Members
Huize Pan, PhD
- Postdoctoral Scientist
Education and Training
BS, 2011, Anhui University, Hefei, China
PhD, 2016, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, ChinaI am interested in the mechanistic and translational study of GWAS loci related to cardio-metabolic disease by utilizing both human iPSC models and transgenic murine models. My PhD training focused on the mechanism study of human stem cell function regulation using gene editing and stem cell differentiation technologies. My postdoctoral training is using CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene editing and iPSC-VSMC differentiation technology, as well as murine models to study the mechanism of cardiovascular disease-related genetic loci identified in GWAS. My current projects include: 1) Function and mechanism of some GWAS loci in atherogenesis; 2) Identifying transcriptional regulators of ADAMTS7 expression and potential genetic loci related to the human smooth muscle cell function regulation by utilizing CRISPR/Cas9 screening; 3) Defining the landscape of human monocyte subpopulations via single cell RNA-seq, and examining their relation to cardiovascular risk states, e.g., smoke, hyperlipidemia, Type 2 Diabetes by comparing the monocyte subpopulations’ compositions between normal cohort and people with cardiovascular risk states.
Chenyi Xue, MS
- Staff Associate, Bioinformatics
Education and Training
BS, 2010, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
MS, 2012, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MII am the bioinformatician of the lab, managing data storage, quality control and analysis. I work closely with research scientists in the lab on different projects. I have extensive experience on RNA-seq data analysis and long intergenic noncoding RNA (lincRNA) identification using deep sequencing data.
Jian Cui, MB, MSc
- Research Specialist
Education and Training
MB, 2003, Hebei Medical University
MSc, 2006, Beijing University of Chinese MedicineI joined Dr. Reilly’s group in 2012 as a research specialist. I have extensive experience in cell and tissue culture, molecular biology, immunology, mouse colony management, small rodent surgeries, and laboratory management.
Marcella O’Reilly, BSc, PhD
- Postdoctoral Scientist
Marcella trained in cardiometabolic research during her PhD at University College Dublin. Her project focused on investigating the effects of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids in an obesogenic diet on reverse cholesterol transport, HDL functionality and adipose tissue function and inflammation. Her work led to two first author papers; High Density Lipoprotein Composition and not Efflux Capacity, Reflects Differential Modulation of Reverse Cholesterol Transport by Saturated and Monounsaturated Fat Diets Circulation. 2016;133:1838-1850 and Nutritionally Derived Metabolic Cues Typical of the Obese Microenvironment Increase Cholesterol Efflux Capacity of Adipose Tissue Macrophages Mol Nutr Food Res. 2019 Jan;63(2):e1800713. Her key research skills include HDL Proteomics (Mass Spectrometry), Fast protein liquid chromatography (FPLC), HDL function assays, Murine Handling and Breeding, Glucose Tolerance Tests (GTT) and Insulin Tolerance Tests (ITT), SPSS statistics, Perseus software and Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) software's and Teaching.
Marcella joined the Reilly lab in 2019 as a Postdoctoral Researcher. Her research focus is understanding the role of long intergenic non-coding RNAs (lincRNAs) in adipose and macrophage biology within obesity associated adipose tissue inflammation and cardiometabolic disease.
Alex Bashore, B.S., PhD
- Postdoctoral Research Scientist
I studied lipoprotein metabolism during my PhD training at Wake Forest University. My project focused on investigating the role of hepatocyte ATP-binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1) in high density lipoprotein metabolism. The key research skills I acquired during my training were fast protein liquid chromatography (FPLC), high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), incorporating radiolabels into lipoproteins for metabolic studies, in vitro and in vivo HDL functional assays, and murine handling and breeding.
I joined the Reilly lab in 2019 as a Postdoctoral Researcher. My research focuses on identifying common and rare monocyte subpopulations using single cell RNAseq, and how these subpopulations differ between healthy individuals and individuals with different cardiovascular disease risk states (e.g., cigarette smoking, diabetes, hyperlipidemia).
Chinyere Ihuegbu
- Graduate Student
- Chinyere Ihuegbu Email coi2002@cumc.columbia.edu
Education and Training
BSc Biochemistry, 2014, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria
MRes Biosciences, 2016, University College London, London, UK
Leila Ross, Ph.D.
- Program Manager
- Leila Ross Email lsr2153@cumc.columbia.edu
Education and Training:
B.A., Biochemistry, University of California at Berkeley
Ph.D., Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard University
Research Summary (<200 words):
Leila completed her doctoral studies in immunology and infectious disease at Harvard University in the lab of Dr. Dyann Wirth, focusing on biochemical and structural characterization of enzymes in the Plasmodium falciparum malaria parasite’s pyrimidine biosynthetic pathway. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the lab of Dr. David Fidock at Columbia University, undertaking training in malaria parasite genetic manipulation and genomic analysis to identify drug resistance mechanisms. In Dr. Reilly’s group, Leila switched out of the lab and became a program manager. Her role includes helping to support and shape research, grants, and manuscripts.
