Our Residents

After graduating with a degree in literature from Yale, Regina Kwon started her career as an editor in New York City. She began working on startups and Internet product development and received several national awards for her work. A career change led her to the University of Colorado, where she received her MD and an MPH in epidemiology. At CU, she was involved in many projects to improve medical education and student life. She served as the national chair of the AAMC Organization of Student Representatives and was elected to the Gold Humanism Honor Society. Her academic interests include medical education and informatics. Regina also enjoys science fiction and mysteries and learning about religion, art, and behavioral economics. She loves a good word game and believes you can never have too many pens. She is pursuing AP/CP training.

David Peske was born and raised in San Diego, California. He graduated with honors from the University of California, San Diego with degrees in Molecular Biology and Political Science. David then switched coasts to earn his MD and PhD from the University of Virginia. His PhD research in the laboratory of Dr. Victor Engelhard focused on how the tumor microenvironment controls T cell infiltration into melanoma. David and his wife Merrilee, their two sons, and their chocolate Lab all love spending time outdoors and home improvement projects. He also loves playing strategy card and board games, particularly with a fine beer or whiskey in hand. He is pursuing AP only training as part of the Research residency track, and plans to continue studying how to harness the immune system to combat cancer.

Yembur Ahmad was born and raised in Houston, TX. She attended the 6 year combined BA/MD program at University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC), where she earned both her BA in Liberal Arts and her MD. At UMKC, she spent her free time volunteering with a local hospice as well as the No One Dies Alone (NODA) program for actively dying patients, culminating in induction into Gold Humanism Honor Society. She also participated in various research projects including the role of beta-oligomers in secondary amyloidosis in Alzheimer's disease, and the role of the renin-angiotensin system in fat embolism. Yembur participated in a Global Health and Social Issues course in Cape Town, South Africa during medical school, leading to her interest in the global health track at Hopkins. Outside of medicine, she enjoys indulging in vegetarian cuisine (especially Thai food), hiking and traveling. She loves languages and speaks English, Kashmiri, Hindi-Urdu and Spanish, as well as some basic French. She is also the proud owner of an impressive earring collection. Yembur is pursuing AP/CP training.

Kelly Craven was born and raised in South Bend, IN. She attended Indiana University in Bloomington, IN where she graduated with Bachelor of Science degrees in Biology and Computer Science. After college, she accepted a position as a bioinformatician at Eli Lilly and Company in Indianapolis, IN, where she worked for 5 years developing numerous computer applications that were utilized by Lilly Research Laboratories for drug discovery. She then returned to school to pursue further training as part of Indiana University's Medical Scientist Training Program in Indianapolis, IN. As part of her doctoral work, she utilized human genomic data from The Cancer Genome Atlas to identify important angiogenic pathways in a subset of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma patients. Additionally, successful targeting of these pathways was demonstrated in pre-clinical models. She has received various awards throughout her career, including the Lilly Research Laboratories President's Award, an NRSA Individual Predoctoral MD/PhD Fellowship (F30), and a Woman in Cancer Research Award from the American Association of Cancer Research. Kelly enjoys visiting local restaurants with her husband, Andrew, as well as biking, golfing, and computer programming. Kelly will be pursuing AP/CP training.

Katelynn Davis was born and raised in Des Moines, IA and received a B.S. in Biology from Iowa State University where she discovered an interest in performing research and tutoring and mentoring fellow college students. She participated as a Summer Undergraduate Research Fellow at the University of Michigan and studied molecular alterations in a mouse model of traumatic brain injury. Katelynn earned her M.D. with Teaching Distinction from the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine. She completed the Pathology Externship (a one-year fellowship in Pathology) after M3 year working primarily in surgical and autopsy pathology. During medical school, Katelynn studied the expression of NAMPT in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and wrote up cases on appendiceal signet-ring cell carcinoma and a lightning death. She continued developing her teaching skills as a TA and coordinator for Introduction to Medical Education at Iowa, a pre-M1 introductory course, and as a small group facilitator for dental students in their Introduction to Human Pathology course. As a senior, she served as Chair of the Student Education Committee, a committee tasked with creating initiatives for curriculum improvement and providing student input on institutional education committees. Katelynn enjoys going on walks with her husband and dog, bicycling (rain or shine), practicing yoga, trying new recipes, and watching TV shows. Katelynn will be pursuing AP/CP training.

