Research Assistant 2 2022 

Alexus Liette is originally from Coldwater, OH. She attended Indiana University and graduated with a B.S. in Human Biology. Alexus was drawn to pancreatic research from her genuine passion for science and drive to be a part of a unique program to benefit cancer patients. In the future, she plans to purse a career in clinical medicine and research. 

Postdoctoral Scholar 2021 -

2022-2024 Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center Tumor Immunology T32 Post-doctoral Fellow

2022 Intramural Research Program Supplement for Diversity and Inclusion Award Recipient

Kaylin is originally from Ft. Lauderdale, FL, but grew up in Allen, TX. She attended The Ohio State University from 2013-2015 and received a B.S. in Agriculture. She earned an M.S. in Animal Sciences from The Ohio State University in 2018 before continuing on to earn her PhD in Animal Sciences in 2021. She joins our lab to study the relationships between obesity and immunity during pancreatic cancer. Furthermore, she is interested in studying the role of adipose tissue in the progression of pancreatic cancer, with the hope of characterizing adipose tissue crosstalk, and identifying biomarkers and potential therapeutic targets for this deadly disease.

Postdoctoral Scholar 2019 -

2020 - 2022 CCTS Mentored Research Training Program (TL1) Postdoctoral Fellow

Dr. Gumpper-Fedus is originally from the Scranton area in PA. She earned a BS in Biology at Allegheny College in 2010 and a MS in Microbiology and Immunology from Thomas Jefferson University in 2012. Dr. Gumpper-Fedus earned her PhD in Biomedical Science in 2019 from the Ohio State University focusing on gastric and muscle physiology. In the Cruz-Monserrate lab, she focuses on how the cross-talk between the tumor, adipose, and muscle tissue contributes to cachexia/sarcopenia in pancreatic diseases. During her time in my lab as a postdoctoral scholar, Dr. Gumpper-Fedus was awarded a TL-1 Fellowship.

2019- 2024 Graduate Research Assistant Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology (MCDB) Ph.D. program  May 5th 2024 Graduation

2022 Ph.D. Candidate in the Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology (MCDB) Ph.D. program  

Hsiang-Yin is a Ph.D. student from Taiwan. He is part of the Molecular, Cellular, Developmental Biology (MCDB) program at OSU doing his doctoral work under the guidance of Dr. Zobeida Cruz Monserrate. Currently, his research focuses on understanding the mechanism of a molecule not well studied in PDAC patients.

2019 - Graduate Research Assistant Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Program in Nutrition at OSU.

2019 - 2020 OSU University Fellow

2022 Ph.D. Candidate in the Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Program in                                       Nutrition at OSU.

Ericka Velez Bonet is a Ph.D. candidate from Puerto Rico. She is part of the Ohio State Nutrition (OSUN) program at OSU doing her doctoral work under the guidance of Dr. Zobeida Cruz Monserrate. Previously, Ericka earned her B.S. in Chemistry at the University of Puerto Rico at Cayey and M.S. in Pharmaceutical Sciences at the Medical Science Campus at San Juan, Puerto Rico. Her research focuses on studying a protease that is upregulated early in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and the use of the ketogenic diet (KD) as a therapy for obesity-associated PDAC. Her past personal experiences drove her into learning more about the effects nutrition has on health to develop novel nutritional interventions for the improvement of this deadly disease.  

2022- Graduate Research Assistant Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology (MCDB) Ph.D. program 

Zachary earned his B.S. in Biology from The Ohio State University in 2014. After graduating, he continued his passion for science. He worked as a laboratory technician/manager in the laboratories of Dr. Sissy M. Jhiang (Department of Physiology and Cell Biology) and Dr. Paul K. Herman (Department of Molecular Genetics) where his research focused was on thyroid cancer genetics and the biological mechanisms governing the assembly of membrane-less organelles, respectively. In 2022, Zachary joined the Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology (MCDB) graduate program and was awarded a University Fellowship (2022-2023). Currently, under the mentorship of Dr. Zobeida Cruz-Monserrate, his research is focused on understanding the molecular mechanisms through which obesity influences pancreatitis onset and disease progression.

