Dr. Halbrook obtained his B.S. in his home state of Wisconsin at UW-Milwaukee, his Ph.D. from Stony Brook University in New York (via Mayo Clinic Florida), and his postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Michigan. Outside his passion for cancer research and patient advocacy, he remains a loyal Packers and Brewers fan, uses his professional culinary training to enrich the lives of those around him, and burns the extra calories running.

Anaí completed her PhD in Biomedical Sciences at the National University of Mexico (UNAM). Then, she joined the Halbrook and Martínez labs to work on annotating and characterizing microproteins driven by oncogenic KRAS signaling in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. She obtained a Latin American Pew Fellowship to work on this project. Outside the lab, she enjoys hiking, going to the gym, and exploring SoCal.

Austin completed his bachelor’s degree and PhD at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. As a PhD student, his main focus was on detailing the role glycosylation plays in pancreatic cancer. Currently, as a Postdoc in the Halbrook Lab, he is assessing how metabolism impacts pancreatic cancer. In his free time, he enjoys watching and playing sports, hiking, and traveling. 

Cecily earned her bachelor’s degree in biology at the University of California Irvine. After graduating she joined the biotech industry and worked there for 7 years. During that time her main focus was CAR-T therapy. Currently, as a PhD student through the Halbrook Lab, she is studying the mechanisms of pancreatic cancer. In her free time, she enjoys aerial dance, reading romance novels, and traveling.  

Rima completed her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from San Francisco State University. She worked in biotech for a year focusing on plasmablast-mediated immunotherapy. Currently, she’s studying immune programming in the pancreatic cancer primary vs. metastatic niche in the Halbrook Lab. Apart from science, Rima is continuing her training in contemporary and hip-hop dancing. She loves dancing, working out, yoga, pilates- basically anything that will keep her body moving. 

Taryn completed her bachelor’s degree at the University of California, Davis. After graduating, she worked for UC Davis Health for 4 years investigating targeted therapies for glioblastoma and novel fluorescent microscopy techniques. Currently, Taryn is focusing on the metabolic heterogeneity of pancreatic cancer in the Halbrook Lab. Outside the lab, she enjoys horseback riding, playing with her corgi Minnie, watching sports, and traveling.

Sabrina completed her bachelor’s degree at California State University, Long Beach where she focused on leaf senescence genetics. Currently, she is studying the mechanisms of chemoresistance in pancreatic cancer at the Halbrook Lab. In her free time, she enjoys painting, discovering new beaches, and playing with her cat, Salem.

Natalie is a recent undergraduate student from the University of California, Irvine with a major in Biological Sciences. Aside from working with Rima on her project, she enjoys playing the guitar, painting, and going to her favorite bands’ concerts.

Hillary Tran is a fourth-year majoring in Biological Sciences at the University of California, Irvine. Besides helping Cecily on her projects, she enjoys bouldering, playing video games, or trying out new cafes in the area. 

Avary Baker is an undergraduate at UC Irvine working towards her major in Biological Sciences. She enjoys working out, listening to music, reading, spending time with loved ones, and helping Austin with his projects.

Arjun Sapru is a third-year undergraduate student majoring in Biological Sciences at UC Irvine. Besides assisting Cavina on her projects, Arjun enjoys snowboarding, traveling, and spending time with loved ones.