Research Team
Kevin Rivera
Kevin Rivera graduated from UNT in 2018 with a bachelor's in biology and bachelor's in psychology. Thereafter, he graduated from UNT Health Science Center with a bachelor's in medical science. He is currently a fourth year medical student at the TCU School of Medicine and will graduate with his M.D. in May of 2023. He completed his thesis with Dr. Sam Ahn in 2023 on the use of novel imaging findings on duplex ultrasound and venography to detect May-Thurner Syndrome and other pelvic vein compression syndromes at an earlier stage of disease. Upon graduation, Kevin will continue his education as a resident physician in emergency medicine.
Resident
Min Kyu Lee
Min has devoted his time to CVRF research since January 2020. He is the current Clinical Research Coordinator and leading the Office-Based Laboratory (OBL) team as their Team Lead. Min leads multiple projects in various teams, such as Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD), OBL, Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA), etc. His primary projects are the safety and efficacy of vascular access and closure devices. Min currently holds a B.S. in Chemistry from UCLA and pursuing M.S. in Applied Chemistry from UCLA.
Graduate Student
Adila Ahmed
Adila Ahmed is a fourth year at UCLA majoring in Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics and minoring in South Asian Studies. She is currently a part of the Deep Venous (DV) team. After undergrad, she is applying on attending medical school with an interest in cardiology. In her free time, she enjoys reading, music and watching movies.
Undergraduate Student
Anthony Carucci
AJ is currently a junior at UCLA studying for my B.S. in psychobiology. He recently joined the OBL team and is excited to continue research in other topics as well, recently joining the investigation team as well. AJ hopes to one day continue his education through medical school and become a surgeon. In his free time he enjoys watching sports, going to the gym and being outdoors.
Undergraduate Student
Emma Pawlos
Emma Pawlos is a second year biology major at UCLA. She is currently researching the use of AVF to prevent steal syndrome and gender differences in deep venous cases, and is excited to continue her research. In the future, she hopes to become a physician. Her other interests include reading, traveling and photography.
Undergraduate Student
Joanne Yuh
Joanne Yuh is a fourth year undergraduate, majoring in Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology (MCDB) at UCLA. After college, she hopes to attend medical school to become a surgeon. In her free time, she enjoys watching movies and traveling.
Undergraduate Student
Surya Dham
My name is Surya Dham, and I am a second year undergraduate student at UCLA studying Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology. I am aspiring to become a physician in the future, and I am currently working on the DV and PAD teams, specifically on the safety and efficacy of arterial closure devices.
Undergraduate Student
Kathryn Biddle
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Resident
Hiranya Sundar
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Undergraduate Student
Jenny Wang
Jenny is an aspiring physician who is currently pursuing her medical degree at the University of California, Irvine. She’s been involved in CVRF research since 2018 and hopes to change how medicine is practiced to include more minimally-invasive options. Jenny leads a clinical research project that explores angioplasty as an effective treatment for patients with neurogenic thoracic outlet syndrome. She holds a degree in Psychobiology at University of California, Los Angeles.
Medical Student
Gary Qiao
Gary Qiao is currently a fourth-year undergraduate student attending the University of California - Los Angeles (UCLA) pursuing a B.S. in Biology. As a member of the Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD) Research Team, Gary looks forward to making contributions to the study of PAD and improve understanding of the safety and efficacy of percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) with or without atherectomy. His other interests and hobbies include tennis, basketball, and photography.
Post-Baccalaureate Student
Albert Vo
Albert is a third-year undergraduate student at UCLA majoring in Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology and minoring in Disability Studies. He is currently a part of the Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm team as they study the comparison of percutaneous versus cut down repair. He aspires to pursue a career in pediatrics. In his free time, he loves to do gymnastics and is part of the UCLA Club Gymnastics Team.
Undergraduate Student
Jason Tyler
Jason is a sophomore at UCLA, majoring in Biology and minoring in African American Studies. He is captivated by the intricacies of the brain and heart, and therefore is involved in the pad and tos programs. He has dreams of one day becoming a cardiologist.
Undergraduate Student
Iman Gauhar
Iman is currently a second year biology major at UCLA. As a member of CVRF, she works on both the Deep Venous and Arteriovenous Fistula teams. Iman aspires to go to medical school and become a physician. Her other interests include watching movies, sewing, and spending time with family and friends.
Undergraduate Student
Nathan Lao
Nathan Lao is a third-year undergraduate student studying Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology (MCDB) at UCLA. He is currently a member of the Aortic Arch (AA) and Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD) teams, and is excited to continue research on various vascular diseases. Nathan intends to become a physician, and has an interest in cardiology and pediatric care. Outside of academics he enjoys cooking, playing video games, and has recently picked up film photography.
Undergraduate Student
Taniya Mathew
Taniya Mathew is currently a second-year student majoring in Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics and minoring in Global Health at UCLA. She is currently part of a project within the Deep Venous team looking to update the status of a study on May-Thurner syndrome and non-classic vein compression. She hopes to be able to contribute a lot to the research team as well as learn more about the endovascular field! Her future goals involve going to medical school and pursuing an MD/PhD.
Undergraduate Student
Kyle Schneider
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Resident
Krista Young
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Undergraduate Student
Meghan He
Meghan is a second-year medical student at UBC VFMP and UCLA graduate in Psychobiology. She has been part of the CVRF team since 2018 working on Thoracic Outlet Syndrome clinical research, and her work has been presented at regional and national conferences. She also works closely in medical education and transplant research where she focuses on the health humanities at the patient-physician and media-public scales. She also enjoys teaching kids as a yoga instructor, going for runs, and modeling in editorial and runway fashion productions.
