Research: Studying the effects of Yoda1, a Piezo1 agonist, on macrophages

Current position: Undergraduate student, University of Puerto Rico

Tori's research focuses on understanding the roles of lymphatic and LYVE1-expressing macrophages in regulating mitral valve disease progression. Before arriving in Minnesota, she attended University of Virginia where she earned her doctorate in Experimental Pathology. In addition to imaging mitral valves and learning single cell sequencing analysis approaches, Tori loves to garden, hike, play soccer, and do jigsaw puzzles.

LSSURP Student, 2023

Research: Developing assays for the study of CCL21 and CCR7 in autoimmune valvular carditis 

Current position: Undergraduate student, Carlton College

Undergraduate student and Research Technician, 2017-2023

Research: Jess investigated different endothelial receptors and macrophage phenotypes that play a role in mitral valve disease. She graduated from the U's College of Biological Sciences in 2019 with a B.S. in biology. Check out her two first-author papers on Our Research page!

Current position: MD/PhD Student at University of South Dakota 

MSTP Student, 2018-2022

Research: Steps towards understanding cellular therapies for Recessive Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa

Current position: Medical student, University of Minnesota

LSSURP Student, 2022

Research: Evaluating the efficacy of TNFR1 inhibitors to inhibit NFkB activation in macrophages

Current position: MD/PhD Student, University of Minnesota

LSSURP Student, 2021

Research: Evaluating the efficacy of novel TNFR1 inhibitors in cultured macrophages

Current position: Undergraduate student, University of Utah (check out her thoughts on Women in STEM!)

MSTP Student, 2018-2020

Research: Lymphatic growth in inflamed mitral valves

Current Position: Pediatric Resident, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University,  ayellam@stanford.edu

Postdoctoral Fellow, 2018-2019

Research: Single-cell RNA sequencing including the filtering and mapping of large datasets (Bash), and statistical analysis and visualization (R) in serum transferred arthritis treated with and without ultrasound on the spleen (Zachs, Offutt, Graham, et al 2019).  

Current Position: Field Medical Director, Pfizer

Postdoctoral Fellow, 2012-2018

Research: The role of dual TCR T cells in the setting of autoimmunity (Schuldt, et al 2015; Schuldt, et al 2017).

Current Position: Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, schu1048@umn.edu

Research Associate, 2016-2017

Research: Liaison between Medtronic and UOM (Dept. of Biomedical engineering and CFI) for a DARPA funded project for establishing the therapeutic effectiveness of a proprietary medical device on the peripheral nerve to treat inflammatory conditions (Dutta, et al 2018).

Current Position: Senior Staff Toxicologist (Biocompatibility), Stryker, rainidutta@gmail.com

MSTP student, MICaB, 2015-2019

Dissertation: Defining Mechanisms of Inflammation and Fibrosis in Cardiac Valve Disease (Meier, et al 2018; Meier, et al 2022)

Most Recent Position: Resident, Department of Surgery, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

Fellow: 2013-2014

Research Emphasis: The roles of Fcγ receptors in autoimmunve valvular carditis (Hobday, et al 2014) and Macrophage scavenger receptor 1 in B cell autoimmunity (Haasken, et al 2013)

Current Position: Associate Professor, Division of Pediatric Rheumatology, Allergy & Immunology, University of Minnesota, hobd0007@umn.edu

Doctoral Student, MICaB, 2007-2012

Dissertation: Immunity and Tolerance in the K/BxN Model of Spontaneous Arthritis and Endocarditis (Haasken, et al 2011; Haasken, et al 2013)

Current Position: Proposal Writer, Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC), shaasken@sitcancer.org

Research Technician, 2007-2009

Research Emphasis: The role of neuropeptide neuromedin U in promoting autoantibody-mediated arthritis (Rao, et al 2012)

Current Position: Principal Scientist, Pharmaceutical Sciences Team Lead at Pfizer