People

Kristin Anderson, PhD, (she/her)

Principal Investigator

Assistant Professor of Microbiology, Immunology and Cell Biology (MIC)
Member, Beirne B. Carter Immunology Center (CIC)
Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology (OB/GYN)

Dr. Kristin Anderson received her PhD in Immunology from the Microbiology, Immunology and Cancer Biology (MICaB) Program at the University of Minnesota in the lab of Dr. David Masopust in 2014. Her graduate work led to the adoption of an intravascular staining technique now widely used in the field of immunology that allows investigators to distinguish between intra-vascular and tissue-localized cells. Her 1st author publications in the Journal of Immunology and Nature Protocols already have received >500 citations.

During graduate school, she was diagnosed with and underwent treatment for aggressive breast cancer. After finishing treatment, she redirected her research focus to immunotherapy and joined the lab of Dr. Philip Greenberg at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (Clinical Research Division) and the University of Washington (Department of Immunology). During her postdoctoral training, she learned how to engineer T cells to recognize and kill cancer. Her research lab now focuses on engineering cancer-killing T cells to overcome obstacles in solid tumors.

Kristin has served on the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Associate Member Council (AMC, 2018-2023), the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) Early Career Scientist (ECS) Committee (2020-present), and the SITC Awards Review Committee (2020-present), as a Rivkin Center Breast and Ovarian Health Education Program Facilitator and Instructor (2016-2021), an Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance (OCRA) Advocate Leader (2021-present), as a Board member of the Powell-Drescher Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation (2022-present), and as a Social Media Editor for the Journal for Immunotherapy of Cancer (JITC; 2022-present).

When she is not in the lab, she enjoys traveling, hiking, connecting with friends, and spending quality time with her family.

Senior Research Staff

Kara Cummings, PhD, (she/her)

Lab Manager

Dr. Cummings received her PhD in Cellular Biology from the University of Georgia in the lab of Dr. Rick Tarleton. During her graduate work, she investigated the role of iNOS signaling during Trypanosoma cruzi infections. She completed her post-doctoral training under the mentorship of Dr. Young Hahn at the University of Virginia, where she studied CD4 T cell responses to hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections. She joins the Anderson and Justin Taylor labs from Dr. Vic Engelhard’s lab, where she was a Senior Lab Specialist. Her research in the Engelhard lab focused on the immunogenicity of cancer-expressed phosphorylated MHC Class I peptides. In the Anderson Lab, Kara aims to apply her cancer immunology training to investigate immune responses in solid tumors and develop novel immune-based cancer therapeutics. She also oversees the lab’s undergraduate research program.

In her free time, she enjoys reading suspense novels.

Gabriel Alencar, PhD, (he/him)

Senior Computational Biologist/Bioinformatician

Dr. Alencar received his PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics from the University of Virginia under the mentorship of Dr. Gary Owens and Dr. Stefan Bekiranov. During his graduate work and for a couple of years thereafter, he used bioinformatic tools to interrogate the role of pluripotency genes in smooth muscle cells late-stage atherosclerosis. During his training, he mastered coding languages Python, JavaScript, HTML, Perl, and R, built pipelines for scRNA-seq, bulk RNA-seq and ChIP-seq analyses, and designed software for data visualization. He worked at Tandem Diabetes Care as a Senior Customer Experience Researcher role where he designed studies and performed data analysis, i.e. comparing diabetic patients (type 1 and type 2) glycemic control improvement, as well as several quality of life parameters, after being in a insulin pump for a year. He joins the Anderson and Justin Taylor labs bringing his biostatistician experience from the biotech world. In the Anderson Lab, Gabe aims to leverage his expertise in programming and statistical analysis of “big data” to interrogate how immune responses are modulated in tumors.

When he's not sciencing, Dr. Alencar is a proud parent to two awesome boys. And when he's got some free time on his hands, you'll find him geeking out over everything cool, grooving to music, and wandering around the region soaking in the great outdoors (and indoors).

Breanna Bates

Lab Specialist

Breanna received her bachelor’s degree in cellular and molecular biology from the University of Washington. After graduating she began work at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, first in the lab of Dr. David MacPherson where she worked on projects related to identifying key mutations in small cell lung cancer and retinoblastoma. She later joined the lab of Dr. Philip Greenberg, where she studied T cell immunology and worked with Dr. Anderson on projects engineering T cells to overcome the suppressive tumor microenvironment, specifically in ovarian and pancreatic cancer. Breanna is thrilled to have the opportunity to work with Dr. Anderson again and continue to be involved in the groundbreaking research in the Anderson and Taylor labs at UVA!

In her free time, she enjoys chasing after her boys, hiking and exploring new areas of her current state of Tennessee.

