Dr. Blander believes that public health practice and Global Health is an evolving science that entails being a catalyst to build relationships and create programs that empower participants to achieve greatness through shared learning and connectivity across disciplines and institutions. This translates specifically into being a public health professional that understands and respects the historical contributions of the public health discipline while having the energy and creativity to harness the knowledge of existing centers and faculties to forge new directions and discoveries in public health practice.

 His recent work on the African Continent is focused on building relationships and bridges between communities and scientists that can provide important operations research insight into developing world problems while applying insight into developed world health care challenges. He is currently working with local investigators to develop a low cost HBA1C rapid diagnostic to help monitor Type I and Type II diabetes in children and adults. While the initial market based incentives to start the program are in Tanzania, the implications to reduce costs and improve quality of care are far reaching in developed countries. He believes this is one of many opportunities in the field of global health practice where I can help develop important partnerships that improve health of disadvantaged and rural poor communities.

Dr. Nureddin is an embryologist and Instructor in the Department of OB/GYN at Harvard Medical School. She graduated with a BS degree from the University of Missouri, received her PhD in Biochemistry from Vanderbilt University and did her post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Cambridge. Aida is responsible for overseeing our freezing methodologies, embryo biopsy fixation and spearheads new methods development. She joined our team in 1987 and has over 20 years experience as an embryologist.

Dr. Baoqiang Li received his B.S in Chemistry and Ph D in Materials Science and Engineering from Department of Chemistry and Department Polymer Science and Engineering in Zhejiang University, PR China (www.zju.edu.cn) in 2000 and 2005, respectively. He applied for a Lecture position in Materials Science and Engineering at the Harbin Institute of Technology (www.hit.edu.cn) in 2005. The title of his dissertation is Study on the Chitosan/Hydroxyapatite Biomimetic Bone Materials. Now he serves as an associate professor in the materials science department; Institute for Advanced Ceramics (iac.hit.edu.cn) and State Key Lab of Urban Water Resource and Environment (waterlab.hit.edu.cn) in Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT). He has been a member of the Heilongjiang Biomedical Engineering Society since 2005.
Dr Li research experience mainly focus on chitosan, a natural polymer derived from shrimp and crab shell, use as biomaterials. It covers:
• Chitosan/apatite composites used as bone reconstruction
• Mineralization induced by chitosan hydrogel with hierarchical structure
• FITC labeled magnetic chitosan nanoparticles used as target drug delivery system
• Chitosan/carboxymethyl chitosan composite hemostatic membrane
• Chitosan carbonization and magnetic chitosan-carbon
The basis of evaluating the composition, structure and mechanical properties of the bone was chosen as the prototype to design a chitosan/hydroxyapatite biomimetic composite via in situ hybridization and ion assembly.
In 2010 he was awarded by China Scholarship Council (CSC) as Visiting Scholar to perform magnetic chitosan hydrogel laden cell research project at BAMM labs (http://mit.edu/bammlabs/) of Prof. Utkan Demirci at Harvard-MIT Health Sciences & Technology. He is also interested in chitosan hydrogel with a designable periodical concentric layer, which can be applied in drug carrier or cell co-culture.

Altug Akay received his BA from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and his MA from Dartmouth College.
He is interested in how the rapid development of health technologies affects the healthcare policy, outcomes, and decision-making. He is also interested in microdevice development and its applications to a wide range of infectious disease affecting the developing world.

Doga is a visiting PhD student from Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey. She received B.S. and M.S. degrees in Chemistry - Biochemistry from Hacettepe University (HU) in 2006 and 2009, respectively, with the highest honor in Chemistry. Currently she is working towards finishing her PhD at Hacettepe University at the Department of Chemistry in Biopolymeric Systems Researched Group. Her PhD project was focused on Preparation and Characterization of Biochemically Modified nanoplatforms used in Atherosclerotic Plaque Diagnosis and Therapy. She has experience working on Biopolymeric Drug carrier Systems (micro and nanoscales), production and characterization of polymeric biomaterials and modification of the surface of polymeric biomaterials to use in nanotechnological approach and other biotechnological applications. She is very motivated to start doing research in a field that is basically new for her and grateful for this opportunity in the Utkan Demirci’s Lab. This visiting research is being funded by Turkey Scientific and Technological Research Society (TUBITAK) and Hacettepe University.

