Past SURF Students

​​​2021-2023 Graduates

​2023 Graduates



Fatimah Al-Musawi

  • Undergraduate Institution: University of California, Davis
  • Clinical Mentor: Dr. Nicholas Phreaner
  • Research Mentor: Dr. Hannah Carter
  • Project Title: Fibroblast State and Tumor Microenvironment in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (PDAC) With Somatic Mutations to DNA Damage Repair (DDR) Genes

Anapaula Camou

  • Undergraduate Institution: The University of Texas at El Paso
  • Clinical Mentor: Dr. Joseph Ciacci
  • Research Mentor: Dr. Asa Gustafsson
  • Project Title: Assessment of Atg9 in Regulating Autophagosome Formation in the Mouse Heart: Insights Into Its Role in Cardiac Biology

Noe Cazares Jr.

  • Undergraduate Institution: University of California, Los Angeles
  • Clinical Mentor: Dr. Edward Smitaman
  • Research Mentor: Dr. Albert Hsiao
  • Project Title: Automated Flow Quantification in 4D Flow MRI for Atrial Septal Defect

Kharim Ghabra

  • Undergraduate Institution: University of California, Los Angeles
  • Clinical Mentor: Dr. David Santiago-Dieppa
  • Research Mentor: Dr. Michael Taffe
  • Project Title: Crayfish as a Model Organism to Study the Behavioral Effects of Drugs

Alan Gomez-Espinoza

  • Undergraduate Institution: The University of Texas at Austin
  • Clinical Mentor: Dr. Nicole Lopez
  • Research Mentor: Dr. Yuan Chen
  • Project Title: Therapeutic Potentials of SUMOylation Inhibition for Treating Solid Cancer Tumors

Rhokaya Khalaf

  • Undergraduate Institution: Gannon University
  • Clinical Mentor: Dr. Darcy Wooten
  • Research Mentor: Dr. Carlos Gould
  • Project Title: Joint Effects of Co-Occuring WIldfire Smoke and Ambient Temperatures on Emergency Department Visits for Asthma

Vung Lian

  • Undergraduate Institution: Washington University in Saint Louis
  • Clinical Mentor: Dr. Richard Silva
  • Research Mentor: Dr. Rob Knight
  • Project Title: Microbial Diversity Metrics Exhibit Consistency Across Two Different Reference Databases: WoLr2 and RS210

Vikash Muruhathasan

  • ​Undergraduate Institution: University of California, San Diego
  • Clinical Mentor: Dr. Kimberly Hong
  • Research Mentor: Dr. Pedro Cabrales
  • Project Title: Investigating the Rheological Properties of TXA During Prehospital Treatment of Trauma Patients

Kim Nguyen

  • Undergraduate Institution: University of California, Los Angeles
  • Clinical Mentor: Dr. Anna Narezkina
  • Research Mentor: Dr. Hemal Patel
  • Project Title: The Effect of Melatonin on Mitochondrial Metabolism in BE(2)M17 Neuroblastoma Cells

Ruby Powell

  • Undergraduate Institution: University of Arizona Honors College
  • Clinical Mentor: Dr. Thomas Beaumont
  • Research Mentor: Dr. Najla Kfoury-Beaumont
  • Project Title: Transcription Factors Enriched at Sex-Biased Brd4-Bound Enhancers Dictate Brd4 Dual Function in Cancer

Nick Thao

  • Undergraduate Institution: University of California, San Diego
  • Clinical Mentor: Dr. Nicholas Wettersen
  • Research Mentor: Dr. Kay Tye
  • Project Title: The Effects of Acetaminophen on Social and Physical Pain Behavior

Jeffrey Yumbla

  • Undergraduate Institution: Montclair State University
  • Clinical Mentor: Dr. Laith Alshawabkeh
  • Research Mentor: Dr. Alistair Russell
  • Project Title: The Influence of the Nuclear Export Protein on Defective Vial Genomes in IFAV

2022 Graduates



Louie Cabrera

  • Undergraduate Institution: Kansas State University
  • Clinical Mentor: Dr. Dorathy Tamayo-Murillo
  • Research Mentor: Dr. Kathryn Fowler and Dr. Claude Sirin
  • Project Title: Accuracy of an ultrasound-based elastography technique for assessment of liver fibrosis in a population on patients with cirrhosis

Coralys Cintron

  • Undergraduate Institution: Universidad del Sagrado Corazon
  • Clinical Mentor: Dr. Sonia Ramamoorthy
  • Research Mentor: Dr. Yuan Chen
  • Project Title: Engineering interferons for targeting cancer therapy

Melissa Guereca

  • Undergraduate Institution: University of California, San Diego
  • Clinical Mentor: Dr. Anna Narezkina
  • Research Mentor: Dr. Alistair Russell
  • Project Title: Investigating the Formation of Intersegmental Chimeras in Influenza A Virus

