Current Clinical Scholars
Jorge Barrero, MD
Mentor: Paul Cohen, MD, PhD
Lab: Weslie R. and William H. Janeway Laboratory of Molecular Metabolism
Email: jbarrero@rockefeller.edu
Research Interest: Dr. Barrero’s research interest is understanding the role of human brown adipose tissue (BAT) in metabolic health, with a particular focus on the biological heterogeneity of BAT depots and their contributions to clinical phenotypes. His research project will identify candidate therapies to increase thermogenesis in humans and investigating novel associations between depot-specific BAT activity and health outcomes to uncover new therapeutic targets for metabolic diseases.
Bio: Dr. Barrero received his MD fromUniversidad Nacional de Colombia in Bogota, Colombia.
Laura Berneking, MD, PhD
Mentor: Jeremy Rock, PhD
Lab: Laboratory of Host-Pathogen Biology
Email: lberneking@rockefeller.edu
Research Interest: Dr. Berneking’s research focuses on understanding host-pathogen interactions and epigenetic modifications underlying trained immunity in response to Mycobacterium bovis bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) infection/vaccination. Her project aims to uncover the mechanisms of BCG-induced trained immunity, exploring epigenetic modifications affecting innate immune traits, inflammatory regulation, and myelopoiesis
Bio: Dr. Berneking received her MD-PhD from the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf in Germany and completed her residency in infectious diseases.
Elsa Feredj, MD, PhD
Mentor: Jean-Laurent Casanova, MD, PhD
Lab: St. Giles Laboratory of Human Genetics of Infectious Diseases
Email: eferedj@rockefeller.edu
Research Interest: Dr. Feredj investigates how autoantibodies targeting key cytokines of the IFN-γ pathway increase susceptibility to severe infections by Mycobacteria, Salmonella, and intracellular fungi. Her work aims to identify and characterize these autoantibodies, assess their impact on immune signaling and infection risk, and assess how they inform improved diagnostic and therapeutic approaches.
Bio: Dr. Feredj received her MD from UPEC (Université Paris-Est Créteil) in France. She is currently a PhD student in Immunology at the University of Paris Cité. She completed her residency in Pulmonology and Respiratory Medicine and Infectious Diseases at the Paris University Hospitals.
Daisuke Inoue, MD
Mentor: Kivanç Birsoy, PhD
Lab: Laboratory of Metabolic Regulation and Genetics
Email: dinoue@rockefeller.edu
Research Interest: Dr. Inoue’s research interest focuses on how the kidney develops and functions and how kidney dysfunction impacts homeostasis. His research project will focus on discovering the novel roles of metabolites in human kidney diseases, such as cancer and polycystic kidney diseases, and leverage these roles to develop new therapeutic strategies..
Bio: Dr. Inoue received his MD from Kumamoto University in Kumamoto City, Japan. He completed his internal medicine residency at the University of Tokyo Hospital and Japan Railway Tokyo General Hospital, and his Nephrology Fellowship at Mitsui Memorial Hospital. Dr. Inoue is currently completing his PhD at Kumamoto University.
Jongeun Lee, MD
Mentor: James Krueger, MD, PhD
Lab: Laboratory of Investigative Dermatology
Email: jlee04@rockefeller.edu
Research Interest: Dr. Lee’s research interest is establishing tolerance/immune control mechanisms mediated by regulatory cell populations in human skin. Her research project will focus on studying transcriptional profiles, spatial organization, and functions of regulatory cell populations.
Bio: Dr. Lee received her MD from Kyungpook National University School of Medicine in South Korea and completed her residency in dermatology at the Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine in South Korea.
Francis (Frank) May, MD
Mentor: Agata Smogorzewska, MD, PhD
Lab: Laboratory of Genome Maintenance
Email: fmay@rockefeller.edu
Research Interest: Dr. May is designing a clinical trial to test preventive therapies of oral cancer in Fanconi anemia patients. Oral cnacer is highly prevalent in these patients because they have reduced ability to repair damage to their DNA. The trial will test the safety of two different drugs, metformin and celecoxib, and will analyze their effects on histological and molecular changes in the oral mucosa.
Bio: Dr. May received his MD from the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University. He completed his internal medicine residency at New York Presbyterian / Weill Cornell Department of Medicine. He is currently a Fellow on the Medical Genetics/Medical Research Track at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and New York Presbyterian / Weill Cornell.
Andre Moraes Nicola, MD, PhD
Mentors: Michel Nussenzweig, MD, PhD & Marina Caskey, MD
Lab: Laboratory of Molecular Immunology
Email: amoraesnicola@rockefeller.edu
Research Interest: Dr. Nicola’s research interest is developing monoclonal antibodies to treat infectious diseases. He is part of a team conducting phase 1 clinical trials with monoclonal antibodies to HIV and the hepatitis B virus. Additionally, he is studying the effect of these immunotherapies on the study participants’ immune responses.
