Kang Chen, PhD
Principal Investigator

Kang studied in the National University of Singapore on a Singapore government scholarship, initially majoring in Computer Science and later graduating with First-Class Honors in biochemistry, studying tumor immunology and microbiology with Yunn-Hwen Gan. He did doctoral research at Weill Cornell Medicine and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and had postdoctoral training at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai with Andrea Cerutti . While in New York, he also worked with the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT) on initiatives of sustainable urbanization and public health, and organized seminars in the UN Headquarters to host the world's political, economic and scientific leaders. He has been a member of the tumor biology and microenvironment program at Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Center and the UN Committee on Human Settlements in consultative relationship with the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). He was a recipient of the Charles Janeway Memorial Award, Lijen Industrial Development Medal and a Burroughs Wellcome Fund investigator.

Carolyn Chatterton, DO, MPH
Maternal-Fetal Medicine Fellow

Carolyn is a maternal-fetal medicine fellow and has extensive experience in obstetrics and gynecology.

Logan Michelini, BS
Graduate Student

Logan is a graduate student at Wayne State Univeristy. He graduated from Michigan State University.

Yujing Hao, MD
Visiting Student

Yujing is a visiting student from the Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, China. She is trained as an obstetrician.

Munna Hazime, BS
Medical Student

Munna is a second year medical student, with an interest in OB/GYN.

Nicole Oska, BS
Medical Student

Nicole is a second year medical student, with an interest in OB/GYN.

Fayi Yao, MD
Research Associate

Fayi is a Research Associate with expertise in molecular biology, biochemistry and neurobiology.

Hany Deirawan, MD
Pathology and Dermatology Resident
Current position: Attending Dermatologist, Dearborn, Michigan

Hany has expertise in immunopathology and transplant immunology. He has performed research in transplant immunology for several years at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School with James Markmann.

Ying Li, MD, PhD
Visiting Research Fellow
Current position: Attending Obstetrician, the Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, China

Ying is a clinician scientist with active practise in obstetics and prenatal diagnosis as well as research in neonatal genetic and immunological disorders. She has trained with David Fisher at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School.

Rahul D'Mello, MD, PhD
OB/GYN Resident
Current position: MFM fellow, Oregon Health and Science University

Rahul is an OB/GYN resident at Wayne State University and Detroit Medical Center. He graduated from the Johns Hopkins University with a major in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, and was trained in the MSTP Program at the University of Cincinnati School of Medicine and Cincinnati Children's Hospital, working on the immunology of prenatal and neonatal infections and allergies with Marc Rothenberg and Sing Sing Way.

Jordan Zhou, BS
Graduate Student
Current position: Postdoctoral Fellow, Weill Cornell Medicine

Jordan is a graduate student of the Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics Program at Wayne State University and is also a member of the graduate student resarch committee. He graduated with dual majors in biomedical science and classics from Grand Valley State University, where he was a student leader in multiple scientific and extracurricular societies and a winner of many academic and research awards.

Zhaoxin Wang, MD
Visiting Student
Current position: Graduate student, the Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, China

Zhaoxin is a clinician scientist in training, specializing in obstetrics and gynecology.

Bei Liu, MD, PhD
Visiting Student
Current position: Physician, Jiangsu Hospital of Chinese Medicine, China

Bei is a clinician scientist in Chinese medicine. She graduated from Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine.

Shuang Zhang, MD, PhD
Visiting Student
Current position: Obstetrician, Zhangjiagang Hospital of Chinese Medicine, China

Shuang is a clinician scientist trained in Chinese medicine. She graduated from Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine.

Azure Faucette, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow
Current position: Assistant Professor, City University of New York

Azure, a native of Brooklyn, New York, studied Animal and Poultry Science from the Tuskegee University and received BS and MS degrees in 2003 and 2005, respectively. She was trained in Physiology of Reproduction at Texas A&M University and received her PhD in 2012. During her postdoctoral training, she was the recipient of several prestigious national awards, including the Federation of American Societies of Experimental Biology (FASEB) travel award, William Townsend Porter Scholarship, Burroughs Wellome Fund (BWF) and Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) Scholarship for Frontiers in Reproduction.

Bihui Huang, MD, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow and Visiting Professor
Current position: Professor, Sun Yat-Sen University, China

Bihui received medical and scientific training at the Chinese Academy of Preventive Medicine and New York University School of Medicine. He conducted doctoral study at Weill Cornell Medicine and postdoctoral trainng at Yale School of Medicine with Katherine Hajjar and William Sessa, respectively.

