Meet the Trainee Council
Since 2001, the Trainee Council has provided a forum for hematology fellows to discuss issues relevant to fellowship training and career development and provides suggestions regarding programs that may increase interest in hematology. The council projects include Hematopoiesis, Ash-a-Palooza and other trainee activities at the ASH annual meeting, Grants Clearinghouse, ASH Hematology Career Planner, and more.
The Trainee Council consists of MD, MD, PhD, and PhD trainees from across North America. The council is governed by a chair who is elected by the members of the council and each council member serves a two-year term.
Since 2023 the council has expanded to include four new positions:
- Medical student
- PhD student in a hematology laboratory
- Resident (MD, DO, MD/PhD enrolled in a duly accredited residency program related to internal medicine that may lead to hematology-related practice)
- A clinical or post-doctoral fellow from outside of North America
Fellows are invited to apply for a position on the Trainee Council at the top of each year. Trainees who exhibit leadership qualities and a high potential for a successful career in hematology or a hematology-related discipline are the best fit.
Second-Year Council Members
Emily Liang, MD
University of Washington and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center
@emilyliangmd
Dr. Emily Liang graduated from the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and completed her internal medicine residency at Stanford University. She is currently a second-year hematology/oncology fellow at the University of Washington and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center. Her research interests are in hematologic malignancies, transplantation, and CAR T-cell therapy.
Miriam Agyakomah Osei, MD, MPH, Dana Farber Cancer Institute/Mass General Brigham
Dr. Miriam Osei received her medical degree from Columbia University. She then completed a combined internal medicine and global health residency at Brigham and Women's Hospital. She is currently in her first year of the hematology focused fellowship program at Dana Farber Cancer Institute/Mass General Brigham. Dr. Osei's career and research interests are in sickle cell disease and global hematology. She is also interested in encouraging and supporting trainees from underrepresented minority backgrounds in hematology
Sydney Dunn-Valadez, MD, University of Alabama at Birmingham
Kaitlyn C Dykes, MD, UC San Diego University Hospital
Dr. Kaitlyn Dykes graduated from Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia PA, and then completed internal medicine residency at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, Washington DC. She served as chief of the Michael Adams Clinician Educator (MACE) track while in residency. She is currently a second-year Hematology and Oncology fellow at UC San Diego University. She is enrolled in Clinical Research Enhancement through Supplemental Training (CREST) Program, taking master-level classes focused on clinical research. She is broadly interested in malignant hematology and hopes to pursue a career as a clinician educator and clinical researcher.
Henna Butt, MD, Children’s National Hospital
Dr. Henna Butt completed her MD at St. George’s University School of Medicine. She went on to complete her pediatric residency training at the University of Maryland Medical center. Currently, she is a second-year fellow in hematology/oncology at Childrens National Hospital. She will be focusing her research on gene therapy for sickle cell disease patients at the NIH NHLBI. She is interested in curative therapies for hemoglobinopathies and intends to pursue a career in stem cell transplant with a focus in hematology.
Nowah Afangbedji, Ph.D. ,
Stanford University
@NAfangbedji
Dr. Nowah Afangbedji is a postdoctoral scholar in the Porteus lab at Stanford University School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology Oncology Stem Cell Transplantation and Regenerative Medicine. In his current role, Dr. Afangbedji is optimizing a closed-system gene editing platform to correct the beta-globin gene in sickle cell disease. Dr. Afangbedji completed his Ph.D. at Howard University, where his professional and academic work in the Nekhai lab focused on identifying early biomarkers of kidney disease in sickle cell patients, iron metabolism, and the natural resistance of HIV-1 in sickle cell disease.
William Nicol, MBBS, Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital
William graduated from The University of Queensland with first class honours and undertook his physician training in rural and metropolitan hospitals throughout Queensland. He is currently a joint clinical and laboratory haematology trainee at the Royal Brisbane and Womens’ Hospital and Pathology Queensland. William is passionate about all aspects of malignant and nonmalignant haematology, with a particular interest in molecular diagnostics, quality improvement and equitable access to healthcare.
Kolton Smith, DO, Lenox Hill Hospital
Dr. Kolton Smith graduated from The University of North Texas/Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine in 2021. He is currently a PGY-3 Internal Medicine Resident at Zucker SOM/Northwell Health at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, where he serves as the Treasurer of the House Staff Association as well as resident member of the Lenox Hill Hospital Blood Bank Committee. Dr. Smith’s research thus far has centered on Thrombosis and Hemostasis, with an emphasis on in hospital and post discharge thromboprophylaxis. He is excited to explore the opportunities that the next phase of his medical training career will provide.
Siobhan Laken Branfield, MD, PhD, Oakland University
@SiobhanBranfie1
Anika Patel, BS, Creighton School of Medicine
@Anika_s_PateL
Anika Patel is a fourth-year medical student at Creighton School of Medicine. She intends to pursue a physician-scientist career in hematology/oncology, a path that was inspired by her time as a Sarnoff Cardiovascular Research Fellow in the Flaumenhaft Lab at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. There, under the tutelage of Dr. Moua Yang, her interest in thrombosis research burgeoned as she evaluated how oxidative stress-induced cysteine modifications of PDI, a prothrombotic enzyme, can function as a redox-sensitive switch that controls protein function. She is excited to continue exploring her research interests and building upon both her medical knowledge and ethnocultural empathy in preparation for a future advocating for her patients’ diverse needs in heme/onc.
First-Year Council Members
Damilola Akani, MD, MPH, Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital
Dr. Damilola Akani received her medical degree from University of California, San Diego. She then went on to complete her pediatric residency training at Children’s National Hospital. She is currently a second-year hematology and oncology fellow at Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital. Her research interests are in sickle disease, health technology and global health. She is also interested in mentorship, particularly supporting underrepresented medical trainees.