Viena Le

  • Undergraduate Institution: University of California, San Diego​
  • Clinical Mentor: Dr. Nicholas Phreaner
  • Research Mentor: Dr. Jolene Rudell
  • Project Title: The Apert Syndrome Mutation FgFr2 in Human Skeletal Actin

Jennifer Nguyen

  • Undergraduate Institution: University of California, Los Angeles
  • Clinical Mentors: Dr. Nicholas Wettersten and Dr. Kimberly Hong
  • Research Mentor: Dr. Kevin King
  • Project Title: The Effect of Loss of Neighbor Cells on Cardiomyocytes in Vitro​

Jordan Norman

  • Undergraduate Institution: Vassar College
  • Clinical Mentor: Dr. Nicole Lopez
  • Research Mentor: Dr. Hemal Patel
  • Project Title: The Effects of Cav1 on Cellular Respiration

Ruby Powell

  • Undergraduate Institution: The University of Arizona Honors College
  • Clinical Mentor: Dr. Joseph Ciacci
  • Research Mentor: Dr. Najla Kfoury-Beaumont
  • Project Title: Sex-Specific Master Transcriptional Regulators of Brd4 in Glioblastoma​

Andrea Tran

  • Undergraduate Institution: University of California, San Diego​
  • Clinical Mentor: Dr. Thomas Beaumont
  • Research Mentor: Dr. Kay Tye
  • Project Title: The role of oxytocinergic neuromodulation during social and physical pain​

Joy Ugwu

  • Undergraduate Institution: Carnegie Mellon University
  • Clinical Mentor: Dr. Nike Farid
  • Research Mentor: Dr. Hannah Carter
  • Project Title: Single-cell differences in microglial cells during early stages of Alzheimer's Disease vs. late stages of Alzheimer's Disease​

Celine Yang

  • Undergraduate Institution: University of California, San Diego​
  • Clinical Mentor: Dr. David Santiago-Deippa
  • Research Mentor: Dr. Michael Taffe
  • Project Title: Potential Therapeutic Efficacy of THC on Oxycodone Addiction


2021 Graduates



Carly DaCosta

  • Undergraduate Institution: San Diego State University
  • Research Mentors: Dr. Chris Glass and Dr. Johannes Schlachetzki
  • Project Title: Chloroquine-induced lysosomal dysfunction causes a shift in microglia phenotype​

Crysal Diei

  • Undergraduate Institution: University of California, San Diego​
  • Research Mentor: Dr. Rodney A. Gabriel
  • Project Title: The Association of Depression and Anxiety with Postoperative Opioid Use Following Total Joint Arthroplasty

Carol Hafey

  • Undergraduate Institution: University of California, San Diego
  • Research Mentor: Dr. Tala Al-Rousan and Dr. Jose Ricardo Suarez
  • Project Title: Providers' Perspectives on Software Usability for Self-management of Blood Pressure in Refugees

Carson Herbert

  • Undergraduate Institution: University of North Dakota​
  • Research Mentor: Dr. Yuan Chen and Oxana De La Rosa
  • Project Title: Develop Cancer Therapies by Inducing Target Protein Degradation

Jacqueline Ngo

  • Undergraduate Institution: University of California, San Diego​
  • Research Mentor: Dr. Seema Aceves and Dr. Mario Manresa
  • Project Title: Therapeutic Prospects in Targeting TNF-related Proteins in Eosinosphilic Esophagitis

Tifani Panek

  • Undergraduate Institution: Davidson College
  • Research Mentor: Dr. Claude Sirlin, Dr. Kathryn Fowler, and Alexandra Schlein
  • Project Title: Examining the Histological and Biochemical Picture of Lean Patients to Overweight and Obese Patients with Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Emi Sanchez

  • Undergraduate Institution: University of California, San Diego​
  • Research Mentor: Dr. Hemal Patel and Dr. Juan Zuniga Hertz
  • Project Title: Cardioprotective Benefits of the Overexpression of CAV3oE in Mice

Ashley Singleton-Comfort

  • Undergraduate Institution: College of Desert
  • Research Mentor: Dr. Najla Kfoury-Beaumont
  • Project Title: Identification of enriched transcription factors at sex-biased Brd4 - bound enhancers as drivers of sex differences in glioblastoma

Michael Torres

  • Undergraduate Institution: University of California, Los Angeles
  • Research Mentor: Dr. Eric Zorrilla
  • Project Title: Socioeconomic deprivation and alcohol related hospitalization: Relation to Gender

Sophia Yu

  • Undergraduate Institution: University of California, Los Angeles
  • Research Mentor: Dr. Claude Sirlin, Dr. Kathryn Fowlwer, and Alexandra Schlein
  • Project Title: Exploring Differences in MRE Stiffness Scores between Hispanic and Non-Hispanic Patients with Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
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