Medical Student
Leslie Hwang
Leslie Hwang graduated from UCLA in 2020 with a degree in Neuroscience. She aspires to be a physician and to continue to be involved in clinical research. She's excited to be studying the efficacy of various endovascular interventions for patients with PAD. When she is not researching or volunteering in the community, she is usually drawing, reading, or folding origami.
Post-Baccalaureate Student
Aryan Reddy
Aryan is a first-year undergraduate student at the University of Texas at Austin pursuing a double major in Biology & Plan II Honors. He hopes to be a cardiovascular surgeon in the future and is passionate about exploring the intersection of research and patient care. He is currently a part of the Peripheral Arterial Disease & Aortic Arch research teams, and is excited to make contributions to the study of these fields and help advance our knowledge of minimally-invasive vascular surgery. In his free time, he loves to read, work out and binge TV shows.
Undergraduate Student
Brenda Tran
Brenda is a third year student at UCLA, studying psychobiology. She is studying the gender differences in patients with Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD) as well as in patients in deep venous cases (DV). While taking the dentistry route, she is still interested in cardiovascular system and its relationship with dentistry. Other than research, she is a part of a dance team, loves to work out, and loves to listen to live music.
Undergraduate Student
Immi Lee
Immi Lee is a fourth-year undergraduate student studying Physiological Sciences at UCLA. After college, she is planning on applying to medical school in hopes to become an Ophthalmologist. Outside of academics she enjoys crocheting, playing video games, and watching dramas during her free time.
Undergraduate Student
Omeed Kalan
I am a UCLA student and aspiring doctor studying Physiological Science with an interest in Global Health. I have experience in both quantitative and qualitative biomedical research and I am passionate about healthy equity, human physiology, and the future of medicine. On campus, I am the Creative Content Director for The Den where I work with UCLA Athletics and Marketing to promote upcoming sporting events. I am also a part of the Student Alumni Association, a role that has helped me develop as a leader at UCLA. In the future I hope to attend medical school and pursue my passion of medicine.
Undergraduate Student
Warren Jolicoeur
Warren is a second year Integrative Biology & Physiology major at UCLA. He currently investigates special cases like Takyasu's Arteritis and assesses the safety and efficacy of Laparoscopic procedures. Rare diseases are an unknown puzzle to him, perhaps the last frontier of human discovery. He enjoys the investigative aspects of research and the freedom to explore new questions and ideas. In his free time, he enjoys weightlifting, woodworking, and music.
Undergraduate Student
Hannah Lee
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Graduate Student
Mark Botros
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Undergraduate Student
Snehal Bindra
Snehal Bindra is a part of the TOS research group. She majored in Physiological Sciences at UCLA. She is extremely passionate about the intersection of research and clinical care. She hopes to be a physician that emphasizes quality care and healthcare equity to solve healthcare issues on a global scale.
Medical Student
Tiffany Chao
Tiffany Chao is a third year biology major at UCLA. She is a part of the aortic arch angiogram research team that is studying cryptic hypertension and the natural history of aortic arch disease. Endovascular surgery is still a relatively new field of surgery. With lots of unknowns, she wants to help further expand the knowledge of minimally-invasive vascular surgery. She hopes to be a cardiovascular surgeon in the future.
Post-Baccalaureate Student
Amulya Aditham
Amulya is a first year student at the University of California, Los Angeles. As a Human Biology and Society major, Amulya is passionate about medicine and its interactions with the diverse people impacted. Amulya’s goal is to continue research, attend medical school, and work in the humanitarian field as a surgeon. In her free time, Amulya loves to cook, listen to music, and hang out with friends.
Undergraduate Student
Brian Nguyen
Brian Nguyen is a third-year undergraduate student majoring in Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology at UCLA. He is currently a part of the abdominal aortic aneurysm and arteriovenous fistula research teams. He aspires to attend medical school after completing his undergraduate work at UCLA. In his spare time, he enjoys reading, video-editing, and watching sitcoms.
Undergraduate Student
Jieun Seo
Jieun Seo is currently a Psychobiology undergraduate student attending the University of California - Los Angeles (UCLA). She is a member of the Thoracic Outlet Syndrome (TOS) and Angio-suite (OBL) Research Teams, and she looks forward to learning more about TOS and researching the safety and efficacy of OBL cases. When she is not working, she enjoys photography, boxing, reading, watching Criminal Minds, and crocheting.
Undergraduate Student
Sahaj Dole
Hello! My name is Sahaj Dole and I am currently a third year Psychobiology major pursuing a minor in Musicology. I like to work out, lift, play football, explore LA, and listen to music from all genres. Looking forward to meeting everyone!
Undergraduate Student
Xinyue Zou
My name is Xinyue (Teng Teng) Zou, I am a second year UCLA undergraduate student majoring in Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology. I am currently involved in some of the Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD) projects at CVRF.
Undergraduate Student
David Manukian
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Undergraduate Student
Sarthika Chimmula
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Undergraduate Student
Former Members
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Yvette Acevedo
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Alex Bumpas
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Apsaline M Douglas
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Maria Ghatas
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Ricky Ma
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Arabella Raab
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Abhas Rajhans
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Jessie Romero
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David Effio Vizcarra