Lab members
Sofia de Oliveira, PhD
Principal Investigator
I am an Assistant Professor in the Departments of Developmental and Molecular Biology and Medicine (Hepatology) at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx (NY). Throughout my career, I have been studying inflammation and using the zebrafish animal model to visualize acute and chronic inflammatory responses by non-invasive intravital imaging in a vertebrate system. Now at Einstein, I am pursuing my passion for neutrophils. My lab research focus is on inflammation, with a particular interest in how diet and aging impact neutrophil biology and their role in the inflammatory process in the context of injury, liver disease, and cancer.
I am also a huge advocate for DEI and put my energy and focus into activities and roles that hopefully will lead to significant advances in DEI both in science and academia. Plus, I am committed to being a student advocate; promoting and working on the establishment of effective mentorship practices in academia is a responsibility that comes with this job. With these two advocacy roles in mind, I serve as a chair of the Montefiore-Einstein Cancer Center Women’s Task Force and Associate Director for Student Support for the Ph.D. Concentration In Clinical Investigation (PCI) program.
As hobbies, I love to cook and bake, hike with my lovely husband and son, watch movies, and fall asleep on my couch! hahaha
Sammi Chung, Graduate Student
Sammi joined the lab in July 2021 as a PhD student, studying the role of neutrophils in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)/nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). She is interested in understanding the pro-inflammatory and pro-resolution roles of neutrophils in NAFLD progression and the functional switch that neutrophils may undergo as the disease progresses. Outside of lab, she is busy being a plant and dog mom and finding the best brunch places in NYC.
Maria Feliz Norberto, Graduate Student
Cassia Michael, Graduate Student
Cassia graduated in 2020 from Clemson University with a Bachelor of Science in Genetics and then joined the lab in November of 2020 as a research technician. During her time as a technician, she has worked to characterize a zebrafish xenotransplant model. In August of 2022, she will become a graduate student and begin studying neutrophils response in polytraumatic injury. Specifically, she is interested in how metabolic syndrome and inflammation impact neutrophil biology and recruitment in the context of injury. Cassia loves to travel, go to museums (the MET), and try new foods, especially spicy foods.
Achalefac Akem, PREP Student
