Research Faculty

 

Affiliated Faculty

 

Clinical Fellows

Iqra Qamar, MD

Email: iqamar@mgh.harvard.edu
Hometown: Pakistan
Graduate Education: Punjab Medical University
Current Projects & Research: Iqra is currently working on MGB Biobank to analyze the association of Depression/ Anxiety and neuro-bilogical markers leading to MACE. She is also interested in cardiovascular risk factors and lifestyle risk factors related to cardiovascular events.

 

Research Fellows

Krystel Abi Karam, MD

Email: kakaram@mgh.harvard.edu
Hometown: Beirut, Lebanon
Education: Saint-Joseph University of Beirut, Faculty of Medicine, Beirut, Lebanon
Current Projects & Research: Krystel is a postdoctoral research fellow at Mass General Hospital. She passionately engages in cardiovascular research, specifically acute coronary syndrome. Her current project explores the intricate relationship between sociopolitical risk factors and cardiovascular events within the general population.

Wesam Aldosoky, MD

Email: waldosoky@mgh.harvard.edu
Hometown: Mansoura, Egypt
Graduate Education: University of Mansoura, MD
Current Projects & Research: Wesam leverages advanced multimodal cardiovascular imaging techniques (e.g., PET, CT, CMR) to investigate the interplay between inflammatory biomarkers, lifestyle factors, and stress-related activity on cardiovascular and thromboembolism risk, disparate cohorts. In addition, she is studying the relationship between inflammatory imaging phenotypes and calcification using an inflammatory cell-specific tracer (Ga 68 DOTA-TATE). She is also involved in the ARTISAN study that investigates the cardiac effects of Treprostinil on patients with pulmonary hypertension using Cardiac Magnetic Resonance.

Saman Doroodgar Jorshery, MD-MPH

Email: sdoroodgar-jorshery@mgh.harvard.edu
Hometown: Toronto, Canada
Education: Shahid Beheshti (National) University of Medical Sciences, MD-MPH
Current Projects & Research: Saman is a postdoctoral fellow in the Machine Learning group of the Cardiovascular Imaging Research Center at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard University. Prior to joining the team at MGH CIRC, Saman was a vascular surgery resident at Yale, after which he pursued Machine Learning training at the University of Toronto/Vector Institute under supervision of Canada Research Chair, Dr. Ghassemi. Saman’s collaborative research in the Machine Learning for Health (ML4H) group between UofT/Vector Institute, MIT’s Institute for Medical Engineering and Sciences, and the Broad Institute of MIT & Harvard has resulted in multiple conference presentations and publications. His current research at the MGH CIRC is funded by an Impetus Grant for Aging Research entitled "Understanding ImAging: Discovering imaging biomarkers and genetic modifiers of organ-specific accelerated aging through deep learning of whole-body MRI data”. The aim of the project is to improve early detection, to increase scientific knowledge, and identify potential treatments for age-related chronic disease by identifying individuals with accelerated aging from imaging data who are at high-risk for development of future disease.

Azin Ghamari, MD

Email: aghamari@mgh.harvard.edu
Hometown: Tehran, Iran
Education: Tehran University of Medical Sciences, MD
Current Projects & Research: Azin is a postdoctoral fellow at the Cardiovascular Imaging Research Center (CIRC), affiliated with Mass General Hospital/ Harvard Medical School. Her academic and professional background encompasses extensive research in cardiology and epidemiology. Azin has also contributed her medical expertise as a physician and medical assistant at the Children’s Medical Center of Excellence echocardiography clinic, which is affiliated with Tehran University of Medical School. In addition to her clinical experiences and research endeavors, Azin has previously held the role of lead manager for a large-scale cohort study in Iran. Her research pursuits primarily revolve around clinical-translational studies, focusing on heart failure, cardio-oncology, and cardiac imaging. In her current capacity at MGH CIRC, Azin is unwavering in her commitment to elucidating the intricate mechanisms underlying heart failure in individuals living with HIV and in the quest to formulate preventive strategies for this patient population.

Mangun Kaur Randhawa, MBBS

Hometown: Chandigarh, India
Education: Dayanand Medical College, India (MBBS)
Current Projects & Research: Mangun's ongoing research at the Mass General Hospital encompasses several pivotal projects. Her work includes the selective use of FFRCT and its substantial impact on patient outcomes, exploring the epidemiology of coronary artery disease among individuals with HIV in Uganda, researching CTA-derived quantitative imaging parameters in Bicuspid-Aortic Valve associated aortopathy, and the CORODECT project, focusing on investigating MSU crystal deposition in gout patients. Her research also delves into developing a QA and educational tool to correlate CT reporting of coronary artery disease with invasive coronary angiography. Beyond these scientific pursuits, Mangun's skills in medical illustration bring a unique and comprehensive perspective to her work.

