RUYES Student Cohorts


Cohort 3

Headshot of RUYES Participant, Alex Velasco

Alex Velasco, Rutgers University

Regulatory Mechanism of Oncogenic Chromatin Remodeling in Liver Cancer

Mentor: Steven Zheng, PhD/Tinghan Zhao, PhD

Research Program: Cancer Pharmacology

Headshot of RUYES Participant, Tia Hart

Tia Hart, Rutgers University

Kisspeptin Signaling in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Mentor: Moshmi Bhattacharya, PhD

Research Program: Cancer Metabolism & Immunology

Headshot of RUYES Participant, Peter Filfil

Peter Filfil, New Jersey City University

Mitotic Abnormalities in HPV+ Integrated Cervical and Intestinal Carcinomas by Histopathological Evaluation

Mentor: Cristina Montagna, PhD / Yokechen Chang, PhD

Research Program: Genomic Instability and Cancer Genetics

Headshot of RUYES Participant, Ileana Gonzalez

Ileana Gonzalez, The College of New Jersey

Analyzing Indoor Tanning Legislation Compliance: A Confederate Study

Mentor: Carolyn Heckman, PhD / Anna Mitarotondo

Research Program: Cancer Prevention and Control

Headshot of RUYES Participant, Shelsy Rodriguez

Shelsy Rodriguez, Rutgers University

Investigating The Effectiveness of MEK Inhibitors on KRAS Q61H Mutant Tumors

Mentor: Shridar Ganesan, MD, PhD/Hua Zhong, MS, PhD

Research Program: Clinical Investigations & Precision Therapeutics

Headshot of RUYES Participant, Abdur-rahman Oladoja

Abdur-rahman Oladoja, Woodbridge High School ‘24

Gene Set Enrichment Analysis

Mentor: Antonina Mitrofanova, PhD/Michael W. Craige, PhD

Research Program: Genomic Instability and Cancer Genetics

Headshot of RUYES Participant, Ita O Braonain

Ita O Braonain, Linden High School Class of 2024

RGD- Targeted Delivery of Alpha-Galactosyltransferase for the Treatment of Melanoma

Mentor: Steven Libutti, MD/Svetlana Bagdasarov 

Research Program: Clinical Investigations & Precision Therapeutics

Headshot of RUYES Participant, Alex Velasco

Adriana Morono, Jose Marti STEM Academy, Union City

Developing Culturally Targeted Messages for Skin Cancer Intervention Among Hispanics

Mentor: Zhaomeng Niu, PhD/Emily Peters, MPH

Research Program: Cancer Prevention and Control

Headshot of RUYES Participant, Alex Velasco

Jaina McKoy, Union County Vocational Technical High School ‘24

Evaluation of Anti-Cancer Activity of a Peptide Targeting Transcription Factor E2F1-3A with Radiation

Mentor: Bruce Haffty, MD, MS; Gulam Rather, Ph.D; Devora Schiff, BS

Research Program: Clinical Investigations & Precision Therapeutics

Headshot of RUYES Participant, Diego Sanabriga

Diego Sanabriga, Linden High School Class of 2024

Investigating the Thymidylate Synthase Polymorphism in Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Patients

Mentor: Peter Cole MD/Yongkyu Park, PhD

Research Program: Clinical Investigations & Precision Therapeutics

Headshot of RUYES Participant, Elizabeth Escobar Gomez

Elizabeth Escobar Gomez, New Brunswick Health Sciences High School Class of 2024 

Role of Polymerase eta in DNA Replication at Common Fragile Sites

Mentor:  Advaitha Madireddy, PhD/Mrunmai Niljikar

Research Program: Genomic Instability and Cancer Genetics

Cohort 4

Headshot of RUYES Participant, Abigail Ibironke

Abigail Ibironke, Woodbridge Academy Magnet School

Obesity, Physical Activity, and Alcohol Consumption in the New Jersey Breast Cancer Survivorship Study: A Pilot Comparison with National Recommendations

Mentor: Tengteng Wang, PhD, MSPH, MBBS

Research Program: Cancer Prevention and Control

Headshot of RUYES Participant, Tia Hart

Adriana Camacho, Jose Marti STEM Academy, Union City

Evaluating Lung Cancer Screening Practices Among Primary Care Physicians to Inform Future Interventions

Mentor: Naomi Q. P. Tan, PhD

Research Program: Cancer Prevention and Control

Headshot of RUYES Participant, Angelise Benimadho

Angelise Benimadho, Woodbridge High School

Met Rearrangement With Tes-Met in p53 Deficient Mammary Tumors

Mentor: Bing Xia Ph.D / Yanying Huo Ph.D

Research Program: Genomic Instability and Cancer Genetics

Headshot of RUYES Participant, Angelly Posso

Angelly Posso, New Brunswick Health Sciences HS ‘24; Rutgers, the State University of NJ

Hispanic Skin Health: Pioneering Prevention Practices

Mentor: Zhaomeng Niu, PhD/Emily Peters, MPH

Research Program: Cancer Prevention and Control

Headshot of RUYES Participant, Benjamin Esteves

Benjamin Esteves, Highland Park High School

Gain-of-Function mutant p53 in cancer progression

Mentor: Zhaomeng Feng, PhD/Juan Liu, PhD

Research Program: Genomic Instability and Cancer Genetics

Headshot of RUYES Participant, Shirley Tejeda Tabora

Shirley Tejeda Tabora, New Brunswick Health Sciences

EP300 Deficiency Causes DNA replication stress leading to genomic instability

Mentor: Advaitha Madireddy, PhD/Mrunmai Niljikar

Research Program: Genomic Instability and Cancer Genetics

Headshot of RUYES Participant, Jordan Comer

Jordan Comer, Rutgers University

Stearoyl-CoA Desaturase Expression Across Adipose Depots

Mentor: Harini Sampath, PhD/Natalie Burchat, PhD

Research Program: Cancer Metabolism & Immunology

Headshot of RUYES Participant, Jonathan Julian

Jonathan Julian, Rutgers University

Barriers and Facilitators to Mammogram Uptake Among Hispanic Women with Intellectual Disabilities

Mentor: Evelyn Arana, PhD

Research Program: Cancer Prevention and Control

Headshot of RUYES Participant, Alex Velasco

Luis Sanchez-Gonzalez, Rutgers University

Effects of Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors in Ewing Sarcoma

Mentor: Arnold Rabson, MD/Hsin-Ching (Cindy) Lin, PhD

Research Program: Cancer Metabolism & Immunology

Headshot of RUYES Participant, Maya Saez

Maya Saez, Rutgers University

Targeting Methionine Metabolism in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: AG270-Induced S-adenosyl Methionine Depletion Impairs Metastasis

Mentor: Matthew McBride, PhD/ Shams Shams, PhD

Research Program: Cancer Metabolism & Immunology