Barry Research Group

The Tuberculosis Research Section (TBRS) is a multidisciplinary group composed of chemists, microbiologists, veterinarians, imaging scientists, and clinicians with a shared objective of improving chemotherapy for tuberculosis (TB) patients. TBRS projects span chemical biology, medicinal chemistry, host-pathogen interactions, animal models of experimental chemotherapy, and experimental medicine clinical studies in TB patients. TBRS is highly interactive with the global community involved in rejuvenating TB drug discovery, and TBRS scientists were part of the team that discovered Pretomanid, recently FDA approved for multidrug-resistant (MDR) TB treatment. 

TBRS led the clinical effort to evaluate linezolid for the treatment of extensively drug-resistant (XDR) TB disease, an effort that ultimately led to the global usage of this agent for highly drug-resistant TB. TBRS, working in partnership with Merck & Co., recently completed the preclinical development of a safer, TB-selective analog of linezolid for use in drug-sensitive disease, and this agent is in Phase 1 safety studies. TBRS has been part of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation-funded TB Drug Accelerator (tbdrugaccelerator.org) since its inception. TBRS has many collaborators across the globe and, as a result, is the most highly cited research group working in the field of TB, according to Thomson-Reuters (https://archive.sciencewatch.com/ana/st/tub/09augSTTubBarr/). TBRS has over 300 publications in the scientific literature on TB.

TBRS is team-led by Dr. Barry and three highly talented staff scientists. TBRS’ clinical activities take place mostly in South Africa, enabled by Dr. Barry’s honorary appointment to the Institute for Infectious Diseases and Molecular Medicine at the University of Cape Town. TBRS’ clinical studies are underpinned by attempting to better understand disease in TB patients through the application of PET-CT imaging and comparisons of lesion types with nonhuman primate models of disease where we have developed the capacity to conduct similar PET-CT studies.

Clifton Barry III, Ph.D.

Chief, Tuberculosis Research Section

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Education:

Ph.D., 1989, Cornell University

Dr. Clifton E. Barry III received his Ph.D. in organic and bioorganic chemistry in 1989 from Cornell University, studying the biosynthesis of complex natural products. Following postdoctoral research in the chemistry department at Johns Hopkins University (1989 to 1992), Dr. Barry joined the NIH Intramural Research Program at the NIAID Rocky Mountain Laboratories in Hamilton, Montana. In 1998, he...

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Ayan Abdi, B.Sc.

PET/CT Research Associate

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Education:

B.Sc., Medical Radiation Science, 2006, University of Toronto, Canada

B.Sc., Biotechnology, 2001, Brock University, St. Catharines, Canada

Ayan is a nuclear medicine technologist with certifications in nuclear medicine (NMTCB) and computed tomography (ARRT). Ayan has over fifteen years of clinical experience and almost four years of animal research experience. Ayan is highly dedicated to the goal of tuberculosis research at NIAID and hopes to one day eradicate the disease.

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Alfred Agbekudzi, Ph.D.

Postdoctoral Fellow

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Education:

B.S., Biochemistry Cell and Molecular Biology, 2015, University of Ghana, Legon

Ph.D., Biological Sciences, 2023, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg

Languages Spoken: Twi, Ewe

DprE1 is a crucial enzyme involved in the cell wall biosynthesis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and is a target for the antituberculosis drug quabodepistat. I am working to elucidate the structure of DprE1 when bound to quabodepistat. In addition, I am interested in investigating collateral resistance and susceptibility phenotypes to other tuberculosis drugs in the presence of quabodepistat...

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Dennis Steve Benavides Argueta, AALAS

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Education:

AALAS, 2021, Laboratory Animal Technician
AALAS, 2019, Assistant Laboratory Animal Technician

Languages Spoken: Spanish

Dennis enjoys his work as a veterinary research associate in the TB Imaging Program. He is fascinated by the hands-on research involved in vaccine studies and enjoys learning from and working with the investigators in TBRS.

