
Current Fellows (2021-2022)

Maria Pereda, MD (Chief Fellow)
(2018-2021; 2021-2022)
Research mentor: John Letterio, MD
Residency: SUNY Downstate


Chaithra Sreenath, MD
(2019-2022)
Research mentor: Sanjay Ahuja, MD
Residency: UH MetroHealth, OH
Anusha Anukanth, MD
(2019-2022)
Research mentor: Reshmi Parameswaran, PhD
Residency: U. Florida Jacksonville

Neha Desai, DO
(2020-2023)
Research mentor: Amma Owusu-Ansah, MD
Residency: Prisma Health / U. South Carolina Pediatric Residency, Columbia, SC

Smitha Hosahalli Vasanna, MBBS
(2020-2023)
Research mentor: TBA
Residency: Cleveland Clinic Children's, Cleveland, OH


Mark Kleid, MD
(2021-2024)
Research mentor: TBA
Residency: SUNY Downstate, Brooklyn, NY
Christina Serret, MD
(2021-2024)
Research mentor: TBA
Residency: Children's Hospital / UIC, Chicago, IL

Becky Ramdhan, MD
(2022-2025)
Research mentor: TBA
Residency: Texas Tech Univ. Amarillo, TX

Aashima Pandhi, MD
(2022-2025)
Research mentor: TBA
Residency: Univ. Florida Sacred Heart Children's Hospital, Pansacola, FL
Incoming New Fellow (July 2022):
Recent Fellow Graduates (since 2007):

Stefanos Intzes, MD (2007-2010)
Research mentor: Alex Huang, MD, PhD
Research project: Osteosarcoma immune evasion
Residency: Children's & Women's Hospital, Mobile, AL
Awards: St. Baldrick's Fellow (2008-2010; $132,000); FRAP Award (2009-2010; $15,000)
Current Position: Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center & Children's Hospital, Spokane, WA

Agne Petrosiute, MD (2008-2011)
Research mentor: Alex Huang, MD, PhD
Research project: Cdk5 and Medulloblastoma Immunity
Residency: MetroHealth, OH
Awards: St. Baldrick's Fellow (2010-2013; $180,000+); FRAP Award (2009-2011; $15,000); FRAP CDA (2011-2012; $40,000)
Current Position: Assistant Professor, Dpt. Peds, CWRU (7/2014-10/2019); Instructor, Dpt. Peds, CWRU (9/2011-6/2014); Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania (10/2019-current)

Prasad Bodas, MD (2008-2011)
Research mentor: Kathy Dell, MD & Alex Huang, MD, PhD
Research project: MRI Biomarker for early SCD Nephropathy
Residency: Children's Hospital Boston, MA
Awards: FRAP Award (2010-2011; $15,000); Skirball Fellow
Current Position: Akron Children's Hospital, Akron, OH

Youmna Othman, MD (2009-2012)
Research mentor: Alex Huang, MD, PhD
Research project: Dissecting Mechanisms of Pathogeneic T cell Recruitment at the BBB during Induction of EAE
Residency: The Women & Children's Hospital of Buffalo, NY
Awards: FRAP Award (2010-2012; $25,000); Hyundai Research Award (2010-2011; $50,000); St. Baldrik's Fellow (2011-2012; $155,000)
Current Position: Cotton-O'Neil Cancer Center, Topeka, KS

Amma Owusu-Ansah, MD (2009-2012)
Research mentor: John Letterio, MD
Research project: HO1 induction by Triterpenoids in SCD
Residency: Cook County Children's Hospital, Chicago, IL
Awards: FRAP Award (2010-2012; $15,000); FRAP CDA (2012-2013; $40,000); NHLBI PRIDE (2012-2014; $6000)
Current Position: Instructor, Dpt. Peds. CWRU (9/2012-6/2014)
Assistant Professor, Dpt. Peds, U. Pittsburgh (7/2014-9/2020); Associate Professor, Dpt. Peds, CWRU SOM (9/2020-current)

Nicolas Peters, MD (2000-2013)
Research mentor: John Letterio, MD
Research project: Cdk5 and ALL
Residency: Wright State University, Dayton, OH
Awards: FRAP Award (2012-2013; $10,000)
Current Position: Cardon Children's Medical Center, Mesa, AZ

Irina Pateva, MD (2011-2014)
Research mentor: John Letterio, MD & Joe Matloub, MD
Research project: Cdk5 as a biomarker for ALL activity
Residency: U. Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS
Awards: FRAP Award (2013-2014; $10,000);Keira Kilbane Cancer Discovery Fund (2015-2017; $5,000)
Current Position: Assistant Professor, Dpt. Pediatrics, CWRU SOM (7/2014-current)
Email: Irina.Pateva@UHhospitals.org

Smita Bhaskaran, MD (2011-2014)
Research mentor: John Letterio, MD
Research project: KLF4 in T Cell Leukemia
Residency: MetroHealth, Cleveland, OH
Awards: FRAP Award (2013-2014; $10,000)
Current Position: Assistant Professor, Dpt. Pediatrics, Texas Tech Univ. Health Sciences Center (7/2014-current)

