Our Team

Our Team

Ya-Wen Chen Ph.D.

 Principal Investigator

Ya-Wen is an Isidore Friesner Associate Professor in the Department of Otolaryngology, the Department of Cell, Developmental, and Regenerative Biology, and the Department of Pathology, Molecular and Cell-based Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. She serves as the Scientific Director for the Institute for Airway Sciences, the Co-Scientific Director for the Center for Epithelial and Airway Biology and Regeneration, and the Director for the Developmental Origin of Health and Disease biorepository at Mount Sinai. Additionally, She is the Director of Basic Science Research for the Department of Otolaryngology. Ya-Wen is also a member of the Institute for Regenerative Medicine and the Black Family Stem Cell Institute at Mount Sinai.

She pioneered work in lung organoid development and directed differentiation from human pluripotent stem cells to respiratory epithelial cells.

Ya-Wen received her M.S. in Tumor Biology from Georgetown University, Ph.D. in Molecular Medicine from the University of Maryland, Baltimore. She completed her postdoctoral work at the Columbia Center for Translational Immunology and the Columbia Center for Human Development at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. She was a Parker B. Francis Fellow, Baxter Faculty Fellow, Catalyst Awardee, and Isidore Friesner Scholar.

Ya-Wen is an active advocator for gender equality and LGBTQIA+ rights!

Ya-Wen Chen Ph.D.

 Principle Investigator

Ya-Wen is an Isidore Friesner Associate Professor in the Department of Otolaryngology, the Department of Cell, Developmental, and Regenerative Biology, and the Department of Pathology, Molecular and Cell-based Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. She serves as the Scientific Director for the Institute for Airway Sciences, the Co-Scientific Director for the Center for Epithelial and Airway Biology and Regeneration, and the Director for the Developmental Origin of Health and Disease biorepository at Mount Sinai. Additionally, She is the Director of Basic Science Research for the Department of Otolaryngology. Ya-Wen is also a member of the Institute for Regenerative Medicine and the Black Family Stem Cell Institute at Mount Sinai.

She pioneered work in lung organoid development and directed differentiation from human pluripotent stem cells to respiratory epithelial cells.

Ya-Wen received her M.S. in Tumor Biology from Georgetown University, Ph.D. in Molecular Medicine from the University of Maryland, Baltimore. She completed her postdoctoral work at the Columbia Center for Translational Immunology and the Columbia Center for Human Development at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. She was a Parker B. Francis Fellow, Baxter Faculty Fellow, Catalyst Awardee, and Isidore Friesner Scholar.

Ya-Wen is an active advocator for gender equality and LGBTQIA+ rights!

Ya-Wen Chen Ph.D.

 

 Principle Investigator

Ya-Wen is an Isidore Friesner Associate Professor in the Department of Otolaryngology, the Department of Cell, Developmental, and Regenerative Biology, and the Department of Pathology, Molecular and Cell-based Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. She serves as the Scientific Director for the Institute for Airway Sciences, the Co-Scientific Director for the Center for Epithelial and Airway Biology and Regeneration, and the Director for the Developmental Origin of Health and Disease biorepository at Mount Sinai. Additionally, She is the Director of Basic Science Research for the Department of Otolaryngology. Ya-Wen is also a member of the Institute for Regenerative Medicine and the Black Family Stem Cell Institute at Mount Sinai.

She pioneered work in lung organoid development and directed differentiation from human pluripotent stem cells to respiratory epithelial cells.

Ya-Wen received her M.S. in Tumor Biology from Georgetown University, Ph.D. in Molecular Medicine from the University of Maryland, Baltimore. She completed her postdoctoral work at the Columbia Center for Translational Immunology and the Columbia Center for Human Development at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. She was a Parker B. Francis Fellow, Baxter Faculty Fellow, Catalyst Awardee, and Isidore Friesner Scholar.

Ya-Wen is an active advocator for gender equality and LGBTQIA+ rights!

Clinical Faculties

Caterina Tiozzo M.D., Ph.D.

Caterina Tiozzo M.D., Ph.D.

Associate Professor

NICU Attending, Mount Sinai

Fellowship NICU, Columbia University

MD, PhD, MPH, Padua University, Italy

Benjamin Laitman M.D., Ph.D.

Benjamin Laitman M.D., Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

Fellowship, Laryngology, Icahn School of

Medicine at Mount Sinai

Residency, Otolaryngology, Icahn School of

Medicine at Mount Sinai

MD,PhD, Icahn School of Medicine at

Mount Sinai

Postdoctoral Fellows and Clinical Fellows/Residents

Daisy Reinoso, M.D.

Daisy Reinoso, M.D.

Pediatrics Resident

Residency, Pediatrics,

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

MD, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson

Medical School

BS, Fordham University

David Gonzalez

David Gonzalez

MD PhD Student

Starting his ENT residency here at Sinai!

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai 

Cassandra L. Phillips

Cassandra L. Phillips

Postdoctoral Fellow

Ph.D., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill,

Chapel Hill, NC

BS and BA, Providence College,

Providence, RI

Doh Kyung Kim

Doh Kyung Kim

Postdoctoral Fellow

Ph.D., University of Southern California,

Los Angeles, CA

BS, Indiana University,

Bloomington, Indiana

Graduate Students

Aaron (Po-Jen) Yun M.D.

Aaron (Po-Jen) Yun M.D.