Josh Samot received his undergraduate degree from Boston University School of Management. He is currently enrolled in Harvard Extension School Health Careers Program and has applied to medical school this year.

He is interested in working on novel bioengineering projects that can solve important healthcare problems and have a major global impact. He is currently investigating a new approach to cryopreserving red blood cells that can potentially revolutionize the way in which blood inventories are managed and eliminate the millions of deaths and health complications that result from blood shortages and shoddy blood inventory management. This approach manipulates several physical phenomena such as thermodynamics, kinematics, and liquid flow properties in order to minimize the harm done to red blood cells during the cryopreservation process. He also intends to use these newly developed methods to further investigate cryopreservation of several other important tissue types.  Working in BAMM labs gives him the opportunity and the resources to fulfill my research objectives and make an impact in global healthcare.

Ali A. Açıkgenç is a third year biology major at Fatih University in Turkey. He is currently working on cell encapsulation in micro droplets under the supervision of Dr. Umut Gurkan. He hopes to get experience in this field at his stay at BAMM labs.

Youngha An is a first year Chemical Engineering student at University of Waterloo.  Under the supervision of Dr. Zhang, he is working on the cryopreservation of embryonic stem cells. He wants to explore various biomedical engineering fields before he finishes undergraduate study. Although he has not decided what he would like to study after completing his undergraduate degree, he is interested in biomechanics, rehabilitation engineering, industrial design and financial engineering.

Yusuf Bilgehan Arık is a fourth year student at the department of Molecular Biology and Genetics in Bilkent University. He is currently working at BAMM labs under the supervision of Dr. Xiaohui Zhang on the cryopreservation of mouse spermatazoa. He plans to pursue an academic career in the area of biotechnology and immunology. In his free time he enjoys rock climbing and hiking.

Oguzhan Avci is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering. He finished studying his junior year at University of California, San Diego via Education Abroad Program as an exchange student. He is enrolled at Bilkent University and is currently working on the Spray Droplet project under the supervision of Dr. Umut Gurkan. He is planning on pursuing a Ph.D. degree in the bioengineering field. Some of the programming languages and applications he is proficient in are JAVA, VHDL, Assembly, MATLAB, and PSpice.

Serli Canikyan is a third year undergraduate student studying Genetics and Bioengineering at the University of Yeditepe. She is currently working alongside Dr. Umut Gurkan on microfluidic chips to be used for point-of-care testing. Serli plans on pursuing an area genetics and bioengineering for graduate school in the near future.

Vasily Giannakeas

Vasily Giannakeas is a third year undergraduate student studying Chemical Engineering at the University of Waterloo. He is currently working alongside Dr. Umut Gurkan on microfluidic chips to be used for point-of-care testing. Vasily plans on pursuing an area biomedical engineering for graduate school in the near future. He is proficient in MATLAB programming, fluid mechanics, and thermodynamics with interests in viral and cancer research.

Charles is an undergraduate student pursuing a bachelor's degree in biology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is currently working with Dr. Umut Gurkan on cell printing and tissue engineering. His current research interests involve tissue engineering and its applications to cancer research.

After his undergraduate study, Charles intends to pursue further education in medical school.

Ip, Tsz Sum (Jed) is a first year Master of Biotechnology student from the University of Pennsylvania, US. He is currently working at BAMM Labs under the supervision of Dr. Umut Gurkan on projects involving microfluidics, which would then be used primarily for point-of-care diagnosis on PD patients. He is interested in investigating the applications of microchip fabrication techniques in particular biomedicine area. Formerly, he has worked on nanotechnology and gene delivery system. He intends to explore and apply these on medical devices through this microfluidics platform. 

Ismail is a fourth year student at Bilkent University, Turkey. He is working under the supervision of Dr. Shuqi Wang on the BDNF and E.Coli detection projections. His future plan is to attend graduate school in the area of biotechnology. He is also interested in Astrophysics.

Mustafa Korkutata is finished 3rd year  undergraduate student studying Biology with Molecular Biology and Genetics and He is also studying Bioengineering minor program at Fatih University. He is currently working on the HIV-1 Antiretrovial treatment project and BDNF detection project under the supervision of Dr. Shuqi Wang.

