Manish Kumar Gupta PhD

Education and Training

  • Instructor: Center for Translational Medicine, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
  • Postdoctoral Fellow: Division of Molecular Cardiovascular Biology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA
  • Ph.D: Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi and Central Drug Research Institute (CDRI), Lucknow, India
  • MSc: The University of Burdwan, West Bengal, India

Gbenga Ogundipe

Biomedical Science PhD student

December 2023- Present

Hobby:

Research Interests: I am dedicated to the exploration of distinctive early diagnostic markers that signify an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases.

Esther Nakhungu

Biomedical Science PhD student

December 2024- Present

Hobby: Hiking, board games, running, making bead crafts

Research Interests: I am interested in studying how HIV viral proteins contribute to cellular and organelle dysfunctions.

Nishit Tailor

Biotechnology M.S. Student

August 2025- Present

Hobby: I find joy in listening to retro Bollywood music, dancing to Garba, Theater and cooking.

Research Interests: My focus lies in leveraging CRISPR technology to explore innovative approaches for addressing cardiovascular diseases, to advance precision medicine and therapeutic interventions in these critical health domains.

Melody Hershman

U.C.F College of Medicine Student

November 2024- Present

Hobby: I enjoy hiking, camping, reading, playing volleyball, and most recently started jiu jitsu 

Research Interests: My research investigates the impacts of HIV on cardiovascular diseases.

Emily Freer

U.C.F College of Medicine Student

November 2024- Present

Hobby:I enjoy hiking, cooking, various arts & crafts, and overanalyzing shows/movies in my free time.

Research Interests: My research focuses on understanding and mitigating cardiovascular disease risk in people living with HIV, with an emphasis on aging-related vulnerabilities and molecular interventions that target disease pathways.

Emily Hung

U.C.F College of Medicine Student

November 2024- Present

Hobby: In my free time, I enjoy cooking, hiking, gaming, playing the violin, and watching Hell’s Kitchen.

Research Interests: My research aims to find microbiome-targeted strategies to prevent aging-related cardiovascular disease.

Anvita Gadiraju

Burnet School of Biomedical Sciences- B.S. Track

August 2024 – Present

Hobby: Singing, traveling, and hiking

Research Interests: My research aims to explore mice growth patterns and body composition changes associated with complex diseases like obesity, aging, and other metabolic diseases.

Artemis Zi

College of Health Professions and Sciences- Health Science B.S track

April 2025 – Present

Hobby: I enjoy playing sports (volleyball), baking desserts, spending time with family and travelling.

Research Interests: My research aims to investigate sex-based differences in cardiac fibrosis and how these variations may influence cardiovascular disease outcomes.

Rithvik Rajakumar

Burnet School of Biomedical Sciences- B.S. Track

August 2023- Present

Hobby: Playing video games, studying.

Research Interests: Exploring natural products to find new treatment for cardiovascular disease.

Jaycee Do

Burnet School of Biomedical Sciences- B.S. Track

January 2025- Present

Hobby:

Research Interests:

Yuka Kimura

Yuka Kimura

College of Health Professions and Sciences- Health Science B.S track

August 2022- Present

Hobby: Watching K-drama, K-Pop concerts

Research Interests: My primary research interest centers around addressing and overcoming gender bias in cardiovascular research, particularly through the utilization of mouse models. I am committed to investigating how gender-specific differences influence cardiovascular outcomes and how these differences can be better incorporated into experimental designs. By developing more inclusive approaches, I aim to enhance the reliability and applicability of cardiovascular research findings across diverse populations. Through this work, I seek to contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of cardiovascular health and advance gender-sensitive strategies in the field.

Sarah Nguyen

Burnet School of Biomedical Sciences- B.S. Track

May 2024 – Present

Hobby: Baking, beaches, karaoke.

Research Interests: I aim to examine the proteome-wide PTMs (post-translational modifications) involved in ischemic cardiac cells and the consequences of PTMs on protein stability and activity. I hope to apply these discoveries to identify new targets that could contribute to developing more effective gene therapies.

Sumaya Yusuf

College of Sciences- Biology track B.S.

April 2023 – Present

Hobby: Reading and writing with a passion for exploring new places.

Research Interests: Focus on identifying solutions to address the challenges posed by HIV and chronic heart disease. My research goal is to contribute practical advancements that enhance the management and treatment of these complex health issues.

Aya Alkousa

Burnet School of Biomedical Sciences- B.S. Track

August 2023- Present

Hobby: I enjoy staying active with hobbies like swimming and badminton.

Research Interests: Targeting membrane receptors for the development of new drugs against metabolic disease.

Adya Gulati

Pennsylvania Undergraduate visiting Student

September 2025 – Present

Hobby: Indian Classical Dances, Nail Art, Unicycle.

Research Interests:

Avni Mukker

Deepti Gupta

Maryam Rabbani

Vraj Amin

Sameep Gawaskar

Isabela de Lima

Puneet Kaur Randhawa

Pierce Ciccone

Nikhil Patel

Shiridhar Kashyap

Aishwarya Rajakumar

Raj Patel

Olena Kondrachuk

Nicole Ford

Ethan Lopez-Nowak

Jorgo Zi

Kim Hong