Elizabeth Sherwin

NICHD Office of Health Equity’s Health Equity Research Opportunities Summer Intern 2024

Elizabeth was a summer student in 2024 from the NICHD Office of Health Equity’s Health Equity Research Opportunities Summer program. While working at the Unit on Vascular Anomalies, she conducted research on the availability and usefulness of resources for management of lymphatic anomalies. Additionally, she presented at a NICHD PI meeting. She is studying international studies with a focus in global health at American University (class of 2026). Her interest areas include healthcare accessibility and equity, particularly in gender-based healthcare.

Jessica Ding

Summer Intern 2024

Jessica was a summer student investigating variants of uncertain significance in complex lymphatic anomalies while also working on a review of Wiedemann-Steiner Syndrome. She is from Dallas, TX and is a rising junior concentrating in Neuroscience and Philosophy at Brown University. She hopes to attend medical school after graduating and would love to continue translational research throughout her career. Outside of the lab, you can find her playing Catan, eating Sichuan food, and trying out new restaurants.

Jill Dayneka

Research Special Volunteer

While with the Sheppard lab, Jill studied novel treatments and supportive care for vascular anomalies. She started with Dr. Sheppard as a part of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Comprehensive Vascular Anomalies Program in 2021, studying vascular anomalies. She also has studied treatment practices for kaposiform hemangioendothelioma, kaposiform lymphangiomatosis, and other complex vascular anomalies. She is in her final year of an M.D./M.P.H. at Tulane School of Medicine in New Orleans, LA; after graduation, she will start a residency in internal medicine. Her current research goal is to expand understanding of fertility challenges for individuals with vascular anomalies, both due to and independent of treatments received, in efforts to improve counseling prior to treatment initiation. She spends her free time hiking with her husband and dog, trying a new recipe, or reading a good book.

Scott Paulissen, Ph.D.

Researcher and Lab Manager (2022-2024)

Scott’s work focused on the molecular and cellular mechanisms causing KRAS-related central conducting lymphatic anomaly. He also studied the causes and progression of capillary malformations with undergrowth using the zebrafish equivalent of the mammalian forelimb, the pectoral fin. Scott is a developmental biologist who completed his postdoctoral fellowship in Brant Weinstein’s lab at NICHD, focused on the development and pathways responsible for the forelimb vasculature in zebrafish. He received his bachelor’s degree in biology at Nevada State College and his Ph.D. in molecular biology at the University of Massachusetts – Boston, where he worked in the lab of Linda S. Huang. He has wide-ranging interests including, but far from limited to, history, movies, an eclectic range of music, sports, and playtime with his daughter.

Kamyab Pirouz

Summer Intern (2022)

Kamyab examined genetic causes of central conducting lymphatic anomaly (CCLA). He is a third-year honors student studying biology at Northeastern University in Boston. His career goal is to become a physician and travel the world helping patients in underserved and underprivileged communities. Kamyab was born in Iran, moved to Ottawa, Canada, at the age of 2, and then moved to Bethesda, MD, at the age of 5. He loved the childhood he had here, and grew up with an immense passion for soccer, a sport he still plays competitively to this day. He also enjoys outdoor activities, trying random things he has not done before, and spending time with friends and family. He will be graduating from Northeastern in December 2023 and plans to begin medical school the following year.

Dhyanam Shukla

Postbaccalaureate Fellow (2022-2023)

Dhyanam worked to understand the complexities of CCLA in zebrafish models. He graduated from Rutgers University in 2021 with a B.A. in cellular biology and neuroscience and a minor in psychology. His interest in research began as an undergraduate when he studied congenital muscular dystrophy at the Child Health Institute; ever since, he has been passionate about learning developmental biology, neurobiology, and zebrafish research. In his free time, he loves to cook, bake, look after many plants, and explore DC. Dhyanam will be attending graduate school at the University of Pennsylvania.

Kristina Woodis

Postbaccalaureate Fellow (2022-2023)

Krissy focused on examining lymphatic anomalies in zebrafish. She graduated from Elon University with a B.S. in biology with a concentration in foundational medical science and a minor in psychology, where she studied the involvement of the gut-brain axis in epilepsy in zebrafish. She is passionate about studying neurobiological disorders in the zebrafish model and is eager to apply this knowledge clinically. Her career goal is to become a physician-scientist. In her free time, Krissy loves to practice yoga, read, cook, and enjoy time outside with friends. She will be attending medical school at The George Washington University.

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