Sheehan.Belleca@NYULangone.org 
Hometown: Manila, Philippines and Los Angeles, CA
Research focus: Immunology and Inflammation/Surgery
Undergraduate: California State University, Los Angeles

Sheehan is a PhD candidate in the Ramkhelawon Lab in the Department of Surgery.  Her research focuses on inflammatory mechanisms driving abdominal aortic aneurysms, with a particular interest in how immune cells communicate within the vasculature. She enjoys lab work and finds mentoring summer students especially rewarding. Outside the lab, Sheehan can be found hanging from walls during night rock climbing sessions, heading out for early morning runs, teaching kids in Sunday school, and spending time with her family and friends on the weekends. 

Mary.Casagrande@NYULangone.org
Hometown: Chicago, Illinois
Research focus: Epidemiology
Undergraduate: University of Illinois- Urbana-Champaign

Mary Casagrande is a PhD student in the Division of Epidemiology at NYU Grossman School of Medicine’s Department of Population Health. She received her B.S. in Molecular and Cellular Biology with Honors from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and an M.P.H. in Epidemiology from the University of Washington-Seattle. Her research interests include genetic and molecular epidemiology, as well as the epidemiology of chronic disease. In her personal life, she loves to read fantasy and science fiction, and she loves to travel.

Amira.Gee@NYULangone.org
Hometown: Brooklyn, NY
Research focus Population Health
Undergraduate: Xavier University of Louisiana

Amira’s research focuses on autoimmune condition management, nutrition, and women’s health (preconception and maternal health), implementing education and mHealth interventions for women in New York City through evidence-based research and implementation science. She formerly served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ukraine. With a background in chemistry and public health, she is committed to translating science into practical solutions and shaping health policies that improve access to care, medications, and health education. In her personal time, Amira enjoys traveling, cycling, serving in her local church, and spending time with family.

Sindy.Gorka@NYULangone.org
Hometown: Woodbury, Connecticut
Research focus: Molecular Oncology and Tumor Immunology
Undergraduate: University of Connecticut

Sindy is a PhD Student in the laboratory of Markus Schober, PhD, where she studies the epigenetic regulation of tumor propagating cells. At NYU, she serves as the Vilcek Student Council secretary and loves playing in the Vilcek Kickball league. Outside of lab, she enjoys reading, travelling, exploring the NYC food scene, and hanging out with her cat.

Yu.Huang@NYULangone.org
Hometown: Beijing, China
Research focus: Biostatistics
Undergraduate: Capital Medical University

Yu received her MPH in Biostatistics from Columbia University. Her research interests include functional data analysis, imaging data analysis, and applications to neurodegenerative diseases. Outside of academics, Yu enjoys movies, traveling, and meeting new friends. Fun fact: She loves penguins and has a large collection of penguin toys, stickers, decorations, and videos.

Nikolaos.Kalavros@NYULangone.org
Hometown: Athens, Greece
Research focus: Computational Biomedicine
Undergraduate: University of Athens

Nikolas’ work in the Tsirigos Lab is focused on understanding when AI is useful and, more importantly, when it isn’t. He completed his initial studies in Greece, worked at BIDMC in Boston for three years (wasn’t a fan of Boston…please don’t fight him on this), and then moved to NYC in September 2024 (yay!). In his spare time, Nikolas reads a lot, games, watches TV shows and films, and listens to Metal music. Fun fact: He has, unequivocally, the best cat in the world, Johan.

Annie.Liu3@NYULangone.org
Hometown: East Greenwich, RI
Research focus: Neuroscience
Undergraduate: Washington University in St. Louis

Annie is an MD/PhD candidate starting her graduate school years at Vilcek. She is interested in systems and circuits Neuroscience research and is currently rotating in labs before she chooses one to call home. Clinically, she is undecided as to which specialty of medicine she would like to practice. Outside of school, she enjoys biking around the city, making arts and crafts, and developing her skills as a budding photographer.

Maggie.Schepleng@NYULangone.org
Hometown: Baltimore, Maryland
Research focus: Tumor Immunology
Undergraduate Institution: Northeastern University

Maggie works in the lab of Dafna Bar-Sagi, PhD, which focuses on pancreatic cancer, the third leading cause of cancer related deaths. Specifically, Maggie studies innate immune crosstalk in the context of pancreatic cancer. Prior to joining NYU, she studied at Northeastern University and worked in biotech on varying cancer immunotherapies. Outside of the lab, Maggie loves fashion, plants, traveling, and exploring NYC.

Adam.Silhavy@NYULangone.org
Hometown: Cold Spring, NY
Research focus: Microbiology
Undergraduate: Binghamton University

Adam majored in biochemistry as well as mathematical sciences while working in a photochemistry lab. His pivot to microbiology, which was always his long-term goal, is a recent phenomenon!  Currently, he’s had the good fortune to be researching how human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) induce structural changes to infected cells and how subsequent spatial perturbations to cellular processes influence infection. Fun fact: Adam lived in Bratislava, Slovakia for three years when he was younger.

Veda.Sripada@NYULangone.org
Hometown East Greenbush, NY
Research Focus: Computational Biomedicine
Undergraduate: SUNY Stony Brook

Veda is a currently exploring applications of AI and deep learning in biomedicine. She’s worked on deep learning-based models for disease prediction using EHR data and is now focusing on large language models to support clinical communication and decision support. Outside of research, she enjoys weightlifting, running, and staying active, as well as cooking and trying out new restaurants across NYC with friends.