Members
Elliott Hagedorn, PhD
He/Him/His
Principal Investigator
Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine; Associate Member, Center for Regenerative Medicine (CReM)
hagedorn@bu.edu
Elliott is a cell and developmental biologist with expertise in hematopoiesis, stem cell biology and vascular heterogeneity. His research group utilizes a combination of genetics, genomics and advanced live cell imaging in zebrafish to understand how blood and cancer cells migrate into and out of distinct tissues and organs. He is originally from Indiana where he was an undergraduate at Purdue University. He received a PhD for his work on basement membrane transmigration with David Sherwood at Duke University and was subsequently a Postdoctoral Research Fellow and Instructor in Pediatrics in the laboratory of Leonard Zon at Boston Children’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School. Elliott has taught in courses at Purdue, Duke, Harvard and in the Embryology Course at the MBL in Woods Hole, MA. His research has been funded by grants from the National Institutes of Health, Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the Helen Hay Whitney Foundation. Outside of the lab he enjoys photography, gardening and spending time with his wife and three daughters.
Khaliun Enkhbayar
She/Her/Hers
Research Associate
ekhaliun@bu.edu
Khaliun joined the Hagedorn Lab in January 2021. She was born in Mongolia and is a recent graduate of Boston University. In the first half of her undergraduate career, she spent time researching how the Piezo2 channel regulates the formation of pulmonary neuroendocrine cells (PNECs) in the lung epithelium. She is interested in developmental biology and plans to pursue a PhD in the biomedical sciences. Outside of the lab, she enjoys playing volleyball, reading crime stories and trying out new restaurants with friends.
Zewde Ingram
She/Her/Hers
PhD Student
zingram@bu.edu
Zewde joined the Hagedorn Lab as a PiBS student in May 2022. She is from Wheaton, Maryland. In 2020, she graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park with a degree in Cell Biology and Genetics. Before attending Boston University, she worked as an NIH funded PREP postbaccalaureate researcher at the University of Maryland Baltimore School of Medicine. There, she worked on various projects involving cancer immunology and NKT cells in the lab of Dr. Tonya Webb. Outside of the lab she enjoys reading, going for walks and crocheting.
Gwen Beacham, PhD
She/Her/Hers
Jane Coffin Childs Postdoctoral Research Fellow
gbeacha1@bu.edu
Gwen joined the Hagedorn lab as a postdoc in June 2022. She is originally from Maine and did her undergraduate studies in Biochemistry at the University of Maine. She received her PhD from Cornell University for her work in Gunther Hollopeter’s lab where she studied clathrin-mediated endocytosis using C. elegans as a model system. Gwen is broadly interested in cell and developmental biology and in understanding molecular mechanisms underlying diseases. Outside of the lab, she enjoys running, hiking, and cooking.
Zoya Amer
She/Her/Hers
Research Associate
zamer@bu.edu
Zoya joined the Hagedorn lab in July 2023. She was born in Knoxville, Tennessee and recently graduated from the Chancellor’s Honors Program at the University of Tennessee with a degree in Neuroscience. She conducted research investigating motivation, engagement, and performance in motor skill acquisition in Virtual Reality as well as worked at the Genesis Neuroscience Clinic as a clinical assistant. She is interested in pursuing an MD. Outside of the lab, she enjoys working out, watching basketball games, and spending time with her dogs.
Jesse Wang
He/Him/His
Undergraduate Researcher
jessejw@bu.edu
Jesse joined the Hagedorn Lab in September 2021. He was born and raised in Billerica, Massachusetts. He is a junior from Boston University and is pursuing a major in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology and a minor in Business Administration & Management. He is interested in attending medical school and becoming a physician. Outside of the lab, Jesse enjoys photography, cooking, and exploring the city.