Curtis Gravenmier hails from Orlando, Florida, where he grew up playing soccer, camping, and going to the beach. As an undergraduate, he attended Florida State University and earned degrees in Chemistry and Biological Science. As well, he contributed significantly to studies of cell cycle regulation and received the university's Helen Louise Lee Award for undergraduate cancer research. Curtis married Catherine, his high school sweetheart, prior to starting medical school. Curtis earned his medical doctorate at the University of South Florida. Many of his clinical rotations were completed at Moffitt Cancer Center, where he composed mathematical models to explain the evolution of cancer hallmarks including the Warburg effect. He was elected to Alpha Omega Alpha and won a Carolyn L. Kuckein Fellowship. His academic interests include microenvironmental niche construction and stem-like behavior of human malignancies, microscopy, and applied mathematics. During his free time, Curtis enjoys craft beer, brewing, cooking, outdoors activities, video games, and computer programming. He is pursuing AP/CP training.

Monica Butcher was born and raised in Gainesville, FL, home of the Florida Gators. She then moved 15 minutes across town where she received both her B.S. in Nutritional Sciences and then her M.D. at the University of Florida. Thankfully, she managed to leave Gainesville briefly for a summer abroad studying Spanish art and architecture in Barcelona, Spain. In medical school, Monica discovered her passion for education, serving as an individual tutor and assisting in the development of a peer group-tutoring program. Her research interests focused on medical student health and wellness including the exploration of factors contributing to career ambivalence. Monica enjoys running, putting together jigsaw puzzles while watching Netflix, experimenting with cookie recipes and playing with other people's dogs. Monica will be pursuing AP/CP training.

Robert Kruse was born and raised in Houston, Texas. He attended college at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, where he received a Bachelor of Science in Molecular Biophysics & Biochemistry. During his time at Yale, he researched renewable energy using algae and later HIV therapy using red blood cell traps. After graduating, he spent a year studying piggyBac transposons for gene therapy and designing new chimeric cytokine receptors for immunotherapy. Robert earned his medical degree from Baylor College of Medicine. As a member of the Medical Scientist Training Program, he also earned a Doctor of Philosophy in Translational Biology and Molecular Medicine for his work in developing a new animal model and immunotherapies for chronic hepatitis B virus infection. He presented his research on a travel award at the International HBV meeting in Seoul, South Korea. Robert enjoys spending time with his large family, including four siblings with a twin sister. He also has a love for sports, history, trivia, and traveling. Robert is pursuing CP only training.

Alice Meiss was born and raised in Atlanta, GA. She split her undergraduate studies between Princeton University and Savannah College of Art and Design. She took a year off from college to work at St. Elizabeth Homeless Shelter in Santa Fe, NM. After college, she worked for SCAD as an international student recruiter, traveling extensively throughout East and Southeast Asia. Along the way, she decided to become a physician and enrolled in the post-bacc pre-med program at the University of Virginia. She worked as a TA for several pre-med courses and as an HIV tester and counselor before attending the University of Virginia School of Medicine. Incredible pathologist-educators inspired her to enter pathology, an area of medicine perfectly suited to her visual arts training. She worked on several medical education projects and studied the histopathology of breast cancers in patients with non-BRCA hereditary mutations. She was involved in medical humanities activities through the Hook Scholars program and joined the Gold Humanism Honor society. Alice enjoys hiking, cooking, illustrating, and reading with her cat Matilda in her lap. She is seeking teammates for the Baltimore Kinetic Sculpture Race. Alice is deciding between AP/CP and AP-only training.

Gabrielle Bailey was born and raised in Springfield, MO. She then attended Rhodes College in Memphis, TN and received a BS in Chemistry as well as a minor in Religious Studies. She spent time during her undergraduate years ultivating her interest in medicine by volunteering at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. She also performed organic chemistry research investigating the selectivity of human cytosolic sulfotransferase SULT1A3 through the synthesis of novel dopamine analogues. Gabrielle attended the University of Kansas School of Medicine in Kansas City. During medical school, Gabrielle completed an internship at Children's Mercy Hospital in the Bioethics department. She pursued her love of engaging younger students through Students in Schools, a medical student group that taught human anatomy and physiology concepts to middle school students. In her free time, Gabrielle enjoys exploring the culinary scene of new cities, playing tennis, reading, and planning her next travel adventure. Gabrielle is pursuing AP/CP training.