Benjamin Unger, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow
Current position: Robert Noyce Teacher Scholar, Michigan State University

Ben received his BA degree in Biological Sciences from the State University of New York (SUNY) at Potsdam, and his PhD degree from SUNY at Binghamton. He has experience in both the academia and the industry, working previously as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Tennessee, an Application Scientist at the EDP Biotech Corporation and a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Michigan Medical School. Dr. Unger is currently a Robert Noyce teacher scholar at Michigan State University funded by the National Science Foundation.

Jacqueline Guterman, MD, PhD
OB/GYN Resident
Current position: Attending Obstetrician, Staten Island, New York

Jackie is an OB/GYN resident at Wayne State University and Detroit Medical Center. She graduated with the highest honors from the City University of New York (CUNY) College of Staten Island and was trained in the MSTP Program at the SUNY Upstate Medical University, working on cell-mediated immunity against viral infections. She is an American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG)-funded research fellow.

Joshua Goyert, BS
Graduate Student
Current position: Medical Student, University of Michigan at Ann Arbor

Joshua is a graduate of the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. During his undergraduate study, he served as a student ambassador and traveled to many parts of the world working on initiative of sustainable development and renewable energy technologies.

Michael Pawlitz, BS
Research Assistant and Graduate Student
Current position: Graduate Student, Wayne State University

Michael graduated from Ohio Northern University with a major in Biology and a minor in Chemistry, receiving the Dean's scholarship throughout his undergraduate study. He is also a varity wrestler, being a two-time All-OAC honoree.

Japnam Jassal, BS
Honors Student
Current position: MD Student (Class of 2022), Wayne State University School of Medicine

Japnam is a senior attending the Wayne State Irvin D. Reid Honors College. He is a member of Phi Beta Kappa, the nation's oldest and most prestigious honor society.

Nadim El-Hage, BS
UROP Student
Current position: MD Student (Class of 2020), Wayne State University School of Medicine

Nadim is studying medicine at Wayne State University. He graduated from the Wayne State Irvin D. Reid Honors College in Biological Sciences with the highest departmental and university honors. He is a member of Phi Beta Kappa, the nation's oldest and most prestigious honor society.

Bo Pei, PhD
Research Associate
Current position: Senior Scientist, Intrexon

Bo graduated from the Institute of Biophysics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and subseqently conducted postdoctoral research with the renowned immunologist Mitchell Kronenberg at the La Jolla Institute of Allergy and Immunology. He is highly experienced in cellular and molecular immunology, mucosal immunology, and cell and molecular biology.

Brett Sassack, BS
Honors Student
Current position: MD Student (Class of 2021), Michigan State University

Brett is a senior in the Wayne State Irvin D. Reid Honors College, majoring in Honors in Kinesiology with a focus on Exercise and Sport Science. Brett is determined to pursue a career in medicine.

Aivy Dao, BS
Honors Student
Current position: DDS Student (Class of 2021), Temple University School of Dentistry

Aivy is a junior in the Wayne State Irvin D. Reid Honors College, and plans to pursue a career in dental medicine.

Lakshmi Nerusu, BS
UROP Scholar
Current position: MD Student (Class of 2021), Wayne State University School of Medicine

Lakshmi is a senior attending the Wayne State Irvin D. Reid Honors College. She is an Honors Psychology major and determined to pursue a biomedical career. She had worked as a research student at the University of Michigan Medical School.

Jason Lin, BS
Honors Student
Current position: MD Student (Class of 2023), Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine

Jason is a senior attending the Wayne State Irvin D. Reid Honors College.

Aditya Mathiarasu, BS
Wayne State University Presidential Scholar and UROP Scholar
Current position: Graduate Student, Case Western Reserve University

Aditya was a Wayne State University Presidential Scholar and graduated from the Wayne State Irvin D. Reid Honors College with the highest honor, majoring in Psychology. He is currently a graduate student in Case Western Reserve University. He is also training for his black belt in Taekwondo and is a member of various organizations, such as the Honors Student Association, American Medical Student Association, Student Environmental Action Leaders, and Psi Chi. He also volunteers in the emergency department at St. Joseph Mercy Oakland.

Joe Wang, PhD
Research Associate

Joe graduated from the Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences with a degree in Immunology. Prior to joining the lab, he hadworked with some of the leading immunologists in the world at the NIH/NIAID, the University of Chicago and Columbia University.