Giovanna Bubbico
Ph.D. | Postdoctoral Scholar | giovannabubbico@gmail.com
I obtained my Ph.D. In Neurosciences, Imaging, and Clinical Sciences at the University of G. d’Annunzio, Italy, in joint supervision with the University of Lille, France, studying visual cognition in Alzheimer’s disease. I believe that psychophysical well-being is the result of complex interactions among lifestyle, social, environmental, genetic, and biological factors. The challenge of my postdoctoral research is to understand the interactions between these multiple factors for people’s well-being throughout life. I aim at investigating factors that can stimulate brain plasticity and reduce the risk of dementia by employing an array of preventive measures such as cognitive stimulations, sleep hygiene, and exercise.
I wish to understand how these factors contribute to brain maintenance or reserve. My investigation method is a combination of neurophysiological, neuroimaging, and behavioral techniques. Last, but not least I believe that language is a window into our brain, therefore it is essential to investigate how our aging brain processes linguistic aspects and how these can provide information on the state of brain health.
Happy to be part of the vibrant and stimulating environment offered by Sajjadi’s Lab and UCI Community.
Leisure: dogs, art, world cookbooks, wanderlust
Negar Haghighi
M.D. | Psychiatrist, PGY-2 |
Nasim Irani
M.D. | Clinical Research Volunteer |
Hi everyone, my name is Nasim Irani. As my last name indicates, I’m from Iran. I was born and raised in Shiraz, the hometown of great Persian poets, Hafez and Saadi, and the cultural capital of the country, also known for its beautiful gardens, architecture, and warm-hearted people. After graduating from Shiraz Medical School, I came to the United States in pursuit of doing my residency training in an advanced and innovative educational environment. While studying for the USMLEs, I joined the Sajjadi Lab as an assistant project scientist. Our research studied primary progressive aphasia. This project provided me with a unique opportunity to learn about neurodegenerative disorders and conducting scientific research, for which I’m truly grateful.
In my free time, I enjoy watching movies and socializing with my friends. I’m also a self-proclaimed backgammon champion and a pastry chef. I currently live in the San Francisco bay area and work as a COVID-19 case investigator and contact tracer in the Santa Clara county department of public health and will be applying to residency programs in the upcoming Match.
Katelyn Ke
B.S. | Clinical Research Volunteer | kwke@uci.edu
I graduated from UCI in 2020 with a B.S in Biological Sciences and since joining Dr. Sajjadi’s lab, I have developed an interest in studying out how different pathologies contribute to a decline in cognition. Joining the Resilience Project, I am focused on understanding how cognitive decline occurs over different stages of adult life. I would love to pursue a career in medicine but in my free time, I enjoy reading and hanging out with friends.
Kathleen Lo
M.D | Family Medicine Resident, PGY-1 | kwlo@hs.uci.edu
My name is Kathleen and I was born in Hong Kong and moved to Los Angeles, California when I was a teenager. My family and I lived on the east suburban side of Los Angeles, also known as the “626” or “The Boba Town.” We were confronted with temptation from a large variety of boba shops when growing up!
I majored in Biochemistry at UCLA and took one gap year to further pursue research with UCLA Department of Geriatrics as a study coordinator while working as a MA/ scribe in a primary care clinic in Alhambra. In 2017, I began medical school at UC Irvine School of Medicine. My interest in Geriatrics led me to a summer internship opportunity with UCI MIND, one of the NIH-funded Alzheimer’s disease research centers in the nation, to begin graduate research with Dr. Sajjadi and increase clinical exposure to dementia care. My projects in the Sajjadi lab had been about Alzheimer’s Disease by analyzing biomarker results. I am currently working on a project analyzing the National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center (NACC) dataset to predict the transition of cognitive statuses using longitudinal neuropsychological tests. During my medical school education, I was also actively involved in community health and served as a graduate board member for An Lanh Free Clinic, a student-run free clinic to provide quality healthcare to underserved populations in the Garden Grove area. Currently, I am working with y fellow medical students and undergraduates to initiate a UC Irvine chapter of National Alzheimer’s Buddies, to connect undergraduate volunteers with residents with Alzheimer’s Disease as a response against the social isolation experienced by ones with Alzheimer’s.
In my free time, I love being outdoors with my four-year-old corgi, named Mickey. We are weekly visitors to the Huntington Dog Beach and various hiking trails in Orange County! I also enjoy traveling and immersing myself in the local culture, create new friendships with the locals, and step out of my comfort zone to try new activities. Before graduating from medical school, I really hope to get certified for scuba diving and open a whole new world to the deep sea.
