Alumni

Human Genetics PhD Program Alumni

Alumni Meant for Great Work

The Genetics and Genomics Home Area equips scientists with the computational, intellectual, and technological skills necessary to translate insights into innovations. Our alumni lead the field in advancing research techniques, understanding human disease, developing novel computational techniques, and improving patient care.

If you are an alumni of the Genetics and Genomics Home Area and would like your information to be added, changed, or removed, please contact us.

PhD in Genetics and Genomics Alumni

2026

2025

David Geffen School of Medicine logo on a sandstone background with a rising sun.
David Geffen School of Medicine logo with the school’s name on a sandstone background and a rising sun graphic.

Ye Leila Yang, PhD

Doctoral Alum

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

David Geffen School of Medicine logo on a sandstone background with a rising sun.
David Geffen School of Medicine logo with the school’s name on a sandstone background and a rising sun graphic.

Hayk Barseghyan, PhD

Children's National Medical Center Research Faculty Scholar
David Geffen School of Medicine logo on a sandstone background with a rising sun.
David Geffen School of Medicine logo with the school’s name on a sandstone background and a rising sun graphic.

Matthew Bramble, PhD

Children's National Medical Center Research Scientist
David Geffen School of Medicine logo on a sandstone background with a rising sun.
David Geffen School of Medicine logo with the school’s name on a sandstone background and a rising sun graphic.

Steven Klein, PhD

Medical Student
David Geffen School of Medicine logo on a sandstone background with a rising sun.
David Geffen School of Medicine logo with the school’s name on a sandstone background and a rising sun graphic.

Frank Lee, PhD

Celgene Scientist

2016

David Geffen School of Medicine logo on a sandstone background with a rising sun.
David Geffen School of Medicine logo with the school’s name on a sandstone background and a rising sun graphic.

Elina Nikkola, PhD

Fulgent Genetics Curation Scientist
David Geffen School of Medicine logo on a sandstone background with a rising sun.
David Geffen School of Medicine logo with the school’s name on a sandstone background and a rising sun graphic.

Jennifer Zieba, PhD

Baylor College of Medicine Postdoctoral Scholar

2015

David Geffen School of Medicine logo on a sandstone background with a rising sun.
David Geffen School of Medicine logo with the school’s name on a sandstone background and a rising sun graphic.

Christopher Sundberg, PhD

Postdoctoral Scholar
David Geffen School of Medicine logo on a sandstone background with a rising sun.
David Geffen School of Medicine logo with the school’s name on a sandstone background and a rising sun graphic.

Paige Taylor, PhD

Invitae Clinical Genomics Scientist/Software Developer

2014

David Geffen School of Medicine logo on a sandstone background with a rising sun.
David Geffen School of Medicine logo with the school’s name on a sandstone background and a rising sun graphic.

Rui Luo, PhD

Amazon Senior Machine Learning Scientist

2013

David Geffen School of Medicine logo on a sandstone background with a rising sun.
David Geffen School of Medicine logo with the school’s name on a sandstone background and a rising sun graphic.

Lauren Csaki, PhD

Doctoral Alum
David Geffen School of Medicine logo on a sandstone background with a rising sun.
David Geffen School of Medicine logo with the school’s name on a sandstone background and a rising sun graphic.

Huanhuan (Mahsa) He, PhD

Sun Yat-Sen University Professor
David Geffen School of Medicine logo on a sandstone background with a rising sun.
David Geffen School of Medicine logo with the school’s name on a sandstone background and a rising sun graphic.

Jessica Lee, PhD

Haystack Sciences Scientist
David Geffen School of Medicine logo on a sandstone background with a rising sun.
David Geffen School of Medicine logo with the school’s name on a sandstone background and a rising sun graphic.

Lin Song, PhD

Invesco Principal Data Scientist
David Geffen School of Medicine logo on a sandstone background with a rising sun.
David Geffen School of Medicine logo with the school’s name on a sandstone background and a rising sun graphic.

