TEAM

Pia Pannaraj, MD, MPH

~ Director & Principal Investigator

Pia S. Pannaraj, MD, MPH, is a Professor of Pediatrics at the University of California, San Diego and Infectious Disease Specialist at Rady Children’s Hospital. She serves as the Director of the Pediatric Immunization Advancement Laboratory.

Dr. Pannaraj’s global research focuses on maternal and infant vaccinations. She seeks to better understand infant immune development, responses to mucosal vaccination, and the role of human milk and gut microbes on immune responses.

Dr. Pannaraj serves as the current President of the California Immunization Coalition and has been appointed to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) expert panel for a Global Immunizations Initiative. She also serves on the AAP Red Book Committee. She is invited to lecture nationally and internationally on vaccines and vaccine-preventable diseases, maternal vaccinations, neonatal health and the microbiome.

Dr. Pannaraj completed her Infectious Diseases fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine and Master of Public Health at the University of Texas Health Science Center. She finished medical school and residency training in pediatrics at University of California, San Diego. She received her undergraduate degree in Economics and Biology from the University of Chicago.

Outside of work, she and her husband raise 3 very active children. They enjoy soccer, outdoor nature activities, and traveling adventures.

Meet Our Team

Yesun Lee, Ph.D.
~ Lab Project Manager

Yesun obtained her Ph.D from Oregon State University with a focus on clinical studies, nutritional science, and biochemistry.  She began working with PIALab in 2019.  Yesun designs and optimizes wet bench research protocols, trains laboratory staff, and manages the laboratory.  Yesun fights against viruses in the lab, but  also fights tennis balls on the court in her free time.

Jaycee Jumarang, MD

~ Research Specialist

Jaycee recently joined the PiaLab as a Research Specialist. He received his Bachelors of Science in Biochemistry from the University of Santo Tomas. Jaycee also received his Doctor or Medicine degree from De La Salle University- Health Sciences Institute in the Philippines. He is a skilled professional with scientific, research, clinical, and medical experience dedicated in the pursuit of research development. In his free time, Jaycee loves hiking and being with nature once in a while. His friends would describe him as funny and easy going.

Jocelyn Navarro, MBA

~ Research Coordinator

Jocelyn has an MBA from the Universidad Politecnica de Catalunya, Barcelona and a Masters in Project Management from George Washington University. She has collaborated with the PIALab as a research coordinator in Panama since 2017. Jocelyn is in charge of the execution, recruitment, monitoring, and data management of the Rotavirus Vaccine and Microbiome Study in Panama. She has more than 5 years of experience in project management, previously managing telemedicine projects, for CHLA as well. In her free time she enjoys fitness, including Pilates.

Shirley Mendieta, M.S.
~Research Coordinator

Shirley obtained her Bachelor of Science in Biology and minor in Leadership studies at Azusa Pacific University. She later went on to complete her Master of Science in Global Medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. She has a passion for research, medicine, and serving communities as a global health leader. Her previous roles include Research Coordinator at the University of Southern California and Hometown Medical Mission Intern at Mending Kids. She joined PIALab as a Clinical Research Coordinator, playing a key role in coordination of studies. Shirley loves spending time outdoors, traveling and going on hikes.

Wesley Cheng, B.S.

~ Research Specialist

Wesley is a Southern California native and obtained his B.S. from the University of California, Berkeley in Chemical Biology. After several years in cancer immunotherapeutics translational research, Wesley joined the PIALab in 2020 as a Research Specialist to support ongoing clinical research at UCSD. When he is not in a lab coat, you can usually find Wesley looking for something to climb.

Zion Congrave-Wilson, M.S.
~ Research Specialist

Zion grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and received his B.S. in Microbiology from the University of California, Davis. He then traveled to Imperial College London where he completed his Master's degree in Immunology. Zion joined the Pannaraj Lab as a Research Assistant to explore pediatric vaccination research and pursue his goal of being a physician-scientist. In his free time, Zion enjoys playing bass guitar, reading and writing, and being surrounded by trees.

