Program Leaders

Pam E. Rios Coronado is a PhD candidate from Stanford University’s Biology Program. Pam was born in Peru and immigrated to the United States as a teenager. After graduating from Balboa High School, she entered the work force armed with only a basic understanding of English. Tired from working the stereotypical immigrant jobs, she enrolled in Skyline Community College. Under the mentorship of Dr. Christine Case, Pam joined several research opportunities while at Skyline. She, then transferred to UC Berkeley and received a B.A in Molecular & Cell Biology. Pam worked as a Research Associate at the Gladstone Institutes in UCSF, here, between the neurovascular and immunology fields she gained appreciation for interdisciplinary research. Currently at Dr. Kristy Red-Horse’s lab, Pam utilizes whole-organ/tissue antibody-labeling clearing and imaging to understand the molecular cues involved in cardiovascular development and repair. During her free-of-science time, Pam loves playing video games, reading, sleeping and chilling with family and friends.

Youlim is a 4th year PhD candidate in Microbiology and Immunology working in Dr. Manuel Amieva’s lab. She graduated from Duke University with a B.S. in Biology, a minor in Chemistry, and a Certificate in the Arts of the Moving Image. Youlim’s research is focused on understanding the role Helicobacter pylori plays in gastric pathogenesis and whether disease progression benefits the microbe. Outside of research, Youlim loves getting involved in organizations and communities at Stanford such as the Stanford Biosciences Student Association, the Graduate Life Office, and XTRM Kpop Dance. She is always down to try new foods, binge-watch television shows, and play with everyone’s pets.

Dr. McKay Mullen is a postdoctoral scholar in the cardiovascular institute at Stanford School of Medicine in the lab of Dr. Joseph Wu. McKay’s expertise is directed towards evaluating racial disparities as they relate to cardio-oncology. Specifically, he utilizes iPSC disease modeling to study the impact of chemotherapy on the cardiovascular system and determine whether racial disparities influence healthcare outcomes.

Josselyn Peña earned her BS in Biological Sciences at the University of California, Irvine and is a 6th year PhD candidate in the Immunology program working in Sheri Krams’s lab. Her thesis focuses on understanding the natural killer cell response to Epstein-Barr virus by using a high dimensional approach for characterizing activated natural killer cells. Outside of the lab, Josselyn is also passionate about social justice and outreach and has taken on various leadership roles through the Biomedical Association for the Interests of Minority Students (BioAIMS) and the Stanford Future Advancers of Science and Technology (FAST) program. Josselyn is a fan of boba, cats, showing everyone pictures of her cat, trying new baking recipes, long walks on the beach, and science (in that order).

Adonis is a 2nd year Stanford Immunology PhD student working in the lab of Dr. Christopher Barnes; Adonis graduated with his Bachelors of Science in Biology with honors in Microbes and Immunity and a minor in Ethics in Society from Stanford University. Currently, Adonis is using Cryo-EM to understand how antibodies bind and interact to viruses including HIV and SARS-CoV-2 to engineer broadly protective bispecific antibodies as therapeutics and to design broadly effective vaccine platforms. Apart from his PhD studies, Adonis is passionate about diversifying STEM and supporting individuals from historically excluded groups and has been an avid member of the Stanford SACNAS Chapter. In his free time, Adonis loves to go for walks, play with other people’s dogs, and go get ice cream!

Lakai is a 2nd year Stanford medical student, born and raised in the suburbs of Denver, CO. She attended college at Howard University, where she studied biology, chemistry, and classical studies and cultivated a love for community and public health. After graduating from Howard in 2019, she attended Yale School of Public Health, where she earned an MPH in Social and Behavioral Sciences in 2021. Her academic and medical career interests include family medicine, primary care, women’s and SGM health, sexual health, mental health, health equity and social justice, and the social determinants of health. Lakai’s research interests include community health research and using mixed and qualitative research methods. Currently she is a Stanford Valley Fellow working with a local organization, the Children’s Advocacy Center of Santa Clara County, to conduct a needs assessment of services and programs they provide to clients. Lakai is passionate about meaningful mentorship, especially for those who are underrepresented in medicine, health, and STEM; she currently serves on the executive board of SNMA and Health Careers Collaborative (a mentorship program for underrepresented high school students interested in health careers). In her spare time, Lakai likes to paint, watch horror movies, or go enjoy nature (hiking, backpacking, camping, etc.)!

