Trainee Spotlights

April 3rd – 7th is National Graduate & Professional Student Appreciation Week! Join us as we celebrate our graduate students and highlight some of their research and personal interests.  We will post a new Trainee Spotlight every day for National Graduate & Professional Student Appreciation Week 2023, so check back daily!

Our final trainee spotlight of the week is on Hana Kalčo, a member of the Connizzo Lab under PI Dr. Brianne Connizzo. The research of the Connizzo Lab takes a novel approach to understanding soft tissue aging by identifying age-related changes in: cells, the surrounding extracellular matrix (ECM); and tissue mechanical function; the ability of cells to sense mechanical and biochemical cues through the ECM; and the homeostatic regulation of ECM structure through remodeling. Read more about Hana below!
 
Where did you attend college, and in what field is your undergraduate degree?
 
I attended the University of Rochester where I attained my B.S. in Biomedical Engineering and Minor in Chemical Engineering.
 
Who were your scientific mentors before coming to BU?
 
My scientific mentors were my PIs, Dr. Whasil Lee (UofR BME) and Dr. David Foster (UofR ChE), and my advisor Dr. Danielle Benoit (University of Oregon).
 
Can you give us a brief overview of your research?
 
My research uses a unique explant co-culture of muscle, tendon, and bone to understand the influence of tissue crosstalk and sustained inflammatory processes to multi-tissue degeneration during rotator cuff injury.
 
What are your career goals?
I plan to pursue an academic career after completing my degree.
 
If you had to have a career outside of science, what would it be?
 
If I had to have a career outside of science, I would be a flutist. I love music and I have been playing flute since I was little.
 
Where are you from originally?
I am originally from Bosnia and Herzegovina!

___________________________________________________________________________

For Thursday, April 6th we are putting the spotlight on Gabby Grifno, a member of the Nia Lab under PI Dr. Hadi Nia. The Nia Lab lab conducts research at the interface of physical sciences and molecular biology in both whole functional lungs and in vitro models of cancer, with a focus on links between mechanical forces and cell biology in health across multiple scales (e.g., molecular, cellular, and whole organ levels), and multi-settings (e.g., in silico, in vitro, and in vivo). Current projects focus on studying lung mechanobiology in health, in cancer and in acute injury using our novel “crystal ribcage” platform, for imaging the whole, functional mouse lung ex vivo. Gabby is also one of our Trainee Leaders, and has done a lot to support the Center and her fellow trainees! Read her Q&A below.
 
Where did you attend college, and in what field is your undergraduate degree?
 
I attended Johns Hopkins University, with B.S. in Biomedical Engineering, focus in tissue engineering.
 
Who were your scientific mentors before coming to BU?
 
My scientific mentors were the PI of my research lab, Peter Searson (JHU Materials Science and BME) graduate research mentor, Raleigh Linville (PhD BME from JHU, now a postdoctoral fellow at MIT).
 
What brought you to BU to pursue your doctorate degree?
 
I was attracted to BU for my PhD due to the fact that several faculty in the BME department had research that aligned with my interests, the quality of the program and reputation of the school/department, and upon meeting during visit weekend, the friendliness of the other students and supportive attitude of the faculty and administration.
 
Can you give us a brief overview of your research?
 
My research focuses on probing lung mechanobiology and lung vascular biology using the novel “crystal ribcage” platform my lab has developed, for imaging the whole, functional mouse lung in its native geometry. We study the dynamic breathing and circulation functions of the lung from the whole-organ down to the capillary level, and how these functions are disrupted in diseases such as lung cancer, infection and acute injury.
 
How do your current research interests align with our Center for Multiscale & Translational Mechanobiology?
 
My research interests align with CMTM in that I aim to characterize novel aspects of lung mechanobiology that haven’t been quantified in detail before in a fresh, functional tissue that has all of the cellular diversity and functionality of the mouse lung in vivo.
 
What are your career goals?
 
I plan to pursue an academic career after completing my degree, most likely aiming to pursue research in tissue engineering and personalized medicine.
 
What advice would you give to incoming first-year graduate students in your lab?
 