Michael Yourshaw, PhD

University of Colorado Bioinformatician

2012

David Geffen School of Medicine logo on a sandstone background with a rising sun.
David Geffen School of Medicine logo with the school’s name on a sandstone background and a rising sun graphic.

Chaochao Cai, PhD

Facebook Senior Machine Learning Software Engineer
David Geffen School of Medicine logo on a sandstone background with a rising sun.
David Geffen School of Medicine logo with the school’s name on a sandstone background and a rising sun graphic.

Negar Ghahramani, PhD

Ambry Genetics Assistant Laboratory Technical Director
David Geffen School of Medicine logo on a sandstone background with a rising sun.
David Geffen School of Medicine logo with the school’s name on a sandstone background and a rising sun graphic.

Blake Haas, PhD

University of Kentucky Radiology Resident
David Geffen School of Medicine logo on a sandstone background with a rising sun.
David Geffen School of Medicine logo with the school’s name on a sandstone background and a rising sun graphic.

Tuck Ngun, PhD

Oracle Senior Data Scientist
David Geffen School of Medicine logo on a sandstone background with a rising sun.
David Geffen School of Medicine logo with the school’s name on a sandstone background and a rising sun graphic.

Imilce Rodiguez-Fernandez, PhD

Genentech Postdoctoral Scholar

2011

David Geffen School of Medicine logo on a sandstone background with a rising sun.
David Geffen School of Medicine logo with the school’s name on a sandstone background and a rising sun graphic.

Luz Orozco, PhD

Genentech Bioinformatics Scientist
David Geffen School of Medicine logo on a sandstone background with a rising sun.
David Geffen School of Medicine logo with the school’s name on a sandstone background and a rising sun graphic.

Michael Weinstein, PhD

Zymo Research Corporation Scientist

2010

David Geffen School of Medicine logo on a sandstone background with a rising sun.
David Geffen School of Medicine logo with the school’s name on a sandstone background and a rising sun graphic.

Michael Clark, PhD

Personalis Regulatory Affairs Director
David Geffen School of Medicine logo on a sandstone background with a rising sun.
David Geffen School of Medicine logo with the school’s name on a sandstone background and a rising sun graphic.

Tova Fuller, PhD

University of California San Francisco Assistant Professor
David Geffen School of Medicine logo on a sandstone background with a rising sun.
David Geffen School of Medicine logo with the school’s name on a sandstone background and a rising sun graphic.

Lilly Robino (Parr), PhD

University of Maryland Adjunct Assistant Professor
David Geffen School of Medicine logo on a sandstone background with a rising sun.
David Geffen School of Medicine logo with the school’s name on a sandstone background and a rising sun graphic.

Casey Romanoski, PhD

University of Arizona Assistant Professor
David Geffen School of Medicine logo on a sandstone background with a rising sun.
David Geffen School of Medicine logo with the school’s name on a sandstone background and a rising sun graphic.

Samuel Strom, PhD

Fulgent Genetics Lab Director
David Geffen School of Medicine logo on a sandstone background with a rising sun.
David Geffen School of Medicine logo with the school’s name on a sandstone background and a rising sun graphic.

Sulin Wu, PhD

Western Michigan University Medical Student

2009

David Geffen School of Medicine logo on a sandstone background with a rising sun.
David Geffen School of Medicine logo with the school’s name on a sandstone background and a rising sun graphic.

Aaron Day-Williams, PhD

Flagship Pioneering Consultant
David Geffen School of Medicine logo on a sandstone background with a rising sun.
David Geffen School of Medicine logo with the school’s name on a sandstone background and a rising sun graphic.

Christopher Plaisier, PhD

Institute for System Biology Senior Research Scientist
David Geffen School of Medicine logo on a sandstone background with a rising sun.
David Geffen School of Medicine logo with the school’s name on a sandstone background and a rising sun graphic.

Atila Van Nas, PhD

Doctoral Alum
David Geffen School of Medicine logo on a sandstone background with a rising sun.
David Geffen School of Medicine logo with the school’s name on a sandstone background and a rising sun graphic.