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Michael B. Boden, B.S.

Postbaccalaureate IRTA Fellow

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Education:

B.S., 2024, St. Mary’s College of Maryland, St. Mary’s City, MD

Michael studied biology and biochemistry but has a strong background in organic chemistry. In TRS, he is working on a chemical biology project studying a gene related to long-chain coenzyme A synthetase and how it is related to drug efficacy.

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Helena Ingrid Boshoff, Ph.D.

Associate Scientist / Staff Scientist (core)

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Education:

Ph.D., 2000, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa

Languages Spoken: English, Afrikaans, Swedish, Dutch

Helena’s research focuses on the pathogenesis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, elucidating the metabolism of the pathogen under different physiological conditions, identifying and validating drug targets, understanding mechanisms of survival in non-replicating persistence and drug tolerance, in addition to high-throughput screening against BSL-3 pathogens. She is a key staff member in the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation-supported grant under the Tuberculosis Drug Accelerator program.

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Aidan Thomas Boving, B.S.

Postbaccalaureate IRTA Fellow

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Education:

B.S., 2023, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI

Since earning his undergraduate degrees, Aidan has continued pursuing his interest in microbiology, natural product discovery, and biochemistry in TBRS. His projects include characterizing an anti-mycobacterial natural product and creating a protocol for mycobacteria ribosome stalling to improve our understanding of an antibiotic of interest.

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Alexandra Bozan, B.S.

Postbaccalaureate Fellow

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Education:

B.S., Biotechnology, 2023, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ

Languages Spoken: Spanish

My current project is cloning/overexpression of the Mtb metK gene in E. coli. I have a broad range of interests, from molecular biology and infectious disease to immunology. I am seeking employment in either an academic or industry setting that will enable me to explore my interests. This will help me determine a subject area for my graduate studies or a topic for my Ph.D. research.

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Emmanuel K. Dayao, D.V.M.

Veterinary Research Scientist

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Education:

D.V.M., 1983, De La Salle Araneta University, Metro Manila, Philippines

Previous private practice and many years of experience in preclinical studies have brought Emmanuel into the field of TB studies. Emmanuel is interested in and focuses on physiological changes in the pre-clinical hosts.

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Maurine Fan, B.S.

Postbaccalaureate IRTA Fellow

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Education:

B.A., 2023, Colgate University, Hamilton, NY

Languages Spoken: Chinese, Mandarin

Maurine’s research project is high throughput screening of small molecules, natural products, and compound libraries that have the potential to be drug targets essential for Mtb growth. The team identifies large quantities of compound leads that inhibit different Mtb targets under a variety of conditions (hypoxia and starvation) in a relatively short amount of time.

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Peter A. Filbrandt, B.A.

Postbaccalaureate Research Fellow

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Education:

B.A., 2023, Albion College, Albion, MI

Peter’s research interests focus on the therapeutic targeting of gene regulation and energy production mechanisms in Mycobacterium tuberculosis. He hopes to help characterize new targets and therapeutics of Mtb that impede drug resistance.

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Peter M. Finin, M.D.

Clinical Fellow

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Education:

M.D., 2016, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI

Infectious Diseases Fellowship, 2021, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Bethesda, MD

Internal Medicine Residency, 2019, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA

Languages Spoken: Swahili

Peter is interested in researching the mycobacterial electron transport chain. By better understanding its physiology and how it responds to perturbation, he believes we can develop better treatments that target this pathway in pathogens such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

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Veronica Gantert, M.Sc.

Laboratory Manager

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Education:

M.Sc., 2014, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD

B.Sc., 2009, University of Tennessee-Knoxville, Knoxville, TN

Languages Spoken: German, Tagalog, Cebuano

As the lab manager, Veronica ensures the BSL-2 and BSL-3 labs are running well and that lab members have all the resources they need to perform their work well. She does everything from ordering supplies, training members, troubleshooting instrumentation, developing SOPs to finding solutions for all sorts of issues.