Caroline Early was born and raised in Greensboro, North Carolina. She attended the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia as an undergraduate, where she received her undergraduate degree in Biology and Psychology. At Georgia, she discovered her interest in research while working in an entomology lab studying bacterial symbionts which live in the gut of aphids. After college, she worked as a medical scribe, rotating through several emergency departments in North Carolina, before starting medical school at the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina. She discovered the practice of pathology through her M1 histology course, and ultimately decided to spend the summer after her first year immersed in autopsy research. From this experience, she knew she had found her passion in pathology. She went on to do longitudinal research with hospital autopsies through her medical school's Research Distinction Track. She tutored peers in Microbiology & Immunology and led a pathology interest group at her medical school. Caroline enjoys trying new restaurants, tasting and brewing beer, true crime, and playing with (getting scratched by) her cat, Claire.

Matthew Gabrielson was born in Baltimore, MD, and grew up on a small farm just outside of the city, in Baltimore County. He received his B.S. in Biochemistry from Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove, PA. Matt earned his medical degree from Albert Einstein College of Medicine, in the Bronx, NY. While in undergrad and medical school, he researched various imaging techniques to measure PD-L1 expression in mouse models for human cancer at Johns Hopkins University. As a medical student, he also studied the role of various immune cells in the tumor microenvironment of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma at Montefiore Medical Center. Matt is a huge Ravens fan, and has a passion for sports, history, computers, and the outdoors. Matt will be pursuing AP/CP training.

Ashleigh Graham was born in Kingston, Jamaica moving to Tallahassee, Florida as a child. At Florida State University she double majored in Biochemistry and Chemistry, obtaining a B.S. degree with honors. Her participation in two research labs involved testing antidepressant properties of ketamine and quantification of ribosomal binding strength. At the University of South Florida she finished her M.S. in Medical Sciences before earning her M.D. at New York Medical College. In medical school she received the Victor Tchertkoff, M.D. Memorial Award for exhibiting exceptional interest and ability in the field of Pathology. Global humanitarianism is an important and avid interest of Ashleigh's. Not only has she designed a research project focused on aiding refugee children traumatized by war, but she also helped to provide health services during a mission trip to the underserved population of St. Elizabeth, Jamaica. One day she hopes to integrate her interest into career initiatives. She enjoys making vegetarian meals, acrylic painting to classical music, and cheering for underdogs in basketball games. Ashleigh is pursuing AP/CP training.

Eitan Halper-Stromberg is from Takoma Park, Maryland. He completed his undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering at University of Maryland, College Park. He then worked for LexisNexis as a software engineer before returning to graduate school. He received a PhD in Human Genetics at Johns Hopkins University, with a focus in bioinformatics. While in graduate school, he met his wife at a swing dancing lesson. Five years later, they moved to Denver where she completed her psychiatry residency. He did a post doctoral fellowship at the University of Colorado/National Jewish Health Hospital and subsequently attended University of Colorado School of Medicine. While in Colorado, he contributed to the research of the COPDGene Study. Eitan enjoys spending time with his wife and two children, camping, running and following current events.

Harsimar Kaur was born and raised in Ambala Cantt., a cantonment in Northern India. She received her MD from All India Institute of Medical Sciences. After graduation, she moved to United States to do a postdoctoral fellowship in the Lotan lab at Johns Hopkins. Her work mainly focused on elucidating the correlation of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes with different molecular mutations and their potential prognostic role in prostate cancer. She is interested in immunooncology and digital pathology. During her time at Johns Hopkins, she also served as the co-chair of Internationals Committee of Johns Hopkins Postdoctoral Association. Outside of medicine, she enjoys baking, visiting local cafes, dancing and hiking. Harsimar will be pursuing AP/CP training.

Efrain Antonio Ribiero was born just a few blocks from Johns Hopkins on East Baltimore Street and grew up in Ellicott City, Maryland. He attended Wesleyan University and majored in Philosophy and Neuroscience as an undergraduate. He then worked at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center as a research technician doing stem cell research for one year. He completed the MD/PhD program at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York and earned his PhD in Neuroscience focusing on the use of Next Generation Sequencing technologies to profile specific cell types in the brain. He hopes to use this knowledge to continue to expand the role of molecular diagnostics in diagnosing and treating cancer. Outside of medicine, he likes to spend time outdoors with his wife and two dogs, Puff and Hela (who was named after the stem cell line) and is looking forward to many walks with them in Patterson Park. He and his wife love trying new food and wine and love to host friends and family for dinner parties. In his free time, he enjoys producing music and attending concerts with his dad, and he is an avid Baltimore Ravens fan. Efrain is pursuing AP only training.

