Cancer Biology (CBIO) Students & Alumni

Current Students

Manasvi Sheta

BS, St. Xavier’s College

Katie Hausman

BS, Rowan University

Kevin Hughley

BS, Salisbury University

Vidula Jadhav

BS, University of Mumbai

Chantal Kontor

BS, University of Capecoast

Mahary Lalarizo Rakoto, MD

MD, University of Antananarivo
*Fulbright Foreign Student Program

Olivia Williams

BS, Belmont University

Joshua Wolff

BS, Penn State University

Meet a Student/Alum

Kristen Kahle

Cancer Biology Program Class of 2017
"I became very close with the students in my immediate program and the students who worked on the same research floor as I did. We would help one another during the day with troubleshooting experiments, but we would also spend time outside of the lab/classes to go out to dinner or happy hour. Having that relationship with my classmates definitely enhanced my experience at Drexel." Read more.

Rusia H. Lee

Cancer Biology Program Class of 2018
"What is for sure is that if you're open to it, you will learn everything from the tangible skills, like the biochemical assays and the actual benchwork, to the intangible skills, like lab etiquette and how to present data to your team/boss. No matter where you go in science, these are the skills that are highly sought after." Read more.

Rebecca Moeller

Cancer Biology Program Class of 2020
"I had a really great relationship with the faculty — not only were they always accommodating and willing to answer questions, but they genuinely care about the success of their students. I had the privilege to do my first lab rotation at the Wistar Institute, and even there I was warmly welcomed and given every opportunity I could grasp. I’m a very independent scientist, and faculty were always able to guide me while accommodating my desire to really spearhead my own project. It was a very personalized experience." Read more.

Alumni: Class of 2024

Britney Black

BS, Montclair State University
Thesis title: Investigating the role of LncRNA H19 in DNA damage response
Advisor: Chris Sell, PhD
Current position: Trainee, Intramural Research Program, National Institute of Aging

Ally Criswell

BS, Nazareth College of Rochester
Thesis title: Characterizing Escape Pathways Associated with HIV-Specific CAR T Cell Therapy
Advisor: Daniel Claiborne, PhD
Current position: PhD student, Cancer Sciences Program, at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center

Chris Markgraf

BS, Oregon State University
Thesis title: Identifying Protein Partners and Binding Sites on the lncRNA SChLAP1 
Advisor: Sri Somarowthu, PhD
Current position: Research Services Professional, University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Center

Vidhi Shah

BS, B.J. Medical College, Ahmedabad
Non-thesis review title: Exploring the role of long non-coding RNAs in cancer: From Mechanisms to therapeutic applications
Advisor: Sri Somarowthu, PhD

Kshiti Vaishnav

BS, Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies
Non-thesis review title: The Role of diet and gut microbiome in autoimmunity
Advisor: Rahul Shinde, PhD

Alumni: Class of 2023

Shabnam Pirestani

BS, University of Isfahan
Thesis title: AURKA control of PD-L1 expression in head and neck cancer
Advisor: Erica Golemis, PhD
Current position: PhD student, MCBG Graduate Program, Drexel University College of Medicine

Justin Do

BS, University of California San Diego
Thesis title: Modifying the Epigenome to Facilitate Transdifferentiation of Adult Human Skin Fibroblasts
Advisor: Christian Sell, PhD
Current position: Research Associate, InvVax, Inc.

Jennifer Lynch

BS, University of Arizona
Thesis title: CX3CR1 Regulation and Signaling During Phenotypic Plasticity of Prostate Cancer Cells
Advisor: Alessandro Fatatis, MD, PhD
Current position: Clinical Research Coordinator, Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center

Alumni: Class of 2022

Drexel Cancer Biology program student Dalal Hassan

Dalal Hassan, MD

MD, Kuwait University
Non-thesis review title: A comprehensive review of DNA methylation in cancer
Advisor: Alfonso Bellacosa, MD, PhD
Current position: Graduate Program, Thomas Jefferson University

Pritika Shahani

BS, Arizona State University
Thesis title: LncRNA FAM99A has tumor-suppressor activity in hepatocytes
Thesis lab: Michael Bouchard, PhD
Current position: PhD Student, Medical University of South Carolina

Aaron Slifer

BS, Mount Saint Mary's University
Thesis lab: Sri Somarowthu, PhD

Samuel Evans

BS, Albany College of Pharmacy
Thesis lab: Sri Somarowthu, PhD

Alumni: Class of 2021

Melissa Sutton-Navaro

BS, Portland State University
Non-Thesis review title: “Targeting epigenetic vulnerabilities in high-grade serous ovarian cancer”
Advisor: Dr. Todd Strochlic

Marwa Al-Aloosi: Drexel Cancer Biology Program

Marwa Al-Aloosi, MD

MD, University of Baghdad, AMIDEAST Fulbright Grant Recipient
Non-Thesis review title: “Clinical review of hepatocellular carcinoma”
Advisor: Dr. Michael Bouchard

Alumni: Class of 2020

Fatimah Alfaran

BS, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences University
Thesis title: The effects of copper modulation on CK2 kinase activity
Thesis lab: Todd Strochlic, VMD, PhD
Current position: Lecturer, Mohammed Al-Mana College for Medical Science

Rebecca Moeller

BS, University of Delaware
Thesis title: Exploring CDK5 as a novel therapeutic target in glioblastoma
Thesis lab: Mauricio J. Reginato, PhD
Current position: Associate Scientist II, Cancer Immunotherapy Group, Vor Biopharma, Boston Mass.

