As forever students (many of us now entering 18th grade and counting), August brings equal parts sadness as the days begin to shorten and excitement at the prospect of a new school year. A fresh chance to impress with a new wardrobe, top the quartile rank or wow the lab with data amassed while the PI was away on summer vacation. With a powerhouse new class of MS1s arriving to campus, Stony Brook MSTP had all the more reason to be excited for the fall 2019 semester to commence. The successful NIH training grant review allowed us to welcome a class of 10 brilliant students, with diverse backgrounds, research interests and passions. After a grueling interview season, we are grateful they put their faith in Stony Brook and are excited they are joining our community. Isabel Sakarin, Jakub Kaczmarzyk, Lucia Yang, Steven Lewis, Yunyoung Kim, Christopher Ashdown, Santiago Espinosa, Jordan Pearson, Ian Outhwaite and Joseph Bae have survived their first challenging block of medical school and are settling into Long Island life. To learn more about our fascinating new friends, I pestered them with question all month long. Read on to discover who worked as TV actor, who plays the tuba, who shares their genetic code with another human and much more! Welcome MS1s, we are so glad you are here and are all eagerly looking forward to many years of collaboration and friendship.
Isabel Sakarin (Vassar College)
Fun Fact: I am a twin!
Research Interests: In the broadest sense, I am interested in molecular mechanisms of disease. I’ve had a wide range of research experiences; I’ve used tissue engineering to model tumors in vitro, used confocal microscopy to study phagocytosis, developed a therapeutic solution for liver fibrosis, and used x-ray crystallography to understand the structural basis for the spread of antibiotic resistance. I am excited to explore the research at Stony Brook and to see how my medical education will shape my research.
Life Passions: I am very passionate about social justice and am looking for people here who are interested in doing advocacy and activism work with me!
Jakub Kaczmarzyk (Union College)
Fun Fact: I was born in Czestochowa, Poland and grew up in Nassau County. In 1997, I tripped up a set of stairs and lacerated my forehead. I got stitches above my left eyebrow, which was fortunate because years later, people would liken me to Harry Potter.
Research Interests: By studying the explainability of deep neural networks, I hope to develop clinical software tools that detect disease early, aid in diagnosis, and predict patient outcomes. Before coming to Stony Brook I worked as a research assistant at MIT in the McGovern Institute for Brain Research and the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences. I worked on projects in brain magnetic resonance imaging, artificial intelligence, and reproducible science.
Life Passions: Come talk to me about coding! I am happy to help with what I know, and I want to learn more about how other people use computational methods in their research.
Lucia Yang (Univ. of California, Los Angeles)
Fun Fact: I went to Disneyland around 25 times this past year. I grew up in San Diego, California
Research Interests: My research background is in studying the molecular pathology and genetics of neurodegenerative disease, so I would love to stay in that realm. During my undergraduate years, I studied the molecular pathology of Huntington’s disease (HD) by elucidating how the mutant huntingtin protein affects cortical and striatal function and communication.
More about me: This summer I spent 3 weeks visiting family in China.
Steven Lewis (Yale University)
Fun Fact: I play the tuba!
Research Interest: I am hoping to study genetics/epigenetics and connect it to my research interest in the immune system and the development of autoimmunity and conversely, immune tolerance. Before coming to Stony Brook, I worked in an allergy and immunology lab at Yale Medical School studying blood transfusion rejection in a mouse model, focusing on innate immunity (macrophages and dendritic cells – the best immune cells!).
For Fun: I enjoy biking, running and hiking and am a huge Mets fan.
Fun Fact: I grew up in Seoul, Korea.
Research Interests: I am interested in structural biology. Before coming to Stony Brook I completed a post-bac at the NIH.
More about me: I moved over 10 times across 3 countries in my lifetime.
Christopher Ashdown (Univ. of California, San Diego)
Fun Fact: During the summers while I was at college, I worked as a background actor (extra) in movies and TV shows. I have been on shows such as Modern Family, Shameless, and You’re the Worst.
Research Interests: While I am still somewhat undecided as to my future area of study, I am currently leaning towards work either in neuroscience or cancer biology. While at UCSD I worked on a project examining the effect of oscillating magnetic fields on in vitro cancer cells, with the goal of selectively lysing the cancer cell membrane, which was something that I thoroughly enjoyed. I am also very interested in biophysics in general, and love the wide range of clinical applications that such an interdisciplinary field allows.
Life Passions: I am very into British Premier League soccer- go West Ham United! All throughout undergrad I would get up at 7:30 a.m. every Saturday to watch my team play.
Santiago Espinosa (University of Richmond)
Fun Fact: I climbed Mt Fuji!
Research Interests: Currently, I am interested in the immunological aspects of the tumor microenvironment and the mechanisms behind immunotherapy treatments. My previous research has focused on identifying mechanosensitive proteins that can potentially alter gene expression by shuttling into the nucleus depending on the stiffness of the cellular environment. Before starting at Stony Brook, I worked as a research assistant at Rockefeller University in the Laboratory of Structural Biophysics and Mechanobiology.
More about me: I love cooking and playing soccer. I grew up in Mexico City and San Antonio, Texas.
Jordan Pearson (Univ. of Pennsylvania)
Fun Fact: I’m training for a marathon right now!
Research Interests: Since I have a background in neurodegenerative diseases, I would love to continue in that field of research, but I am also open to exploration in other areas of biomedicine including cancer and immunology. Between college and medical school, I researched Parkinson’s disease for two years at The Rockefeller University.
More about me: I’m originally from Columbia, Maryland.
Ian Outhwaite (Williams College)
Fun Fact: I am a cellist, and always on the lookout for chamber music opportunities!
Research Interest: I would like to study the choreography of the protein machines that build our bodies. I also would like to develop some familiarity with the process of de novo protein design, a burgeoning research space with creative potential. Before starting medical school, I worked under Dr. Stephen Long at Memorial Sloan Kettering as a research technician. When I wasn’t in lab I could be found hiking around New England, Arizona, Colorado, or between adjacent neighborhoods and my apartment when the F train would go down.
Passions: My favorite contemporary music is by The Killers, Darlingside, and The National.
Joseph Bae (Univ. of Southern California)
Fun Fact: I have beaten NBA star Lonzo Ball in several sports (in second grade 😉 )
Research Interests: I am very interested in the computational biology program here at Stony Brook, and I hope to study cancer biology. I have a master’s degree in Medical biophysics.
More about me: As a fairly new New Yorker, I’m very excited to work with you all for the next several years!