Bio: Dr. Nicola earned his MD-PhD from the University of Brasilia, Brazil. He has postdoctoral experience in microbiology and immunology at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore. He is also a faculty member at the University of Brasilia, Brazil, from which he is on leave to participate in the Clinical Scholars program.
Koji Nakajima, MD
Mentor: Jean-Laurent Casanova, MD, PhD
Lab: St. Giles Laboratory of Human Genetics of Infectious Diseases
Email: knakajima@rockefeller.edu
Research Interest: Dr. Nakajima’s research interest is deciphering the age-dependent dynamics governing inflammatory response following infections and help to provide better treatment for the patients. Research project: Identifying the genetic cause and molecular mechanism of MIS-C (Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children) and Kawasaki Disease.
Bio: Dr. Nakajima’s received his MD from Kyoto University in Japan. He completed his internal medicine internship at Tenri Yorozu Hospital and his pediatric residency at Kyoto University Hospital in Japan.
Neil M. Neumann, MD, PhD
Mentor: Sohail F. Tavazoie, MD, PhD
Lab: Elizabeth and Vincent Meyer Laboratory of Systems Cancer Biology
Email: nneumann@rockefeller.edu
Research Interest: Dr. Neumann’s research interest is to understand how a patient’s germline genetics influence melanoma invasion and metastasis, specifically focusing on the role of the APOE axis and its variants. His goal is to discover unknown molecular mechanisms used by aggressive cutaneous cancers in order to develop novel, anti-metastatic therapeutics.
Bio: Dr. Neumann received his MD-PhD from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He completed his residency in Anatomic Pathology at University of California, San Francisco, followed by Dermatopathology fellowship at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
Alexander Stabell, MD, PhD
Mentor: Paul Bieniasz, PhD
Lab: Laboratory of Retrovirology
Email: astabell@rockefeller.edu
Research Interest: Dr. Stabell’s research interests lie at the interface of viral evolution and adaptive immunity. The virus causing HIV has evolved multiple mechanisms to avoid destruction by the immune system. His research project will investigate how the HIV-1 envelope escapes from the neutralizing antibody response.
Bio: Dr. Stabell received his MD and PhD from University of Colorado. He completed his internal medicine residency at New York Presbyterian Hospital Columbia Medical Center. His currently an Infectious Disease Fellow at New York Presbyterian Hospital Weill Cornell Medical Center.
Mai Takahashi, MD, MPH
Mentor: Sohail Tavazoie, MD, PhD
Lab: Elizabeth and Vincent Meyer Laboratory of Systems Cancer Biology
Email: mtakahashi@rockefeller.edu
Research Interest: Dr. Takahashi’s Mai’s research interest is the molecular mechanisms of cancer metastasis and exploring potential key genes associated with disease progression. Her research project will focus on the biological understanding of signaling pathways on pancreatic cancer and colon cancer metastasis and its therapeutic targeting
Bio: Dr. Takahashi’s received her MD from Chiba University, Faculty of Medicine, Chiba, Japan and MPH from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA. Dr. Takahashi completed general medicine residency at Saku Central Hospital, Nagano, Japan, and internal medicine residency at Ichan School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Beth Israel in New York.
Shin-Rong (Julia) Wu, MD, PhD
Mentor: Sidney Strickland, PhD
Lab: Patricia and John Rosenwald Laboratory of Neurobiology and Genetics
Email: swu01@rockefeller.edu
Research Interest: Dr. Wu’s research interest focuses on how the immune and blood clotting systems interact to maintain homeostasis in health and to affect organ damage in disease. Her research project seeks to understand how peripheral blood components, encompassing both cellular populations and plasma proteins, contribute to Alzheimer’s disease.
Current Research Project Title: Investigating the Impact of Inflammation on Amyloid Precursor Protein (APP) Expression in the Hematopoietic Compartment
Bio: Dr. Wu received her MD and PhD from the University of Michigan Medical School. Dr. Wu completed her internal medicine residency at New York-Presbyterian, Weill Cornell Medical Center. She is currently doing her Hematology/Oncology Fellowship at New York-Presbyterian, Weill Cornell Medical Center.
Rachel Zicherman, MD, PhD
Mentor: Sanford Simon, PhD
Lab: Laboratory of Cellular Biophysics
Email: rzicherman@rockefeller.edu
Research Interest: Dr. Zicherman’s research interests focus on understanding the role of the immune microenvironment in rare cancers, specifically fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma (FLC). Her research project will investigate the presence and functional significance of neutrophil extracellular traps in FLC, aiming to identify both novel biomarkers for disease progression and potential therapeutic targets.
Bio: Dr. Zicherman received her MD and PhD from the Faculty of Medical & Health Sciences, Tel-Aviv University in Israel. She completed her pediatric residency at Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center.