Hilda Ding, MD (2012-2015; 2016)
Research mentor: Alex Huang, MD, PhD; Sanjay Ahuja, MD
Research project: Cdk5 in Rhabdomyosarcoma Immunity
Residency: U. South Carolina / Palmetto Health Children's Hospital, S.C.
Add'l Training: Thromosis & Hemophilia Fellowship (2015-2016)
Awards: FRAP Award (2014-2015; $8,000)
Current Position: Assistant Professor, Dpt. Pediatrics, U.C. San Diego (7/2016-current)

Rasmi Palassery, MD (2012-2015)
Research mentor: John Letterio, MD
Research project: Cdk5 in MDS
Residency: Texas Tech Univ. Health Sciences Center, TX
Awards: FRAP Award (2014-2015; $8,000)
Current Position: Staff, Health Care Global (HCG) Cancer Care, India (7/2015-current)

Anant Vatsayan, MD (2013-2016; 2017)
Research mentor: Alex Huang, MD, PhD & Agne Petrosiute, MD
Research project: Cdk5 in GvHD & Tumor PD-L1 Regulation
Residency: Maimonides Infant & Children's Hospital, Brooklyn, NY
Add'l Training: BMT Research Fellowship, CWRU (2016-2017)
Awards: FRAP Award (2015-2016; $8,000); Samuel Szabo Fund (2014-2016; $15,000).
Current Position: BMT Fellow, Memorial Sloan Kettering (7/2017-2019); Assistant Professor, DC Children's / George Washington University School of Medicine (2019-current)

Hasan Hashem, MD (2013-2016)
Research mentor: Alex Huang, MD, PhD
Research project: NK Cell Therapy for Ewing Sarcoma
Residency: University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA
Awards: FRAP Award (2015-2016; $7,500); Marc Joseph Fund (2014-2016)
Current Position: BMT Fellow, Nationwide Children's, Columbus, OH (7/2016-6/2017); King Hussein Cancer Center, Jordan (7/2017-current)

Ashish Gupta, MD (2014-2017)
Research mentor: John Letterio, MD
Research project: Cdk5 in Mouse Model of MDS
Residency: Brooklyn Hospital Center, Brooklyn, NY
Awards: FRAP Award (2016-2017; $7,500); Rainbow Fellow Best Science Award (6/2017)
Current Position: BMT Fellow, U. Minnesota (2017-2019); Assistant Professor, U. Minnesota (2019-current)

Lubna Mehyar, MD (2014-2017)
Research mentor: John Letterio, MD
Research project: Cdk5 in GvHD
Residency: UMDNJ, Newark, NJ
Awards: FRAP Award (2016-2017; $7,500)
Current Position: BMT Fellow, Nationwide Children's (2017-2018); Attending faculty, West Virginia (2018-current)

Yamilet Huerta, MD (2015-2018; 2019)
Research mentor: Alex Huang, MD, PhD
Research project: CD3-CD123 secreted CAR T against AML
Residency: Miami Children's, FL
Awards: FRAP Award (2017; $7,500); St. Baldrick's Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow (2018-2021); Hyundai Hope-on-Wheels Young Investigator Award (11/2018-6/2021)
Current Position: Instructor, Dpt. Pediatrics, CWRU SOM (7/2019-current)

Ravi Talati, DO (2015-2018)
Research mentor: Sanjay Ahuja, MD
Research project: Pro-thrombotic state
Residency: Dupont, DE
Awards: FRAP Award (2017-2018; $4,500)
Current Position: Assistant Member, CCF Children's

Ajay Gupta, MD (2016-2019)
Research mentor: Lalitha Vanayak, MD
Research project: KLF2 in myeloid function within Pancreatic CA
Residency: Miami Children's, FL
Awards: FRAP Award (2019; $7,500)
Current Position: Solid tumor fellowship, Nationwide Children's, Columbus, OH (2019-2020); Assistant Professor, Roswell Park, (2020-current)

Kristen VanHeyst, DO (2016-2019)
Research mentor: Alex Huang, MD
Research project: Phase I/II trial in metastatic OS with integrin Rx
Residency: Stony Brook, NY
Awards: FRAP Award (2018; $7,500); Hyundai Hope-on-Wheels Young Investigator Award (11/2019-10/2022)
Current Position: Assistant Professor, Dpt. Pediatrics, CWRU SOM (7/2019-current)

Divya Citla Sridhar, MD (2017-2020)
Research mentor: Lalitha Nayak, MD
Research project: KLF2 in ER-induced thromosis
Residency: Univ. Texas Health Sci. Ct, TX
Awards: DREAM Award / HTRS (2019; $50,000)
Current Position: Assistant Professor, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences / Arkansas Children's

Mohamad Sinno, MD (2017-2020)
Research mentor: Jignesh Dalal, MD
Research project: Microbiome in GvHD
Residency: Univ. Kansas, Wichita, KS
Awards: FRAP Award (2020; $9,000)
Current Position: BMT Fellowship, Texas Children's (7/2020-current)

Zhongbo Hu, MD, PhD (2018-2021)
Research mentor: John Letterio, MD
Residency: Jackson Memorial, FL
Awards: FRAP Award (2020)
Current Position: Assistant Member, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital (2021-current)