Carla Saoud was born and raised in Miniara, Lebanon. She received her B.S. in Biology and her MD from the Lebanese American University. Early on during her medical studies, she was interested in histology and pathology. After medical school, she completed two years of residency in anatomic pathology at Lebanese American University, where she also studied the clinicopathologic features of lymphocytic esophagitis. She enjoys swimming, dancing, cooking, travelling and shopping. Carla will be pursuing AP training followed by fellowships in AP subspecialty.

Andrew Sohn was born and raised in Queens, NY. He attended Vassar College, where he graduated with a degree in Chemistry, including a senior thesis on computational electrochemistry of carbon nanotubes grown on silicon wafers. Andrew received his M.D. from Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University. During medical school, he completed research fellowships in the Medical Research Scholars Program at the NIH, followed by the HHMI Medical Research Fellows Program at the University of Pennsylvania. For his research, Andrew focused on machine learning and computer vision for biomedical image analysis and epigenomics. In his spare time, he enjoys reading, pour over coffee, craft beer, sports and programming. His current programming languages of choice are Python and Rust. Andrew is pursuing the PSTP in AP only training.

Julie Stein was born in Washington, D.C. and raised in Potomac, M.D. She received a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania. After deciding on a career in medicine, she pursued post-bacc training at Johns Hopkins University. She then earned her M.D. from George Washington University where she was elected to Alpha Omega Alpha. Not entirely certain about what type of medical specialty she was interested in pursuing, Julie decided to complete a preliminary internship in Internal Medicine in the Osler Residency Program at Johns Hopkins Hospital. While she enjoyed her clinical training, she ultimately fell in love with pathology while conducting clinical and translational research as a postdoctoral research fellow for the past two years under the outstanding mentorship of Dr. Janis M. Taube. Julie's research focuses on immuno-pathology, particularly investigating the tumor microenvironment and the histopathologic and immunohistochemical correlates of cancer immunotherapy treatment modalities. She has had the opportunity to present her research at several conferences, including the Annual Meeting for the American Society of Dermatopathology where she was awarded the Best Resident/Fellow Oral Abstract Presentation. Julie enjoys spending time with her family and friends, cooking, and spending all disposable income on maintaining her foodie identity at new restaurants. Julie is pursuing AP training.

Seena Tabibi, was born in Tehran, Iran, and moved to the US in July 2004. After graduating Springfield High School in Illinois, Seena attended University of California, Berkeley, graduating with majors in Integrative Biology and Marine Science. He then attended Southern Illinois University School of Medicine. During the summer between first and second years of medical school, Seena participated in a research project evaluating the risk of developing squamous cell carcinoma of skin from potential wound healing reagents (LCN2 and MMP9), at Baylor College of Medicine in Texas. At SIU, he participated in a psoriasis research project and a few other projects, including a case report on cutaneous meningioma of the scalp that he presented at 2018 CAP annual meeting in Chicago. Outside of school, Seena enjoys traveling and so far has visited a few countries in the Middle East and Europe; in the US, one of his most memorable travels was a solo trip to Alaska in August 2016, where he enjoyed ice hiking on a glacier and kayaking in open waters. Seena is passionate about sports, including running, biking, and swimming and enjoys maintaining a wellbalanced diet. He has been a member of Academy Bullets Swim Club throughout medical school and is currently training for a race in May 2019 in Spain, where he will compete as a member of the United States Aquathlon Team in the men's 25-29 year old age group category. Seena loves nature photography and is an avid weather enthusiast, using his home weather station to record observations. He is fluent in Azeri Turkish and Farsi and loves spending quality time with friends and family. Seena is pursuing AP/CP training.

