SPARK Members

Jacob Ballon , MD

Jacob S. Ballon, M.D., M.P.H. specializes in the treatment of people with psychotic disorders including schizophrenia. He is the Co-Director of the INSPIRE Clinic at Stanford which provides interdisciplinary care for people experiencing psychosis. He is also the medical director of H2 acute inpatient unit at Stanford Hospital. Dr. Ballon completed his residency at Stanford in 2009 and a Schizophrenia Research Fellowship at Columbia University in 2011.

Leslie Adams , PhD

Leslie Adams, PhD, MPH is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Public Mental Health and Population Sciences at Stanford University School of Medicine, where she focuses on addressing mental health disparities among Black boys and men. As a behavioral scientist, her research emphasizes the role of structural racism, gender norms, and psychosocial stressors in influencing mental health outcomes. Dr. Adams employs mixed-methods approaches, including ecological momentary assessment and passive data sensing, to explore real-time stressors like racial discrimination and their link to depressive symptoms and suicidality.

Lusine Aghajanova , MD, PhD

Dr. Lusine Aghajanova is double board certified in ObGyn and in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility (REI), a Clinical Assistant Professor of ObGyn and REI at Stanford University and a member of Maternal & Child Health Research Institute (MCHRI). Her clinical interests include endometrial/uterine aspects of fertility and assisted reproduction. Dr. Aghajanova is a respected researcher in the field of endometrial receptivity, implantation and endometriosis, endometrial regeneration, with >70 peer-reviewed publications. She is active peer-reviewer for over 12 professional journals, is currently as Associate Editor for Human Reproduction, and serves on Editorial Board for Fertility&Sterility Reports and for JARG

Meghali Aich , PhD

I hold a B.Tech in Genetic Engineering, which sparked my interest in using my scientific knowledge to address societal challenges. During my PhD at CSIR-IGIB, India, I investigated a novel pluripotency regulator in stem cells and advanced CRISPR-based diagnostics and gene-editing technologies, fostering a commitment to solutions-oriented, partnership-based research. As a postdoctoral researcher in Dr. Anca Pasca’s lab at Stanford, I study how environmental insult like reductive stress shape human neonatal brain development. I value open-mindedness and collaboration, and I am eager to engage with a community of postdocs committed to translating scientific discoveries into tangible benefits beyond academia.

Giacomo Annio , PhD

I am a physicist by training (MSc) with a strong focus on Applied Biomechanics. I earned a Master of Research in Medical Imaging and obtained an EPSRC fellowship to carry out my PhD in University College London. Through research I gained a diverse background embedding imaging and diagnostic methodologies at microscopical level (nanotechnology) and at macroscopic level (using MRI). I developed a highly international character, having studied and worked in 5 countries (Italy, France, United Kingdom, Norway and United States). My project aims at identifying macroscopical biomechanical biomarkers to assess brain tumours response to treatments.

Siavash Azari , PhD

I am a postdoctoral researcher from Tehran, Iran. I joined Dr. Shirit Einav's lab in September 2021. The focus of my research is on developing novel, selective inhibitors of the Numb-Associated Kinases (NAK) as broad-spectrum antivirals. These inhibitors are potent against multiple unrelated viruses which our lab has shown rely on members of the NAK family for effective replication, including dengue virus (DENV), Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis Virus (VEEV) and SARS-CoV2. I am also interested in discovering novel substrates of NAKs and better characterizing the signaling pathways they regulate in cell biology and viral infection. My PhD dissertation under Dr. Stephanie Seveau's supervision at The Ohio State University was focused on the role of fetal placental macrophages in mother-to-fetus transmission of listeriosis. My master’s thesis at Qazvin University of Medical Sciences in Qazvin, Iran, was on a modified derivative of rotavirus toxin NSP4 as a candidate for vaccine production. I enjoy doing translational research that can be used as a stepping stone toward the development of therapeutics to battle human diseases. My hobbies are: Learning foreign languages, cooking, traveling, exploring food from different cultures, and inventing new cocktails with tequila! Fun fact: To do research at Stanford, I moved by driving 2,500 miles across the country from Columbus, Ohio to San Jose, California, and had the greatest road trip of my life!

Brian Bacacao , PhD

Brian Bacacao is a research associate specializing in Microbiology. He joined the Santa Maria lab in 2019 after completing his bachelor of science in Biology at Arizona State University. His research interests are in biotechnology and drug discovery.

Rosa Bacchetta , MD

Physician scientist, pediatric immunologist by training. Research focused on regulatory T cells and immune tolerance. Expert in autoimmune genetic diseases and other Tregopathies. IND sponsor for an engineered Treg cell product for Phase 1 trial in IPEX syndrome, a novel orphan drug designated therapy, about to begin at Stanford. Continuing to investigate immune regulatory disorders, improve diagnostics and developing definitive treatments based on cell/gene therapy. Former SPARK Scholar, Member of CDCM and MCHRI.

Gustavo Balanza Villegas , MD

I am a Bolivian physician and a postdoctoral fellow at the Purdon Lab. My research in the US has contributed to the characterization of an EEG biomarker of fentanyl's brain effect. Additionally, my work has provided new insights into how opioid administration in perioperative settings can influence acute and long-term outcomes in patients. My overarching goal is to tackle the opioid crisis by applying a transnational neuroscience perspective to clinical practice. I perceive addiction not solely as a medical condition but also as a facet of consumer behavior.