Tahreem Nawaz
She/Her/Hers
Undergraduate Researcher
tnawaz@bu.edu
Tahreem joined the Hagedorn Lab in September 2021. She was raised in Queens, New York. She is currently a junior at Boston University studying Biology with a specialization in Neurobiology. She has always been interested in molecular biology and interested in pursuing either an MD or PhD in the future. Outside of the lab, Tahreem enjoys watching movies with friends and listening to music.
Su Yeon Song
She/Her/Hers
Undergraduate Researcher
suysong@bu.edu
Su Yeon joined the Hagedorn Lab in September 2021. She was born in South Korea and is a junior at Boston University. She is currently majoring in Biochemistry with minors in Mathematics and Art History. She is interested molecular biology and chemistry and hopes to pursue either an MD or PhD degree. Outside of lab, she enjoys to read, paint, and volunteer at the local hospital.
Katherine Chang
She/Her/Hers
Undergraduate Researcher
kchang1@bu.edu
Katherine joined the Hagedorn Lab in August 2021. She is from Virginia Beach, Virginia and is a junior at Boston University majoring in Neurobiology with a minor in Human Physiology. Throughout her undergraduate career, she has worked on various research projects under the Gastroenterology department at BMC particularly focused on IBD treatment. She is interested in the treatment of neurological disorders and cancer research, and is interested in pursuing either an MD or MD/PhD degree. During her free time, she enjoys running, working out, and working on music.
Cal Parise
He/Him/His
Undergraduate Researcher
cparise@bu.edu
Cal joined the Hagedorn Lab in September 2022. He was born and raised in Illinois and is a sophomore studying Biomedical Engineering at Boston University. He is interested in pursuing regenerative medicine after completing his undergraduate degree. Outside of the lab, he enjoys playing soccer, rock climbing, and going on hikes with friends.
David Yang
He/Him/His
Undergraduate Researcher
dyyang@bu.edu
David joined the Hagedorn Lab in September 2023. He was raised on Long Island, New York and is currently a sophomore at Boston University studying Medical Science with a minor in Public Health. David will be pursuing his MD degree at Boston University through the BU Accelerated Medical Program. Outside of the lab, he enjoys playing badminton, going to the gym and reading.
Leila Affini
She/Her/Hers
Undergraduate Researcher
laffini@bu.edu
Leila joined the lab in September of 2023. She was raised in Manchester, CT and is a sophomore at Boston University studying Biology, with a specialization in Cellular, Molecular, and Genetics. She is also pursuing a minor in Data Science. In the future, she is interested in an MD/PhD or PhD program. Outside of the lab, Leila enjoys cooking, playing tennis and listening to music.
Zachary Zener
Undergraduate Researcher
zzener@bu.edu
Zach joined the Hagedorn Lab in January 2024. He was born and raised in Lafayette, California. He is currently a freshman at Boston University and is pursuing a major in Chemical Biology and a minor in Mathematics. In the future, Zach is interested in attending medical school and becoming a practicing physician. Outside of the lab, Zach enjoys reading, swimming, running, exploring new foods, listening to music and working with animals.
Past Members
Kaziah Twumasi – Undergraduate Researcher (2022-2023). Kaziah is currently a junior at Boston University.
Ella Boasberg – Summer Undergraduate Researcher (2023). Ella is currently a junior at Georgetown.
Dana Ragoonanan – Lab Manager (2020-2023) Dana was the founding member of the Hagedorn lab. She played a major role in getting the lab off the ground, helping to build things (sometimes literally) from scratch and fostering the supportive community that we have today. Dana started medical school in the fall of 2023.
Jack Norton – Undergraduate Researcher (2021-2023) Jack is currently a Research Associate at the National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories (NEIDL).
Emily Henault – Undergraduate Researcher (2021-2023) Emily is currently a senior at Boston University.
Justine Wagaman – Summer Undergraduate Researcher (2021, 2022) Justine is currently a senior at Smith College.
Helen Wang – Summer Undergraduate Researcher (2021) Helen is currently a Research Technician at Memorial Sloan Kettering.