Meet the Lab!
Krithika Lingappan, MD PhD MS
Krithika has dedicated to neonatology as a researcher, educator and a clinician. She leads her own independent lab in the section of neonatology, currently funded by the NIH. Her unique niche is to elucidate the mechanisms sex-specific differences in neonatal hyperoxic lung injury with the goal to develop individualized therapeutic options to decrease morbidity in preterm babies. She also takes particular interest in evidence-based medicine (EBM) and lead several EBM initiatives in the fellowship program and the Department of Pediatrics. She has leadership experience at national and regional organizations. As the leader for several national-level groups, she has been able to create a unique niche for herself as a leader in the neonatology subspecialty with my involvement in the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), Section of neonatal-perinatal medicine (SONPM), NIH-funded lung basic-science research, evidence-based clinical neonatology practice and trainee engagement and education.
Connor Leek, PhD
Is a biomedical engineer who previously used mouse models to study how cell signaling from muscle and tendon influences bone shape during development. His research focused on muscle-bone crosstalk and how these tissues communicate via ligands and mechanical force. Connor is an expert in histology, transgenic mouse models, and image processing. Before joining the lab of Dr.Lingappan at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Connor worked as a visiting scholar at the University of Michigan. He earned his Ph.D. in Biomedical engineering at the University of Delaware and received BS in Biomedical Engineering with a minor in mathematics at the University of Buffalo. As an undergraduate, he worked at a structural engineering firm and a prosthetics clinic. Connor was born on Long Island, New York. He saw the necessity of putting his effort into everything he did. He served as a lab technician at his high school, which required getting to school an hour early. After school, he kept active through crew during the spring, summer, and fall and competitive swimming in the winter. He worked to earn what he could for his education and used his spare time to develop his art skills. He now spends his free time drawing, cooking, and exploring Philadelphia by running.
Manuel Cantu, PhD
Originally from Mexico, Manuel is a developmental biologist with an interest in all vascularized things. He earned his Biology degree at The University of Texas-Pan American (now The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley). During college, he studied neurodegeneration using pond snails as a model organism in Dr Dan Plas laboratory. Also as an undergraduate and thanks to the HHMI Exceptional Research Opportunities Program (EXROP), he got the chance to perform research in Dr Hugo Bellen’s lab at Baylor College of Medicine. There, he supported the development of a genetic tool that allows for the simultaneous tagging of genes and a reversible, spatial and temporal knockdown of proteins in fruit flies. Those experiences showed him the power of genetics and model organisms to advance our understanding of basic biology and human disease. Manuel earned his PhD in developmental biology at Baylor College of Medicine where he researched the growth and specialization of blood vessels using a combination of molecular biology, tissue imaging and next generation sequencing in mice and zebrafish. Now at the Lingappan Lab, he is excited to study neonatal lung injury and recovery at the single cell resolution. Outside of lab, you can find Manuel trying new cooking recipes, wandering the library, hiking or running.
Abiud Cantu, MS
Is a Computer Scientist interested in Bioinformatics. He earned his B.S. and M.S. in Computer Science from The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. During undergrad, he did two internships at the Wythe Lab where he got familiarized with data analysis and bioinformatics. He also developed and published a resource paper on FishNET a relational database for zebrafish management. Now as a Research Technician at the Lingappan lab Abiud is in charge of data storage, analysis and visualization.
My cat 🐱
Rose Albert, MPH
Rose graduated from the University of Alabama at Birmingham with a BS in Chemistry and an MPH in Environmental Health. For her undergraduate thesis, she utilized fluorescence polarization microscopy to establish a timeline for the acquisition of cadherin order during desmosome assembly. While in Alabama, her academic and nonprofit experiences in public health policy, environmental leadership, and social justice advocacy fostered a deep connection to southern environmental justice issues. Now as a Pharmacology PhD student in the Lingappan Lab, Rose is eager to study environmental exposures and sex differences in lung injury and development. Rose's long-term goal is to provide scientific and technical support to communities overburdened by environmental injustice and the climate crisis, especially in the South. When she's not thinking about pollution, Rose enjoys maxing out her library card, rock climbing, crocheting plants (to replace the houseplants she forgot to water), and listening to Rainbow Kitten Surprise.
Shilpa Sonti, PhD
Shilpa is an advocate for progress and innovation with a mission to advance the scientific research that will improve lives. Her journey into research began from India to Boston to Philadelphia exploring the intricacies of neuroscience and genomics along the way. Shilpa graduated from Northeastern University, Boston with a Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Science. She studied cellular models of neurodegeneration and their genetic manipulation during her postdoc at Columbia University and Thomas Jefferson University and gained expertise in developing in-vitro disease models using stem cells. As a Research Associate in Lingappan lab, Shilpa is ready to embark on an exciting venture and embrace new challenges by developing in-vitro lung injury models utilizing her expertise in disease modelling. When not in the lab, Shilpa enjoys spending time with her family and exploring new horizons through travel. Life is a beautiful journey of discovery!
Albertina Lee
Albertina is a current undergraduate student at the University of Pennsylvania pursuing a Bachelor’s of Applied Science (BAS) in Biomedical Science. In the past at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), she conducted research in identifying differences in gene regulatory sequences between humans and rhesus macaques with trained models as well as discovering shared common sequence features between T and B cell-specific inflammatory gene regulatory elements. As an intern in the Lingappan lab, Albertina is eager to study biomedical research techniques and apply these skills in future medical settings. In her free time, Albertina enjoys playing the piano and cello, going to museums, and reading an abundance of books.
Han-Pi Chang, MD
A pediatrician from Taiwan, Han-Pi hold certifications in both neonatology and pediatric intensive care, with many years of experience in intensive care units . Currently, Han-Pi is serving as a visiting scholar, with a strong interest in pediatric chronic lung diseases care. Her research focuses on the prevention and management of chronic lung disease in children. Anticipating a two-year observership at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, she hopes to gain new insights and bring valuable knowledge back to Taiwan to further research on chronic lung disease in the future.
Former Lab Members
Xiao Wang, MD PhD
Dr. Wang received her MD in Neurology and PhD in Neuroscience from Xi’an Jiaotong University School of Medicine, China. Her career includes more than 20 years of basic science and clinic research. She served as Staff Scientist in the National Institute of Nursing Research NIH and there received the NINR Director’s Awards, Specialty in Outstanding Leadership and Dedication to the NINR Mission for her 10-year length of Service.
Gabriel Batzli
Gabriel received his Bachelor of Arts in Genetics from Rutgers University-New Brunswick where he used genetic tools to study the brown marmorated stink bug in the Department of Entomology. After graduating from Rutgers, Gabriel joined NHGRI in the Extramural Research Program where he helped manage large collaborative scientific programs such as the H3Africa Project and the Undiagnosed Diseases Network. Although he enjoyed his time at NHGRI, he felt an urge to go back to the lab and joined the Division of Molecular Genetics at Columbia University Irving Medical Center as a Research Technician. In this role, Gabriel modeled Prader-Willi Syndrome in mice and built skills in wet-lab techniques and bioinformatics. He joined the Lingappan Lab in the Summer of 2022 as Research Technician and is excited to continue working with mice and apply his knowledge of genetics to study the neonatal lung. In his spare time, Gabriel enjoys running, watching/playing soccer, going to museums, and live music.