A large group of students smiling together outdoors

MSTP Current Students

Students in the Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) at UW–Madison come from all over the United States.

The training that our students receive and the personal and professional friendships that they make during their time in Madison should last a lifetime.

Learn more about our current students, including their research interests and publications.

MD-PhD Student Directory

Name	Year Joined	Grad Program	Mentor	Research Interest(s)	Research Links	Undergrad
Jacob Bjorgen	2025	TBD	Rotating Summer 2026	Viral Pathogenesis, Microbial Evolution, Host-Microbe Interactions, Viral Countermeasures, Vaccinology, Virology, Infectious Diseases, Immunology	ORCID	University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
Lucas Chini	2025	TBD	Rotating Summer 2026	Epigenetics, T-cells, Immunology, Inflammatory Bowl Disease, Dietary Interventions, Microbiome	ORCID	University of Wisconsin–Madison
Nathan Clemons	2025	TBD	Rotating Summer 2026	Cancer Theranostics, Cancer Immunology, Molecular Imaging, Radiopharmaceutical Therapy	ORCID	University of Wisconsin–Madison
Troy Fisher	2025	TBD	Rotating Summer 2026	Mass Spectrometry, Autoimmunity, Proteomics, Proteoform, Biomarkers, Biotherapeutics	ORCID	Northwestern University-Evanston
Sarah Gibes	2025	TBD	Rotating Summer 2026	Epidemiology, Global Mental Health, Infectious Disease Modeling, Substance Use	ORCID	Calvin University
Charlie Nguyen	2025	TBD	Rotating Summer 2026	Cancer Immunology, Cancer Biology, Immunotherapy, Genome Engineering	ORCID	University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
Troy Powell	2025	TBD	Rotating Summer 2026	Radiopharmaceuticals, Alpha Particle Therapy, Targeted Therapy, Radiation Biology and Oncology	ORCID	Harvard University
Teressa Shaw	2025	TBD	Rotating Summer 2026	Emerging Infectious Disease, Microbe-Host Interactions, Microbial Pathogenesis, Immune Evasion, Virology, Maternal-Fetal Immunology	ORCID	University of Wisconsin–Madison
Emma Treco	2025	TBD	Rotating Summer 2026	Cancer Immunotherapy, Tumor Immunology, Autoimmunity, Oncology	ORCID	The University of Iowa
Naa Asheley Ashitey	2024	TBD	Rotating Summer 2025	Cancer Immunotherapy, Tumor Immunology, CAR T Cells, Autoimmunity, Health Disparities in Cancer and Autoimmune Diseases, Cultural Pedagogy and Educational Advocacy	LinkedIn ORCID	University of Chicago
Briah Barksdale	2024	TBD	Rotating Summer 2025	Immunology, Reproductive Immunology, Microbiology	LinkedIn ORCID	University of Maryland-Baltimore County
Mikayla Bull	2024	TBD	Angela Gibson, MD, PhD, FACS	Cancer Immunology, Tumor Microenvironment, Oncology, Burn Wound Healing, Burn Wound Microenvironment	LinkedIn ORCID	The Ohio State University
Erin Clark	2024	TBD	Rotating Summer 2025	Viral Pathogenesis, Virus-Host Interactions, Virology, Infectious Diseases, Microbiology	ORCID	Indiana University-Bloomington
Ishani Gaidhane	2024	TBD	Rotating Summer 2025	Chemical Biology, Medicinal Chemistry	LinkedIn ORCID	Central Michigan University
Zoe Gardner	2024	TBD	Rotating Summer 2025	Pediatrics, Developmental Biology, Embryology, Zebrafish Biology	LinkedIn ORCID	Smith College
Samantha Hoffman	2024	TBD	Rotating Summer 2025	Neuroscience, Neurodegeneration, Brain Injury, Neuroimaging, Neuromodulation	ORCID	University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
Gabrianne Larson	2024	TBD	Rotating Summer 2025	Cancer Biology, Oncology, Urology, Hormone Signaling, Metastasis, and Therapeutic Resistance	ORCID	Universty of Minnesota-Twin Cities
Kaitlyn Lazorchak	2024	TBD	Dr. Becky Richards	Cancer Biology, Immunotherapy, Hematology, Immunology of Transplant	ORCID	Davidson College
Tatyana Lynn	2024	TBD	Rotating Summer 2025	Reproductive Science, Immunology of Pregnancy, Immunology, Microbiology, Maternal Fetal Medicine, Organ Transplantation and Neonatology	LinkedIn ORCID	Union College