Vencel Juhasz, MD

Email: vjuhasz@mgh.harvard.edu
Hometown: Budapest, Hungary
Education: Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
Current Projects & Research: Vencel is a Cardiovascular Imaging Research Center (CIRC) research fellow at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School. His current projects at MGH-CIRC focus on identifying factors that help prevent cardiac dysfunction in diverse cardio-oncology patient groups. This involves a sub-analysis of the STOP-CA study population to investigate further the protective effects of statins against chemotherapy-induced cardiac dysfunction and investigate pharmacological therapies that may help mitigate radiation therapy-derived cardiac involvement in breast cancer patients.

Matthias Jung, MD

Email: mjung6@mgh.harvard.edu
Hometown: Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
Education: University of Erlangen–Nuremberg, MD Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Medical Center Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Germany, Resident
Current Projects & Research: Matthias is a Senior Resident in Radiology and a Research Fellow at CIRC at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard University. His research interest is to use artificial intelligence (AI) techniques as opportunistic analysis tools to improve disease prevention and prognosis and to advance precision medicine. Matthias is currently working on using deep learning to estimate measures of aging from whole-body MRI and investigating their association with long-term mortality using data from the German National Cohort (NAKO) and the UK Biobank.

Marcel Langenbach, MD

Email: mlangenbach@mgh.harvard.edu
Hometown: Cologne, Germany
Education: Institute for Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Frankfurt, University of Frankfurt, Germany, MD, and Institute for Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Germany, MD.
Current Projects & Research: Marcel is a research fellow at CIRC / Mass General Hospital and a board-certified radiologist at the University Hospital Cologne. He graduated and earned his doctorate from the University of Frankfurt, Germany, and completed his residency at the University Hospitals in Frankfurt and Cologne, Germany. His research interest includes cardiac computed tomography with a focus on coronary artery disease and clinical implementation. Marcel currently works on the PROMISE trial investigating the role of air pollution and socio-economic factors on coronary artery disease. Further, he received a grant from the German Research Foundation (DFG) to investigate the relationship between peri-coronary adipose tissue and coronary artery disease.

Isabel Langenbach, MD

Email: ibreidert@mgh.harvard.edu
Hometown: Cologne, Germany
Education: Institute for Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Germany, MD.
Current Projects & Research: Isabel is a research fellow at CIRC / Mass General Hospital and is in her 2nd year of radiology residency at the University Hospital Cologne. She graduated and earned her doctoral degree from the University of Cologne, Germany. Her research interest includes cardiac computed tomography with a focus on women and inflammation, coronary artery disease, clinical implementation, and heart valve imaging. Isabel currently works on the INFORM trial investigating the role of inflammation in women with HIV for coronary artery disease. Further, she is involved in the PROMISE trial.

 


Research Staff

Yuji Liao, M.EC – Administrative Manager

Email: YLIAO4@mgh.harvard.edu
Hometown: Zigong, China
Graduate Education: University of Munich, Diplom VwL (Bachelor +Master of Economics)
Current Projects & Research: Yuji works on grants and contracts administration.

Kayla Paradis, MBA, BS - Sr. Clinical Research Program/Project Manager

Hometown: Central Massachusetts
Undergraduate Education: Worcester State University, BS in Biology and Chemistry
Graduate Education: Fitchburg State University, MBA Healthcare Management
Current Projects & Research: Kayla is the Data Coordinating Center (DCC) project manager for the REPRIEVE trial and the project manager for the PROMISE trial. She also provides oversight of general IT/Data Management and QA processes for CT studies under Dr. Michael Lu and Dr. Borek Foldyna.

Hannah Gilman, BS - Clinical Program/Project Manager

Email: HKGILMAN@mgh.harvard.edu
Hometown: Stonington, CT
Undergraduate Education: College of Charleston, BS in Biology
Current Projects & Research: Hannah manages the STOP-CA trial with Dr. Tomas Neilan.

Trinity Nguyen, BS - Grant Administrator

Email: tnguyen143@mgh.harvard.edu
Hometown: Saigon, Vietnam
Undergraduate Education: MCPHS University, BS in Pharmaceutical Sciences
Current Projects & Research: Trinity oversees expenditures of ATRIUM trial, and grant submissions for multiple NIH trials under Yuji Liao. She also handles program administrative and HR issues.

Audra Sturniolo, MS - Senior Data Analyst II

Email: asturniolo@mgh.harvard.edu
Hometown: Natick, MA
Undergraduate Education: Rollins College, BA in Psychology
Graduate Education: Sacred Heart University, MS in Healthcare Informatics
Current Projects & Research: Audra assists as a clinical research coordinator with the REPRIEVE, PROMISE, and GOLDILOX trials. She also works in data management and IT at CIRC.

Emilia Norton - BS Clinical Research Coordinator II

Email: eanorton@mgh.harvard.edu
Hometown: North Branford, Connecticut
Undergraduate Education: University of Connecticut, B.S. in Exercise Science
Current Projects & Research: Currently working on GOLDILOX-MEDI 6570-TIMI 69 Trial and the UGANDA project.

Kanako Ando, BS - Project Manager

Email: kando3@mgh.harvard.edu
Hometown: Nagoya, Japan
Undergraduate Education: Northeastern University, BS in Biology
Current Projects & Research: Kanako works on the GOLDILOX-MEDI6570-TIMI69 trial with AstraZeneca as well as the UGANDA project with Dr. Mark Siedner. She also handles IRBs for CIRC.

