Kwaku Addo-Osafo, MSc
Staff Research Associate, Lab Manager
Kwaku is a MSc graduate in neuroscience from the University of Calgary. His past research has focused on epilepsy and hippocampal function and he is excited to contribute to the research on Alzheimer's and related disorders at the UCLA Easton Center. Outside of research he enjoys outdoor activities and has an interest in sports as a former track and field hurdler.
Stephanie Jones
Executive Assistant
Stephanie received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Film and Television Business from Azusa Pacific University in 2016. During her undergraduate studies, she worked at a post-production studio in Culver City where she began working full time after graduating as the front desk manager. Before joining the Easton team, Stephanie was the Executive Assistant to the CEO and COO of UrgentPoint Wellness, a multi-specialty medical group focused on providing psychiatric services to patients in need.
Thao Rodriguez, NP
Research Nurse Practitioner
Thao Rodriguez earned a bachelor of science in biology at UC Davis, followed by a bachelor and master of science in nursing from Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing (JHUSON). While studying at JHUSON, she worked as a registered nurse on a surgical floor.
Her first position as a nurse practitioner was at Medstar Washington Hospital Center in Washington D.C., working as an interventional cardiology nurse practitioner for over a year before working as a geriatric nurse practitioner for over 2 years with Yale New Haven Hospital – Northeast Medical Group. More recently, Thao has been working as a research nurse practitioner and is responsible for all aspect of patient and research-related care, including acting as a sub-investigator and/or research nurse for multiple research studies including studies related to pre-clinical dementia, mild cognitive impairment, atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, and solid tumors. Outside of work, Thao enjoys activities such as eating, hiking, and the great outdoors with family, friends, and three dogs.
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Brian Hickman, MD, MSCI
2nd Year Resident
Brian is a current neurology resident at UCLA and a NINDS R25 trainee in the Vossel Lab. He attended medical school at Washington University in St. Louis and graduated with a dual MD and MS in clinical investigation. His prior research as a TL1 trainee investigated EEG suppression during general anesthesia and following seizures from electroconvulsive therapy. While at UCLA, he has conducted clinical research on patients with epilepsy. He is currently studying amyloidopathy and tauopathy in patients with late-onset epilepsy of unknown etiology. Outside of research, Brian enjoys traveling, hiking, and reading.
Vishnu Shandilya, PhD
Postdoctoral Researcher
Dr. Vishnu Shandilya is a Postdoctoral Researcher in Dr. Keith Vossel's lab. He did his Ph.D. at University of Hyderabad, where his behavioral and molecular neuroscience work was on the synaptic plasticity gene Arc and memory. He is excited to contribute to the Alzheimer’s disease research in the Vossel lab and Easton Center. During his free time, Dr. Shandilya enjoys music, movies, and sports.
Kaylin Hwang
Staff Research Associate
Kaylin is a B.A. graduate in Neuroscience from Amherst College. Her past research has been on the maternal and developmental outcomes of anti-seizure drugs as well as the anti-depressant effects of caffeine. She is thrilled to be a part of the meaningful research being conducted at the UCLA Easton Center. In her free time, she enjoys cooking with her family, going on road trips, and playing word games.
Sydeny Kilgore
Clinical Research Coordinator
Sydney graduated from UC Santa Barbara in 2022 with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychological and Brain Sciences with a minor in Applied Psychology. During her time as an undergraduate, she worked in a lab focused on factors that affect students' academic performance and success. Recently, she completed a year-long honors thesis that tested the effectiveness of social belonging interventions on students of color’s academic persistence. She is interested in aging and the brain and hopes to investigate the social and psychological factors that affect healthy aging, such as gentrification and poverty. Ecstatic to join the UCLA Easton Center, she is excited to combine her passion for racial equity with her academic interest in aging.
Katy Figueroa
Clinical Research Coordinator
Katy graduated from the University of Southern California with a Bachelor of Science in Computational Neuroscience with a minor in Computer Programming in 2022. As an undergraduate, she joined a lab examining the relationship between roundworm movement and Parkinsonian speech. Recently, she worked in a lab where she analyzed relationships between exercise, diet, and cognition in patients with Parkinson’s disease. She is interested in healthcare accessibility in underserved communities of color. Katy is excited to contribute to Alzheimer’s disease research in the Vossel Lab at the UCLA Easton Center.
Karen Elrayes
Clinical Research Coordinator
Karen Elrayes graduated from UCLA with a bachelor’s degree in Molecular Cell and Developmental Biology. Her passions are medicine and music, as well as their intersection. She enjoys playing the flute to memory care patients as a form of music therapy. As an undergraduate student, Karen worked under Dr. Chloe Boyle as a Research Assistant in two studies: 1) Clinical Studies of Sleep and Healthy Aging Research on Depression for Younger Women and 2) Aging and Reward System Response to Inflammation and Anxiety (ARIA). She looks forward to joining the Vossel Lab team and doing her part in contributing to Alzheimer’s research.
Melanie Morales Aquino
Clinical Research Associate
Melanie Morales Aquino graduated from Brown University with a Bachelor’s degree in Health and Human Biology in 2023. She is currently completing her Master’s degree in Public Health at Brown University. Her master’s thesis will examine the influence of breastfeeding and tobacco smoke exposure on infant microbiome. As an undergraduate, she worked in a lab examining neurocognitive underpinnings of cognitive and brain aging and Alzheimer’s disease pathology. She is passionate about both public health and Alzheimer’s Disease research accessibility and inclusion. Melanie is looking forward to contributing to Alzheimer's disease research within the Vossel Lab at the UCLA Easton Center.