Cameron Schultz	2024	TBD	Rotating Summer 2025	Neurodegeneration, Neuronal Protein Trafficking, Glial Cells	LinkedIn ORCID	University of St. Thomas
Jessica Schwartz	2024	TBD	Rotating Summer 2025	Congenital Infection, Reproductive Immunology, Placental Physiology	ORCID	Gustavus Adolphus College
David Van Wazer	2024	TBD	Rotating Summer 2025	Protein Design, Synthetic Biology, Immunology, Vaccinology, Biosecurity	LinkedIn Google Scholar ORCID	University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Kailyn Anderson	2023	TBD	Barbara Bendlin, PhD, MA	Neuroscience, Dementia, Health Disparities, Neurodegeneration	ORCID	University of Minnesota - Morris
Chris Carchi	2023	Neuroscience Training Program (NTP)	Douglas Dean, PhD	Brain Injury, Neuroregenerative Medicine, Neurodegeneration, Neuroimaging, Neuromodulation	LinkedIn ORCID	University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Jordan Ewald	2023	TBD	Jacques Galipeau, MD	Pediatrics, Nephrology, Neuroendocrine Tumors, Radiation Biology and Oncology	LinkedIn ORCID	University of Iowa
Sophie Karp	2023	TBD	Sean Palecek, PhD	Stem Cell, Organoid, Regenerative Medicine, Tissue Engineering	ORCID	Colgate University
Ethan Willbrand	2023	TBD	JP Yu, MD, PhD	Cognitive Neuroscience, Neuroimaging, Neuroanatomy, Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Neurodegenerative Diseases	LinkedIn Google Scholar ORCID	University of California - Berkeley
Andrea Lucia Alfonso	2022	Cellular and Molecular Pathology (CMP)	David Beebe, PhD	Biomedical Engineering (BME), Tissue Engineering, Biomaterials, Biomechanics, Patient-Specific Models	LinkedIn ORCID	Cornell University
Kellen Biesbrock	2022	Cellular and Molecular Biology	John Denu, PhD	Gut Microbiome, Microbe-Host Interactions, Systems Biology	LinkedIn ORCID	The Ohio State University
Jared Boyce	2022	Neuroscience Training Program (NTP)	Catherine Marler, PhD	Early life Trauma, Molecular Neurobiology, Epigenetics, Depression/PTSD	LinkedIn Google Scholar ORCID	Dartmouth College; Brown University
Jordan Bramble	2022	Biomedical Data Sciences (BDS)	Pallavi Tiwari, PhD	Statistics, Bayesian Analysis, Epidemiology, Infectious Disease	ORCID	University of Kansas
Matthew Chrostek	2022	Cellular and Molecular Pathology (CMP)	Shuang (George) Zhao, MD	Cancer Biomarkers, Breast Cancer, Clinical Biomarkers, Targeted Therapies	LinkedIn ORCID	University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
Sophia Doerr	2022	Biomedical Data Science (BDS)	Matthew Churpek, MD, PhD, MPH	Clinical Informatics, Health Equity, Computer Vision, Systems Engineering	LinkedIn Google Scholar ORCID	Johns Hopkins University
Evan Dray	2022	Cancer Biology	Christian Capitini, MD	Pediatric Oncology, Pediatric Glioma, Neuroblastoma, Epigenetics, CAR T-Cells	LinkedIn Google Scholar ORCID	University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Mariza Francis	2022	Neuroscience Training Program (NTP)	Ned Kalin, MD	Neuroscience, Neurodevelopment, Systems Neuroscience, Psychosocial Factors of Health	LinkedIn ORCID	Tulane University
Jin Komerska	2022	Microbiology Doctoral Training Program (MDTP)	Jason Peters, PhD	Microbial Genetics	LinkedIn ORCID	Grinnell College
Alissa Kunczt	2022	Cellular and Molecular Biology (CMB)	Anna Huttenlocher, MD	Neurodegenerative Disease, Drug Targeting, Drug Delivery	ORCID	University of Chicago
Michaela Morhaus	2022	Cellular and Molecular Biology (CMB)	Judith Simcox, PhD	Metabolism, Mitochondria, Genetic Polymorphisms, Inborn Errors of Metabolism	ORCID	Washington University in St. Louis
Kim Phan	2022	Cellular and Molecular Biology (CMB)	James Keck, PhD	Structural Biology, Protein Structure, Drug Discovery, Structural Mechanisms	ORCID	Augustana College
John Shuster	2022	Cellular and Molecular Biology (CMB)	Judith Simcox, PhD	Aging, Orthopedics, Metabolism, Diabetes	Google Scholar ORCID	Washington University in St. Louis