Donovan Argueta, PhD, UC Irvine
Dr. Donovan Argueta is a postdoctoral scholar and NIH MOSAIC K99 fellow at the University of California, Irvine. Dr. Argueta received his Ph.D. in bioengineering from the University of California, Riverside for investigating the role of peripheral endocannabinoid signaling in the gut-brain axis control of feeding with an emphasis on high-throughput instrumentation. His current research focuses on uncovering the molecular underpinnings of pain in sickle cell disease, utilizing cellular and animal models to evaluate the impact of environment and psychosocial factors on pain pathobiology. As a MOSAIC K99 fellow, he is interested in social determinants of health and complementary approaches to target pain while addressing matters of systemic inequity in health and education. Dr. Argueta’s goals are to establish a research laboratory to continue investigating the pathobiology of pain in sickle cell disease to develop novel, actionable targets for safe, effective, and accessible pain management.
Jeffrey Edwards, MD, MPH, Boston children's hospital & boston medical center
@Djeffreedom
Dr. Jeffrey Edwards is a Chief Resident in pediatrics at Boston Children's Hospital and Boston Medical Center. He completed his undergraduate studies at Harvard College, medical school at Stanford Univerity School of Medicine and MPH at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, concentrating in Health Systems & Policy. His research and advocacy interests are in promoting health equity in both domestic and global settings by understanding the roles that structural determinants of health play in sickle cell disease outcomes.
Ryan Mack, BS, BS, Stritch School of Medicine, Loyola University Chicago
@RyanMack220
Agrima Mian, MD, Cleveland Clinic
Dr. Agrima Mian received her medical degree from Manipal University, India, where she was awarded the best outgoing medical graduate, and trained at the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi for Internal Medicine residency, graduating in 2018. She pursued a clinical research fellowship in the lymphoid malignancies division at Taussig Cancer Center, Cleveland Clinic in 2019. She subsequently completed Internal Medicine residency at Cleveland Clinic and is now enrolled in the second year of their hematology/oncology fellowship program. Her research is focused on real world clinical outcomes and toxicities of CAR T-cell therapy in lymphoma, and translational studies to explore immunophenotypic differences in newly diagnosed and relapsed/refractory lymphoma. She is also developing a clinical trial to enhance allogeneic NK-cell therapy with combination of monoclonal antibodies for treatment of relapsed/refractory lymphoma. Dr. Mian is interested in developing a career as a clinical trialist and translational researcher in malignant hematology, with special focus on lymphoid malignancies, novel cellular therapies, and stem cell transplantation. She is also interested in improving support for international medical graduates pursuing an academic career in malignant hematology.
Andrés Noyola-Pérez, Universidad Autónoma De Nuevo León - Mexico
@Andresnoyolaa
Andrés Noyola-Pérez is a final-year medical student at the Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León (UANL) School of Medicine. He has been actively involved in hematology research since 2021, working with the Hematology Department at UANL under the tutelage of Dr. Andrés Gómez-De León. Andrés is a past recipient of the ASH HONORS award, and the ASH Abstract Achievement Award. His research focuses on health equity in hematology and oncology, including clinical trial disparities, patient-relevant outcomes, and healthcare access. Andrés is passionate about addressing health inequities and improving healthcare access for underserved populations.
Charlotte Story, MD, Johns Hopkins Hospital
@the_heme_story
Dr. Charlotte Story attended medical school at UNC School of Medicine, where she received a Glasgow-Rubin Citation for Academic Achievement from the AMWA for graduating at the top of her class. She was also an HONORS award recipient and presented her work at ASH's annual meeting and at ASTCT's Tandem Meeting. She did her Internal Medicine residency at Brigham and Women's Hospital and is now a Hematology fellow at Johns Hopkins Hospital. She has published on multiple topics during her training and has a particular interest in coagulation and complement-mediated disorders.
Jenna Thibodeau, BS, PhD candidate, Wayne State University
@ThibodeauJ58180
Jenna Thibodeau holds a Bachelor's degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Michigan State University and is currently in her second year of PhD training in the Cancer Biology Program at Wayne State University. She studies relapsed/refractory myeloid leukemia associated with Down Syndrome (ML-DS) under the mentorship of Dr. Yubin Ge and Dr. Jeffrey Taub. Jenna's research focuses on the molecular mechanisms underlying relapse and chemotherapy resistance in ML-DS, aiming to identify new therapeutic targets to improve patient outcomes. Her work contributes to uncovering key aspects of leukemic cell survival and resistance pathways, paving the way for potential innovative treatments. Passionate about bridging the gap between laboratory discoveries and clinical applications, Jenna aspires to continue her research in hematology/oncology within the Down Syndrome field. She is dedicated to enhancing her scientific knowledge and improving patient outcomes for vulnerable populations through her research and advocacy.
Natalia Tijaro Ovalle, MD, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
@TijaroNatalia
Dr. Natalia Tijaro Ovalle received her medical degree from Universidad de Los Andes in Bogotá, Colombia, and completed her Internal Medicine residency at Yale New Haven Hospital, where she served as the co-president of the Yale Resident/Fellow Senate. She is currently a second-year hematology/oncology fellow at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Dr. Tijaro plans to pursue a career as a clinical researcher in malignant hematology with a focus in stem cell transplant and cellular therapy. She also has a keen interest in advocacy for underserved patients and underrepresented trainees.
Christopher Wanjiku, MD, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill
@Chrissmwaniki