I would advise incoming students to closely consider how they would like to be mentored and the type of lab environment they are looking to join, rather than just focusing on what types of research they are most familiar with or most comfortable with. You can get excited about just about any research, but the environment and skills you build during the PhD are what’s really important!
 

___________________________________________________________________________

Our trainee spotlight for Wednesday, April 5th is Anthony Spinella, who is in the MD PhD program in the BUSM Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology under PI Dr. Bob Varelas. The Varelas Lab uses molecular and genetic approaches to understand how cell polarity and mechanical cues direct the activity of the transcriptional effectors YAP and TAZ to control mammalian organ development, homeostasis and disease processes.
 
Where did you attend college, and in what field is your undergraduate degree?
 
I attended the University of Vermont (UVM) where I attained a B.S. from the College of Arts and Sciences with a Major in Neuroscience and a Minor in Chemistry in the spring of 2018.
 
Who were your scientific mentors before coming to BU?
 
During my undergrad, I primarily worked with Dr. Jeremy Barry in the lab of Dr. Gregory Holmes as well as Dr. Matthew Weston as part of the Epilepsy, Cognition, and Development Group at UVM. While there, I performed thesis work on characterizing the in vivo hippocampal electrophysiological alterations due to heterozygous knockout of PTEN as a murine model of autism.
 
What brought you to BU to pursue your doctorate?
 
I joined the BUSM MD-PhD program based on the clinical mission of serving the underserved as part of the institution’s commitment to providing exceptional care without exception regardless of insurance status, income status, or other historically marginalized patient cohorts in the US healthcare system. Additionally, I came to BU because of the strong emphasis on collaboration and interdisciplinary work that is embedded in the culture of basic science research here, allowing for the opportunity to gain experience in a broad variety of techniques to add to my skillset as a trainee.
 
Can you give us a brief overview of your research?
 
Our research work focuses on elucidating how aging impacts the development and treatment of head and neck cancer utilizing a novel murine syngeneic orthotopic xenograft model of oral squamous cell carcinoma. Recently, we have been focused on interrogating the role that age-associated matrix deposition and mechanical forces play in driving the enrichment of an age-associated, immune-evasive tumor sub-population that correlates with worse patient clinical outcomes.
 
What are your career goals?
 
My goal is to become a surgeon-scientist, working as a principal investigator in the field of cancer biology while providing procedure-based care for oncology patients in the clinic.
 
Where are you from originally?
 
I was born in Texas but was adopted and grew up in the town of Chelsea, VT!
 
What is the first job you ever had?
 
One of the first jobs I had in high school was working on the ground crew for a fiber optic cable company, digging ditches in the mountainside of a ski resort condo community for a summer!
 
What is your favorite comfort food?
There is nothing that warms the soul quite like Hot Pot!

___________________________________________________________________________
 
Our next trainee spotlight for Graduate & Professional Appreciation Week 2023 is Ria Rao, who works in the Human Adaptation Lab under PI Dr. Cara Lewis in the Sargent College of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences. The Human Adaptation Lab is dedicated to furthering the understanding of motor adaptation and developing interventions to reduce hip pain.
 
Where did you attend college, and in what field is your undergraduate degree?
 
I attended Texas A&M University for my undergraduate education in Biomedical Engineering with a focus in Biomechanics. As an undergraduate student, I had the opportunity to work in several different labs and explore research areas of interest including tissue engineering, pain science, and human movement. Now as a PhD student at BU, I’m able to combine these interests and study rehabilitation with an interdisciplinary lens.
 
What brought you to BU to pursue your doctorate/master’s/postdoc?
 
Working in a product development position at a small medical device start up, I developed a passion for creating pain-free mobility solutions. I knew I needed a strong understanding of scientific literature, expertise in conducting robust research, and the ability to articulate findings in a way that is useful for device development. From the many programs I applied to, I found the best interdisciplinary lab, mentor-student relationship, and graduate student resources at BU!
 
Can you give us a brief overview of your research?
 