William Stump	2022	Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology (MCP)	Marina Sharifi, MD, PhD	Cancer Biology, Cancer Immunology, Cell Signaling, Targeted Therapy	LinkedIn ORCID	University of Alabama in Huntsville
Michael Fromandi	2021	Biomedical Data Science	Daniel Pimentael-Alarcon	Data Science, Neuroradiology, Genomics, Mathematics, Big Data	LinkedIn ORCID	University of Colorado - Boulder
Nicholas Garcia	2021	Cellular and Molecular Pathology	Anna Huttenlocher, MD	Immunology, Immunotherapy, Regenerative Medicine, & Adaptive Immunity	LinkedIn ORCID	Indiana University
James Haddad	2021	Cellular and Molecular Pathology	Matthew Churpek, MD, PhD, MPH	Bioinformatics, Multi-Omics, Data Integration	ORCID	University of Pittsburgh
Angela Hsu	2021	Cellular and Molecular Pathology (CMP)	Melissa Skala, PhD	Metabolism, T Cell Migration, Tumor Microenvironment, Hematology/Oncology	LinkedIn ORCID	University of Michigan
Sidra Jabeen	2021	Cellular and Molecular Pathology	F. Jeffrey Dilworth	Synaptic Plasticity, Neurodevelopment and Degeneration, Neuromodulation	ORCID	City University of NY - Queens College
Dawid Maciorowski	2021	NIH OxCam	Jeffrey Cohen, MD Mark Howarth, PhD	Protein Design, Synthetic Biology, Vaccinology, Virology, Biosecurity	LinkedIn Google Scholar ORCID	Loyola University Chicago
Vivian H. Nguyen	2021	Cellular and Molecular Biology (CMB)	Johanna Elfenbien, DVM, PhD, Diplomate ACVIM	Microbiology, Infectious Disease, Bacterial Pathogenesis, Gut Microbiota	LinkedIn Google Scholar ORCID	University of Texas - Dallas
Andrew Norton	2021	Cellular and Molecular Pathology	Adam Bailey	Viral Pathogenesis, Infectious Diseases, Virology, Arteriviruses	LinkedIn ResearchGate ORCID	University of Minnesota
Jarron Roy	2021	Cellular and Molecular Pathology	Rebecca Richards	Biomaterials and Drug Delivery	LinkedIn ORCID	University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Leela Shah	2021	Neuroscientist Training Program	Douglas Dean, PhD	Pediatric Neuroimaging, Neurodevelopment, Neonatology, Perinatology	LinkedIn ORCID	University of Virginia
Sophie Vrba	2021	Cellular and Molecular Pathology	Zsusanna Fabry	Neuroimmunology, Immunology, Multiple Sclerosis, Tuberculosis	LinkedIn Google Scholar ORCID	University of Minnesota
Monica I. Duran	2020	Neuroscience	Brittany Travers, PhD	Autism/ADHD, Neurodevelopment, Brain Structure, Neuroimaging (MRI; DWI), Behavioral Assessments	ORCID	University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras
Ashley Holt	2020	Microbiology	Jeniel Nett, MD, PhD	Emerging Pathogens, Host-Microbe Interactions, Neutrophils, Microbiology	ORCID	Texas A&M University
Rachel Kirchner	2020	Cellular and Molecular Biology	Jane Churpek, MD	Telemere Biology Disorders, Rare Disease, Medical Genetics	LinkedIn ORCID	The Ohio State University
Ajinkya Limkar	2020	Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology	William Ricke, PhD	Immunology, Inflammation, Wound Healing, Urology, BPH	LinkedIn Google Scholar ORCID	University of Minnesota
Gabriella Mamlouk	2020	Cellular and Molecular Pathology	Ozioma Okonkwo, PhD	Sex Differences, Alzheimer’s, Dementia, Health Disparities, Neuroscience	LinkedIn ORCID	North Carolina State University
Eleanna Melcher	2020	Population Health Sciences	Amy Kind, MD, PhD	Health Disparities, Social Exposome, Alzheimer's Disease, Area Disadvantage, Population Health	LinkedIn ORCID	University of Pittsburgh
Rodrigo Antonio Montoro	2020	Cellular and Molecular Biology	Laura Knoll, PhD	Obesity, Host-Pathogen Interactions, Toxoplasma gondii, Gut-Brain Axis, Gut Microbiome	LinkedIn Google Scholar ResearchGate ORCID	Towson University
Jenny Piciw	2020	Cellular and Molecular Biology	Anita Bhattacharyya, PhD	Stem Cells, Down Syndrome, Neurodevelopment	LinkedIn ORCID	University of Richmond
Ryan Risgaard	2020	Cellular and Molecular Biology	Andre Sousa, PhD	Developmental Neuroscience	ORCID	University of Wisconsin-Madison
