People

Melanie Rutkowski
Melanie Rutkowski, PhD
Principal Investigator

Melanie is an associate professor in the department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cancer Biology, a member of the Carter Immunology Center and of UVA’s Comprehensive Cancer Center. Melanie received her PhD at Montana State University. She then went on to postdoc with Dr. Jose Conejo-Garcia. In 2015, Melanie was recruited to the University of Virginia, where she started her lab. Besides her family, her husky, and gardening, Melanie’s obsession is understanding how commensal microorganisms tip the balance to impact anti-tumor immune function, tumor growth, tumor metastasis, and response to therapy.

Graduate Students

Simona Bajgai
Simona Bajgai

Simona is a 3rd year Graduate student from Kathmandu, Nepal. She earned her BS in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Dickinson College in Carlisle, PA, where she studied Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) in the lab of Dr. Michael Roberts. After graduating in 2020, Simona worked as a Research Specialist in the Gamm Lab at the University of Wisconsin- Madison. She assisted in the development and use of organoid models of early-onset retinitis pigmentosa (RP). In the Rutkowski Lab, she currently studies how commensal dysbiosis mediated changes in the stromal and immune cell populations within the mammary gland help to promote HR+ breast tumor metastasis. Besides lab work, she enjoys listening to audiobooks and having regular coffee runs with her lab mates.

Outside of the lab, she likes reading, hanging out with her friends, going on long walks with her roommates’ dogs, and spending time outdoors in any capacity possible. Recently, her and Mika have started playing tennis together. Don’t ask them about their skill level yet, though!

Cara Hatzinger
Cara Hatzinger

Cara is from Bucks County, Pennsylvania. She attended Gettysburg College for her undergraduate degree, where she graduated with a B.S. in biology and a minor in chemistry. After graduation, she worked at Janssen Pharmaceuticals, where she supported their hematological malignancy CAR-T programs. This position inspired her interest in tumor immunology and cancer immunotherapy. After rotating in the Rutkowski lab, where she studied ovarian cancer, Cara became intrigued by the relations between the commensal microbiome, ovarian cancer progression, and immunotherapy response. She joined the lab in 2024 and now is working to understand how chronic toll like receptor 5 signaling impacts responses to dendritic cell expanding immunotherapy.

Outside of the lab, Cara enjoys reading, cooking, hiking, and running.

Akshita Mirani
Akshita Mirani

Akshita is a PhD candidate motivated by understanding the intricate complexities of cancer. She received her bachelor’s degree from the K J Somaiya College of Science and Commerce in Mumbai, India, before earning a Master’s Degree in Biotechnology from the University of Houston-Clear Lake. At UVA, she studies the mechanisms of ovarian cancer tumor formation and metastasis. She was appointed to the University’'s Immunology Training Grant in 2025. Cancer is complex, and the more we study it, the more we uncover about this intricate disease. The Rutkowski lab specializes in studying breast and ovarian cancer in detail, exploring the role of the microbiome, metabolites, and tumor microenvironment in tumor progression. This aspect of the lab's work excites me. During my graduate studies, I aim to investigate the mechanisms underlying ovarian tumor formation and the organs to which it metastasizes.

Mika Poblete
Mika Poblete

Mika Poblete grew up in Baltimore, Maryland, before moving to Charlottesville to attend UVA for her undergraduate degree. In 2022 she joined UVA’s Medical Scientist Training Program, and subsequently entered the Rutkowski lab. In the lab, Mika investigates the crosstalk between the gut microbiome and breast cancer progression and metastasis, focusing on identifying how a dysregulated gut microbiome triggers immune changes to make tissues more receptive to metastatic invasion. She also studies the roles the nervous system and systemic stress responses play in this process.

In her free time, she enjoys running, reading, and baking.

Audrey Putelo
Audrey Putelo

Audrey Putelo is a Ph.D. candidate in Microbiology, Immunology, and Cancer Biology (MIC). She joined the lab in 2021, and her thesis work focuses on the interplay between the gut microbiome and the breast tumor microenvironment, focusing on how an unhealthy microbiome drives tumor metastasis through systemic metabolic defects. Prior to joining UVA, she earned her B.S. in Biomolecular Sciences from the University of Michigan, where she conducted research in tumor immunology, biochemistry, and bioengineering. She has contributed to several peer-reviewed publications from the Rutkowski lab and external collaborations, presented her work at domestic and international conferences, and was funded by the Immunology NIH Training Grant. She is passionate about translational cancer research and aim to advance novel immunotherapeutic strategies in oncology!

When I’m not in the lab, she enjoys reading, spending time with friends and family, running, and playing pickle ball!

Lab Alumni

Raegan Bostic

Madison Dietl

Tzu-Yu (Alkaid) Feng, PhD

Gabrielle Guido

Sree Kolli, PhD

Mitch McGinty, PhD

Claire Rosean, PhD