Alumni

Brittany received her Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering in July 2022. She is a former NSF GRFP awardee. She joined the Rentschler Lab in May 2017 and received her M.S. in Biomedical Engineering from Washington University in St. Louis in May 2018. She received her B.S. in Biomedical Engineering from The George Washington University in May 2016 where she was an undergraduate research fellow in Dr. Igor Efimov’s cardiovascular engineering lab. Her thesis research focused on studying left/right differences in gene expression that regulate electrophysiology in the context of development and disease in both mouse and human ventricles. Her research spanned across mouse models, adult human donor hearts, and iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes. One of her goals was to sort the different heart field progenitor pools early during iPSC-derived cardiomyocyte differentiation to create a platform for translating mouse studies on chamber-specific differential response to drugs, signaling pathways, and mutations. She has studied abroad at the University of Melbourne in Australia and conducted summer research in Brazil. She is passionate about traveling and extreme sports such as bungee jumping, skydiving, glacier climbing, and white-water rafting. Brittany is currently a consultant for ClearView Healthcare Partners, a life science consulting firm.

Stephanie joined the Rentschler lab in June 2021. She started at WashU in 2014, where she worked as a technician in an isotope geochemistry lab on the Danforth Campus. Previously, she earned her B.S. in Forensic Biology from Maryville University. Outside of the lab, Stephanie enjoys spending her free time with her dogs, cooking new recipes, practicing yoga, camping, and skydiving.

Quisha joined the Rentschler Lab in 2018. She is currently working for Boehringer Ingelheim in New York.

Lei joined the Rentschler Lab in March 2020 as a postdoctoral research associate. He received his doctoral degree in 2018 in Forensic Medicine from Zhongshan School of Medicine at Sun Yat-se University. His research focused on the epigenetic regulation of the heart post-irradiation. Outside of lab Lei enjoys watching movies and TV shows, visiting US cities, and hiking.

Lauren joined the Rentschler Lab in February 2022 after completing her B.S. in Biology from University of Missouri – St. Louis. Her research background is primarily in molecular biology, although she also has experience working in healthcare. She assisted with multiple projects in the lab including the Additional Ventures Cures Collaborative, which is focused on creating non-invasive cure for single ventricle disease using micro-heart tissues. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, baking soft pretzels, thrift shopping, and visiting the Missouri Botanical Garden.

Jesus was a Cardiology Fellow and a trainee on the T32 Training Grant.  He joined the Rentschler Lab in July 2018.  He received his M.D., Ph.D in 2013 from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, then completed his internal medicine residency training and adult general cardiology training at Barnes-Jewish Hospital/Washington University School of Medicine. His research focused on the interplay between electrophysiology and heart failure, specifically investigating how gene expression dictates electrophysiological properties in both normal and diseased hearts. Jesus is currently an instructor of medicine in the Cardiovascular Division at Washington University School of Medicine.

Aditi joined the Rentschler Lab in September 2013 after completing her PhD at Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine. Her research focused on Wnt and Notch signaling in various regions of the heart in relation to disease. She is currently a consultant in science education and communication at the Gyan Prakash Foundation.

 

 

Camryn graduated with her B.S. in Biomedical Engineering and minor in Spanish in May 2021. She joined the Rentschler Lab in September 2018 with research interests involving the molecular mechanisms underlying arrhythmogenesis and the effects of DNA damage and repair on cardiovascular pathways. She is from Boulder, Colorado and spent a semester studying abroad in Madrid, Spain. In her free time, she enjoys testing out new recipes, hiking, and skiing. She is currently a medical student attending NYU Grossman School of Medicine.

Pranav joined the Rentschler lab in January 2022 and worked on optimizing code used for analyzing the conduction velocity of cardiac tissues.

Morgan studied Anthropology and Chemistry at Washington University in St. Louis. She joined the Rentschler Lab in 2019 and focused on Notch signaling in mouse heart failure models. Originally from Columbus, Ohio, she spends her free time playing badminton, cooking, and reading ethnography.