Ragini is 9th year MD/PhD student. She is from Stamford, CT and studied biology and computer science at the University of Connecticut before coming to Stanford for graduate school. She completed her PhD in Genetics in the lab of Dr. Kristy Red-Horse combining single-cell RNA sequencing and lineage tracing to reveal a transcriptional convergence of cell lineages that contribute to coronary vessels. This year she is working as a post-sophomore fellow in pathology and doing research with Dr. Albert Wu applying her background in transcriptomics to study eye development. Ragini is excited about mentoring students from the high school through graduate school level and has previously served as a college applications coach with the Boys and Girls Club as well as a TA for the Stanford SIMR program. In her free time Ragini enjoys dance and yoga, trying out new recipes and tending to her community garden plot.

Alex Tartt is a 2nd year Stanford medical student working in the lab of Dr. Karen Parker where she investigates mechanisms that underlie social deficits in monkeys and humans with disorders of low-sociality (e.g. autism and frontotemporal dementia). Alex graduated from New York University in 2017 with a Bachelors of Science in Global Public Health. After graduation, she worked at the New York State Psychiatric Institute/Columbia University Medical Center examining neural stem cells in the postmortem human brain. Her academic and clinical interests while in medical school include neurology/neuroscience, curriculum development, and addressing health inequities through advocacy, physician education and community partnerships. Additionally, Alex recently served as the co-president of Stanford’s chapter of SNMA, which fosters the social and professional development of Black medical students on campus. In her free time, Alex loves to try new restaurants, listen to music and watch sports.

Mira is a second-year medical student at Stanford University. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Molecular and Cell Biology from the University of California, Berkeley. Mira is passionate about global child health, epidemiology, bioethics, and science communications. She hopes to one day practice as a community pediatrician, integrating clinical work and research. Mira also loves to teach and mentor; she is passionate about breaking down barriers in STEM and medicine for students from historically underrepresented backgrounds. In her free time, Mira loves to try out free exercise classes, hang out at coffee shops, and adventure outdoors!

Suyash Raj is a second year PhD student in the Institute of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine. He studies neural stem cells in the lab of Dr. Irv Weissman. After graduating from Washington University in St. Louis in 2017, Suyash dedicated himself to research in preparation for medical school applications. His orthopedics research at Boston Children’s Hospital led him to discover his interest in the intersection of programming and biology to further bioinformatics. His newfound skills and passion for lab work landed him in an industry position at Semma Therapeutics, which later got acquired by Vertex Pharmaceuticals. There, Suyash worked on the development of a cell-based therapy for Type 1 Diabetes which is currently in Phase I/II clinical trials. He followed his passion for translational research to Stanford University where he hopes to uncover the mechanisms of neural regeneration. In his free time, Suyash enjoys playing video games, experimenting with new recipes, baking goods to share with his lab, finding good restaurants to take his fiancée to when she visits, and traveling around the bay area.

Amy is pursuing her PhD in Immunology with Dr. Ravi Majeti at Stanford University, where she genetically manipulates human cells with CRISPR to uncover the molecular mechanisms of inherited blood cancers. Prior to being in the San Francisco Bay Area, she attended school and worked in Cambridge, MA. She received my B.S. in biology with a minor in Asian diaspora studies from MIT, where she studied breast cancer metastasis and identity in the global Chinese diaspora. After graduating in 2015, she worked on untangling host-pathogen biology using single-cell RNA-Seq at the Broad Institute. At Stanford, Amy has been involved in multiple leadership roles through the Immunology Program, the Biomedical Association for the Interests of Minority Students (BioAIMS), and Black In Immuno. In her free time, Amy enjoys taking care of her plant babies, hiking, and dog-sitting.

James is the Director of the REACH Postbac Research Program. He received his PhD from Stanford School of Medicine, Immunology Program, where he studied the role of the immune response in acute rejection after solid-organ transplantation. He loves all things immunology and science related. Additionally, he is passionate about student wellness and addressing inequities that negatively impact minoritized students in academia. In his personal time, he enjoys medium distance trail races, watching and playing basketball, anime (or generally binging a good tv series), wine-and-paint nights, board games and video games, learning new musical instruments, and basking in the sun. He loves the performing arts and has spent 4 years as a dance choreographer and 3 years performing with Stanford Taiko (a Japanese-style drumming group). His favorite social activity with friends is to go on culturally themed food tours and eat amazing food all day.

Edward C. and Amy H. Sewall Professor in the Department of Otolaryngology and Professor, by courtesy, of Molecular and Cellular Physiology. Dr. Ricci is the previous Director of the Neuroscience Graduate program as well as the co-founder and current faculty director of the ADVANCE summer institute, an onboarding program for graduate students within the biosciences who come from underserved communities. He presently serves as director of Research in the Department of Otolaryngology as well as the Associate Dean of Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs.