PSTP Welcomes its incoming class

The Program welcomed its largest incoming class this year, with seven new students and one internal MS2 admission. They are, from left to right:

• Cyrus Tsang is originally from Hong Kong and attended the University of Michigan.  He practices Taekwondo and Karate, and enjoys watching movies , bowling, and charcoal drawing.  His research interest is in neurodegenerative diseases.
• Thiagu Meyyappan is from Massachusetts, where he attended Boston University.  Before he began his medical training, he spent a year working for a startup to develop a diagnostic and prognostic test for prostate cancer.  In his free time, he enjoys playing any kind of sport, although (he declares) “not very well”.
• Vincent DeStefino, who graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a degree in neuroscience, is originally from Arizona.  He enjoys running, reading nonfiction, and politics.
• Beth Kenny is from the Pittsburgh area and graduated from Duquesne University with a degree in biology.  As an undergrad she studied novel therapeutics to preserve cognitive function after resuscitation.  She enjoys outdoor activities such as running and snowboarding.
•  Andrew Hughes is from New Jersey and graduated with degrees in engineering from Lehigh and Cornell Universities.  His graduate work focused on the capture of rare cells, including cancer cells, from blood samples.  When not in the library or lab he enjoys skiing, mountain biking, and golfing.
• Pooja Karukonda is originally from Connecticut.  She earned her undergraduate degrees in neuroscience and Russian from Johns Hopkins.  She enjoys Indian classical dance, hiking, and cooking.
•  Ross Carson (seated) attended the University of Michigan.  He enjoys cooking health food, and especially likes to experiment with different ingredients.  He also practices strength training.
•  Efstathios Kondylis (not pictured) ​is from Scottsdale, Arizona and studied biomedical engineering at Arizona State University.  He enjoys cooking, watching movies and playing basketball.  His research interest is the neurophysiology of cognition and understanding how it is perturbed in disease states such as epilepsy.