Annelise Barron , PhD

Annelise E. Barron is the W.M. Keck Associate Professor of Bioengineering at Stanford University. She was trained as a chemical engineer at the Univ. of Washington (B.S.) and U.C. Berkeley (Ph.D.), and was a Pharmaceutical Chemistry postdoc with Prof. Ken A. Dill (UCSF) and Dr. Ronald N. Zuckermann (Chiron Corp.). She has served on the faculty at Stanford since 2007, and prior to that, served on the Chemical & Biological Engineering faculty of Northwestern University in Evanston, IL for 10 years (1997-2007). In Fall 2020, Dr. Barron was awarded the NIH Pioneer Award, through NIH/NIA, for Alzheimer's disease research.

Satvir Basran

Satvir Basran is passionate about improving healthcare through technology and innovation.

Edward Bertaccini , MD

Dr. Bertaccini is a native of San Jose, California. He graduated Summa Cum Laude in Biochemistry and Quantum Physics from UC Davis and obtained his MD from St. Louis University. He completed his internship at the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, and his anesthesiology residency and ICU fellowship at Stanford. He is currently a Professor of Anesthesiology and ICU Medicine at Stanford and the Palo Alto VA. He is internationally recognized for research on the molecular modeling of anesthetic action. He has played an integral role in teams that have achieved national recognition for cardiac surgery and intensive care outcomes

Sarode Bhagyesh , PhD

I am a research scientist in Professor James K. Chen’s lab at Stanford University, Department of Chemical and Systems Biology. I earned my Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Chemistry from the University of Missouri–Kansas City, where I developed a minimally invasive insulin delivery system. My current research focuses on engineering optogenetic regulators of developmental signaling pathways.

Vivek Bhalla , MD

Dr. Bhalla is an adult nephrologist and a physician-scientist at the Stanford University School of Medicine and the founding director of the Stanford Hypertension Center. His laboratory studies molecular mechanisms of chronic kidney disease. He uses a combination of transgenic mice, renal physiology, and molecular biology to address research questions. In collaboration with other SPARK members, Dr. Bhalla has worked on gene editing of renal epithelial cells and targeted kidney delivery with applications for several kidney diseases, including polycystic kidney disease, the most common form of monogenic disease in humans.

Helen Blau , PhD

Blau's research area is regenerative medicine with a focus on stem cells. She is world-renowned for her work on nuclear reprogramming and demonstration of the plasticity of cell fate using cell fusion. These studies provided the scientific underpinnings for mammalian cloning and induced pluripotent stem cells. Blau also led the field with novel approaches to treating muscle damage due to disease, injury, or aging. She pioneered the design of biomaterials to mimic the in vivo microenvironment and direct stem cell fate. A major focus of her current work is the rejuvenation of aged tissues.

Cecelia Brown , MS

Hello! I am a fourth-year graduate student in the Skotheim Lab in the Department of Biology. Our lab studies cell cycle control and cell size. Within this realm, I am interested in developing compounds that disrupt progression through the cell cycle. Prior to coming to Stanford, I went to San Francisco State University for Masters and San Jose State University for my undergraduate degree. I was born and raised here in the Bay Area and my hobbies outside of science include, reading, cooking, winter sports, tennis, and exploring the outdoors.

Caio Carcaioli , BS

Chris Caridi , PhD

High throughput screening knowledge center scientist

Adrian Castaneda Juarez

Unrelenting researcher/engineering in biotech with a strong bias for entrepreneurship advocacy, and mentorship in DEI.

Shiya Cen

I am a first year master student at Stanford School of Medicine. Before coming here, I finished my M.D. with a specialty in oncology. My research focuses in clinical trials, immunotherapy and target therapy in gastric cancer. I also have a strong interest in bridging the scientific world and clinical studies with commercialization.

Chehong Chen , PhD

Senior Research Scientist focusing on diseases caused by aldehyde toxicity and aldehyde metabolism. Interested in the role of different ALDH gene member and their variations in different ethnic populations. Successfully discovered small molecule activators and modulators for different ALDH isozymes. Current efforts also involve public health eduaction, awareness of alcohol flushing and prevention of alcohol-induced upper aerodigestive track cancer among the East Asians.

Chris Chen , MD

Dr. Chen is a board-certified, fellowship-trained specialist in oncology and hematology. He is also an Assistant Professor in the Division of Oncology in the Department of Medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine.

Hansen Chen , PhD

My research has concentrated on ischemic stroke, focusing on the mechanisms of stroke injury and recovery, with a particular emphasis on the blood-brain barrier (BBB). My academic background in biochemistry, neuroscience, and neuropharmacology has shaped my research trajectory, with a specific interest in the interplay between the immune system and the brain to identify targets and develop therapeutics for stroke treatment.

Alexander Choi , PhD

American Heart Postdoctoral Fellow in Professor Stanley Qi's Lab - an expert in CRISPR gene editing

Angel Cobo , Ph.D.

Ph.D. scientist with strong business acumen. Interested in entrepreneurship and business development in biotechnology, healthcare, and agricultural sectors. Seeking to apply translational skills and capital raising strategies in private equity for the commercialization of innovative technology in public and private markets.