Ph.D. Candidate

MD, National Defense Medical Center,

Taiwan

Martha Rea-Moreno

Martha Rea-Moreno

Ph.D. Student

 

CoA, Pasadena City College

BS, University of California, San Diego

Maanasa Karnagshettru

Maanasa Karnagshettru

Master Student

BS, Azim Premji University, Bangalore, India

Medical Students

Shubham Gulati

Shubham Gulati

Medical Student

MS, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN

BE, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN

Helena Bugacov Ph.D.

Helena Bugacov Ph.D.

Medical Student

Ph.D., University of Southern California,

Los Angeles, CA

BA, University of California, Berkeley.

Phoebe May

Phoebe May

Medical Student

BS, Haverford College

Cristina Cusmai

Cristina Cusmai

Medical Student

BS, Boston College

Boston, MA

 

Claire Ong

Claire Ong

Medical Student

MD Candidate, Class of 2026

Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV

Associate Researchers

Pamela Cruz-Encarnacion

Pamela Cruz-Encarnacion

Associate Researcher

 

 

MS, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

BA, Hunter College

BA, Long Island University

Meghana Sreenath

Meghana Sreenath

Associate Researcher

 

 

MSCR, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

MBBS, Kempegowda Institute of Medicine

Science, Bangalore, India

Bushra Islam

Bushra Islam

Associate Researcher

 

 

B.E., Stony Brook University,

New York, NY

Samudyatha Prasad

Samudyatha Prasad

Associate Researcher

 

 

M.S., Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

B.S., Azim Premji University, 

Bengaluru, India

Qingyue Li

Associate Researcher

 

 

M.S., University of Southern California,

Los Angeles, CA

B.S., University of California, San Diego

San Diego, CA

Volunteers

Shah Nabil

Shah Nabil

2025 Volunteer

 

 

4th year, pre-med, biology

New York University, New York, NY

Alumni

Lu Tian Ph.D.

Lu Tian Ph.D.

Postdoctoral Fellow

PhD, University of Lille, France

MS, Sorbonne University, France

BS, University of Paris-Saclay, France

Now: Scientist, 858 Therapeutics

San Diego, CA

Irving Garcia

Irving Garcia

Lab Manager

Now: Lab Manager, AcuraStem

Viktoriia Goriainova, M.D.

Viktoriia Goriainova, M.D.

Associate Researcher

 

 

MS, New York University

MD, Belgorod State National Research

University, Russia

Now: Ph.D. student, New York University

Jessica Hui

Jessica Hui

2023 Summer Volunteer

 

 

Colgate University, Hamilton, NY

Olam Ho

Olam Ho

2023 Summer Volunteer

 

 

Hunter College High School, New York, NY

Hanks Tsai

Hanks Tsai

2023-2024 Summer Volunteer

 

 

Columbia University Class 2028!

Bronx High School of Science, Bronx, NY

Yong Bin Choh

Yong Bin Choh

2024 Summer Volunteer

 

 

3rd year, medical student

National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University

Taipei, Taiwan

Rick Zong

Rick Zong

2024 Summer Volunteer

 

 

Bronx High School of Science, Bronx, NY

Jaden J.A. Hastings Ph.D.

Jaden J.A. Hastings Ph.D.

Postdoctoral Fellow

PhD, University of Melbourne, Australia

MA, Central Saint Martins

MS,  Bioinformatics, University of Oxford

MA, Harvard University

BA, New York University

Alessandra Moscatello

Alessandra Moscatello

Medical Student

Now ENT resident at Tmeple University

BA, University of Southern California,

Los Angeles, CA

 

Gbalekan Dawodu, M.D.

Gbalekan Dawodu, M.D.

Cardiothoracic Surgery Fellow

Fellowship, Cardiothoracic Surgery,

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Residency, Montefiore Medical Center,

Albert Einstein College of Medicine

MD, International American University

College of Medicine, St. Lucia

BS, Bowen University, Iwo, Nigeria

Mikal Kizilbash

Mikal Kizilbash

Associate Researcher

 

Now Medical Student at Touro University

BS and BA, Brandeis University

Susan Kim, M.D.

Susan Kim, M.D.

NICU Fellow

Now Neonatology Faculty at Seattle

Children’s/University of Washington!

Fellowship, Neonatology,

Kravis Children’s Hospital,

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Residency, Pediatrics,

Children’s Hospital at Montefiore,

Albert Einstein College of Medicine

MD, University of Washington

School of Medicine

BS, University of Washington

Farhan Rafat

Farhan Rafat

2024 Summer Volunteer

 

 

1st year, pre-med student

McGill University, Montreal, Canada

Tara N. Tavakol

Tara N. Tavakol

Associate Researcher

 

 

Now PhD student at UPenn

BS, University of Virginia

Juliette Bourrel

Juliette Bourrel

2024-2025 Summer Volunteer

 

 

Bronx High School of Science, Bronx, NY

Zainab Ahmed

Zainab Ahmed

2024-2025 Summer Volunteer

 

 

Bronx High School of Science, Bronx, NY

Melissa Lu

Melissa Lu

2024-2025 Summer Volunteer

 

 

Harvard University Class 2029!

Spence School, New York, NY

Irene Chen

Irene Chen

2025 Summer Volunteer

 

 

3rd year, medical student

National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University

Taipei, Taiwan

Thomas Chen

Thomas Chen

2025 Summer Volunteer

 

 

2nd year, medical student

National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University

Taipei, Taiwan

Liang-Yu Liao

Liang-Yu Liao

2025 Summer Volunteer

 

 

1st year, medical student

National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University

Taipei, Taiwan