Eunyoung Kim, BS, MPS
- Data analyst
- Phone number Eunyoung Kim 212-305-3508
- Email Eunyoung Kim ek3170@cumc.columbia.edu
Education and Training:
BS, 2018, Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA
MPS, 2019, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
Research Summary:
I received Master of Professional Studies degree in Applied statistics and Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics/System Analysis. I joined the Reilly lab in 2020 as a data analyst. I have broad experience in statistical computing, probability models and inference, big data management and analysis, and data mining and machine learning. I work with the scientists in the lab as well as distinct collaborators on diverse projects. My work with the Reilly lab especially focuses on scRNA-seq analysis in atherosclerosis and statistical analysis of observational clinical studies.
Lucie Zhu
- Graduate Student
- Lucie Zhu Email lz2699@cumc.columbia.edu
Lucie received her B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Biochemistry at the University of Toronto, with a thesis on the regulation of cellular beta and gamma actin. She is currently a predoctoral student at Columbia University in the Pathobiology and Molecular Medicine program and joined the Reilly lab in 2020. Her research focuses on the role of adipocyte ER stress and translational regulation in adipose tissue expansion during obesity.
Delfy Velasquez
- Executive Assistant
Education and Training
BA in Sociology with a minor in Economics
City College of New York
Role:
Delfy A. Velazquez is the Executive Assistant to Dr. Muredach Reilly at the Irving Institute for Clinical and Translational Research at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. Delfy has 16 years of higher education administrative experience. Prior to working with Dr. Reilly Delfy, worked as a Student Account Representative and Assistant Manager at the Cashiers Office for 12 years. She continued her professional growth within CUIMC as an Administrative Assistant to Dr. Donna L. Farber for 4 years. Delfy is a graduate of the City College of New York where she obtained a Bachelors of Art in Sociology with a minor in Economics. Besides working at CUIMC for 16 years, Delfy is very familiar with the neighborhood of Washington Heights, where she was born and raised. In her free time, Delfy enjoys spending time with family and friends, reading, DIY home projects and aiding in party decorating/planning for family and friends.
Heidi Lumish
- Cardiology Fellow
Education and Training
BS, Biology and Community Health, 2010, Tufts University,
MD, 2016, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons
Research:
Heidi completed her residency training in Internal Medicine at Columbia University and joined Dr. Reilly’s group during this time. She is currently a second-year cardiology fellow at Columbia, and her research focuses on the use of human genetics and epidemiology to better understand the intersection between adipose distribution, biological sex, and the risk for and progression of complex cardiovascular diseases. Her work focuses additionally on the use of proteomics in risk stratifying patients with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy.
Sebastian Ho
- Technician B
Education and Training:
BS Biochemistry, 2017, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
Research:
Sebastian is a technician in the Reilly lab with a focus on mouse models of atherosclerosis, including single cell RNA-seq and imaging. His prior research investigated the genetics of heart development using a congenital heart disease screen with randomly mutated mice (via ENU mutagenesis). In this screen, Sebastian’s role was to make 3D imaging reconstructions of mouse embryonic hearts.
Johana Coronel, Ph.D.
- Post Doctoral Research Scientist
Education and Training:
Johana completed her doctoral studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Her research focused on evaluating the role of stored β-carotene as a potential substrate for β-carotene 15, 15’-dioxygenase (BCO1) in the adipose tissue as a therapeutic target against obesity and atherosclerosis. In 2022, Johana joined the Reilly lab as a Postdoctoral Research Scientist. Her research focuses on determining the role of smooth muscle-derived cells in plaque stability during atherosclerosis regression.
Thomas Mawson, MD
- Cardiology Fellow
Education and Training:
BA, New York University, 2012
MD, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 2018
Internal Medicine Residency, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 2021
Research:
Prior to joining the Reilly lab I completed a Sarnoff Cardiovascular Research Fellowship in the lab of Dr. Peter Libby at Brigham and Women's Hospital, where my research focused on the effect of neutrophil extracellular traps on endothelial cell activation and thrombogenicity in coronary plaque erosion. I am currently a cardiology fellow at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, working with Dr. Reilly's group since 2022. My research focuses on the role of defective base excision repair and DNA damage in modulating smooth muscle cell phenotype switching in atherosclerosis. I am also interested in computational approaches to integrating large-scale human GWAS data with single cell RNA-seq to guide discovery of novel pathways in human coronary disease.