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Michael Brendan Goodwin, M.S.

Chemist

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Education:

M.S., Chemistry, 1996, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA

B.S., Chemistry, 1993, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA

Michael performs instrument support for research scientists specializing in chromatography and mass spectrometry.

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Sarah E. Hanson, B.A.

Predoctoral Fellow

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Education:

Currently pursuing Ph.D., Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
B.A., 2020, Emory University, Atlanta, GA

Languages Spoken: French

After finishing her undergrad at Emory University, Sarah joined the NIH National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases laboratory for a three-year postbac studying the outer membrane proteins of gram-negative bacteria, which inspired her to pursue her Ph.D. at NIAID through a joint program with NIH and Johns Hopkins University. She is interested in characterizing the proteins...

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Naseer Khan, D.Phil.

Postdoctoral Fellow

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Education:

D.Phil., 2020, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom

M.Sc., 2007, King’s College London, United Kingdom

B.Sc. Hons., 2006, University of Greenwich, United Kingdom

Languages Spoken: Urdu

Naseer hails from a small town in the state of Jammu and Kashmir in Pakistan. He did his undergraduate degree from the University of Greenwich (UK) and then obtained his M.Sc. from King’s College, London. After working for several years at NIH, he joined Professor Ben Davis’ laboratory at Oxford University as a D.Phil. student.

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Sohee Angela Kim

Summer/Fall Intern

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Education:

Currently pursuing B.A., 2025, Colgate University, Hamilton, NY

Languages Spoken: Korean

Sohee’s research project focuses on the use of alternate quinone, specifically polyketide quinone, in mycobacterial respiration.

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Ashish Kumar, Ph.D.

Postdoctoral Fellow

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Education:

Ph.D., 2024, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, India

M. Tech., Biotechnology, 2015, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, Delhi, India

B. Tech., Biotechnology, 2013, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, Delhi, India

Languages Spoken: Hindi

During his doctoral research, Ashish investigated the regulatory role of G-quadruplexes in mycobacterial transcription and translation processes. His current research interests focus on elucidating the mechanisms of action for potential tuberculosis (TB) therapeutics. Ashish is particularly passionate about unraveling the complex factors contributing to drug resistance in Mycobacterium...

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Neha Malhotra, Ph.D.

Postdoctoral Fellow

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Education:

Ph.D., 2017, CSIR-Institute of Microbial Technology, Chandigarh, India

Languages Spoken: Hindi

Neha Malhotra obtained her doctorate from the CSIR-Institute of Microbial Technology, Chandigarh, India, in 2017. She specializes in molecular biology, microbiology, and biochemistry. Her doctoral research focused on understanding the role of eukaryotic-type Ser/Thr kinases-mediated phosphorylation on mycobacterial cAMP-dependent adenylate cyclase and phosphodiesterase. This work identified the...

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Nicholaus P. Mnyambwa, Ph.D.

Postdoctoral Fellow

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Education:

Ph.D., 2019, Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology, Arusha, Tanzania

Languages Spoken: Swahili

Complete elimination of Mycobacterium tuberculosis population with anti-TBs is difficult even when the bacteria are susceptible to drugs. Drug-induced stress places the pathogen under intense pressure that can, in turn, contribute to upregulation of survival mechanisms, leading to often incurable infections. Nicholaus is investigating novel mechanisms utilized by the pathogen to circumvent drugs during treatment.

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Nilesh Mukundan, B.S.

Postbaccalaureate IRTA Fellow

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Education:

B.S., 2024, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA

Languages Spoken: Tamil

Nilesh’s background is primarily in cell and molecular biology. In TRS, his research is focused on understanding the structure and function of the cytochrome bd protein in the electron transport chain of Mtb and how these elements react/change in response to different cellular and environmental conditions.

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Sangmi Oh, Ph.D.

