CLINICAL RESEARCH TEAM
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.
Braden Juengel MD
Islet Research Fellow
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.
Sarah Gondek BS
Researcher
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.
William Lin MD
Research Fellow
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
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.