Meredith Lu, DNP, MPH, CPNP-AC

~Pediatric Nurse Practitioner

Meredith received her Doctor of Nursing Practice in pediatric acute care from the University of Maryland, where she also worked on clinical trials for the pediatric COVID-19 vaccines. After driving across country from Baltimore with her husband and two very young children, she is excited to be back on her home coast and part of the PIALab team! Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, she served as a Peace Corps health volunteer in Rwanda, earned her nursing degree and master of public health from Johns Hopkins University, worked five years in Johns Hopkins’s pediatric emergency department, and was a pediatric infectious disease fellow at the University of Maryland Medical Center. Meredith loves hiking, baking, and traveling with her family.

Gia Schaake , RN

~Registered Nurse

Gia has always been interested in neonatal and pediatric development and is constantly looking for opportunities to help understand these complex little humans. Gia is a San Diego native and grew up playing competitive soccer. She received a scholarship to Stevens Institiute in Hoboken, NJ where she culminated her athletic career playing D3 collegiate soccer. Upon moving back to her hometown of Encinitas, Gia decided to go back to nursing school at California State University San Marcos, where she was determined to start her RN career in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. At the bedside, she developed her love for research and hopes to become a Neonatal Clinical Nurse Specialist. She is passionate about supporting new mothers. Gia is a new mother herself and is usually entertaining her baby girl when she is not in front of patients. Gia's happy place is in the mountains, whether it be skiing, hiking, or floating down the river. She is also an avid reader and loves to cook and host dinner parties. She looks forward to supporting all our participants' growing families!

Sarah Mangialardi , RN

~Registered Nurse

Sarah grew up in the SF Bay Area and obtained her Bachelor of Science in both Public Health and Nursing at the University of Washington in Seattle. Her degrees fueled her passion for research and pediatrics. She became a NICU nurse at Seattle Children’s, went on to doing travel nursing for a few years, and is excited to be applying her pediatric skills to the research world. Through the pandemic she also spent time administering COVID vaccines and tests to underserved populations. When she’s not caring for tiny tots she’s out exploring the beauties of the world through skiing, backpacking, traveling, and spending quality time with friends and family!

Forest Jacobson, BSN, RN, CPEN

~Registered Nurse

Forest grew up in Illinois and moved to Florida to earn her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Miami. During her undergraduate studies, her involvement in the university's Health Disparities Research Practicum deepened her passion for making meaningful contributions to academic and scientific research. After graduating with her BSN, she began her nursing career as a Pediatric Emergency RN at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital. She now works in the Emergency Department at Rady Children’s Hospital and is eager to apply her clinical expertise to pediatric research. Forest finds working in pediatrics incredibly rewarding, as it allows her to make a positive impact on both children and their families. Outside of work, she enjoys outdoor adventures, from walking along Sunset Cliffs to hiking in the High Sierra Mountains.

Keri Garcia, MPH

~Research Coordinator

Keri grew up in San Diego where she received her Bachelor’s in Biology and Master’s in Public Health from San Diego State University. Her passion for research began as an undergrad when she received a grant to conduct stem cell research at the Salk Institute for Biological Sciences. After years in both academic and industry laboratory settings, she decided to pursue her interest in the clinical side of research. She has coordinated studies related to combat trauma for the US Navy and has now joined the PIALab to work as a Clinical Research Coordinator. Outside of research, she raises two children with her husband. She enjoys running in races (from marathons to spartan) and staying active with her kids

Maya Selvaraj, B.S.
~Clinical Research Coordinator

Maya grew up in San Diego and obtained her B.S. in Cognitive Behavioral Neuroscience at University of California, San Diego. After college, she decided to combine her experience in research with her interest in medicine, specifically women’s health, and joined Dr. Louise Laurent’s Lab at UCSD Health with the OB/GYN Department as a clinical research coordinator. Maya is assisting the PIAlab team with mother-baby studies. When she’s out of scrubs she is exploring new hobbies, working out, or watching movies.

