Evan Lamb

Evan is an MD-PhD student who is finishing up his graduate studies on interactions between the immune system and pathogenic bacteria. His interests broadly include Infectious Diseases, Immunology, Epidemiology, and Pathophysiology. Originally from Iowa, Evan is proud to be at UVA and eager to support The UVAMSR in its mission.

Abel Ruiz Diaz

Abel Ruiz Diaz was born and raised in Cuba and immigrated to the U.S. at the age of 10. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry with a specialization in Biochemistry from the University of Virginia. As an undergraduate, he conducted research in a molecular biology lab investigating how aerobic and resistance exercise influence disease, with a focus on diabetes mellitus. He is currently a medical student at the University of Virginia School of Medicine and continues his research with the UVA Orthopaedics department. Outside of medicine, he enjoys playing the drums, listening to music, and spending time with loved ones

Allison Horvath

Allison is a first year student in the UVA MD/PhD program. Originally from New Jersey, she completed her undergraduate degree at the George Washington University majoring in Neuroscience and minoring in Psychology and Music. Her current research interests include developmental neurobiology and neural injury, but the list is forever growing. With a drive for translational medicine, Allison is excited to support the research and patient experiences within the UVA community through MSR.

Bhavik Patel

Bhavik is a third-year medical student at UVASOM and also a double Hoo having done undergraduate at UVA in Cognitive Science. He is passionate about global health as well as serving the underserved and immigrant population within healthcare. His current interests are emergency medicine, interventional radiology and surgery. Outside of medicine, you can find him cooking, kayaking, or probably just drinking coffee.

Emily Golden

Emily is an MD/PhD student in the graduate school years of her training. She is originally from Massachusetts and graduated from Northeastern University with a BS in Behavioral Neuroscience. During her undergrad, she was involved in basic neuroscience research at Northeastern, Harvard Medical School, and the University of Otago. In her gap years, she worked in neuroendocrinology clinical research at Massachusetts General Hospital. She is now in the lab of Alban Gaultier where she studies the role of mitochondrial DNA in triggering innate immune pathways within oligodendrocytes and its implications for neurodegenerative disease. Emily is excited to review submissions to the UVA MSR and support her peers in developing their research and science communication skills!

Hibo Wehelie

Hibo Wehelie is in the UVA SOM Class of 2026. Originally from Minnesota, she received her B.S. in Biochemistry from the University of Minnesota. She is interested in plastic surgery, particularly oncologic reconstruction, surgical outcomes, patient-reported outcomes, and global health. Outside of medicine, she enjoys spending time outdoors, staying active, and being with family and friends.

Jack Ham

Jack is a rising 4th year medical student at UVA from Reston, Virginia. He spent 3 years at Northern Virginia Community College and graduated with a BS in biology from George Mason University. His research interests focus on pediatric orthopedics/sports medicine and increasing diversity in medicine by increasing recruitment of community college students to medical school.

Kaile Maske

Kaile is an M1 in the MD/PhD program at UVA, originally from Lexington, Kentucky. They graduated from Stanford University in 2023 with a B.S. In Chemistry. Their interests include neurodegenerative disease, drug design, and public-facing science education. Outside of science and medicine, Kaile enjoys volleyball, cooking, printmaking, and choral music.

Laiba Murad

Laiba is a fourth-year medical student. Born in raised in Pakistan, she immigrated to the US halfway through her life and settled in VA. She graduated from Mary Washington in 2021 with a bachelor's in biology and neuroscience. She is interested in community general surgery and global surgery. Outside of medicine, she enjoys being a part of the refugee community here in Cville and teaching science to children.

Maximillian Brune

Maximillian (Max) Brune is a first year medical student originally from Oregon. In 2022 he received his Honors B.S. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Oregon State University, as well as completing a Spanish minor. During undergrad he conducted research on a newly discovered species of slug-parasitic nematode, as well as population genetic analyses of the pacific banana slug. His interests in medicine remain broad, ranging from ophthalmology to emergency medicine to oncology to dermatology. Outside of medicine, he enjoys playing/watching soccer, working out, hiking, and backpacking.

Ruja Parikh

Ruja is a 4th year medical student at UVA, originally from Denver. She studied neuroscience, philosophy, and cognitive science at the University of Colorado Boulder, and worked as an undergraduate research assistant in an fMRI lab investigating molecular neural markers as measures of executive function. Since starting medical school, she’s enjoyed delving deeper into health humanities, narrative medicine, and the intersections between storytelling and science. She’s looking forward to serving as an editor on the UVA MSR!

Vignesh Senthilkumar

Vignesh Senthilkumar is a 3rd-year MD/PhD student in the UVA Medical Scientist Training Program. Originally from Chino Hills, California, he received his B.S. in Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics and a minor in History from UCLA. His research and clinical interests revolve around infectious disease, immunology, and tropical medicine. At UVA, Vignesh is a part of the Taylor Lab in the Carter Immunology
Center, where he studies post-infection auto-immunity, particularly anti-interferon antibodies produced after respiratory illnesses. Outside the lab, Vignesh is heavily involved with health policy, holding leadership
positions in the student sections of the Medical Society of Virginia and the American Medical Association. In the future, he aspires to combine his research and policy interests to contribute to global health initiatives.

William Lain

William Lain is a fourth-year medical student at the University of Virginia School of Medicine with a strong interest in general and vascular surgery. He earned his B.S. in Chemistry from William & Mary, where he first developed his passion for research. His recent work has focused on clinical research and academic writing in general, vascular, and cardiothoracic surgery, as well as infectious disease, cardiology, and quality improvement. In addition to research, he is actively involved in mentorship, surgical education initiatives, and student organizations dedicated to professional development and community engagement.