Staff Scientist

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Education:

Ph.D., 2010, Chemistry Department, Seoul National University, Korea

M.S., 1997, Chemistry Department, Ewha Womans University, Korea

B.S., 1995, Chemistry Department, Ewha Womans University, Korea

Languages Spoken: Korean

In 2010, Dr. Oh received her Ph.D. in organic chemistry from Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea. She later worked as a scientist at the Institut Pasteur Korea (IPK) on the medicinal chemistry team. In 2015, she joined TBRS as a visiting fellow and was appointed as a staff scientist in 2020.

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Neha Quadir, Ph.D.

Postdoctoral Fellow

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Education:

Ph.D., 2022, Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi, India

M.Sc., 2012, Integral University, Lucknow, India

B.Sc., 2010, Mody Institute of Technology and Science, Rajasthan, India

Languages Spoken: Hindi, Urdu

Neha has been actively working on projects including deciphering the mode of action of a novel drug candidate MMV46, understanding the drug uptake mechanism of various small molecule inhibitors across the different mycobacterial compartments, and elucidating the biosynthetic capacity of Mtb present in various lesions or caseum.

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Jose Santinni O. Roma, B.S.

Project Manager

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Education:

B.S., 2014, University of Richmond, Richmond, VA

Languages Spoken: Tagalog

Jose Santinni Roma obtained his bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and molecular biology with a specialization in microbiology from the University of Richmond. In 2016, he joined a lab at the Oregon Health and Science University to study Mycobacterium tuberculosis cell wall proteins. Jose arrived at NIAID in 2018 as a scientist in the Tuberculosis Research Section, working with the high throughput...

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Becky Y. Sloan

Veterinary Research Associate

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Education:

HSD, 1992

Becky performs technical procedures such as, but not limited to, PET/CT scanning while working with radioisotopes within an ABSL-3 environment.

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Elena Trifonov, Ph.D.

Postdoctoral Fellow

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Education:

Ph.D., 2019, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel

Languages Spoken: Russian, Hebrew

Elena’s research projects include synthesizing chemical probes, exploring the mechanism of action of hits of interest against Mtb as potential anti-tubercular agents, and identifying and approving the function of particular secondary metabolite of Mtb that is related to host-Mtb interaction in order to understand the mechanism of Mtb evasion of the human immune system.

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Laura Ellen Via, Ph.D.

Associate Staff Scientist

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Education:

Ph.D., 1993, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA

B.S., 1984, University of Virginia, Charlottesville,  VA

After working in cancer drug development in biopharma, Laura focused on TB drug discovery with an emphasis on host-pathogen interaction. Focusing on building informative animal models of TB, she directs the TB Imaging Program, a team that brings together the disciplines of microbiology, animal science, histopathology, and radiologic imaging to assess compound activity and explore basic immunology...

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Joel P. Vincent, M.P.H.

Clinical Trials Specialist

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Education:

M.P.H., 2015, Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, LA

B.S., 2012, University of Georgia, Athens, GA

Joel contributes to the implementation and oversight of clinical research conducted by the Tuberculosis Research Section.

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Danielle M. Weiner, B.S.

Senior Research Associate

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Education:

B.S., Animal Sciences, 2007, University of Maryland, College Park, MD

Danielle’s research focuses on preclinical models of tuberculosis, primarily in chemotherapeutic efficacy, as well as pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics (PK/PD).

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Xiang (Shawn) Yu, Ph.D.

Clinical Data Manager

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Education:

Ph.D., 2007, Pharmacology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD

M.S., 2017, Applied Statistics, Pennsylvania State University, World Campus

B.A., 2000, Biochemistry, Hampshire College, Amherst, MA

Languages Spoken: Mandarin, Shanghainese

Shawn’s official role in TBRS is data acquisition, management, and analysis for all the ongoing clinical trials. He works closely with the TBRS clinical team, onsite clinical staff in South Africa and China, and external laboratory staff processing clinical samples.