Fellows

Madi Klavans, MD

Gyn/Onc Research Fellow

Madi Klavans is a first year Gyn Oncology fellow at UVA. She completed her undergraduate degree at Emory University in International Studies, her medical degree at Tulane University and her residency in Obstetrics/Gynecology at the University of Virginia. Her research interests include advancements in treatments for gynecological malignancies.

In her free time, she loves reading, running, baking and hanging out with her dog, Ollie.

Asmaa Mohamed, PhD

Post-doctoral Research Fellow

Asmaa completed her undergraduate degree at the University of California Merced and her PhD at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth. She is passionate about learning new ideas, executing clear experiments, and helping patients with cancer and their families. Her research interests include T cell engineering and enhancing immune responses in ovarian cancer.

In her free time, she loves baking, gardening, reading/listening to mystery books, and crafting.

Graduate Students

Rossymar Rivera

Rossymar (Ross) Rivera Colón received her bachelor’s degree in biomedical science from the University of Puerto Rico at Ponce. Ross was inspired to pursue a PhD after losing a loved one to cancer. She is deeply dedicated to discovering new treatments and advocating for Latinas in STEM. In the Anderson lab, Ross focuses on investigating adenosine-mediated suppression to improve the efficacy of engineered T cell anti-tumor therapies.

Outside the lab she enjoys cooking, baking, dancing salsa & cuddling with her two cats.

Yaning Li

Yaning Li is a Second Year BIMS PhD student at UVA. She received her B.Sc. in pharmacy from China Pharmaceutical University and M.Sc. in Pharmacology from University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. She was inspired to study cancer immunology after working in the pharmaceutical sector where she engaged in preclinical studies of immunocytokines and immune checkpoint inhibitors for cancer treatment. She recognized that therapeutic breakthroughs often arise from fundamental research and chose to pursue a PhD to embrace research opportunities & expand her research skills. She is attracted by the science in the Anderson lab as she believes in the boundless potential of T cells which are her favorite immune cells. Her motivation for scientific research lies on creativity and applying knowledge in innovative ways to benefit human health.

In her free time, she enjoys journaling, collecting stationery items, and building Legos. Her life motto is "make the world a cuter place".

Rylee Poole

Rylee Poole received her B.Sc. in Biology at Purdue University, then conducted breast cancer research at Indiana University School of Medicine before joining the UVA BIMS program in 2024. Rylee was inspired to pursue research to understand the immune response in the context of solid cancers, and she is eager to utilize the knowledge gained in the Anderson lab to make headway towards improving immunotherapy treatments for cancer patients!

Outside the lab, she enjoys hiking, crocheting, biking, and spending time with her two cats.

Julia Blaszczyk

Julia Blaszczyk completed her bachelor's and master's degrees in medical biotechnology at Pomeranian Medical University in Poland. During her undergraduate studies under the Erasmus Exchange Program, she participated at the Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences in a research project that focused on the development of a method called Liquid Array Diagnostics which was used to detect HPV variants associated with human pathology. During her bachelor's and master’s studies, she worked on developing diagnostic genetic testing for various diseases, including Lynch Syndrome and cancer. She also completed a research internship at the Read-Gene company where she evaluated the association of USP39 gene mutations with prostate cancer risk. Julia then completed a two-year research internship in the BioLab Program under a Fulbright Scholarship at UVA School of Medicine in Prof. David Wotton's Laboratory researching the interaction of metabolic and epigenetic control in colorectal cancer. Fascinated by the clinical potential of cancer immunology and immune cell engineering, she joined the BIMS PhD program and is now investigating the impact of immunotherapy on B cell responses in ovarian cancer.

Outside the lab, she enjoys singing, hiking, skiing, tennis and traveling.

Francesca Nanetti

Francesca Nanetti is a visiting doctoral student from the University of Bologna. She received her Master’s in Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Technology at the University of Bologna. During her undergraduate thesis internship, she discovered how stimulating it was to learn new techniques and conduct bio-medical laboratory research. This passion led her to a postgraduate fellowship at the Biodonostia Health Research Institute in San Sebastián, where she first explored how the immune system can be modulated to fight cancer. After working in a clinical translational research lab in Milan, she chose to pursue a PhD, driven by the desire to develop more effective and targeted therapies, with the ultimate goal of improving patients’ quality of life. During her time in the Anderson lab, she aims to characterize the immune microenvironment in solid tumors, particularly in ovarian cancer, and uncover synergistic mechanisms between immunotherapy and metabolism-targeting treatments, with the goal of developing novel combination therapies.

During her free time, she loves traveling, hiking, doing sports, and spending time with family and friends.