Rich Li received his PhD in Biomedical Engineering in August 2020. He started in the Rentschler lab in May 2015. He received his B.S. in Biomedical Engineering and Mathematics from Washington University in St. Louis in 2012. Rich’s thesis is on the role of Wnt signaling in cardiac development, disease, and electrophysiology. Specifically, he combines molecular and electrophysiological techniques to ask whether perturbing Wnt developmentally or in the adult can lead to arrhythmias. Additionally, he was interested in whether canonical Wnt signaling is altered in cardiac injury or disease, by using both human organotypic slices and mouse models. Outside of the lab, Rich enjoys board games, cooking and fitness. You can find him occasionally running with his friends or partying with his dog Rizzo. Rich is now completing his postdoctoral fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine.

 

Kate Lipovsky received her PhD in the Developmental, Regenerative, and Stem Cell Biology program in May 2020. She joined the Rentschler Lab in March of 2014. She received her B.S. in Biology with double minors in Philosophy and Psychology from Bradley University in 2013. Her fascination with cardiovascular research began when she was 9 years old and her father received a successful heart transplant after undiagnosed atrial fibrillation led to multiple strokes and subsequent heart failure at the age of 40. Her project involved understanding the effects of cardiomyocyte-specific Notch signaling activation on electrical remodeling and atrial arrhythmogenesis in the adult. She is interested in pursuing a career in which she can apply insights of molecular mechanisms underlying cardiac development and disease towards innovative approaches to cardiac regenerative medicine. When not in the lab, she enjoys running and hiking with her husband Philip and spending time with her two cats, Mr. Miogi and Zoe. Kate is now a postdoctoral scholar at UC San Diego.

John received his PhD in Biomedical Engineering in the Rentschler Lab where he was co-mentored by Dr. Stacey Rentschler and Dr. Igor Efimov. After graduation he went on to be a senior scientist at Abott studying arrhythmia management and is currently a signal processing engineer at CoreMap.

Ashley joined the Rentschler Lab in September 2020 after completing her M.S. in Chemistry. Previously, she received her B.S. in Biochemistry from Florida State University. She assisted on a project that involved the investigation of COVID-19 infection in the heart. In her spare time, she enjoys reading books, lifting weights, petting kitties, and drinking excessive amounts of coffee.

Kentaro joined the Rentschler Lab in December 2017 as a postdoctoral research associate.  After he graduated medical school at Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU) and worked for 5 years as a cardiologist in Japan, he started his career in basic research at Tetsushi Furukawa Lab in TMDU in 2011. He came from Japan after earning his PhD at TMDU in 2016. His research focused on revealing the pathophysiology of atrial arrhythmias by elucidating  transcription network and epigenetic modulation which can regulate the gene expression of ion channels. He is currently a postdoc at SUNY Upstate Medical University. He loves playing with his son, and listening to jazz/classical music.

Jessica was an undergraduate student at Washington University in St. Louis studying Japanese and Biology.

Kevin joined the Rentschler Lab in June 2016 as an undergraduate student. Kevin graduated with his B.S. in Biology from WashU in May 2019, and he remained in the lab as a Research Technician II. He is currently an MSTP student at WashU. His research interest included molecular mechanisms underlying the interaction between Wnt signaling and cardiac diseases. He is originally from China, but has lived in Singapore, Malaysia, studied abroad in England, and currently lives in St. Louis. In his spare time, he captains the WashU rugby team, enjoys watching movies, and climbs active volcanoes.

David is a MD/PhD student at Washington University School of Medicine. He joined the Rentschler Lab in June 2018 as part of the Molecular Cell Biology program. He completed his PhD research in May 2022. Previously, David earned his B.S.E in Bioengineering at the University of Pennsylvania, where he studied mechanisms of von Willebrand factor metabolism and left-ventricular assist device design. His research interests include dysregulated cellular signaling pathways and arrhythmogenesis in cardiovascular disease, and he plans to pursue a career in academic medicine. Beyond his academic interests, David is a proud Boston sports fan who enjoys Alpine skiing and ice fishing.