Principal Investigator
René Olivares-Navarrete, D.D.S., Ph.D.
Associate Professor | Department of Biomedical Engineering, Virginia Commonwealth University
email: ronavarrete@vcu.edu | research gate
Lab Members
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Lais Morandini, D.D.S., Ph.D.Postdoctoral Fellow
Lais's current research interests include to study implant surface modifications and how their physical and chemical properties can influence immune response, affecting the osseointegration process. Dr. Morandini received her DDS in 2011 from the São Paulo State University– Institute of Science and Technology, UNESP - Brazil. She also completed her Master in Oral Pathology from São Paulo State University in collaboration with Federal University of ABC – Brazil, in 2012. From 2015-2016 she completed part of her PhD at University of Michigan, Biologic and Materials Sciences & Prosthodontics, studying the effect of nano- and micro-topography on osteoblast behavior and mesenchymal stem cells differentiation. Lais obtained her PhD in Biomaterials in 2017, from São Paulo State University– Institute of Science and Technology, UNESP, Brazil.
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Jamelle Simmons, Ph.D.Postdoctoral Fellow
Jamelle's research is focused on studying the body's immune response to implanted biomaterials in soft tissues. Jamelle holds a joint PhD in biomedical engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University (Virginia Tech) and Wake Forest University, an M.Sc.Eng from California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo) with a specialization in biomedical engineering, and a B.S in general engineering from East Carolina University with concentrations in biomedical and bioprocess engineering. Outside of research Jamelle has interests in data science, higher administration, inclusion & diversity, and STEM student development.
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Derek AveryGraduate Student
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Tyler HeathGraduate Student
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Benjamin AngelesResearch Assistant
B.S. of Biomedical Engineering 2022 Ben is a junior majoring in biomedical engineering on the cell and tissue engineering track. He is interested in how signal pathways in the immune system influence tissue regeneration. In his free time, Ben enjoys photography, cooking and playing the piano.
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Michael MartisResearch Assistant
B.S. of Biology and Bioinformatics (Genomic Sciences) 2022 Michael is a Junior on the Pre-Med track with a major in Biology and Bioinformatics. He aspires to go to a medical school with an MD/PhD program because he likes answering questions. The main question he wants to answer in his career is, "What causes autoimmune diseases?", since he actually has Alopecia. The unknown nature of what causes these diseases works in tandem with him loving to answer questions. When asked to describe himself he says he is a jack-of-all trades, master-of-none as his hobbies are not focused on one particular field. His hobbies include enjoying learning about anything and everything, art, sports, deductive reasoning, skateboarding, exploring spirituality, and fashion.
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Daniela Negrete
Research Assistant
B.S. of Biomedical Engineering 2023 Daniela is a sophomore majoring in biomedical engineering on the pre-med track. Daniela’s current interests in research are in manipulating immune cells into specific immune responses through characteristics of biomaterials. She hopes in the future she can conduct more research in creating vaccines through the use of biomaterials. In her free time, Daniela enjoys cooking, hiking, reading, and creating something artsy.
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Graduate Students Alumni:
Jefferson Abaricia
Current Position: M.D. student at Virginia Commonwealth University
Nancy Ayad
Current Position: Science Officer at Leidos
Kelly Hotchkiss
Current Position: Postdoctoral Research Associate at Duke University
Suraj Kandalam
Current Position: D.D.S student at Virginia Commonwealth University
Kegan Sowers
Current Position: Device Engineer at Sonosa Medical
Undergraduate Students Alumni:
Benjamin Angeles (BME)
Current Position: Post-Baccalaureate CRTA Fellow at NIH-NCI
Emily Burtch (BME)
Current Position: Ph.D. Student at University of Colorado
Natalie Celt (REU Mechanobiology)
Current Position: Ph.D. Student at University of California Irvine
Manotri Chaubal (Biochemistry)
Current Position: M.D. Student at Georgetown University
Cristian Coriano-Ortiz (BME)
Current Position: Ph.D. Student at Boston University
Garrett Cyprus (BME)
Current Position: R&D Scientist at InhibRx
Trang Ly (Biology)
Current Position: M.SS in Biological Data Science at Virginia Commonwealth University
Tate McLean (Biology)
Michael Martis (Bioinformatics)
Current Position: M.S. student of Product Innovation at Virginia Commonwealth University
Davon Mason
Current Position: Postdoctoral Fellow at NIH-National Cancer Institute
Ryan Musselman (BME)
Daniela Negrete (BME)
Abigail Park (BME)
Current Position: Pharmacy Doctorate Student at Virginia Commonwealth University
Gireesh Reddy (BME)
Current Position: Orthopaedic Surgery Resident at University of Miami Health System
Cynthia Rishi (REU Mechanobiology)
Current Position: Analyst at the Dedham Group
Marissa Ruzga (REU Mechanobiology)
Current Position: Ph.D. Student at University of Maine
Andrea Sedano (REU Mechanobiology)
Current Position: BME Undergraduate Student at Saint Louis University
Arth Shah (BME)
Current Position: M.D. Student at Virginia Commonwealth University
Anjali Ta (BME)
Sarah Tracy (BME)
Andy Vo (BME)
Current Position: M.D./Ph.D. Student at University of Virginia
Heidi Ward (BME)
Current Position: Field Service Engineer at Luminex Corporation
Alexander Whitehead (BME)
Current Position: Ph.D. Student at UC San Diego
Marika Whitlatch (BME)
Current Position: Engineer at MBP
Paul Winston (Mechanical Engineering)
Current Position: Engineer at CMTA