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CLINICAL RESEARCH TEAM

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Lindsay Basto RN MSN 

Manager

Clinical Research

Laurencia Perea RN BSN

Clinical Research Nurse

Lindsay has been leading clinical research related to islet transplantation since 2012. This year she was promoted to the position of the Clinical Research Manager to supervise the execution of research projects related to solid organ and islet transplantation in our Transplant Institute.

Laurencia is a graduate from the University of Oklahoma with experience in Phase I clinical trials. She has just joined the team as Clinical Research Nurse.

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Braden Juengel  MD

Islet Research Fellow

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Mateusz

Ogledzinski MD 

Research Fellow

Braden accomplished his 2-year transplant fellowship in abdominal organ transplantation and decided to purse his research fellowship in islet transplantation at our lab..

Mateusz is from Chicago. He has graduated from the Medical University of Poznan in Poland and now he pursues his research fellowship before further medical training.  

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Sarah Gondek BS

Researcher  

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Kamila Milejczyk BS

Research Associate

Kamila also aspirates to  become a physician. This year she obtained her Bachelor's Degree in Neurobiology from the University of Wisconsin in Madison WI.  In the meantime, she is in training to work as EMT and jointed our team to gain some clinical and basic science research experience. 

Sarah dreams about becoming a physician. This year she obtained her Bachelor's Degree in Cellular and Molecular Biomedical Science from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, MI. Prior to applying to medical school, she decided to join our team and gain some clinical and basic science research experience. 

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William Lin MD

Research Fellow

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Surmai Shukla MD

Research Fellow

Sarah dreams about becoming a physician. This year she obtained her Bachelor Degree in molecular bioengineering from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. MI. Prior to applying to a medical school, she decided to joint our team and gain some clinical and basic science research experience. 

Will comes from Canada but he graduated from the Medical University of Poznan in Poland. He decide to gain more research experience in islet transplantation before applying for a spot in medical residency program in US and Canada.

Surmai Shukla is currently in her final year of medical studies. She holds the position of Co-Chair for GEIGS 2023-24, a sister organization of PGSSC at Harvard Medical School, and is also a Clinical Research Trainee at Harvard Medical School Postgraduate Medical Education. With her sights set on becoming a transplant surgeon-scientist in the United States, she is currently focused on pursuing a residency program to further her medical training. Improving clinical outcomes among diabetic and transplant patients drives her passion for research and clinical practice 

CELL PROCESSING RESEARCH TEAM

Karolina Golab PhD

Lab Manager,

Pancreatic Islet and

T regulatory Cell

Project Manager

Ling-jia Wang  MD PhD Technical Director, 

BLA Senior Project Manager, 

Islet Transplantation

CLINICAL TEAM

Martin is indispensable making sure that we can smoothly carry out all our experiments. He oversights supplies, equipment and logistics related to the experiments and islet isolations.. 

As a scientist, Karolina has been leading our T regulatory cell ex vivo expansion project bringing us closer to the first clinical application. As a manager, she organize and supervise daily activity of the lab.

Ling-jia has been devoted expert in the clinical islet isolation, mentor and teacher to many young researchers. She developed islet imaging and counting system as well as co-inventor of the North American Islet Donor Scoring System.                               Ling-ja has just retired but stays with us in our hearts. 

Martin Tibudan MS 
Transplant Research

Specialist

Amanda Buerress

Transplant

Physician Assistant

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Donna Komuda 

Transplant

Nurse Practitioner

Amanda takes care of the patients, when they are admitted to the hospital for transplant procedures. She directly communicates with patients, providing them comfort, minimize stress and pain as well as makes sure all tests related to their care as well as study protocols are carried out properly.

Donna plays the same role as Amanda. She also comforts patients when in the hospital, ordering necessary medications and tests, arranging consultation alleviating pain and stress. She constantly coordinates patient care when in the hospital.

Christine Trotter  

Transplant Nurse Practitioner 

After 9 years of exemplary service to our patients, Christine decided to purse new exiting career opportunities. 

Jesus Rodrigez III,  

Organ Procurement Coordinator 

Richard Cummings 

Organ Procurement Coordinator 

Jesse is working day and night-24/7,  constantly reviewing potential donor charts looking for optimal organs for our patients. Along with his colleagues, they also coordinate transportation of the organs in the shortest possible time to our center, so they can be succesfully transplanted with the optimal outcome. 

As other members of the Transplant Team, he plays a very important role in organ preparation and the outcome of the transplantation. 

Rich is working day and night-24/7,  constantly reviewing potential donor charts looking for optimal organs for our patients. Along with his colleagues, they  coordinate transportation of the organs in the shortest possible time to our center, so they can be succesfully transplanted with the optimal outcome. 

As other members of the Transplant Team, he plays a very important role in organ preparation and the outcome of the transplantation. 

Lisa Potter Pharm D,  

Pharmacist 

Brenna Kane Pharm. D, 

Pharmacist 

Lisa is our pharmacy leader with great experience in clinical research  involving testing new medication against placebo in the setting of randomized studies. She is critical in the preparation of the study medication, even if this means to come to the hospital in the middle of the night or weekend when transplants usually happen. 

Brenna is our pharmacist who is deeply involved in the care of our kidney, pancreas and islet transplant patients. She makes sure they receive the right medications, with  the right dose, at the right time. She warns us about drug interactions and side effects. Adjusting medications properly is critical for the well being of our patients chronically exposed to toxic anti-rejection medications. 

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