Mobility is often characterized by parameters of walking. The repetitive nature of walking creates cyclic loading patterns on joints, some of which can cause abnormal mechanical stresses. I study the effects of walking positions on stress within the hip joint in hip pain populations. This work combines human movement research with computational modeling to advise the development of mobility solutions that prevent joint degradation and decrease pain during walking.
 
What are your career goals?
 
I aspire to apply my knowledge of research to help develop, validate, and bring new mobility assistance products to the market with patient needs in mind. I have a passion for entrepreneurship and supporting small businesses, so I plan to work as an R&D leader or research advisor at a small mobility device company in the future.
 
If you had to have a career outside of science, what would it be?
 
If I were to have a career outside of science, I would love to be a dance instructor. I grew up learning different styles of dance including ones that brought me closer to my Indian heritage. Throughout college, I was on a nationally competitive dance team, and after graduation, I taught for a few months prior to the pandemic. It’s definitely something I would like to participate in again!
 
If you could go on vacation anywhere in the world, money no object, where would you go and why?
 
I would love to travel through South East Asia to learn about new cultures, appreciate different cuisines, and have exciting experiences in nature!
 
How are you enjoying the urban campus of BU, as opposed to a more traditional isolated college campus setting?
 
I love the urban campus of BU and the accessibility to other universities in Boston. The Boston Consortium, which BU is a part of, allows students to register for courses at other universities, and proximity allows for easier collaboration across campuses. I’ve had the opportunity to interact with students and faculty from other universities due to the urban campus setting, and I’m very thankful for the relationships it has cultivated.
 

___________________________________________________________________________

Our first trainee spotlight for Graduate & Professional Appreciation Week 2023 is Anthony Aggouras, who works in the Connizzo Lab under PI Brianne Connizzo in the Biomedical Engineering department in the College of Engineering. The Connizzo Lab takes a novel approach to understanding soft tissue aging by identifying age-related changes in: Cells, the surrounding extracellular matrix (ECM), and tissue mechanical function; the ability of cells to sense mechanical and biochemical cues through the ECM; and the homeostatic regulation of ECM structure through remodeling. Anthony has been an active member of our CMTM community, and took some time to answer our Q&A.
 
Can you give us a brief overview of your research?
 
My research examines local tendon cell behavior and aims to identify the cellular mechanisms of matrix remodeling important to tendon repair. While tendon injuries are very common with millions of injuries occurring each year, little is known about the capacity of the tenocyte to heal and remodel the tendon matrix. Specifically, I study the ability of the tenocyte to clear matrix damage, synthesize and incorporate neo-matrix, and functionalize the neo-matrix in response to localized matrix damage induced by laser ablation. This work will potential shed light on important innate matrix remodeling mechanisms that can be leveraged for more effective treatments of degenerative matrix changes brought about by injury, disease, or aging.
 
How did you get involved in tendon research?
 
As a part of my undergraduate degree, I was required to complete at least a year of work in industry or academia, known as a Co-op. I first got involved in tendon research during one of these Co-ops. I worked in the Buckley Lab at the University of Rochester studying the role of calcaneal impingement in Insertional Achilles Tendinopathy using ultrasound. This Co-op was instrumental in sparking my interest in tendon mechanobiology which eventually led me to join the Connizzo lab here at BU.
 
What are the biggest accomplishments that you and your lab have recently had?
 
Since we are a newer lab that opened in January 2021, our biggest accomplishment so far is getting our first paper published in the journal of orthopaedic research. We are excited to share my work demonstrating the more efficient matrix turnover and an increased innate response to mechanical injury in MRL/MpJ tendons. This is also my first first author paper with the lab.
 
What do you like to do for fun?
 
Outside of lab, I am an avid saltwater fisher and enjoy spending time out on the water. I also enjoy Hiking and skiing in Maine and New Hampshire, playing pickup soccer, cooking, and visiting historical sites.
 
What kinds of books do you read for fun?
 
I read a lot of Syfy novels. I often download them as audiobooks and listen to them while running assays in the lab.
 
If you had to have a career outside of science, what would it be?
 
If I had to have a career outside of science, I would be a museum curator. I enjoy history and learning about how people lived in the past.