjoys spending time with hospitalized patients and serving as a Eucharistic minister. She also spends time gardening, cooking various ethnic dishes and reading. Renata loves to visit gardens, museums and art galleries with her friends and family.
Mr. Wojdyla received his Bachelor of Science in Molecular Biology in May 2013 from Loyola University Chicago. From the spring of 2011 until May 2013, he was awarded a Biology Research Fellowship from the Biology Department at Loyola University Chicago under which he conducted phylogenetic research analyzing the radiation of a species of a Philippine bird across the archipelago, the White-browed Shortwing (Brachypteryx montana). He is currently a medical student at the Stritch School of Medicine. While under the mentorship of Dr. Sadayappan, he conducted genetic analysis of a particular polymorphic mutation (25-bp deletion of intron 32) of the C10 domain of the cardiac myosin binding protein-C in individuals of South Asian descent. cMyBP-C is the second most frequent gene mutation observed in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.This mutation in particular is inherited in 1% of the world population (60 million), yet shows a prevalence as high as 4-6% in those from the southern states of India.
Hobbies : Mr. Wojdyla spends much of his free time playing the guitar, reading, studying astronomy and the universe, enjoying nature, playing sports, watching movies, and taking care of his energetic young dog.
Allison Giuffre attends the University of Illinois at Chicago where she is working towards a baccalaureate degree in Biology with a minor in Spanish. She has a career goal of medicine and has been participating in many activities to gain experience. In September 2013, she started volunteering for Peer Health Exchange, where she teaches health class to freshman students at Chicago Public High Schools. She also enjoys participating as a volunteer at The University of Illinois Hospital as a baby cuddler, where she holds, comforts, and cuddles premature babies. While working in Dr. Sadayappan’s lab, she hopes to gain experience on the research process.
Hobbies : Allison enjoys babysitting, shopping, participating in triathlons, crafting and exploring Chicago with her friends.
Aravind received an Undergraduate Summer Research Fellowship from the American Physiological Society to work in Dr. Sadayappan’s lab for 10-12 weeks. His project was to determine the release kinetics of cardiac myosin binding protein-C after myocardial injury with β-adrenergic agonists. He presented a poster at the Experimental Biology meeting in San Diego on April 26-30, 2014. He plans to attend medical school with a specialization in cardiology.
Anukool expects to graduate in May, 2015 with a Bachelor’s of Science in Bioinformatics and Biology from Loyola University Chicago. He first gained interest in heart disease as a volunteer for Enas A. Enas, MD, FACC, during the summer of 2011. Dr. Enas was the first person to prove that South Asians have higher risk for and rates of heart disease than any other ethnic group. Anukool then interned for the Mediators of Atherosclerosis in South Asians Living in America (MASALA) study conducted by Dr. Kandula at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine during the summer of 2012. For his summer project in Dr. Sadayappan’s lab, he worked on determining the exact amino acid sequences of cMyBP-C that interact with the myosin S2 region.
Tanvi came to Dr. Sadayappan’s lab to gain the research skills required for doctoral studies in the United States. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Dental Surgery [BDS] from India, and with strong GRE scores, she has ambitions of pursuing biomedical research. In the lab, she learned basic molecular techniques such as PCR, agarose gel electrophoresis, and cell culture experiments.
This summer research training aimed to provide Aravind with general knowledge about heart attacks or myocardial infarction, diagnostic methods, and prevention programs. As an active researcher, Aravind focused on determining and developing a new biomarker assay to predict heart attacks. Specifically, Aravind established a diagnostic test that uses a sensitive sandwich ELISA. This project involved learning the statistical tools associated with interpreting the clinical data of myocardial infarction.
At the time of Prema’s internship in the Sadayappan lab, she was a senior at the University of Illinois, Springfield, with a major in chemistry. She had prior research experience as a volunteer in the Pharmacology Department of the SIU School of Medicine, investigating whether glutamate increases the pro-survival genes in SCN cells or GT cells. In the Sadayappan lab, she gained experience with culturing, Western blots, PCR, ELISA, chromatography, and a few other wet chemistry techniques.
Arjun was excited to come to Loyola for his summer internship because he had always wanted to study science; whether biology, chemistry or medicine. During his internship under the mentorship of Dr. Jody Martin, he learned how cardiomyocytes function in the heart. He was an honor student and did more than 100 hours of community service at Rush Copley Hospital in Aurora where he learned about medical science in a very practical way. He was a premedical undergraduate student at Washington University Medical School, St. Louis, MO.
The American Physiological Society 2012 Frontiers in Physiology Research Teacher Professional Development Fellowship Program supported Mahera to spend 10-12 weeks in Dr. Sadayappan’s lab. This program supports the education of schoolteachers in the latest scientific advances and technologies associated with heart attack so that they can, in turn, pass on what they have learned in the secondary classroom. In the Sadayappan lab, Mrs. Beidas gained a better understanding of heart attacks, or myocardial infarction (MI), diagnostic methods and prevention programs, in addition to actively participating in the ongoing research program.
Anjeli Raheja attended Loyola University Chicago and graduated in 2012. She majored in Biology with a double minor in Neuroscience and Psychology. Anjeli is a member of the Neuroscience Society. She is on the Executive Board of the South Asian Student Alliance and she is the Philanthropic Chairman of Alpha Sigma Alpha Gamma Lambda Chapter, as well as Student Ambassador. She was also on the Dean’s List for outstanding academic performance. While studying in Dr. Sadayappan’s lab, she worked closely with Dr. Xang Ji to learn more about culturing rat cardiomyocytes. Anjeli also performed experiments with the goal of further understanding the role of PKG in heart contraction.
James Crooks, born and raised in La Grange Park, IL, was on the Premedicine track at Illinois State University. He graduated in 2012 with a B.S. in Biology, along with a minor in Chemistry. Besides being a member of the Golden Key Honors Society and Phi Sigma Beta Lambda Chapter (Biology Honors Society), James was also on the Dean’s List for outstanding academic performance. While in Dr. Sadayappan’s lab, James worked closely with Dave Barefield, a doctoral candidate, assisting with cell and molecular experiments. He also worked with Dr. Suresh Govindan to determine biomarkers for myocardial infarction. James is currently a medical student at Rosalind Franklin University, Chicago, IL.
Raven was an undergraduate at the time of her internship in the Sadayappan lab. She was particularly interested in working in the medical care field with an organization called Access Dupage. She spent 8 months in the Sadayappan lab learning about basic molecular and cell biology techniques.
Sakthivel Sadayappan, PhD, MBA, FAHA
Professor and Head
Department of Cellular & Molecular Medicine
Associate Director, Sarver Heart Center
Czarina M. & Humberto S. Lopez Chair for Excellence in Cardiovascular Research
University of Arizona College of Medicine
Tucson, AZ 85724-5217, USA