Undergraduate and Post-baccalaureate Researchers

Abdulrahman Asy

Abdulrahman Asy is a Third Year biology student at UVA. His interest in cancer research was sparked by his personal experience undergoing treatment for Hodgkin's lymphoma and Nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Driven by a desire to make an impact in those similarly affected, he aspires to pursue a degree in biomedical sciences, aiming to support and improve outcomes for individuals facing cancer recurrences and treatment resistance. In his free time Abdul likes to workout, cook, read, and spend time with family and friends.

Ramsey Beladia

Ramsey Beladia is a Fourth Year at UVA. His passion for science and biology has been a driving force throughout his academic journey. Exploring the intricate complexities of the natural world, from the microscopic realm of cells to the broader ecosystem dynamics, fuels his curiosity and determination. Ramsey’s brother passed away 5 years ago and his passing has helped fuel Ramsey’s passion for Medicine and Research. In his free time, he loves playing and watching basketball and football, gaming, strength training and working out.

Daniel Dapaah

Daniel Dapaah is a Third Year at UVA. His initial desire to participate in medical research began a few years ago when one of his family members struggled with an unknown skin condition. His family member went from doctor to doctor, and none could identify the cause of his suffering. Seeing his family member struggle was challenging and inspired Daniel pursue the medical field. In his free time, he enjoys spending time outside admiring nature, traveling with friends and family, watching movies, and playing basketball!

Yasmine Elhajjam

Yasmine Elhajjam is a Second Year student at UVA. Her passion for medical research evolved after a close family member suffered and passed away from heart disease. This drove a strong passion to integrate herself into the medical community and explore a range of diseases from cardiovascular, immunological, and neurological diseases. She is working to integrate herself into the research field and work to positively contribute to the daily lives of individuals suffering from cancer through the Anderson Lab. Furthermore, outside of her studies and research, Yasmine enjoys gardening, photography, and playing the piano and guitar.

Caroline Grant

Caroline Grant is a Third Year at UVA. In middle school, she received an at-home chemistry kit for Christmas and began performing small experiments with her dad after school. Over the following years, she became increasingly interested in science because it offered an intuitive way for her to answer her own burning questions about the natural world. By the time she entered high school, she knew she was passionate about biology and chemistry, and she was fortunate enough to participate in a wonderful biomedical research experience that further cemented her interest in medical research. In her free time, she enjoys playing the piano, running, taking her yellow lab for walks, and spending time with her family!

Arianna Gravatt

Arianna Gravatt is a Fourth Year at UVA. She used to live in Japan and has been reading manga (Japanese comics) from a young age. When she was in high school, she started noticing some manga with medical and scientific themes reading them sparked her interest in science (biology in particular). She fell in love with immunology after reading "Cell's at Work!", which pushed her to take an intro course to immunology at college and sparked her interest in Dr. Anderson's research. In her free time she likes to read (a variety of books) and cook new dishes.

Chloe Kline

Chloe Kline is a First Year Master of Public Health student. Her interest in research stems from her belief in research as a tool to save and improve lives. The possibility for research to potentially change the world for the better inspires her, and the open-endedness of the field allows numerous pathways to solve the problems in our world. In her free time, she loves to hike and run, and she ran her first half-marathon last November!

Lizzie Mangilit

Lizzie Mangilit is a Third Year at UVA. She was inspired to pursue biomedical research because of a family history with eczema. Going to countless dermatologist visits sparked her curiosity for immunology and inspired her to pursue a career in medicine to help others struggling with stubborn medical conditions. She excited to pursue her interest in immunology at the Anderson Lab! In her free time, she enjoys hanging out with friends, dancing, drawing, and trying new restaurants.

Abby Minkin

Abby Minkin is a Fourth Year at UVA. She has always loved science and the learning, exploration, and discovery it involves. During her summer job as a medical assistant, she worked with a patient who underwent CAR T-cell therapy, which piqued her interest in the Anderson Lab’s research. In her free time, she enjoys painting, cooking, spending time with friends and family, and going for walks.

Tina Nguyen

Tina Nguyen is a Fourth Year at UVA. Learning about the innovative ways that science/research has been used to develop cutting-edge tools to solve complex health/biological issues piqued her interest in biomedical research. In her free time, she enjoys reading, painting, crocheting, and making matcha lattes!

Samara Tanner

Samara Tanner is a Third Year at UVA. She has been interested in science for as long as she can remember and particularly enjoys studying biology to understand the mechanisms by which the body functions. Taking an immunology course at UVA inspired her to learn more about how translational research can advance medicine and contribute to the development of new therapeutics, which she hopes she will be able to apply in her future pursuit of medical research. In her free time, she enjoys lifting weights, backpacking, and watching basketball, football, and hockey.