Tomas Alexander Bermudez
Tomas
Alexander
Bermudez
Co-president
Microbe-Host Interactions Graduate Program
tomas.a.bermudez@Vanderbilt.Edu
Alexandra Abu-Shmais
Alexandra
Abu-Shmais
Graduate Student
Microbe-Host Interactions Graduate Program
alexandra.abu-shmais@Vanderbilt.Edu
Ruilin Zhang
Ruilin
Zhang
Graduate Student
Molecular Pathology & Immunology Graduate Program
ruilin.zhang@Vanderbilt.Edu
Abigail Rich
Abigail
Rich
Graduate Student
Molecular Pathology & Immunology Graduate Program
Abby is from Wake Forest, NC, and attended Salem College in Winston-Salem NC for her undergraduate education. In her free time she enjoys cycling.
Zinkel Lab
Lab Website
I am investigating the mechanisms by which SRSF2P95H mutations in hematopoietic stem cells contribute to inflammatory signaling, bone marrow failure disorders, and myeloid malignancy using both molecular and computational approaches.
Publications on 
abigail.l.rich@Vanderbilt.Edu
Grant Nation
Grant
Nation
Graduate Student
Molecular Pathology & Immunology Graduate Program
I am from Owensboro, Kentucky and earned my BS in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Centre College in 2016. I worked as a technician at the University of Kentucky researching Alzheimer's disease for 3 years before I joined the Pua lab in 2020.
615-875-6166
Medical Center North
1161 21st Avenue South
Room / Suite
B3310 - Heather Pua Lab
Nashville
Tennessee
37232
Lab Website
I am interested in the micro RNA cargo of extracellular vesicles derived from allergic airway inflammation, and that cargo's delivery to immune cells which could modify inflammatory response.
Publications on
grant.k.nation@Vanderbilt.Edu
Kathleen McClanahan
Kathleen
McClanahan
MPI Co-Vice President
Molecular Pathology & Immunology Graduate Program
Originally from Little Rock, AR, I earned my B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Arkansas in 2019. I immediately joined the Vanderbilt IGP in 2019 and the MPI graduate program in 2020. Outside of the lab, I love cooking, reading, and participating in science outreach!
Awards and Honors:
NSF-GRFP Award (2021)
Lab Phone
615-936-0104
Medical Center North
1161 21st Avenue South
Room / Suite
A5211 - Olivares-Villagomez Lab
Nashville
Tennessee
37232
Lab Website
In the Olivares-Villagomez lab, I am investigating the role of the breastmilk protein osteopontin in the development of the infant gut microbiota.
Publications on
kathleen.mcclanahan@vanderbilt.edu
Darren Heintzman
Darren
Heintzman
Graduate Student
Molecular Pathology & Immunology Graduate Program
darren.r.heintzman@vanderbilt.edu
Diana Graves
Diana
Graves
Graduate Student
Molecular Pathology & Immunology Graduate Program
Diana received her B.S. in Chemistry from the University of North Georgia. Her undergraduate research focused on expressing homologs, comparing kinetics, and using site-directed mutagenesis to better understand the catalytic mechanism of the novel enzyme MfnB under the direction of Dr. Yu Wang. Diana entered Vanderbilt University in 2019 through the QCB program. She then joined the Young Kim lab under the Molecular Pathology and Immunology graduate training program.
654 Preston Research Building
2220 Pierce Ave
Room / Suite
Young Kim Lab
Nashville
Tennessee
37232
Lab Website
Diana's research focuses on studying immune cell infiltration in the tumor microenvironment. Her project involves analyzing the factors affecting macrophage polarization and cancer-associated fibroblast phenotypes in the context of head and neck cancer.
diana.k.graves@vanderbilt.edu
Natalie Favret
Natalie
Favret
Graduate Student
Molecular Pathology & Immunology Graduate Program
natalie.favret@Vanderbilt.Edu
Sharareh Ameli
Sharareh
Ameli
Graduate Student
Molecular Pathology & Immunology Graduate Program
s.ameli@vanderbilt.edu