Lab Members
Principal Investigator
Rob Jenq, M.D.
Deputy Department Chair, Genomic Medicine
Assistant Professor, Genomic Medicine
Assistant Professor, Stem Cell Transplantation (joint appointment)
Saira S Ahmed, B.S.
Laboratory Manager
B.S; HT(ASCP)
Originally from: Hyderabad, INDIA
Research interests: Histological techniques
Alexandria Brown
Research Assistant I
Chia-Chi (Tina) Chang, Ph.D.
Research Scientist
Ph.D., The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth)
Originally from: Taiwan
Research interests:
- Microbiome research
- Graft-versus-host disease
- Graft-versus-tumor
Rawan El-Himri, B.S.
Research Assistant II
Taylor Halsey
Graduate Research Assistant-GSBS
Eiko Hayase, M.D., Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow
Ph.D., Hokkaido University Faculty of Medicine
Originally from: Sapporo, Japan
Research interests:
- Allogeneic immune response
- Gut immunity
- Graft-versus-host disease
- Intestinal microbiome
Brooke Heckel
Research Assistant I
Jennifer Karmouch, M.S., Ph.D.
Research Scientist
M.S. and Ph.D., University of Paris Descartes
Originally from: Seattle, Washington
Research interests: The interplay between nutrition, intestinal bacteria and intestinal barrier function
Mohamed A. Jamal, Ph.D.
Senior Research Scientist
Ph.D., University of Madras, India
Originally from: Tamil Nadu, India
Research Interest:
- Microbial culturomics
- Mechanisms of action of mucolytic bacteria on intestinal integrity
- Mechanisms of action of prebiotics and probiotics on gastrointestinal tract.
- Effects of gut microbiome on bone marrow transplant outcomes
Yimei Jin
Graduate Research Assistant-GSBS
Takahiko Miyama, M.D., Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow
Ph.D., Graduate School of Medicine, Hiroshima University
M.D., School of Medicine, Hiroshima University
Originally from: Hiroshima, Japan
Research interests:
- Immune reconstitution after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation
- Cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the cross-talk between gut microbiota and immune system
- Cancer immunotherapy
Miriam R. Ortega, B.S.
Research
Assistant I
B.S., The University of Texas Rio Grande
Valley
Originally from: Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico
Research Interests:
- Human and mouse microbiome interaction with diseases
- 16S sequencing analysis
- Statistical methodology
Dung (Kate) Pham, B.S.
Research Assistant II
B.S., Baylor University
Originally from: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Research Interests: The effects of radiation and reduced oral nutrition contributing to gastrointestinal toxicity via changes to the gut microbiome
Christopher A. Sanchez, B.S.
Senior Research Data Coordinator
B.S., Texas A&M University at College Station
Originally from: Pearland, Texas
Research interests: Collecting, managing and manipulating data in patients undergoing cancer treatments
Wen-Bin Tsai, Ph.D.
Research Scientist
Ph.D., University of Kansas Medical Center
Originally from: Taiwan
Research interests:
- Factors influencing the gut microbiome
- Strategies to manipulate the microbiome to enhance therapeutic response
Former Lab Members
Zaker Ismail Abdul Kareem, M.D.
Annette Frenk, M.S.
Tomo Hayase, Ph.D.
Fatima S. Khan
Diana H. Wiesnoski