Lab Members

Our Staff

Our Fellows

Lila Gonzalez-Hodar.
Lila González-Hódar, Ph.D.
Post-Doctoral Fellow
Dr. González-Hódar received her Ph.D. in Medical Sciences in 2020 from the Pontificia Universidad Catolica in Chile. She started her career studying the role of lysosomal proteins in the gallstone formation. In her Ph.D. thesis, she worked on lipid metabolism in a murine model of lipodystrophy. She joined the Liver and Energy Metabolism Section in September 2020 and is working on elucidating the mechanisms by which some genetic variants protect against NAFLD damage. 
Allison Wing.
Allison Wing, Ph.D.
Post-Doctoral Fellow
Dr. Wing received her PhD from Yale University in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology in 2021. As an undergraduate, she optimized an in vitro model of the blood-brain barrier at the University of Delaware. For her dissertation, she studied the effects of dietary fats on adipocyte precursor proliferation and differentiation. She joined the Liver and Energy Metabolism Section in 2021 where she is investigating the role of genetic diversity in the liver on peripheral insulin sensitivity.
Willis Tang.
Willis Tang, B.S.
Post-baccalaureate IRTA
Mr. Tang received his Bachelor’s degree in Human Biology with honors from the University of Southern California in 2022. Throughout his undergraduate career, he has conducted a wide variety of research that spans basic science, clinical, and public health fields. His most recent project, before arriving at the NIH, focused on investigating the role of PPAR-beta/delta in linking lipid metabolism with epigenetic changes that promote circulating tumor cell survival. He is currently studying the role of HSD17B13 in liver diseases.
Inflatable shark in a lab
Lady DAG
Lab mascot
An inflatable shark by training, Lady DAG presides over the lab.

Alumni

Michael Witthaus.
Post-baccalaureate IRTA, 2010-2011
Next position: Medical Student, Boston University, Boston, MA
Current position: Medical Director of Genitourinary Reconstruction, Clinical Assistant Professor of Surgery, University of Maryland Capital Region Medical Center
Koji Fujita.
Koji Fujita, M.D., Ph.D.
Post-Doctoral Fellow, 2011-2014
Next position: Research Assistant, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine, Yokohama, Japan
Current position: Associate Professor, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Yokohama City University Hospital, Yokohama, Japan
Gihan Naguib.
Gihan Naguib, M.B.Ch.B., M.H.Sc.
T-32 Clinical Fellow (University of MD), 2013-2016
Next position: Clinical Associate, Division of Pediatric Gastroentrology and Nutrition, Johns Hopkins Children’s Center
Current position: Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, Johns Hopkins Children's Center
Yanling Ma.
Yanling Ma, Ph.D.
Post-Doctoral/Research Fellow, 2014-2020
Next position: Senior Research Investigator, Bristol Myers Squibb
Current position: Principal Scientist/Group Leader, Bristol Myers Squibb
Katherine Valles.
Katherine Valles, M.D.  
Post-Baccalaureate IRTA, 2014-2016
Next position: Medical Student, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY
Current position: Resident, Faxton St. Luke's Healthcare, Utica, NY
Maren Podszun.
Maren Podszun, Ph.D.
Post-Doctoral Fellow, 2016-2020
Next position: Lecturer, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany
Current position: Interim Professor of Nutrition and Dietetics, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany
Phil Brown.
Philip Brown, B.Sc.
Post-baccalaureate IRTA, 2016-2018
Next position: M.D., Ph.D. Student, University of Texas Southwestern, Dallas, TX.
Dennis Lin.
Dennis Lin, B.S.P.H.
Post-Baccalaureate IRTA Fellow, 2018-2020
Next position: Medical student, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY
Head shot of Mark Shapses
Mark Shapses, M.D.
Medical Research Scholar, 2019-2020
Next position: Medical Student, Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University
Current position: Internal Medicine Resident, Washington University in St. Louis, MO
Lakshmi Mahajan.
Lakshmi Mahajan, B.Sc.
Post-Baccalaureate IRTA Fellow, 2020-2021

Next position: Medical Student, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY

Allie Carroll.
Allie Carroll, M.D.
Medical Research Scholar, 2021-2022
Next position: Medical Student, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Current position: Internal Medicine Resident, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA
Bowoo Lee.
Bowoo Lee, B.Sc.
Post-Baccalaureate IRTA Fellow, 2021-2023
Wenqi Cui.
Wenqi Cui, Ph.D.
Post-Doctoral Researcher, 2020-2023
Next Postition: Research Scientist II, Takeda Pharmaceuticals

Group Photos

 
Group photo in a dark room, in front of sign saying I SNUFFED OUTView full-sized image Escape Room (2022)
Screenshot of lab members on a Zoom call.Zoom lab meeting (2021)
Group picture of 5 people in front of a portrait and a medal in a glass caseMarshall Nirenberg's Nobel Medal at the National Library of Medicine (2020)
A photograph of people looking at a solar eclipseView full-sized image Solar Eclipse (2017)A photograph of the team at an Escape RoomEscape Room (2017)Group Photo by a Cherry Blossom TreeCherry Blossom Picnic (2016)
Last Reviewed October 2023