Kathy Gould, Ph.D.
Amanda Connolly
VISP Fourth-Year & Beyond Students
 Yaoyi Chen |
I received my bachelor’s degree in Biological Science and Biotechnology from Tsinghua University, P.R. China. I am currently a fourth-year graduate student in the Department of Biochemistry. In my spare time I enjoy playing ping pong and swimming. | |
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 Nan Hyung Hong |
I am currently a fourth- year graduate student in the Department of Cancer Biology. I received my bachelor’s degree in Life Sciences from Sogang University and master’s degree from Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST) in Korea. I came to Nashville in 2008, and joined Dr. Alissa Weaver’s lab. My current research focuses on protein trafficking in cancer cells and its role in the metastasis of cancer. I am very satisfied with my choice to pursue graduate training at Vanderbilt University. The people are very friendly and open-minded. I appreciate the collaborative environment here where people don’t mind sharing their ideas with one another. I look forward to having more international students at Vanderbilt to share this wonderful experience with us. |
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 Xuan Huang |
I am currently a fifth- year graduate student in the Neuroscience PhD Program. I completed my bachelor’s degree at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China and my master’s degree at the University of Waterloo in Canada before arriving at Vanderbilt University in 2008. Vanderbilt is a nice place to work, study, and make new friends. I find Nashville to be one of the most beautiful cities I have ever visited. The city is filled with green trees, plants, and various colorful flowing blossoms throughout the seasons. I enjoy my life here, and am glad I made the choice to come to Vanderbilt. | |
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 Jing Jin |
I am currently a fifth-year graduate student in the laboratory of Dr. Alan Brash in the Department of Pharmacology. I completed my bachelor’s degree at Nanjing University in China before arriving at Vanderbilt in 2008. I am now trying to characterize the mechanism of biosynthesis of novel lipid mediators, namely leukotrienes, resolvins and protectins. | |
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 Yike Li |
My name is Yike Li, I’m currently a fourth-year Ph.D. student in the Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences. I received both M.D and M.S. from Fudan University Medical School in Shanghai, China, and finished my residency training in otolaryngology at Shanghai Eye & ENT hospital. I’m now working with Dr. David Zealear on developing a new device for treating patients with bilateral vocal fold paralysis (BVFP). My research focuses on evaluating patients’ vocal and aerodynamic functions, as well as on investigating the anatomical and molecular mechanisms on selective reinnervation after neural injuries. I love travelling, swimming, cooking, and making friends with people from all over the world. |
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 Tu (Chou) Mai |
My name is Tu Mai, and I am from Vietnam. I completed my undergraduate degree in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin in Madison before coming to Vanderbilt University in 2009. I have just recently joined the department of Pharmacology where I study hypertension. I have been interested in this topic since I was young. I have always been inspired by my mother who is a cardiologist. Many people suffer from cardiovascular disease every year. In fact, more people suffer from cardiovascular disease than all kinds of cancer combined. I hope my research will lead to more discoveries on how to prevent and treat hypertension.
At Vanderbilt, I feel very comfortable because I know this is a place where everyone wants me to be successful. People are passionate about their research and willing to share their knowledge with you. You will learn from the experts in all the different fields at Vanderbilt. Here, I am respected as a unique individual. I can enjoy showing my friends how to cook by using words like "homogeneous solution” and “irreversible polymerization," and they will think it's normal. I can also call my collaborator "my homolog" and nobody will ask me why. I assure you--you will love it here! If there is anything I can do to help you in your transition to Vanderbilt, please let me know and I will try to help you the best I can. |
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 Alisha Mendonsa |
I am currently a fourth- year graduate student in Dr. Lee Gorden’s laboratory in the Department of Cancer Biology. Our lab studies the liver microenvironment and its influence on tumor metastasis in normal vs. steatotic livers. I completed by bachelor’s degree in Biotechnology at BMS College of Engineering in Bangalore, India and my masters in Genomics and Bioinformatics at George Washington University, DC. before arriving at Vanderbilt in 2009. Vanderbilt is a great place to pursue graduate training. The faculty and students are friendly and always approachable. The campus is beautiful, and Nashville is a fun place with lovely weather.
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 Kamya Rajaram |
I’m currently a fifth-year PhD student in the Department of Biological Sciences. I received my undergraduate degree in Biological Sciences from Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS), Pilani, Rajasthan, India. During my undergraduate studies, I worked on understanding the genome of an organelle called the apicoplast in the malarial parasite, Plasmodium vivax. In the fall of 2008, I enrolled in the Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Biological and Biomedical Sciences (IGP). After my laboratory rotations, I chose to join the lab of Dr. James G. Patton which works on the biology of small RNAs. My current research focuses on the class of small regulatory RNAs called microRNAs (miRNAs) and their roles in retinal regeneration in the model organism Zebrafish. While I’m not busy in the lab, I enjoy reading, listening to music, watching foreign movies and making grand plans to save the world. |
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 Poojitha Sitaram |
I am currently a fourth-year graduate student in Dr. Laura Lee’s lab. Our lab works on studying the cell cycle in a developmental context using Drosophila melanogaster as a model system. I completed my undergraduate studies in Industrial Biotechnology in India at Anna University, Chennai. Nearing the end of my undergraduate education, I applied to PhD programs in many universities in the United States. I chose Vanderbilt because of its very impressive list of faculty, the presence of exciting research, and the friendly environment for students. My hobbies include reading, playing tennis and volunteering at the animal shelter. |
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 Yi Xiao |
I received my bachelor’s degree in Biotechnology from Wuhan University in China. After completing my undergraduate studies in three years, I joined a research program at Peking University, which focused on pancreas development. In 2008, I chose to continue my studies in the Interdisciplinary Graduate Program (IGP) at Vanderbilt. During the first year in the IGP program, I rotated in four different labs and finally decided to join the Department of Biochemistry in the laboratory of Dr. Guengerich. We work on the function elucidation of "orphan" human cytochrome P450 enzymes. | |
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 Qi Sun |
I am currently a fourth-year graduate student in Steve Fesik's lab. I received my undergraduate training at Shandong Normal University and earned a bachelor’s in Biochemistry at East Tennessee State University in 2009. My area of interest includes protein purification and X-ray crystallography. I like travelling, cooking and playing sports with friends. |
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 Shen Yin |
I am currently a fifth-year graduate student in the Department of Pharmacology." I am from China and obtained my bachelor’s degree from Nankai University in June 2008. In the August of 2008, I arrived at this beautiful city and started my graduate study as an international student in the Interdisciplinary Graduate Program (IGP) in biomedical sciences. In the IGP program, I not only learned the knowledge and experimental skills necessary for my graduate study, but I also met a lot of American friends. In June of 2009, I joined Dr. Jeff Conn's lab, where I became very interested in G protein-coupled receptor signaling, especially the therapeutic potentials of mGluRs for the treatment of CNS disorders. In my spare time, I practice group dance with my friends from Nashville Chinese Culture Club. |
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 Ernest L. Yufenyuy |
I am currently a fifth-year graduate student in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology. I am originally from Cameroon and received my bachelor’s degree in Biology (minor in Chemistry) and master’s degree from New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology in 2007 before joining the Interdisciplinary Graduate Program (IGP) in biomedical sciences in 2008. After rotating through various laboratories, I chose to join the lab of Dr. Christopher Aiken. My research on HIV-1 focuses on how the structure of mature HIV-1 influences the early post-entry events that occur during HIV-1 replication, specifically the mechanism of HIV-1 uncoating the disassembly of the viral capsid to release the ribonucleoprotein complex. These studies have implications in facilitating the development of novel drugs for enhanced antiviral therapy. | |
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