Our People
Principal Investigator
Keith L. Ligon, MD, PhD
Born in Austin, TX
Hobbies: Cooking, eating, hiking
Favorite Lab Technique: Whole mount in situ hybridization
Favorite Band: Spoon
Born in Austin, TX
Hobbies: Cooking, eating, hiking
Favorite Lab Technique: Whole mount in situ hybridization
Favorite Band: Spoon
Post-Doctoral Fellows
Cynthia Hajal
Research Fellow Born in Cormeilles-en-Parisis, France Hobbies: Running, Cooking Favorite Lab Technique: qRT-PCR Favorite Band: Dire Straits |
Jim Whittle
Research Fellow Born in Perth, Western Australia Hobbies: Surfing, Ocean swimming Favorite Lab Technique: Western blot Favorite Band: The War on Drugs |
Jared Woods
Research Fellow
Born in Louisville, KY
Hobbies: Drumming, Weight lifting
Favorite Lab Technique: Digital pathology
Favorite Band: Between the Buried and Me
Research Fellow
Born in Louisville, KY
Hobbies: Drumming, Weight lifting
Favorite Lab Technique: Digital pathology
Favorite Band: Between the Buried and Me
Collaborating Clinical Research Investigators
Mehdi Touat, MD
Visiting Assistant Professor, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute/Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Department of Neurology and Pathology, Harvard Medical School Assistant Professor of Neurooncology/Pathology, Gustave Roussy/Marie Curie Institute/Pitie-Salpetriere Hospital 
Sanda Alexandrescu, MD
Assistant Professor, HMS, Boston Children’s Hospital Mentored COG Pathologist Young Investigator/Clinical Research Investigator |
Matthew Wood, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor, Oregon Health Sciences University Mentored COG Pathologist Young Investigator/Clinical Research Investigator |
Staff
Connor Bossi
Clinical Research Coordinator Born in Boston, MA Hobbies: Skiing, Golfing Favorite Lab Technique: Western Blot Favorite Band: The Eagles 
Maggie Cusick
Research Technician Born in Chicago, IL Hobbies: Yoga, Reading Favorite Band: Queen 
Jackie Jones
Clinical Research Coordinator Born in Denver, CO Hobbies: Playing sports, Exploring Boston Favorite Band: Queen 
Michael Prabhu
Clinical Research Coordinator Born in Oak Brook, IL Hobbies: Tennis, Reading Favorite Lab Technique: Western Blot Favorite Band: The Beatles 
Jayne Vogelzang
Clinical Research Coordinator Born in Boston, MA Hobbies: Swimming, Painting Favorite Lab Technique: Consenting Patients Favorite Band: Ben Rector |
Sabrina Chan
Clinical Research Coordinator Born in Portsmouth, NH Hobbies: Painting, Cooking Favorite Band: Green Day 
Guadalupe Garcia
Research Technician Born in Boise, ID Hobbies: Reading, Cooking Favorite Band: Queen 
Seth Malinowski
Research Technician Born in Burlington, VT Hobbies: Video games, Hockey Favorite Lab Technique: SMR 
Olivia Vizzini
Clinical Research Coordinator Born in New York, NY Hobbies: Running, Drawing Favorite Lab Technique: Consenting Patients Favorite Band: Red Hot Chili Peppers |
Administrative
Abbie Ossip
Administrative Support Specialist
Born in Ohio
Hobbies: Reading, Knitting/Sewing
Favorite Lab Technique: iLab ordering
Favorite Band: HaMadregot
Administrative Support Specialist
Born in Ohio
Hobbies: Reading, Knitting/Sewing
Favorite Lab Technique: iLab ordering
Favorite Band: HaMadregot
Past Members
Post-Doctoral Fellows
Malak Abedalthagafi, MBBS
Post-Doctoral Fellow 2014-2015 Assistant Research Professor, King Abdulaziz University for Science and Technology; Director, Saudi Human Genome Lab,King Fahad Medical University 
Frederik De Smet, PhD
Post-Doctoral Fellow 2015-2016 Assistant Professor, Translational and Tissue Research, Department of Pathology, Katholieke Universitet Leuven, Flanders, Belgium 
Cecile Maire, PhD
Post-doctoral Fellow 2008-2014 Staff Scientist, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany 
Shak Ramkissoon, MD, PhD
Post-Doctoral Fellow 2008-2014 Associate Medical Director, Foundation Medicine, Raleigh, NC 