Daphna Weissglas-Volkov, PhD

MyHeritage Bioinformatician Scientist

2008

David Geffen School of Medicine logo on a sandstone background with a rising sun.
David Geffen School of Medicine logo with the school’s name on a sandstone background and a rising sun graphic.

Saunders Ching, PhD

Innovation Ventures Licensing Officer
David Geffen School of Medicine logo on a sandstone background with a rising sun.
David Geffen School of Medicine logo with the school’s name on a sandstone background and a rising sun graphic.

Allen Day, PhD

Google Science Advocate
David Geffen School of Medicine logo on a sandstone background with a rising sun.
David Geffen School of Medicine logo with the school’s name on a sandstone background and a rising sun graphic.

Jimmy Donkor, PhD

CEP America Emergency Medicine Physician
David Geffen School of Medicine logo on a sandstone background with a rising sun.
David Geffen School of Medicine logo with the school’s name on a sandstone background and a rising sun graphic.

Shaun Fouse, PhD

FibroGen Senior Research Scientist
David Geffen School of Medicine logo on a sandstone background with a rising sun.
David Geffen School of Medicine logo with the school’s name on a sandstone background and a rising sun graphic.

Jenny Lee, PhD

Doctoral Alum
David Geffen School of Medicine logo on a sandstone background with a rising sun.
David Geffen School of Medicine logo with the school’s name on a sandstone background and a rising sun graphic.

Yohan Lee, PhD

Booz Allen Hamilton Associate
David Geffen School of Medicine logo on a sandstone background with a rising sun.
David Geffen School of Medicine logo with the school’s name on a sandstone background and a rising sun graphic.

Yin Shen, PhD

University of California San Francisco Assistant Professor

2007

David Geffen School of Medicine logo on a sandstone background with a rising sun.
David Geffen School of Medicine logo with the school’s name on a sandstone background and a rising sun graphic.

Mark Chin, PhD

AZ Biotherapeutics Bioinformatics Consultant
David Geffen School of Medicine logo on a sandstone background with a rising sun.
David Geffen School of Medicine logo with the school’s name on a sandstone background and a rising sun graphic.

Jian Feng, PhD

Florida State University Associate Professor
David Geffen School of Medicine logo on a sandstone background with a rising sun.
David Geffen School of Medicine logo with the school’s name on a sandstone background and a rising sun graphic.

Ali Kuraishy, PhD

Illumina Global Senior Product Manager
David Geffen School of Medicine logo on a sandstone background with a rising sun.
David Geffen School of Medicine logo with the school’s name on a sandstone background and a rising sun graphic.

Hane Lee, PhD

3billion Chief Genomics Officer
David Geffen School of Medicine logo on a sandstone background with a rising sun.
David Geffen School of Medicine logo with the school’s name on a sandstone background and a rising sun graphic.

Ramin Nazarian, PhD

Assistant Project Scientist
David Geffen School of Medicine logo on a sandstone background with a rising sun.
David Geffen School of Medicine logo with the school’s name on a sandstone background and a rising sun graphic.

Robert Riley, PhD

Amyris Bioinformatics Scientist
David Geffen School of Medicine logo on a sandstone background with a rising sun.
David Geffen School of Medicine logo with the school’s name on a sandstone background and a rising sun graphic.

Krzysztof Stanczak, PhD

Doctoral Alum

2006

David Geffen School of Medicine logo on a sandstone background with a rising sun.
David Geffen School of Medicine logo with the school’s name on a sandstone background and a rising sun graphic.

Gary Chen, PhD

SupplyFrame Platform Engineer
David Geffen School of Medicine logo on a sandstone background with a rising sun.
David Geffen School of Medicine logo with the school’s name on a sandstone background and a rising sun graphic.

Sudheer Doss, PhD

Pancreatic Cancer Action Network Chief Data Officer
David Geffen School of Medicine logo on a sandstone background with a rising sun.
David Geffen School of Medicine logo with the school’s name on a sandstone background and a rising sun graphic.

Ganka (Nikolova) Douglas, PhD

GeneDx Whole Exome Sequencing Assistant Program Director
David Geffen School of Medicine logo on a sandstone background with a rising sun.
David Geffen School of Medicine logo with the school’s name on a sandstone background and a rising sun graphic.