Joshua Stepter
Undergraduate Researcher
Joshua Stepter is an undergraduate at UCLA majoring in Neuroscience, his ultimate goal being to attend medical school and become a clinical neurologist. He has long been interested in the causes and mechanisms of Alzheimer’s disease, so during his time in the lab he hopes to gain a better understanding of how Alzheimer’s interacts with epilepsy in addition to gaining firsthand experience of the laboratory research process. In his free time, Joshua enjoys writing songs, producing music, and spending time with his friends and family.
Nane Onanyan
Undergraduate Researcher
Nane Onanyan is an undergraduate at UCLA majoring in Biochemistry with an interest in Neurology. Her past efforts in Alzheimer's Disease research lead to her curiosity in tau and its relatedness to neurodegenerative diseases. During her time in the lab, she hopes to gain a better understanding of epilepsy and its role in cognitive decline. Outside of the lab, she likes to sew, hang out with friends, and dance.
Chloe Stacks
Undergraduate Researcher
Chloe is an undergraduate student at UCLA studying Psychobiology on the pre-dental track. She is passionate about healthcare inequity and is excited to learn more about neurodegenerative diseases and the impacts they have on patients. Outside of school, Chloe likes to go hiking, try out new restaurants, sing, and spend time with her family and friends.
Sahana Ravishankar
Undergraduate Researcher
Sahana Ravishankar is an undergraduate at UCLA majoring in Psychobiology, with the goal of attending medical school and becoming a physician. She has always had an interest in neurobiology and its mechanisms leading to neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's disease. She is very excited to learn more about such processes and interactions while gaining hands-on lab experience in this field. In her free time, Sahana likes to dance, play basketball, and spend time with her family and friends.
Anushka Narasani
Undergraduate Researcher
Anushka Narasani is an undergraduate at UCLA majoring in Neuroscience and minoring in bioinformatics. Her interests include neurodegenerative disease and neurodevelopmental research, as well as programming and machine learning. She plans to pursue an MD-PhD, and hopes to become a physician scientist one day. In her free time, Anushka likes learning guitar and chess as well as hanging out with her friends, family, and dog.
Mariane Vicente, PhD
Postdoctoral Researcher
Dr. Vicente is a graduate in Biological Science from Sao Paulo State University, Brazil (UNESP) (2013), and earned a Master's (2016) and PhD (2021) degree in Animal Physiology from Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar), Brazil. She completed a PhD sandwich at A.T. Still University, Kirksville, MO (2018). Before joining the lab, she was focused on respiratory dysfunction during sleep and awake in a model of Alzheimer's Disease. She has contributed to the Alzheimer’s research in the Vossel Lab focused on the molecular mechanism of tau. Outside of the lab, she enjoys movies, shows and the gym.
Rahil Vaknalli
Staff Research Associate
Rahil is a B.S. graduate in Neuroscience at UCLA. He is interested in exploring the mechanisms of neural circuit assembly related to higher cognitive function and neurocognitive disorders. He has worked over the past two years on the molecular mechanism of tau and mentoring numerous undergraduates in the lab. He plans to apply to PhD programs to use basic scientific discoveries to optimize clinical interventions for patients with these disorders. In his free time, he enjoys playing the piano, hiking and searching for new restaurants in Los Angeles.
Aisha Mohammed
Clinical Research Coordinator
Aisha is a B.A. graduate in Psychology from the University of San Francisco with minors in Neuroscience, Health Studies, and Business Entrepreneurship & Innovation. Her past research focused on projects surrounding cognitive training and assessments for adolescents. Before joining the lab, she also focused on research topics related to social interaction and neruoeconomices. Outisde work she enjoys going to the movies, hiking, and scoping out the LA food scene.
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Gema Ortiz
Clinical Research Coordinator
Gema Ortiz graduated from UCLA in 2020 with a major in Psychology. As an undergraduate, she volunteered for The Human Connectome Project Aging under the mentorship of Dr. Mirella Diaz-Santos and worked as a clinic coordinator at the Center for Pediatric Neuropsychology under the mentorship of Dr. Vindia Fernandez. After graduation, she started working as a staff research associate for The Human Connectome Project Development under the mentorship of Dr. Susan Bookheimer. When the grant ended, she was hired as a research coordinator for the Department of Veterans Affairs in San Diego, and worked at an Alzheimer's lab studying diabetes and its impact on aging and cognition. Some of her past research experience includes working on behavioral-variant frontotemporal dementia data, social cognition, functional connectivity, plasma biomarkers and dementia with Lewy bodies.
Vincent Musser
Undergraduate Researcher
Vincent is an undergraduate at UCLA majoring in Neuroscience. He is currently on the pre-med track and has plans to become a neurosurgeon. He is fascinated by the molecular pathologies of many diseases, and has past experience with protein misfolding in the neurodegenerative diseases amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia. He has applied this knowledge to help study the hyperexcitability/seizures found in Alzheimer's Disease and other dementias. During his free time, Vincent enjoys long walks, going to the gym, and drawing.
Ryan Hoang
Undergraduate Researcher
Ryan Hoang is an undergraduate at UCLA majoring in Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, with an interest in Neuroscience and neurodegenerative diseases. He has worked on the interplay between hyperexcitability/seizures and neurodegenerative diseases during his time in the Vossel lab. In his free time, he likes to go on hikes or boba runs with friends, watch anime, and explore new and cool places in LA.
Nisha Venkateswaran
Staff Research Associate
Nisha is a B.A. graduate in neuroscience from Colorado College. She worked in the Vossel Lab for two years focusing on the anti-seizure drug trial and an FTD case study. She is currently pursuing a career in medicine.