Jason Van Roo was born and raised in Port Washington, Wisconsin. He spent some years working a variety of jobs including manufacturing and construction before working his way through college as a line cook/sous chef. He attended the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and completed a degree in chemistry. He participated in a summer undergraduate research fellowship where he studied the interactions of nitrous oxide with cytochrome in bacteria. He also worked as a teaching assistant in multiple chemistry labs. Jason earned his medical degree from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. While there he studied outcomes for renal oncocytic neoplasms and variability of Ki67 index and mitosis quantification. He was also a coleader in a mentoring group for new medical students and helped to pilot new curriculum. Jason enjoys trying new recipes, refining his soups, golfing, hiking, and hanging out with his cat. Jason is pursuing AP/CP training.

Katya Dombrowski was raised in Glen Ridge, NJ. She attended Princeton University where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Neuroscience. Working under Dr. Yael Niv, she completed her senior thesis on the process of human decision-making. After college, wanting to get some practical medical experience, she worked at a federally qualified health center in Long Branch, NJ and then a private internist’s office in Washington, DC. Katya earned her medical degree from Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx. While there, she became involved in the student-run free clinic, working first as an in-house HIV counselor. This work in HIV helped springboard her into pursuing research on the effects of perinatal HIV on neurocognitive development. It also motivated her to travel to Tanzania for a summer, where she worked with a local NGO supporting women and children affected by the virus, reinforcing her interest in global health. Katya enjoys cooking, reading, traveling, binge watching tv with her cat Zoe, and trying new restaurants with her partner, Jameson. Katya will be pursuing AP/CP training.

Tait Huso grew up in the rolling hills of Northern Baltimore County before making his way to Penn State. There he studied Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and became interested in the field of medicine. During summers as an undergraduate Tait worked in Linda Smith-Resar’s laboratory at Johns Hopkins where he contributed to understanding the cellular pathways dysregulated by the HMGA oncoproteins. After graduating from Penn State, Tait spent a year and a half continuing this research before pursuing medical training at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. In medical school his research interests focused on exploring healthcare fragmentation and the negative effects it exerts on patients with chronic health conditions such as Sickle Cell Anemia. Outside of the hospital and laboratory Tait enjoys road-tripping across the upper Midwest to visit family, fly-fishing local rivers, playing pick-up basketball, and tackling ambitious small-scale agriculture projects such as beekeeping. Tait is pursuing AP/CP training.

Jae Lee was born in Seoul, South Korea and grew up in Fairfax, Virginia. He received his A.B. in Chemistry at Princeton University. After college, he conducted research on multiple sclerosis at the National Institutes of Health for two years in the laboratory of Michael Lenardo. Jae then completed the MD/PhD program at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. For his PhD research, Jae identified an intercellular inflammatory network underpinned by hepatocytes that directs metastatic spread of cancer cells tothe liver in the laboratory of Gregory Beatty. During medical school, Jae served as co-chair of Oncology Interest Group and co-regional director of the Asian-Pacific American Medical Student Association. Jae enjoys traveling with his wife and family; playing tennis, squash, and soccer; and visiting art museums. Jae is pursing AP only training.

Lorena Marcano-Bonilla was born and raised in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico. As an undergraduate student she attended the University of Puerto Rico- Rio Piedras Campus, where she received the degree of BS in Cellular and Molecular Biology. She earned her MD from the University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine and her PhD from Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. During graduate school, her thesis project examined the association of biliary tract cancer risk and mortality with use of low dose aspirin, non-spirin NSAIDs, statins and metformin in the Swedish population. As a pathology resident she plans to pursue training in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology. Lorena enjoys outdoors activities like hiking, playing tennis and volleyball, as well as cooking and spending time with her family. Lorena is pursuing AP/CP training.

Michael Mikula was born in Princeton, NJ and grew up in nearby Cranbury, NJ. He graduated from Loyola University Maryland in Baltimore with a bachelor’s degree in Biology and Chemistry. While at Loyola, his senior research focused on the endocellulase Cel5a of Thermobifida fusca. After college, Mike worked in materials chemistry research at Henkel Corporation, focusing on enhancing the efficiency of LED lights. He then earned a Master’s of Science in Physiology and Biophysics from Georgetown University and went on to attend medical school at Albany Medical College in Albany, NY. Mike was inspired to enter pathology by several pathology educators at Albany Med. In his fourth year, he was elected to Alpha Omega Alpha. In his free time, Mike is a wannabe powerlifter, consistently working towards upping his squat, bench, and deadlift. He enjoys movies and is currently watching the Lord of the Rings extended edition with a small group while socially distancing.
He also enjoys hiking and managed to take in some of what upstate New York has to offer while there.
Michael is pursuing AP/CP training.