Daria Estrada-Smith, PhD

Visiting Researcher
David Geffen School of Medicine logo on a sandstone background with a rising sun.
David Geffen School of Medicine logo with the school’s name on a sandstone background and a rising sun graphic.

Jimena Goldstine, PhD

CVS Health Executive Director
David Geffen School of Medicine logo on a sandstone background with a rising sun.
David Geffen School of Medicine logo with the school’s name on a sandstone background and a rising sun graphic.

Anita Iyer, PhD

Illumina Senior Scientist
David Geffen School of Medicine logo on a sandstone background with a rising sun.
David Geffen School of Medicine logo with the school’s name on a sandstone background and a rising sun graphic.

Rebecca Mar-Heyming, PhD

Counsyl Assistant Laboratory Director
David Geffen School of Medicine logo on a sandstone background with a rising sun.
David Geffen School of Medicine logo with the school’s name on a sandstone background and a rising sun graphic.

Jennifer Salstrom, PhD

Children's Hospital Colorado Fellow in Pediatrics
David Geffen School of Medicine logo on a sandstone background with a rising sun.
David Geffen School of Medicine logo with the school’s name on a sandstone background and a rising sun graphic.

Susanna Wang, PhD

Postdoctoral Fellow
David Geffen School of Medicine logo on a sandstone background with a rising sun.
David Geffen School of Medicine logo with the school’s name on a sandstone background and a rising sun graphic.

Yan Zhao, PhD

Staff Research Associate

2005

David Geffen School of Medicine logo on a sandstone background with a rising sun.
David Geffen School of Medicine logo with the school’s name on a sandstone background and a rising sun graphic.

Denis Bronnikov, PhD

Roche Global Licensing Director
David Geffen School of Medicine logo on a sandstone background with a rising sun.
David Geffen School of Medicine logo with the school’s name on a sandstone background and a rising sun graphic.

William Freije, PhD

Assistant Professor
David Geffen School of Medicine logo on a sandstone background with a rising sun.
David Geffen School of Medicine logo with the school’s name on a sandstone background and a rising sun graphic.

Lisa Mee, PhD

University of California Irvine Research Specialist
David Geffen School of Medicine logo on a sandstone background with a rising sun.
David Geffen School of Medicine logo with the school’s name on a sandstone background and a rising sun graphic.

Kathy Niakan, PhD

Francis Crick Institute Group Leader
David Geffen School of Medicine logo on a sandstone background with a rising sun.
David Geffen School of Medicine logo with the school’s name on a sandstone background and a rising sun graphic.

Matthew Ogdie, PhD

Hub and Spoke Ventures Chief Scientific Officer
David Geffen School of Medicine logo on a sandstone background with a rising sun.
David Geffen School of Medicine logo with the school’s name on a sandstone background and a rising sun graphic.

Marta Starcevic, PhD

Amgen Principal Scientist

2004

David Geffen School of Medicine logo on a sandstone background with a rising sun.
David Geffen School of Medicine logo with the school’s name on a sandstone background and a rising sun graphic.

Phoebe Dewing Chang, PhD

Children's Oncology Group Director of Data Management
David Geffen School of Medicine logo on a sandstone background with a rising sun.
David Geffen School of Medicine logo with the school’s name on a sandstone background and a rising sun graphic.

Mark Goodarzi, PhD

Cedars Sinai Medical Center Eris M. Field Chair in Diabetes Research
David Geffen School of Medicine logo on a sandstone background with a rising sun.
David Geffen School of Medicine logo with the school’s name on a sandstone background and a rising sun graphic.

Talin Haritunians, PhD

Cedars Sinai Medical Center Assistant Professor
David Geffen School of Medicine logo on a sandstone background with a rising sun.
David Geffen School of Medicine logo with the school’s name on a sandstone background and a rising sun graphic.

Riki Ohira, PhD

Booz Allen Hamilton Lead Associate
David Geffen School of Medicine logo on a sandstone background with a rising sun.
David Geffen School of Medicine logo with the school’s name on a sandstone background and a rising sun graphic.