Radhika Barve, BA - Project Manager

Email: RBARVE@mgh.harvard.edu
Hometown: Dallas, TX
Undergraduate Education: Texas A&M University, BA in Biology
Current Projects & Research: Radhika works on REPRIEVE, EPIC-HIV, Sandeep’s project, and the GOLDILOX-MEDI6570-TIMI69 Trial with AstraZeneca.

Erin Hanlon, BS - Clinical Research Coordinator II

Email: erhanlon@mgh.harvard.edu
Hometown: Ridgefield, CT
Undergraduate Education: Villanova University, BS in Mechanical Engineering
Current Projects & Research: Erin works with Dr. Tawakol, Dr. Osborne, and their collaborators on numerous studies including PPG-STRIVE, Heart and Mind, CAD Heart and Mind, and DVT.

Jessica Wu, BA - Clinical Research Coordinator I

Email: jewu3@mgh.harvard.edu
Hometown: Brooklyn, NY
Undergraduate Education: Northwestern University, BA in Statistics
Current Projects & Research: Jessica works on Dr. Tomas Neilan's studies including the ATRIUM project.

Peter Donegan - BS Staff Assistant

Email: pdonegan@partner.org
Hometown: Boston, MA
Undergraduate Education: UMass Boston, BS in Health Sciences, AS in Radiology Sciences
Current Projects & Research: Peter handles CIRC Research personnel for weekly and monthly staff. He acts as a liaison with the GPS International Office, MGH Credential Office, and Harvard Medical School. He also assists with program administration under Yuji Liao and Trinity Nguyen.

Alula Assefa - Clinical Research Coordinator I

Email: aassefa2@mgh.harvard.edu
Hometown: Cambridge, MA
Education: UMass Amherst, BS in Public Health Sciences
Current Projects & Research: Alula works with Dr. Tawakol, Dr. Osborne, and their collaborators on numerous studies, including Heart and Mind, CAD Heart and Mind, and CBT & PTSD.

 

Students

Daniel Oo

Email: daoo@mgh.harvard.edu
Hometown: Arcadia, CA
Undergraduate Education: Amherst College, Biophysics and Mathematics
Current Projects & Research: Daniel is working on a deep-learning model to estimate cardiovascular age from chest CT.

Krisha Patel

Email: krisha_patel@dfci.harvard.edu
Hometown: Chicago, IL
Undergraduate Education: Harvard College, Computer Science and Chemical/Physical Biology
Current Projects & Research: Krisha is working on a deep-learning model to identify small arteries/veins using retinal fundus images.

Alexander Cheng

Email: acheng0@mgh.harvard.edu
Hometown: Salt Lake City, UT
Undergraduate Education: Harvard College, Computer Science and Statistics
Current Projects & Research: Alex is working on a deep-learning model to diagnose cardiovascular outcomes from DEXA images.

Anika Walia

Email: awalia1@mgh.harvard.edu
Hometown: Phoenix, Arizona
Education: Boston University School of Medicine, MD Candidate
Current Projects & Research: Anika is working on validating a deep-learning model to predict lung cancer risk from chest X-rays.

Natasha Savianu

Email: nsavianu@mgh.harvard.edu
Hometown: Oradea, Romania
Graduate Education: Amherst College, Neuroscience, and French
Current Projects & Research: Natasha works alongside the Ahmed Tawakol Lab team to study the brain and heart connection. She uses imaging data from the MGB Biobank to uncover the role of stress and other neurological conditions on the development of cardiovascular disease. She is interested in how lifestyle choices can influence or improve the body's response to stress and, ultimately, cardiovascular health.

Hannah Kim

Email: hkim119@mgh.harvard.edu
Hometown: Newport Beach, CA
Undergraduate Education: Amherst College, Psychology
Current Projects & Research: Hannah examines the significance of adopting healthier lifestyles in reducing cardiac event likelihood, the impact of psychological conditions on the effectiveness of lifestyle changes on heart health, and potential indirect brain-cardiac connections. Additionally, she contributes to image analysis on PET/CT scans, studying the effect of stress, lifestyles, and diseases on bone marrow reuptake.

Lainie Louis-Jame

Email: llouisjame@mgb.org
Hometown: Boston, Massachusetts
Undergraduate Education: Tufts University, Biopsychology, and French
Current Projects & Research: Lainie is working alongside the Tawakol Lab to study the relationship between the heart and brain. She uses data derived from the MGB biobank to conduct statistical analyses on how lifestyle factors can affect the body’s response to stress and its relation to MACE in patients with depression and anxiety. She also conducts image analyses of the abdomen created by PET/CT to study metabolic activity and its relation to MACE and stress.

Nicki Naddaf

Email: nnaddaf@mgh.harvard.edu
Hometown: San Jose, CA
Graduate Education: MD candidate at the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook
Current Projects & Research: Nicki works with Dr. Ahmed Tawakol to investigate the role of chronic stressors on the risk of developing cardiovascular disease.