He has previously worked on Molecular Food Analysis Research Group(MFARG) at Fatih University. The project in which he worked in the MFRAG won best research  poster award (3rd place) in the 5th International Bioengineering Conference at Ege University. Otherwise, He has attented scientific  student clubs and organized scientific conferences and events in undergraduate lifes.  He is particulary interested in the field of Biotechnology and Nanotechnology as it connects the field of medicine. Upon completion of his undergraduate study, Mustafa hopes to pursue graduate studies is the area of Molecular Biotechnology and Nanomedicine.

Erdi has just finished the sophomore year at the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics,Bilkent University.Last year,he worked in Dr.Ali Gure's group in Bilkent for quantification of protein assay results with MATLAB.He is currently working under supervision of Dr. Xiaohui Zhang on the cryopreservation of mouse spermatazoa. Erdi is planning to attend graduate school in the fields of biotechnology and bioinformatics. He is also interested in science fiction, fantasy role playing games, computer science, history and philosophy.

Victoria is a third year undergraduate student at Brandeis University pursuing a bachelor's degree in Biology and in Health: Science, Society and Policy.  She is currently working under the supervision of Dr. Umut Gurkan on a project surrounding embryonic stem cells and its application to microfluidics.  By performing research at the BAMM labs, she hopes to find ways to apply the microfluidic chip to current issues in medicine and health.  After graduation, Victoria plans to pursue further education in medical school.

Serena is a third year undergraduate student pursuing a bachelor's degree in Biochemistry at Wellesley College. Her previous lab experience includes working at the National Institute of Aging investigating the effects of varying levels of  LRRK2 protein expression in transgenic mice and its correlation to Parkinson's disease. She is currently working at BAMM labs under the supervision of Dr. Xiaohui Zhang on the cryopreservation of mouse embryonic stem cells. Serena plans to attend medical school after graduation. In her free time, Serena enjoys studying chinese and watching asian dramas. She has played piano since the age of 3 and cello since the age of 9 and has placed in national and state competitions for both instruments. 

Deniz Gulfem Ozturk is graduated from Bilkent University and received Bachelor's Degree in Molecular Biology and Genetics this year. She is currently working under the supervision of Dr. Shuqi Wang on microchip ELISA to be used in point-of-care diagnostics. Gulfem plans to pursue PhD in bioengineering. 

Cesar Soria is a 3rd year Biochemistry student at the University of New Mexico. At UNM, he performed research on stem/cancer cell interactions within the microenvironment. He is working in the BAMM Laboratory through the Harvard Catalyst Summer Clinical and Translational Research Program (SCTRP), which is a 10 week summer internship. He will be working alongside Dr. Wang to join the ongoing research on microchip ELISA to be used in point-of-care diagnostics. Upon earning his Biochemistry degree, he is planning to attend medical school to pursue a career as a medical doctor, as well as continue participating in clinical research.

Huseyin Tas is a 3rd year Biological Sciences and Bioengineering student at Sabanci University (SU), where he also minors in Chemistry. At SU, he does research in Erman Lab on the mechanisms that differenciate CD4 and CD8 from T cells within the scope of molecular biology. Last summer, he did an eight week summer internship at The Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK) in Germany focusing on biochemistry. He plans to apply for graduate school after completing his undergraduate degree. He hopes to build a solid background by enriching his experience in biological sciences with his visit to BAMM Labs under the supervision of Dr. Umut Gurkan. He  is particularly interested in CD34 cell lines and Flow rate experiments.

Sebnem Unluisler is a third year undergraduate student studying Genetics and Bioengineering at the University of Yeditepe. She is currently working alongside Dr. Umut Gurkan on microfluidic chips to be used for point-of-care testing. Sebnem plans on pursuing an area genetics and bioengineering for graduate school in the near future.

Vition Mbrica

Vition is currently a high school student attending Boston Latin Academy having graduated from middle school at the top of his class. He is in the eleventh grade studying various subjects. He currently works under the mentorship of Dr. Umut Gurkan through the Students Success Jobs Program sponsored by Brigham & Women's Hospital. He plans on attending college and medical school in pursue of a career as a doctor. He hopes to major in chemistry and psychology.