Lab Team
David Barefield, PhD
Assistant Professor
Hometown: Oak Park, IL
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Postdoctoral Fellowship, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL.
McNally Lab. 2014-2020
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PhD, Loyola University Chicago, Maywood, IL.
​Sadayappan Lab. 2009-2014
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BA, Augustana College, Rock Island, IL. 2005-2009
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Hobby: Cooking, baking, painting, gardening
Research interest: Cardiac contractile dysfunction, cardiomyopathy, HCM, DCM, arrhythmia, atrial function, atrial fibrillation, myosin binding proteins
Project: Mostly emails. Occasionally investigates the genetic causes of cardiomyopathies.
Quote: “We recruit for attitude and train for skill.” - Atul Gawande
Hannah Cizauskas and Jake
IPBS PhD Student
Hometown: Westland, MI
BS in Biology with a Concentration in Genetics, 2021
Hobby: Spending quality time with my dog and my family, reading, camping, hiking, and swimming
Project: The role of contraction in Atrial Fibrillation
Quote: "All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them" - Walt Disney
Kelly Araujo, MS
Ph.D. Candidate
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
M.S. Biochemistry, California State University, Long Beach, 2022.
B.S. Biochemistry, Mount St. Mary's University, Los Angeles, 2017.
Hobby: Shopping and watching The Office
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Project: Altering the stoichiometry of MyBP-HL and cMyBP-C affects cardiac atrial contractility
Quote: “Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.” -Marie Curie
Tuan Bui, BS
Research Assistant II
Hometown: San Jose, CA
B.S. Biological Sciences, University of California, Davis
Hobby: LEGOs, model kits, video games, and weightlifting
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Project: Modeling atrial myopathy with hiPSC-derived
cardiomyocytes.
Quote: "Intelligence is not a privilege. It's a gift.
And you use it for the good of mankind."
- Otto Octavius, Spider-Man 2
Lab Alumni
Geena Fritzmann, MS
Position: Lab Manager
Hometown: Chicago, IL
Currently: Grants Manager at Dystonia Medical Research Foundation
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Hope Burnham, MS
Position: Master's Graduate Student
Hometown: Germantown, WI
Currently: Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine MD/PhD Program
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Alexandra Pena
Position: Research Assistant II
Hometown: Chicago, IL
Currently: Loyola University Chicago, Molecular Pharmacology & Neuroscience
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Lucas Wittenkeller
Research Assistant II
Hometown: Minooka, IL
Currently: University of Cincinnati PhD Program
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Alejandro Alvarez-Arce, PhD
Position: Postdoctoral Fellow
Hometown: Mexico City, Mexico
Currently: Postdoctoral Fellow, Caporarello Lab, Loyola University Chicago
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