Sarah Al Najjar
B.S. | Dental Student |
I graduated with a B.S in biological sciences at UC Irvine in 2020. Years of taking biology classes in various fields especially sparked my interest in neurobiology and clinical research that entails working with people. I entered in the Sajjadi Lab in the fall of 2018, and was part of a project investigating the mechanism by which statistical learning takes place in the hippocampus. I also did work involving MRI scans of the brain from various databases. In my free time, I love drawing, seeking out new local food places with friends (then going to the gym after), and catching the latest shows on Netflix!
Dai Phuong Nguyen
B.S. | MS3 | dain1@hs.uci.edu
Hello! I was born in Vietnam and raised in Hayward, California. As a hoodie-wearing Bay Arean, I was confronted by 360 days-of-sunshine after relocating to Southern California for college. I majored in Molecular, Cellular, Developmental Biology (MCDB) at UCLA, and minored in Biomedical Research and Asian Languages. During my time here, I volunteered with the mobile clinic, traveled on a medical mission trip to Nicaragua, and served as a Care Extender at the Ronald Reagan Medical Center. These experiences allowed me to gain diverse exposures to patient care and drove my interest in pursuing medicine. I am currently a second-year medical student at the UC Irvine School of Medicine.
Research has also been an integral part of my academic life. During my years at UCLA, I studied the contribution of the cytoskeleton to the heterotypic properties of endothelial barriers. I then spent two years at the National Heart, Lung, Blood Institute at the NIH researching the vascular manifestation of the primary immunodeficiency disorder Autosomal Dominant Hyper-IgE Syndrome (AD-HIES). I joined the Sajjadi lab in February 2019 to learn about imaging research. My current project looks at the relationship between cerebral blood flow and dementia in the oldest-old population using ASL MRI.
In my spare time, I enjoy coffee-shops hopping, chewing on boba drinks, and watching K-dramas.
Zainab Khan
MS1 | Clinical Research Volunteer | khanz1@uci.edu
In 2018, I joined Dr. Sajjadi’s lab as an undergraduate research assistant because of my interest in neurodegenerative brain diseases. I was amazed to see the application of the science from my classes to the research within the lab. Working in the Sajjadi Lab has provided me with the opportunity to analyze MRI scans and understand biomarkers involved with categorizing Hippocampal Sclerosis of Aging. I assisted with the publication Utility of MRI in Identification of Atrophy in Hippocampal Sclerosis of Aging and publication of two abstracts. After graduating with my degree in Neurobiology in 2020, I began working on projects on the topic of Primary Progressive Aphasia. An abstract I assisted with Utility of Linguistic Biomarkers for prediction of cognitive impairment and limbic predominant age related TDP-43 neuropathologic change in the oldest old was selected as a poster presentation at Alzheimer’s Association International Conference 2022. My hobbies include baking, hiking, and reading mystery novels.
Janice Li
MS1 | Clinical Research Volunteer | janiceli730@gmail.com
I joined the Sajjadi lab in 2019 as an undergraduate research assistant due to my interest in Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. I became a junior specialist after graduating from UCI with degrees in Human Biology and Psychology in 2021. As an undergraduate, I worked on a project studying the longitudinal effects of hippocampal sclerosis on hippocampal atrophy. I am currently working on a project studying the effects of having multiple neurodegenerative pathologies on cognition.
Kiana Scambray
PhD candidate | Clinical Research Volunteer | kscambra@hs.uci.edu
I joined Dr. Sajjadi’s lab in August 2019 as the study coordinator for the Hippocampal Sclerosis project. I graduated from UC Irvine in June 2018 with a BA in psychology. During my undergraduate studies, I worked on a thesis project looking at motor learning and decision making within the stroke population utilizing EEG. Upon graduating I wanted to further pursue my research career and became a study coordinator and MRI operator for a project on risky behaviors in adolescents. Wanting to return to research in neurology, I joined Dr. Sajjadi’s lab to further my understanding and interests in neurodegenerative diseases. I plan to attend graduate school within the next few years to pursue a career as a clinical neuropsychologist.
Danielle Mook
B.A. | Clinical Research Volunteer | mookd@uci.edu
I joined the Sajjadi Lab in September 2022 as a postbaccalaureate student. In the lab, I
have been leading a project focused on utilizing linguistic biomarkers as a way to
predict cognitive impairment and LATE-NC in the oldest-old. I have also been helping
out with other small projects in the lab in addition to volunteering with The 90+ Study.
My ultimate goal is to get my PhD in Neuroscience and hopefully work at the NIH
someday!