Shivani Sheth

BS, St. Xavier's College, India
Thesis title: Roles of Timeless in Fanconi Anemia-mediated repair pathway and cancer growth in Esophageal cancer cells
Thesis lab: Eishi Noguchi, PhD
Current position: Research Specialist at PerkinElmer, Inc.

Alumni: Class of 2019

Alison Goupil

BS, University of New Hampshire
Thesis title: Copper Mediated Regulation of CK2 Kinase Activity
Thesis lab: Todd Strochlic, VMD, PhD
Current position: Research associate, Reaction Biology Corporation

Jing Ju

BS, Nanjing University, China
Thesis title: Role of ACSS2-Ser267 phosphorylation in glioblastoma cells
Thesis lab: Mauricio J. Reginato, PhD
Current position: PhD candidate, Molecular & Cellular Biology Program, Virginia Tech University, Blacksburg, Virginia

Yesim Mercan

BS, Boğazici University, Turkey
Non-thesis master's

Jacob Parfianowicz

BS, Wilkes University
Thesis title: Role of Copper Transporter 1 in Glioblastoma Progression
Thesis lab: Todd Strochlic, VMD, PhD
Current position: Research technician, Laboratory of Dr. Diane Merry Thomas Jefferson University

Danyelle Paine

BS, McNeese State University
Non-thesis master's
Current position: PhD candidate, Clinical Translational Sciences Program, University of Arizona

Alumni: Class of 2018

Mohamed Abdelbaset

BS, Beni Suef University, Egypt
Thesis title: Developing a neuroinvasive murine model of Epstein-Barr virus-associated primary central nervous system lymphoma
Thesis lab: Paul Lieberman, PhD

Waleed Iqbal

BS, State University of New York at New Paltz
Thesis title: Utilizing large genomic datasets to evaluate novel, rare variants in Ribonucleoside-diphosphate reductase subunit M2 B
Thesis lab: Erica Golemis, PhD
Current position: PhD candidate, Biomedical Science and Bioinformatics Program, Drexel University

Rusia Lee

BS, Wesleyan University
Thesis title: Targeting cyclin-dependent kinase 5 using cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors in glioblastoma
Thesis lab: Mauricio J. Reginato, PhD
Current position: PhD candidate, Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology Program, The City University of New York

Carlie Mendoza

BS, Cornell University
Thesis title: Purification and characterization of a Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus latency-associated nuclear antigen DNA-binding domain mutant
Thesis lab: Paul Lieberman, PhD
Current position: DO candidate, Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine

Kiana Shahidi

BS, University of Colorado, Boulder
Non-thesis master's
Current position: Executive specialty sales representative, Merck & Co.

Alumni: Class of 2017

Erica Dalla

BS, Alma Mater Studiorum University, Italy
Thesis title: Investigating the role of the chemokine receptor CX3CR1 in metastatic inflammatory breast cancer
Thesis lab: Olimpia Meucci, MD, PhD
Current position: PhD candidate, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Kristen Maslar

BS, University of Scranton
Thesis title: Investigating the role of MK2-mediated RecQL phosphorylation in triple negative breast cancer
Thesis lab: Todd Strochlic, VMD, PhD
Current position: Project specialist, Integral Molecular

Dimpi Mukhopadhyay

BS, St. Xavier's College, India
Thesis title: Role of spastin in regulating glioblastoma cell survival
Thesis lab: Mauricio J. Reginato, PhD
Current position: PhD candidate, Cancer Biology Program, University of Massachusetts Medical School

Amber Theriault

BS, University of Massachusetts-Amherst
Thesis title: Investigating the role of Timeless in acetaldehyde-mediated DNA damage response and repair
Thesis lab: Eishi Noguchi, PhD
Current position: Research scientist, Immuno-Oncology Division, Merck & Co.

Alumni: Class of 2016

Safoora Deihimi

BS, Alzahra University, Iran
Thesis title: Mutation profiling in colorectal cancer patients with microsatellite instability: High frequency of BRCA2 and EGFR somatic mutations
Thesis lab: Wakik El-Deiry, MD, PhD
Current position: Genetic variant analyst, Penn Center for Personalized Diagnostics, University of Pennsylvania

Yayi Feng

BS, Shenzhen University, China
Thesis title: Targeting Aurora A kinase and p21-activated kinase 1 in Hormone Receptor-positive Breast Cancer
Thesis lab: Erica Golemis, PhD
Current position: Commercial senior specialist, BGI Genomics

Samuel Flashner

BS, Providence College
Thesis title: Sp1 nontranscriptionally regulates centrosome number
Thesis lab: Jane Azizkhan-Clifford, PhD
Current position: PhD candidate, MCBG Program, Drexel University College of Medicine

Kritika Hanamshet

BS, Padmashree Dr. D.Y. Patil University, India
Thesis title: Role of RAD52 in homologous recombination
Thesis lab: Alexander Mazin, PhD
Current position: PhD candidate, MCBG Program, Drexel University College of Medicine

Meghan Kopp

BS, Moravian College
Thesis title: Involvement of NEDD9 and HSP90 in signaling and therapeutic response in cancer and ADPKD
Thesis lab: Erica Golemis, PhD
Current position: Research specialist, University of Pennsylvania

Tong Lu

BS, University of Maryland
Thesis title: Understanding O-GlcNAc transferase regulation of SIRT1 in breast cancer cells
Thesis lab: Mauricio Reginato, PhD
Current position: PhD candidate, Biomedical Sciences Program, Penn State University, Hershey

Dustin Rollins

BS, California State University
Thesis title: Netrin-G1 in desmoplastic fibroblasts enhances interactions with pancreatic cancer cells
Thesis lab: Edna Cukierman, PhD
Current position: Research associate, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center