Lab Members
Principal Investigator
Joya Chandra, Ph.D.
Professor
Email: JChandra@MDAnderson.org
B.S. Microbiology, Louisiana State University, 1993
Ph.D. Cancer Biology and Immunology, University of Texas Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, 1998
Postdoctoral Fellowship, Division of Toxicology, Institute for Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institute, 1998-2000
Postdoctoral Fellowship, Division of Oncology Research, Mayo Clinic, 2000-2002
Hobbies: Cooking, Kayaking and Canoeing
Hometown: New Orleans, LA
Shaikha AlQahtani
Pediatric Hematology Oncology Fellow
Email: SAlQahtani@MDAnderson.org
M.D. Weill Cornell Medicine – Qatar, 2018
Pediatric Residency, Virginia Commonwealth University & Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU, 2021
Hobbies: Baking, Knitting, Crafting.
Hometown: Doha, Qatar
Faith Hernandez
Graduate Student
Email: FAHernandez1@MDAnderson.org
B.A. Biological Sciences, Wellesley College, 2022
M.S. Biomedical Sciences, MD Anderson UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, 2024
Faith’s research interests are focused on understanding if the effectiveness of LSD1 inhibition is influenced by other interplaying factors such as kinase pathways/signaling. Due to her interest in pediatric oncology, she is studying these factors in diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG), a rare form of pediatric brain tumor.
Hobbies: Collecting Sneakers, Photography, Traveling, and Camping
Hometown: Houston, TX
Huaxian Ma
Research Investigator
Email: HMa2@MDAnderson.org
B.S. Chemistry, Shandong University, 1984
M.S. Chemistry, Shandong University, 1987
Huaxian's research interests focus on generating a maintaining acute leukemia mouse models for evaluation of therapeutic strategies inclusive of pharmacological and lifestyle (generating and maintaining nutrition, circadian, and tobacco) factors.
Hobbies: Reading, Gardening, and Hiking
Hometown: Jinan, China
Deokhwa Nam
Senior Research Scientist
Email: DNam@MDAnderson.org
B.S. Biology, Dankook University, 1996
M.S. Biology, Dankook University, 1998
Ph.D. Infection and Immunology, Korea University, 2011
Postdoctoral Fellowship, Department of Medicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute, 2012-2020
Deokhwa's research interest focuses on investigating the effects of LSD1 deletion and overexpression in pediatric high-grade glioma pathogenesis using both genetic and xenograft models of DIPG.
Hobbies: Tennis, Golf, and Traveling
Hometown: Donghae, South Korea
Kareena Patel
Undergraduate Student
Email: KHpatel1@MDAnderson.org
B.A. Sports Medicine & Exercise Physiology, Rice University, 2025
Kareena’s research focuses on investigating the interplay between LSD1 and kinase signaling through her generation of a glioblastoma cell line model resistant to LSD1 inhibitors and examining changes in kinase activity. She is also evaluating how the additive presence of different nicotine and smoking compounds, in conjunction with various chemotherapeutic anthracyclines, affect cardiotoxicity levels in patient-derived cell lines.
Hobbies: Dancing, Traveling, and Working Out
Hometown: Dallas, TX
Alaina Poche
Research Assistant I
Email: ALPoche@MDAnderson.org
B.S. Biochemistry, Louisiana State University, 2022
Alaina’s work is focused on the mechanisms of damage correlating to reactive oxygen species due to anthracycline use in pediatric cancer treatment. This is achieved by processing, measuring, and analyzing potential biomarkers of Doxorubicin-induced cellular damage, utilizing direct patient blood samples and patient-derived cell lines. She is also conducting clinical research on dietary interventions for cancer patients through a multisite nutrition study, focusing on the mechanisms by which diet quality and timing impact disease progression and treatment efficacy.
Hobbies: Cooking, Photography, and Music
Hometown: Baton Rouge, LA
Rider Calhoun
Research Assistant I
Email: RPCalhoun@MDAnderson.org
B.A. Neuroscience, Austin College, 2021
Hobbies: Digital Art, Weight Lifting, and Woodworking
Hometown: Denison, TX
Sanila (Dinah) Sarkar
Pediatric Hematology Oncology Fellow
Email: SSarkar3@MDAnderson.org
B.S. Nutrition and Food Science, Wayne State University, 2012
M.A. Nutrition and Food Science, Wayne State University, 2013
M.D. Wayne State University, 2017
Pediatric Residency, University of Florida Orlando Health, 2020
Dr. Sarkar's research interests focus on how diet, nutritional status, and exercise affect pediatric oncology patient outcomes and long-term toxicity. Her previous research focused on nutraceuticals in adult oncology.