2022-Current OSUCCC Undergraduate Intern

Summer 2022 OSUCCC CAMELOT CREATES Program Student

2023 - Current Maximizing Access to Research Careers (MARC T34 at Ohio State)

Fall 2023 OSUCCC Undergraduate Intern

Summer 2023 OSUCCC CAMELOT CREATES Program Student

Current Position: Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine 

2018 - Graduate Research Assistant Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Program in Nutrition at OSU.

2021 Pelotonia Graduate Fellow 

2020 Ph.D. Candidate in the Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Program in                                       Nutrition at OSU.

2018 - 2019 OSU University Fellow

Valentina Pita is a Ph.D. candidate from Venezuela. She is part of the Interdisciplinary Nutrition Program at OSU. She studies the role that certain nutrients like iron play in pancreatic cancer progression. She is also investigating how pancreatic cancer patients can benefit from particular diets and exercise regimes. Moreover, she is interested in the gut microbiome-pancreas interaction and how it is influenced by the presence of pancreatic cancer. Valentina hopes to make a significant contribution to the efforts of ending this disease.

2021 Pelotonia Undergraduate Research Fellow (Class 2022)

2019 - 2022   OSUCCC Undergraduate Intern (Class 2022)

Trevor is an undergraduate Biomedical Science major from northeast Ohio in the Ohio State University class of 2022. He developed a deep interest in the health sciences during high school, after experiencing several loved ones afflicted with cancer. This interest quickly became a passion and has molded his desire to participate in clinically-relevant research and ultimately pursue a career in medicine. He has enjoyed being a part of the laboratory’s efforts and designing experimental ideas of his own.

2018-2019 OSU Kraska Endowed Chemistry Scholar (Class 2021) 

2017-2021 OSUCCC Undergraduate Intern

Ila Lahooti is a Junior majoring in Chemistry at The Ohio State University originally from Columbus, Ohio. She is looking to pursue a career in medicine, she began her research on pancreatic cancer in Dr. Cruz-Monserrate’s lab during the fall of her Freshman year. Currently, her research is focused on studying adipose tissue and the ways that it may promote obesity-associated pancreatic cancer.

2019 Pelotonia Undergraduate Research Fellow (Class 2021)

2018- 2021    OSUCCC Undergraduate Intern

Olivia Ueltschi is a graduate of The Ohio State University from Cincinnati, Ohio. She began as a research volunteer in Dr. Cruz-Monserrate’s research laboratory during her sophomore year at OSU. Her passion for studying pancreatic cancer is derived from her mother’s affliction with the disease during her freshman year of college. Olivia witnessed the rapid and uncontrollable progression of the disease and lost her mother eight short months after diagnosis.  This first-hand experience with losing a loved one has instilled a strong desire to devote her research and future career to understanding and improving the lives of those affected by this deadly disease.  She focused her research project on the studying novels ways to treat pancreatic cancer, as she has observed the overwhelming ineffectiveness of popular pharmaceutical chemotherapy drugs.

Current Position: Attending Medical School Summer of 2020

2019 Pelotonia Undergraduate Research Fellow (Class 2020)

2018 -  2019 OSU Edward G. Mayers Scholar

2017 - 2020  OSUCCC Undergraduate Intern

Sabrina Kaul igraduated from The Ohio State University and is from Cincinnati, Ohio. She is majored in Biology in the University Honors Program and will be starting medical school in the summer of 2020. Her ultimate career goal is to work in a sub-specialty of internal medicine. In the Cruz-Monserrate lab, her research focused on the significance of the protease Cathepsin E expression in chronic pancreatitis, pancreatic cysts, and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.

Current Position: Attending Medical School Summer of 2020

Research Assistant 2 2019 - 2020

2018 Pelotonia Undergradudate Research Fellow (Class 2019) 

2016 - 2019    OSUCCC Undergraduate Intern

Kelly Dubay graduated from The Ohio State University and is from Novi, Michigan. She started as a volunteer in Dr. Cruz-Monserrate's lab since her freshman year. Her interest in pancreatic cancer research stemmed from her interest in the possibilities of scientific innovation in benefiting cancer patients and her passion for science. She received the 2018 Pelotonia Undergraduate Fellowship for her research on the effects of increased physical activity on the pancreatic cancer adipose micro-environment. She majored in Neuroscience and plans to pursue a career in medicine with a special interest in oncology. 