Erin Schaeffer	2020	Cellular and Molecular Pathology	Giulio Tononi, MD, PhD	Temporal Interference, Brain Stimulation, Electroencephalography, Sleep, Mental Health	ORCID	Brown University
Nicholas Arp	2019	Cellular and Molecular Biology	Jing Fan, PhD	Metabolism, Immunometabolism, Macrophage, Mass Spectrometry	LinkedIn Google Scholar ORCID	Wartburg College
Austin Feeney	2019	Biomedical Engineering	Sean Palecek, PhD	Stem Cell Bioengineering, Cardiomyocyte Biomanufacturing, Single-Cell Sequencing, Heart Disease	LinkedIn Google Scholar ORCID	University of Wisconsin-Madison
Anqi Gao	2019	Cellular and Molecular Pathology	Huy Dinh, PhD	Cancer Immunology, Genomics, Tumor Microenvironment, Neutrophil Biology	LinkedIn ORCID	Emory University
Emma Graham	2019	Biomedical Data Science	Matthew Churpek, MD, PhD, MPH	Precision Medicine, Causal Inference, Clinical Informatics, Machine Learning	LinkedIn Google Scholar ORCID	Yale University
Margot Katz	2019	Cellular and Molecular Pathology	James Gern, MD	Cell Death, Rhinovirus, Innate Immunity, Secondary Bacterial Pneumonia, Wheezing Illness	LinkedIn Google Scholar ORCID	Colby College
Tung H. Nguyen	2019	NIH OxCam	Pietro Sormanni, PhD	SARS-COV2, Evolution, Computational	LinkedIn Google Scholar ORCID	Brown University
Katrina Falk	2019	Biomedical Engineering	Paul Laeseke, MD, PhD	Histotripsy,Interventional Oncology, Cone-beam Computed Tomography (CBCT), Ultrasound, Translational Research	LinkedIn Google Scholar ResearchGate ORCID	University of Wisconsin-Madison
Jon Schrope	2019	Biomedical Engineering	David Beebe, PhD	Biomedical Engineering, Microfluidics, Cell Migration, Immunology	LinkedIn ORCID	University of Minnesota
Mayra Betancourt Ponce	2018	Cellular and Molecular Pathology	Lisa Barroilhet, MD, MS	Ovarian Cancer, Cancer Immunology, Combination Therapy, Stress Response	LinkedIn ORCID	University of Puerto Rico - Rio Piedras
Hailey Bussan	2018	Microbiology	Federico Rey, PhD		LinkedIn Google Scholar ORCID	University of Wisconsin-Madison
Daniel Y. Chu	2018	Neuroscience	Vivek Prabhakaran, MD, PhD	Neuroimaging, Epilepsy, Connectome, Focal Cortical Dysplasia, Diffusion Weighted Imaging	LinkedIn Google Scholar ORCID	University of California - Santa Barbara
Matthew Freeman	2018	Cellular and Molecular Biology	JD Sauer, PhD	Bacterial Pathogenesis, Metabolism, Cytosolic Pathogens, Innate Immunity	LinkedIn Google Scholar ORCID	University of Minnesota
Jake Khoussine	2018	Cellular and Molecular Biology	Mrinalini Hoon, PhD	Vision Neuroscience, Retinal Circuits, Retinal Physiology, Cellular Imaging, Adaptive Optics	ORCID	University of Oklahoma
Jorgo Lika	2018	Cellular and Molecular Biology	Jing Fan, PhD	Neutrophil, Metabolism, Immunometabolism, Innate Immunity	LinkedIn ORCID	University of Wisconsin-Madison
Angela Olvera	2018	Cellular and Molecular Biology	Dawn Davis, MD, PhD	Diabetes, Beta-Cell Mass Dynamics	LinkedIn Google Scholar ORCID	University of Iowa
Ashley Scott	2018	Cellular and Molecular Biology	Kristyn Masters, PhD	Sex Differences, Tissue Engineering, Calcific Aortic Valve Disease, Biomaterials	LinkedIn	University of Maryland Baltimore County
Ajay P. Singh	2018	Cellular and Molecular Biology	JP Yu, MD, PhD	Radiology, Genetics, Diffusion MRI, Neuropsychiatric Disease	ORCID	Harvard University
Sarah M. Boutom	2017	Biomedical Engineering	Sean Palecek, PhD	Blood-Brain Barrier, Vascular Biology, Endothelial Cells, Stem Cells, Tissue Engineering	LinkedIn Google Scholar ORCID	University of Michigan
Joseph Lalli	2016	Cellular and Molecular Biology	Donna Werling, PhD	Human Genetics, Sex-Specific Differences, Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Autism, Gene Regulation	LinkedIn Google Scholar ORCID	Macalester College
Tyler Reich	2016	Cellular and Molecular Biology	Peter Lewis, PhD	Cancer Biology, Chromatin, Epigenetics	Google Scholar ORCID	University of Pennsylvania