lab members
Shafiya Imtiaz Rafiqi, Ph.D.
Post-Doctoral fellow investigating the mechanism of Type 1 Diabetes and adoptive cellular therapy. Furthermore, she is interested in deciphering the immune cell plasticity and immunomodulation using various molecules and inhibitors. She has obtained her PhD from Indian Veterinary Research institute, Izatnagar India and has been part of the lab since 2021.
Saira Saeed Khan
Fullbright Post-doc Fellow
Saira Saeed Khan focuses on investigating the role of pharmacological compounds in ameliorating Type I Diabetes and their potential to influence immune cell plasticity. She is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pharmacology at the University of Karachi, Pakistan. Her academic background includes an M.Phil. in Pharmacy and a Ph.D. in Pharmacology. She joined our lab in January 2024 and was awarded the prestigious J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship, presented by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State, in collaboration with the Institute of International Education.
Gurbir S Hehar, MD
Current Fellow in Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism at The University of Toledo
Interests: Diabetes and Thyroid conditions
Medical school: Wayne State University School of Medicine
Residency: Internal Medicine, Beaumont Hospital Royal Oak, MI
Hanna Greffie
First-year medical student
Hanna completed her Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. During her undergraduate studies, she participated as a student researcher in a basic science lab focused on improving therapeutics and early detection of ovarian cancer. She also worked at the NIH in a functional genomics lab, conducting high-throughput siRNA and small molecule screenings to identify therapeutic targets for Fragile X syndrome and mesothelioma cancer cells. Her research interests span a wide array of fields, including endocrinology and the study of chronic illnesses.
Nisha Krishnan
Student Researcher
Interests: Pediatrics
Nisha is a first-year medical student at the University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences. Nisha has a bachelor's degree in Biochemistry with a minor in Mathematics from the University of Pennsylvania. Her undergraduate research experience includes neuroblastoma and developmental cell biology, and she worked as a clinical research coordinator in the Endocrinology Department at Cincinnati Children's Hospital.
Ahmad Aldasouqi
Originally from Jordan, currently an undergraduate student at the University of Toledo. He has been in the lab for a little over a year now. Over the time he has gained a lot of experience with blood sample processing, cell culturing and mice handling. He is working on immune cell profiling and gut microbial colonization throughout progression of diabetes in a type 1 diabetic mice.
Previous Members
Aneeba Farooqi, MD.
First Year Endocrinology Fellow, at the University of Toledo, College of Medicine, and Life Sciences.
Medical School: Dow university for medical education.
Residency: Internal medicine residency at Chicago medical school
She developed strong interest in endocrinology.
During her free time, she cooks a variety of different dishes, and have recently started baking more so often with her husband and some help from her toddler too.
Sandesh Dewan, MD.
Currently First Year fellow, Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism at The University of Toledo, Ohio. My research interest includes Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism.
Medical School: UCMS, GTB Hospital, New Delhi, Delhi.
Residency: Internal Medicine at Saint Peters University Hospital, Rutgers, New Brunswick, New Jersey
Board Certified: Internal Medicine.