Jason Murray still wants to be an astronaut when he grows up, and barring that wants to similarly stimulate his sense of exploration. He is a firm believer that the more you learn the more you realize how little you know and is trying to learn his way out of this realization. Thus his path through life so far has consisted primarily of professional studenthood, with undergrad at Georgia Tech where he double majored in Chemical Engineering and Biochemistry, a PhD studying protein translation and ribosomes at the NIH and Cambridge, followed by medical school at Hopkins. His most recent academic interests revolve around ectopic pregnancy and placental biology, leading him to residency in pathology. In addition to copious time spent in school, Jason enjoys hiking and backpacking (preferably in remote locations), cooking (eating), baking (eating lots), and traveling to visit friends. Other notable accomplishments include being kicked out of a dorm (for BBQing too much), being banned from watching Disney movies (because he would sing along), and earning the nickname mama-J. Jason is deciding between AP/CP and AP-only training.

Abigayle Norwood is a cheesehead from Green Bay, WI. She received her B.S. in Clinical Laboratory Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Upon graduation she moved to Port-au-Prince, Haiti to teach at a tuition-free boarding school, an experience which strongly influenced her decision to pursue postgraduate studies. Her later work in Colorado as both a medical laboratory scientist and a research technician studying tuberculosis is where she developed her passion for pathology and laboratory medicine. She earned her M.D. from Georgetown University School of Medicine in Washington, DC. She is proud of her role in designing and implementing a new pathology clerkship for fourth year medical students. Her academic interests include increasing the visibility of pathology and promoting more collaboration across specialties to improve patient care. She was also an active member of Georgetown’s student mentorship programs, Health Justice Scholars, and Physicians for Human Rights. Abi enjoys being in the outdoors, bicycling, and skiing. Her idea of having fun includes live music, DIY crafts, and sipping Sagamore Spirit whiskey. Abi is pursuing AP/CP training.

Kevin Toomer was born and raised in Miami, Florida. He attended Cornell University in Ithaca, NY, where he pursued research exploring molecular evolution of the bacterial endosymbionts within arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. After graduating from Cornell with a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences, he enrolled in the Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. His early clinical training helped solidify a research interest in immunology, as he began to recognize inflammation as a unifying mechanism behind diverse disease processes. For his Ph.D. project he studied the roles of interleukin-2 in functional programming, subset heterogeneity, and maintenance of regulatory T cells, an area of immense therapeutic relevance in the context of autoimmune disease. Kevin has been the recipient of various awards during his career, including the NRSA Individual Predoctoral MD/PhD Fellowship (F31), and an undergraduate Biology Research Fellowship Award sponsored by the NSF. Outside of science and medicine, Kevin enjoys artistic hobbies including drawing, painting, and woodcarving. He is also an avid reader of historical nonfiction and enjoys touring museums and historical sites. Kevin will be pursuing AP/CP training.

Eric Young was born in New York and was raised in Menasha, WI. He graduated with a B.S. in Genetics, Cell Biology and Development from the University of Minnesota. After graduation, he managed the U of M Zebrafish Core Facility before moving to Houston, TX. There, Eric spent three years researching soft tissue sarcoma at MD Anderson Cancer Center. He graduated from the M.D./Ph.D. program at the University of Kansas School of Medicine in Kansas City, KS. For his thesis work, he studied the role of ITIH5 in suppressing pancreatic cancer metastasis to the liver. Current research interests include solid tumor biology, liver metastasis, and developmental biology. He enjoys gardening, cooking, the outdoors and spending time with friends and family—especially his wife, son and dog. Eric is pursuing AP training and the PSTP track.

Thomas Zaikos was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He attended St. Bonaventure University in Olean, NY where he competed on the men’s soccer and hockey teams and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry. Thomas enrolled into the M.D. program at the George Washington University (GWU) in 2010. In 2012, Thomas took a leave of absence to pursue a Ph.D. at the University of Michigan in the laboratory of Kathleen L. Collins, M.D., Ph.D. where his thesis focused on HIV persistence and cure strategies. Thomas received several awards throughout his training, including the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) International Student Research Fellowship. Thomas returned to GWU in 2018 and earned his M.D. in 2020. Outside of medicine, Thomas enjoys playing and coaching soccer, golfing, and drinking great coffee.
Thomas is pursuing AP/NP training.