Current Position: Attending Medical School Summer of 2021

2018 Pelotonia Undergraduate Research Fellow (Class 2019) 

2016 - 2019    OSUCCC Undergraduate Intern

Ali Lahooti graduate from The Ohio State University and is from New Albany, Ohio. He started as a volunteer in Dr. Cruz-Monserrate's lab since his freshman year. His interest in pancreatic cancer stemmed after a loved one was diagnosed with the disease, and he witnessed the dismal course cancer takes. He started by learning various basic bench laboratory techniques and eventually developed his own research project. He the 2019 Pelotonia Undergraduate Fellowship in which he researched the effects of exercise and diet on pancreatic cancer. In the future, he plans to pursue a career in medicine working in oncology or internal medicine. He feels confident that the research the laboratory is conducting will help future patients by providing methods for early detection and prevention. 

Current Position: Attending Medical School Summer of 2020

2016 - 2018 OSUCCC Undergraduate Intern, Biology 

Madelyn is from Pittsburgh, PA and graduated from Ohio State University in 2018 with a degree in Biology. She began volunteering in the Cruz-Monserrate lab at the beginning of her junior year. Her interest in the lab’s research on pancreatic cancer came from a desire to learn how factors such as diet and exercise can play a role in the prevention and treatment of such a serious disease. During her time in the lab she made large contributions to a project exploring the effects of iron levels on tumor cell proliferation. Madelyn now works in a liver cancer research lab at The University of Pittsburgh and aspires to attend medical school in the near future.

Current Position: Executive director of the Office of Innovation Commercialization Business and Technology Management at New Mexico Tech 

2017 Pelotonia Postdoctoral Fellow 

2016 - 2017 OSUCCC Postdoctoral Fellow

2016 - 2017 OSUCCC Undergraduate Intern, Nutrition

Nutrition Major Undergraduate student  

Research Assistant 1 Summer 2019

OSU Medical Student

Corbin Pontious is a second-year medical student at The Ohio State University College of Medicine from Walled Lake, Michigan. His interest in cancer comes from his personal experience with the disease as well as a background in pancreatic cancer research. Previously, he studied pancreatic cancer at The University of Michigan, focusing on macrophages in the tumor-microenvironment and how cell metabolism can change the effect of chemotherapy. In the future, Corbin hopes to continue to work on cancer in the clinic as an oncologist or an internal medicine physician.​

2019 OSUCCC-Kenyon Undergraduate Summer Student 

2018 OSU COM Medical Student Research Scholar (MDSRS) 

OSU Medical Student

2018 OSUCCC-Kenyon Undergraduate Summer Student 

2017 OSUCCC Undergraduate Summer Intern 

2016 Denison University Central State & Wilberforce Summer Research Program 

Research Associate 1 2022 -2023

Research Assistant 2 2019 - 2022

Tricia Gerber is a native of Columbus, Ohio. She attended the Ohio State University and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Biology. Her interest in pancreatic cancer research stemmed from her passion for science and the opportunities of discovering translational research for the benefits of cancer patients. She plans to pursue a career in medicine with a specialization in research.

Research Associate 1 2020-2022

Cassandra Keller is a native of Columbus, Ohio. Her alma mater is The Ohio State University, having graduated with degrees in Anthropology and Latin. She is also a Registered Veterinarian Technician through the Bradford School. Immediately upon finishing the veterinarian technician program, Cassandra began working at The Ohio State University within the University Laboratory Animal Resources branch as a Laboratory Animal Medicine Technician. After 5+ years in this department, she shifted into a laboratory setting as a research associate and laboratory manager for Dr. Cruz-Monserrate’s laboratory research team. She managed the lab of Dr. Cruz-Monserrate for two years. She now was promoted to Regulatory Compliance Officer at OSU and the ZCM lab is exited to see her grow in her career goals.