Past Personnel – LCC LAB

Jessica Salazar (2024)

Bilingual Research Assistant Intern

Jessica is a fourth-year undergraduate student at UC Davis, majoring in Medical and Molecular Microbiology with a minor in Public Health. Jessica is thrilled to join the team this year, bringing her enthusiasm and dedication toward improving patient care for minorities to the forefront. Currently, she is focused on recruiting cancer patients, and collecting samples for gastric cancer and multiple myelomas. Her focus on the clinical aspects of the project highlights her commitment to advancing medical knowledge.

In addition to her academic pursuits, Jessica is a certified medical assistant with two years of clinical experience. Currently working as a Tutor at Davis Senior High School, she closely collaborates with Spanish-speaking students, ensuring their understanding of course materials and serving as a mentor. She volunteers at the Imani Clinic, a UC Davis student-run clinic, providing medical care to the underserved Black community. She aspires to continue serving communities in Sacramento, with the ultimate goal of attending medical school. In her free time, Jessica enjoys activities such as going to the gym, cooking, hiking, and swimming.

Tara Khandelwal (2024)

Bilingual Research Assistant Intern

I am a third-year undergraduate student studying genetics and genomics. Aside from my research assistant position, I am an intern at the MIND Institute under the Genomic Medicine Division, assisting in clinical care coordination and shadowing genetic counseling. Continuing my passion for genetics, I am also the President of the Genetic Counseling Club at UC Davis.

In the future, I hope to perform cutting-edge research for underrepresented populations to advance the research community. I hope to combine my passion for cancer genetics with my dedicated compassion for patient care. In my spare time, I love to spend time with my family and friends, paint, and exercise.

Maddie Callan(2023-2024)

Junior Specialist – Researcher

Maddie is a junior specialist at the Carvajal-Carmona wet lab. She is currently working in the wet lab primarily on the WYETH breast cancer genomics project and helping the lab run smoothly. She graduated with a BA in Neuroscience from Scripps college and her thesis there was focused on neuromelanin in Parkinson’s Disease. She spends her free time playing board games, video games, creating art and engaging in a variety of solo sports.

Adrian Quiroz (2023-2024)

Junior Specialist – Researcher

Adrian recently graduated from UC Davis in 2022 with a degree in Biological Sciences. He started off as a volunteer on the bioinformatics team and transitioned to the wet lab where he eventually got hired as a junior specialist. As a full-time researcher in the lab, Adrian primarily works on cancer studies centered around minority populations by testing drug efficacy with in vivo (mice) and in vitro (organoid) models. In his free time, Adrian enjoys reading, playing video games and cooking.

Katherine Chiu (2021-2024)

Junior Specialist – Bioinformatics

Katherine received her Bachelor of Science in Genetics and Genomics and Bachelor of Arts in Music from UC Davis in 2022. She is interested in the intersection of data science and healthcare– specifically, using genomics to address racial and ethnic cancer health disparities. As a researcher in the lab, she has been conducting local ancestry analyses to characterize ancestral differences in cancer development. In her spare time, Katherine enjoys playing trombone, hiking, and surfing.

Catalina Rubio (2023-2024)

Visiting Graduate Researcher

Catalina is a Ph.D. student in Biomedical Sciences at the University of Tolima, she received her Bachelor’s Degree in Biology at the same institution. She has been working with the sister laboratory of Carvajal-Carmona in Colombia, “Cytogenetics, Phylogeny and Population Evolution Group” (GCFEP) since 2018 as a young researcher, in population genetics diseases analysis, which is her main area of interest, specifically the structure and genetic load in Colombian indigenous communities

Daniel F. Molina Campos (2023-2024)

Visiting Graduate Researcher

Daniel is from Colombia, where he obtained his BS in Biology in 2018 and started his Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences in 2020 at the University of Tolima. Since 2018 he became a member of the Cytogenetics, Phylogeny, and Populations Evolution Research Group (GCFEP-UT) of the same institution, where he’s developing his doctoral research focused on searching and discovering genetic risk factors related to cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes in some Colombian indigenous communities, through NGS approaches; aiming to provide early prevention tools that could enhance and strengthen public health strategies in these vulnerable ethnic groups, which remain geographically isolated and experience notable health disparities.

Recently Daniel joined the Carvajal-Carmona group (2022) as a research scholar to receive bioinformatical training in WES data analysis and continue his research. He likes to spend his leisure time doing outdoor activities such as bike riding, hiking, camping, and rock climbing.