Hobbies: Music, Traveling, and Yoga
Hometown: Detroit, MI
Lea Stitzlein
Graduate Student
Email: LStitzlein@MDAnderson.org
B.S. Biology, University of Findlay, 2019
Pharm. D. University of Findlay, 2020
Ph.D. Candidate, Biomedical Sciences, Therapeutics and Pharmacology, MD Anderson UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
Lea is interested in pre-clinical studies of pharmacological therapies to treat high grade gliomas. Currently, her efforts are focused on evaluating the activity of dual kinase inhibitors directed against EGFR and PI3K. She plans to examine the biological effects and identify novel combination therapies that will enhance the anti-tumor effects of our dual-kinase inhibitors.
Hobbies: Hiking, Biking, and Skiing
Hometown: Millersburg, OH
Mary Figueroa
Graduate Student
Email: MFigueroa1@MDAnderson.org
B.S. Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Arizona, 2016
Hobbies: Watching Movies, Eating, Sketching and Reading
Hometown: Phoenix, AZ
Matthew Luetzen
Research Assistant I
Email: MALuetzen@MDAnderson.org
B.S. Biology, University of Houston, 2019
Hobbies: Traveling, Camping, Eating, and Soccer
Hometown: Houston, TX
Megan Rodriguez
Research Assistant I
Email: MRRodriguez1@MDAnderson.org
B.S. Chemistry, University of Chicago, 2020
B.A. Neuroscience, University of Chicago, 2020
Hobbies: Gardening, Reading, and Hiking
Hometown: Houston, TX
Graduate Students
Claudia Miller, 2004-2009
Adrienne Howard, 2006-2008
Nilsa Rivera Del Valle, 2008-2013
Christa Manton, 2010-2014
Blake Johnson, 2012-2014
Margaret Raber, MPH, 2012-2018
Nupur Lala, 2015
Cavan Bailey, 2015-2020
Sahar Eshtehardi, MS, 2018-2020
Mary Figueroa, 2016-2022
Postdoctoral Research Fellows
Susan Stephenson, Ph.D., 11/2004-6/2005
Kechen Ban, Ph.D., 1/2005-1/2006
Yin Gao, Ph.D., 8/2006-11/2007
Melissa M. Singh, Ph.D., 3/2009-8/2014
Claudia Miller, Ph.D., 6/2009-6/2010
Mary Irwin, Ph.D., 8/2010-8/2016
Tiewei Cheng, PhD, 3/2015-1/2019
Alexsandra Espejo, PhD, 11/2016-11/2017
Clinical Fellows
Joy Fulbright, M.D., 2008-2010
Lorimar Ramirez, M.D., 11/2010-5/2012
Daniella Egas-Bejar, M.D., 9/2012-6/2014
Fernando Corrales-Medina, M.D., 9/2012-6/2014
Brianna Murphy, D.O., 8/2017- 5/2019
Undergraduate and Summer Students
Bradley Eisemann, 2004
Jason Long, 2004-2006
Tejas Manchandia, 2006
Shan Gao, 2006-2008
Sharmistha Rudra, 2007-2008
Randal Hale, 2008
Carolina Gonzales, 2009
Michael Ting, 2010
Michelle Suh, 2010
Jalissa Furr, 2011
Lotanna Ikeotuonye, 2011
Mary Blake, 2012
Muhammad Jalal, 2012
Ashley Garza, 2013
Kathleen Wilson, 2013
Vivian Hu, 2013
Rachel Robinson, 2014
Srikar Ranga, 2014
LaNisha Patterson, 2015-2016
Megan Mandile, 2015
Amanda Pacheco, 2016
Yusha Sun, 2017-2018
Trever Carter, 2017
Lawrence Garvin, 2018
Emily Steinman, 2018
Luis Alvarez, 2019
Zachary Sandoval, 2019
Llaran Turner, 2019
Megha Yennu, 2019
Ghazaleh Khodoropast, 2020
Caitlin McCabe, 2021
Amenda Khoei, 2021
Medical Students
Erica Co-Reyes, 2011-2012
Philip Knouse, 2013
Patrick Ruggles, 2015
Kendal Kiser, 2016