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Former Research Group Members

  • Yumi Park, Postdoctoral Fellow, Konyang Univ. COM, Daejeon, Korea
  • Marlene Espinoza, Postdoctoral Fellow, Icahn School of Medicine, Mount Sinai, New York
  • Yong Mo Ahn, Postdoctoral Fellow, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, NCATS/NIH
  • Yingda L. Xie , Clinical Fellow, Assistant Professor, Division of Infectious Diseases, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School
  • Gareth Prosser, Postdoctoral Fellow, Resident Scientist, Drug Discovery Unit, University of Dundee, UK
  • Katharina Kolbe, Postdoctoral Fellow, Medical Student, University of Lübeck, Germany
  • Qinglan Wang, Postdoctoral Fellow, Assistant Professor, Sichuan University, Chongqing, China
  • Hee-Jeong Yang, Postdoctoral Fellow, Imaging Analyst, Laulima Goverment Solutions, IRF, Frederick, Maryland
  • Andaleeb Sajid, Postdoctoral Fellow, National Cancer Institute, Laboratory of Cell Biology
  • Michael Richardson, Veterinary Pathology Fellow, Veterinary Pathologist, IDEXX Reference Laboratories, Westbrook, Maine
  • M. Daben Libardo, Postdoctoral Fellow, Senior Scientist (Infectious Diseases), Merck & Co., West Point, Pennsylvania
  • Azeeza Shaik, Postdoctoral Fellow, Scientific Manager, Novick Biosciences, Hyderabad, India
  • Gail Louw, Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Cape Town, IDM, Cape Town, RSA
  • Garth Abrahams, Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Rhodes University, RSA
  • Gwendolyn Marriner, Postdoctoral Fellow, MPI Research, Translational Imaging Center, Mattawan, Michigan
  • Hyeeun Bang, Postdoctoral Fellow, Yonsei University, Seoul, South Korea
  • Nitin Pal Kalia, Postdoctoral Fellow, Lee Kong Chian SOM, Singapore
  • Sri Kumar Veleti, Postdoctoral Fellow, INTEL Corporation, Hillsboro, Oregon
  • Surendra Jonnala, Postdoctoral Fellow, Keerthana Labs, Hyderabad, India
  • Yoshitaka Tateishi, Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Bacteriology, Niigata University SOM, Niigata, Japan
  • Jenna Andrews, Postbaccalaureate Fellow, Ph.D. Student, Yale University
  • Jessica Medrano, Postbaccalaureate Fellow, M.D./Ph.D. student, University of Pittsburgh
  • Alice Bell, Postbaccalaureate Fellow, Medical Student, Georgetown University
  • Jonathan Nicklas, Postbaccalaureate Fellow, Ph.D. Student, NIH Graduate Partnerships Program, NHGRI/Georgetown
  • He Eun Chun, Postbaccalaureate Fellow, Clinical Research Coordinator, University of Maryland, Baltimore
  • K. Jesse Lopez, Postbaccalaureate Fellow, Medical Student, George Washington University
  • Nelson R. Perez, Postbaccalaureate Fellow, Medical Student, San Juan Bautista SOM, Caguas, Puerto Rico
  • Caroline Duncombe, Postbaccalaureate Fellow, Ph.D. Student, University of Washington, Seattle
  • Ana La O Vazquez, Postbaccalaureate Fellow, Medical Student, Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, Bradenton, Florida
  • Gloria Kim, Postbaccalaureate Fellow, Law Student, University of North Carolina Law
  • Caitlyn Sebastian, Postbaccalaureate Fellow, Ph.D. Student, University of Alabama, Birmingham
  • Emily Wolf, Postbaccalaureate Fellow, Nursing Student, Central Carolina Technical College
  • Brock Brethour, Postbaccalaureate Fellow, Ph.D. Student, University of Maryland, Baltimore
  • Cassandra Jordan, Postbaccalaureate Fellow, Ph.D. Student, Uniformed Services University
  • Lila Foley Berle, M.D. candidate, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
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