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.

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.

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.

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

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.

Adriana Giuliani, MD

~Infectious Disease Fellow

Adriana is a MedPeds Infectious Disease (ID) fellow originally from Indiana. She completed her BS in Microbiology at Indiana University and attended medical school at the Ohio State COM. After four years in MedPeds residency at University of Illinois in Chicago, she came to San Diego in 2023 to start training in ID at UCSD and Rady Children's. She will be embarking on studies of cell-mediated immunity to further elucidate the differences in vaccine and infection response between age groups. Outside of the lab, Adriana enjoys community advocacy, reading, group fitness, exploring parks, snuggling with her three cats, and trying to make macarons.

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?".

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.

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!