Jack Phan, PhD

University of Texas Assistant Professor
David Geffen School of Medicine logo on a sandstone background with a rising sun.
David Geffen School of Medicine logo with the school’s name on a sandstone background and a rising sun graphic.

Chris Ramsey, PhD

Accelerate Diagnostics Commercial Development Director
David Geffen School of Medicine logo on a sandstone background with a rising sun.
David Geffen School of Medicine logo with the school’s name on a sandstone background and a rising sun graphic.

Tao Shi, PhD

Celgene Principal Scientist
David Geffen School of Medicine logo on a sandstone background with a rising sun.
David Geffen School of Medicine logo with the school’s name on a sandstone background and a rising sun graphic.

Cho-Lea Tso, PhD

Associate Professor
David Geffen School of Medicine logo on a sandstone background with a rising sun.
David Geffen School of Medicine logo with the school’s name on a sandstone background and a rising sun graphic.

Nicholas Wang, PhD

Cepheid Senior Scientist

2003

David Geffen School of Medicine logo on a sandstone background with a rising sun.
David Geffen School of Medicine logo with the school’s name on a sandstone background and a rising sun graphic.

Daniel Chen, PhD

Ambry Genetics Lab Director and Point Director
David Geffen School of Medicine logo on a sandstone background with a rising sun.
David Geffen School of Medicine logo with the school’s name on a sandstone background and a rising sun graphic.

Brian Kirk Jordan, MD, PhD

Oregon Health and Science University Assistant Professor and Physician
David Geffen School of Medicine logo on a sandstone background with a rising sun.
David Geffen School of Medicine logo with the school’s name on a sandstone background and a rising sun graphic.

Vlad Kustanovich, PhD

Regulatory Coordinator
David Geffen School of Medicine logo on a sandstone background with a rising sun.
David Geffen School of Medicine logo with the school’s name on a sandstone background and a rising sun graphic.

Sonal Sheth-Schropfer, PhD

Sidwell Friends School Teacher

MS Degree Alumni

2014

David Geffen School of Medicine logo on a sandstone background with a rising sun.
David Geffen School of Medicine logo with the school’s name on a sandstone background and a rising sun graphic.

Mariela Martinez, MS

Mariela Martinez, MSMaimonides Medical Center Urology Resident Physician

2009

David Geffen School of Medicine logo on a sandstone background with a rising sun.
David Geffen School of Medicine logo with the school’s name on a sandstone background and a rising sun graphic.

Robert Chin, MS

Complete Genomics Senior Research Associate

2008

David Geffen School of Medicine logo on a sandstone background with a rising sun.
David Geffen School of Medicine logo with the school’s name on a sandstone background and a rising sun graphic.

Jacqueline Duvall, MS

Pasadena City College Adjunct Faculty
David Geffen School of Medicine logo on a sandstone background with a rising sun.
David Geffen School of Medicine logo with the school’s name on a sandstone background and a rising sun graphic.

Alla Perlina, MS

Human Longevity Systems Biology Lead

2004

David Geffen School of Medicine logo on a sandstone background with a rising sun.
David Geffen School of Medicine logo with the school’s name on a sandstone background and a rising sun graphic.

John Ho, MS

Master's Alum

2002

David Geffen School of Medicine logo on a sandstone background with a rising sun.
David Geffen School of Medicine logo with the school’s name on a sandstone background and a rising sun graphic.

Sara Hammer Riordan, MS

Thermo Fisher Scientific IMPACT Program Clinical Director
David Geffen School of Medicine logo on a sandstone background with a rising sun.
David Geffen School of Medicine logo with the school’s name on a sandstone background and a rising sun graphic.

Jason Wilson, MS

Founding Knowledge Founder

2000

David Geffen School of Medicine logo on a sandstone background with a rising sun.
David Geffen School of Medicine logo with the school’s name on a sandstone background and a rising sun graphic.

Dong (Dora) Ding, MS

Gilead Sciences Biostatistics Manager