Shannon Babcock grew up at the base of the Rocky Mountains in Monument, CO before receiving a B.S. in Biochemistry from Gonzaga University in Spokane, WA. While at Gonzaga, she worked as an undergraduate researcher in Dr. Jennifer Niven Shepherd’s lab elucidating the biosynthetic pathway of rhodoquinone in Caenorhabditis elegans. After graduating, Shannon worked for two years as a lab technologist at Paw Print Genetics, a canine genetic diagnostic laboratory, before starting in the Program of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences at Oregon Health and Science University in 2019. In 2020, Shannon joined the Gillingham Laboratory in the Molecular and Medical Genetics Department where she studies the molecular mechanisms involved in the chorioretinopathy seen in patients with a rare fatty acid oxidation disorder, long-chain 3-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency (LCHADD). In her free time, Shannon enjoys playing tennis and hiking with her dog

Zinab Doha grew up in the high mountains of Makkah, Saudi Arabia. In 2012, Zinab graduated from King Abdul-Aziz University with a B.Sc. degree in Medical Laboratory Science, with excellence, first class honors, qualifying her to get a government scholarship to pursue her postgraduate studies abroad. She joined the Human Genetics department at McGill University in Canada, where she did her M.Sc. work focusing on correcting the trafficking defect mutants that cause a fetal genetic disease called the Infantile systemic Hyalinosis, where she have shown potential therapeutic targets for treating ISH. She have done so using different molecular biology techniques, proteomic as well as mass spectrometry. Currently, Zinab is pursuing a Ph.D. degree at the department of Molecular and Medical Genetics at OHSU where she will continue following her passion of investigating the molecular underpinnings of diseases with the final aim of identifying druggable targets. During her time at OHSU, Zinab is looking forward to contributing to the institution in terms of her research, providing a different perspective and advancing the field. Outside of OHSU, Zinab loves to spend time with her friends, family, her husband and her three lovely kids.

Eve Lowenstein graduated from Lewis & Clark College in 2017 with a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics and Biochemistry & Molecular Biology. She completed an honors thesis that focused on synaptogenesis in the neuromuscular junction of Drosophila melanogaster. In 2018, she started in the Program of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences at Oregon Health & Science University. She joined Dr. Andrew Adey’s lab in the Department of Molecular and Medical Genetics. The Adey lab works to develop technology to understand the epigenetic landscape at a single-cell resolution. She plans to study at the interface of neurodevelopmental diseases and genetics.

Kevin MacPherson spent most of his early life in Fremont, CA, moving to New Orleans after high school to study at Tulane University. As an undergraduate, he pursued a double major in Cell and Molecular Biology and Philosophy and later continued his education in the former to a Master’s degree. As a Master’s student, he learned about the molecular and genetic basis of cancer, sparking his present-day research interests in tumor heterogeneity, cancer genomics, and precision medicine. After graduating in 2015, Kevin joined J. Michael Cherry’s lab at Stanford University to learn more about genomics, bioinformatics, and knowledge bases as a biocuration scientist for the Saccharomyces Genome Database project. He also gained initial skills in using python for genomics applications. As an upcoming OHSU graduate student, Kevin is dedicated to acquiring the skills and experience necessary to tackle provocative questions in cancer biology and genomics from a bench perspective and a computational one. His long-term goals are to build a successful academic career and become a leader in the personalization of cancer therapy. Kevin’s hobbies include baking, motorcycling, martial arts, and listening to music.

Michael received a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Biochemistry from Humboldt State University in 2017. After completing his undergraduate studies, Michael joined the laboratory of Dr. Anders Persson at UCSF as a California Institute of Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) Bridges Fellow, where he studied the role of the IDH1 mutation in the formation of low-grade gliomas. In 2019, he began his graduate studies in the Program in Molecular & Cellular Bioscience at OHSU and joined the laboratory of Dr Cary Harding. His current research is focused on investigating new strategies to improve gene editing by targeting vital steps in the HR and NHEJ DNA repair pathways. This research specifically seeks to find a permanent cure for the debilitating lifelong disease phenylketonuria (PKU), which is caused by mutations in the phenylalanine hydroxylase gene. In his free time, Michael enjoys playing tennis poorly, grilling, and exploring the greater Portland area.

Anne Vonada graduated from Whitman College in 2017 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Biochemistry, Biophysics, & Molecular Biology. After graduating she joined Dr. Markus Grompe's lab at OHSU as a research assistant, working on a project aimed at developing methods to selectively expand gene-edited hepatocytes in vivo.  She joined the Program in Molecular and Cellular Biosciences in 2019 and returned to the Grompe lab as a graduate student. Her work so far has helped to characterize a system to selectively expand gene-edited hepatocytes in vivo using the common medication acetaminophen. Her thesis research will expand upon the gene & cell therapy applications of this method.