Cecile Rouleau
Post-doctoral Fellow 2016-2020 Principal Scientist, Civetta Therapeutics 
Mehdi Touat, MD
Post-doctoral Fellow 2017-2019 Assistant Professor of Neurooncology/Pathology, Gustave Roussy/Marie Curie Institute/Pitie-Salpetriere Hospital 
Yu Zeng
Post-doctoral Fellow 2018-2020 Department of Neurosurgery, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China |
Anne-Florence Blandin
Post-doctoral Fellow 2017-2019 
Ahmed Idbaih MD, PhD
Post-Doctoral Fellow 2007-2009 Assistant Professor of Medicine, Marie Curie Institute, Paris, France 
Lori Ramkissoon, PhD
Post-Doctoral Fellow 2010-2016 Fellow in Cytogenomics, University of North Carolina, Raleigh, NC 
Ben Rich, PhD
Wenyu Song, PhD
Post-doctoral Fellow 2009-2016 Instructor in Informatics, Harvard Medical School 
Yongji Tian, MD
Post-doctoral Fellow 2009-2010 Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery, Beijing Tian Tian Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China |
Clinical Research Fellows
Sandro Santagata MD, PhD
Associate Pathologist in Neuropathology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Department of Pathology; Associate Professor in Pathology, Harvard Medical School |
Brian Alexander MD, MPH
CEO, Foundation Medicine, Raleigh, NC |
Clinical Research Coordinators
Raquel Arias-Camison
Clinical Research Coordinator 2019-2022 
Sarah Becker
Clinical Research Coordinator 2017-2019 Clinical Research Coordinator at University of Massachusetts Medical School 
Sarah K. Charbonneau
Clinical Research Coordinator 2015-2017 Graduate School: University of Connecticut, School Psychology 
Michaela Haller
Clinical Research Coordinator 2017 
Emily Lapinskas
Clinical Research Coordinator 2020-2022 
Hayley Malkin
Clinical Research Coordinator 2013-2015 Medical School: University of North Carolina Chapel Hill School of Medicine 
Rachel Schneider
Clinical Research Coordinator 2019 
Cecilia Sousa
Clinical Research Coordinator 2020-2022 |
Shawna Bilton
Clinical Research Coordinator 2017-2019 
Loreal Brown
Clinical Research Coordinator 2012-2015 Nursing School: University of New Hampshire Staff Nurse at Brigham and Women's Hospital 
Jack Geduldig
Clinical Research Coordinator 2017-2020 
Bob Jones
Clinical Research Coordinator 2017-2019 
Lauren Logan
Clinical Research Coordinator 2015-2017 Medical School: Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine 
Will Pisano
Clinical Research Coordinator 2019-2021 
Claire Sinai
Clinical Research Coordinator 2015-2017 Clinical Research Coordinator, Center for Patient Derived Models 2019-2021 
Fiona Watkinson
Clinical Research Coordinator 2017-2019 Graduate School: Imperial College London, Master of Public Health |
Students
Charlotte Bellamy
Graduate Student 2019 Research Associate/ Pitie-Salpetriere Hospital 
Wenshin Lee
Graduate Student 2011-2013 Clinical Assistant Professor, Opthalmology, Stanford Medicine |
Juliana Bonardi
Co-op Student 2018 
Karl Holmberg Olausson
Graduate Student, 2008-2014 Postdoctoral Researcher, Uppsala University, Sweden |
Technicians and Administrative
Ross Giglio
Research Technician 
Marilyn Hayes
Administrative Assistant 
David Knoff
Research Technician 
Jason Ling
Research Technician 
Kristine Pelton
Lab Manager Facility Director, Biomarker Laboratory at Robert J. and Nancy D. Carney Institute for Brain Science, Brown University 
Kate Schoolcraft
Research Technician 
Matthew Theisen, MS
Technician and lead scientist, DFCI Living Tissue Bank |
Sam Haidar
Technician and Neuropathology Core technologist 
Yun Jee Kang
Research Technician 
Emily Learner
Research Technician 
Alice Meng
Research Technician PhD Candidate, Rios Lab, Cell, Molecular and Developmental Biology Program, Tufts University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences 
Léon Taquet
Research Technician |