Alex Nicols, Ph.D.

~Postdoctoral Fellow

Originally from South Yorkshire in the UK, Alex obtained his BSc in Medical Microbiology and MSc in Molecular Medicine from the University of Sheffield Medical School before completing a PhD in Translational Immunology at the Newcastle University Translational and Clinical Research Institute in the Northeast of England. Alex’s doctoral research focused on using high dimensional cytometry approaches and sequencing to uncover patterns of disease development in children following stem cell transplantation. Alex enjoys spending time with friends, eating great food and exploring. Outside of the lab you will usually find him on the golf course in various stages of enjoyment depending on how well he is playing.

Cale Seymour, M.S.

~Bioinformatics Analyst

Cale recently moved to California from his home state of Nevada. He received both his BS in Microbiology and MS in Quantitative Biology and Bioinformatics from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. His thesis used techniques in computational biology and bioinformatics to describe the enigmatic bacterial phylum Omnitrophota. After graduating, he changed course to advance the cause of immunization as an informatician for the Nevada State Immunization Program. Now, he pursues his dual passions for scientific research and advancing public health as a Research Data Analyst with the PIALab. During the rare moments when Cale is not in front of a computer, you can find him at an Escape Room with his team, "Where's Josh?".

Ganga Devaiah, M.S.

~ Research Data Analyst II

Ganga received her MS in Applied Statistics from Bowling Green State University in Ohio and her BA in Economics from DePauw University in Indiana. Prior to joining PIALab as a Research Data Analyst, Ganga worked as a Research Statistician at Good Samaritan TriHealth Hospital in Cincinnati servicing the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department. She is excited to now work in pediatrics research. Clinical data (especially mom and baby) and hospital quality data are her intellectual interests. In her free time, she enjoys spending time and cooking for family and friends, reading, exploring nature, and sports.

Zaineb Haajera, B.S.
~Laboratory Assistant

Haajera went to Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland where she received a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology. She recently joined PIA Lab as a Laboratory Assistant and plans on attending medical school. When she isn’t in the lab, Haajera enjoys doing henna, glass painting, acrylics and just exploring different kinds of art.

Sarah Thomas, B.S.
~Laboratory Assistant II

Born and raised in the Bay Area, Sarah received her B.S. in Biology at Santa Clara University. She made the move to San Diego a few years after graduating and is loving Southern California. She has worked in multiple biotech industries including medical devices, food safety, and pharmaceuticals. Sarah is excited to move into the research field and learn all about pediatric vaccinations. In her free time you can find her at brunch, reading, traveling, participating in trivia nights and going to the zoo.

Minjun Kim, B.A.
~Research Assistant

Minjun received his B.A. in Biology from Williams College. After finishing his undergraduate studies, Minjun joined the Pannaraj Lab as a Research Assistant to contribute to pediatric immunization research and follow his aspirations of becoming a doctor. Outside of work, Minjun likes to travel, spend time with family, read, and listen to music.

Nina Cuccinello, B.S.
~Clinical Research Assistant

Nina recently joined the PIALab as a research assistant. Originally from Southern California, Nina spent four years in the Midwest where she obtained her Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a minor in Digital studies. In the future, Nina plans to go to medical school. In addition to her interest in medicine, She enjoys playing soccer, cooking and spending time with her family and friends.

Natalie Pardo, B.S.
~Clinical Research Assistant

Natalie is a Southern California native who has recently graduated from Johns Hopkins University with a B.S. in Molecular and Cellular Biology with a minor in Psychology. She has moved back to the west coast to join the PIALab as a Clinical Research Assistant and aspires to attend medical school in the future. Outside of the lab, she enjoys traveling, reading, crocheting, and spending time with friends and family.

Join Our Team!