Featured Trainees are students, postdoctoral fellows, practicing physicians and faculty, and others who work under the tutelage of Levy CIMAR Core Faculty members and who stand out for their efforts in the fight against antimicrobial resistance. Trainees might be graduate students, antimicrobial stewards, educators, scientific researchers, medical doctors, veterinarians, pharmacists, or a combination of any of these and other professions. If you are a Levy CIMAR Core Faculty member and would like to nominate someone for “Featured Trainee” distinction, please email us any time at cimar@tufts.edu.
Fall 2024 Featured Trainee:
Krystal Mutebi
- Tufts Senior, studying Community Health via the pre-medical track
- 2024 Levy CIMAR Summer Scholar researching how to address health disparities in antibiotic prescribing
Krystal Mutebi is a Tufts University senior majoring in Community Health on the pre-medical track, and was chosen for the 2024 Levy CIMAR Undergraduate Summer Internship in Science and Medicine.
2024 Levy CIMAR Summer Scholar Krystal Mutebi (right) with mentor Dr. Alysse Wurcel
This summer, Krystal worked under the mentorship of the Levy CIMAR’s Alysse Wurcel, MD, an attending physician at Tufts Medical Center in Boston. Dr. Wurcel studies issues of equity and ways to combat antibiotic resistance in carceral settings. Krystal’s research alongside Dr. Wurcel was aimed at addressing health disparities experienced by racial and ethnic minorities in antibiotic prescribing. Their research focused on evaluating and improving the quality of health disparities literature by developing a rubric based on essential criteria identified by leading scholars in the field.
According to Dr. Wurcel, the rubric Krystal is creating to evaluate how disparities are reported can be used in other contexts. “I hope other parts of medicine outside of infectious diseases can use the rubric to improve systems of research reporting,” says Dr. Wurcel.
Looking ahead, Krystal is eager to leverage this experience as she pursues a medical degree. She plans to focus on maternal and adolescent health, specifically. She says: “My goal is to not only contribute to clinical practice but also to advocate for systematic changes that address racial minorities.”
Meet all of the Levy CIMAR's Featured Trainees:
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Krystal Mutebi, 2024 Recipient of the Levy CIMAR Undergraduate Summer Internship in Science and Medicine
Tufts Senior, studying Community Health via the pre-medical track; 2024 Levy CIMAR Summer Scholar researching how to address health disparities in antibiotic prescribing
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Xiaoxu Lin, Tufts Vet Doctoral Student Investigating How Mtb May Control its Metabolism by Regulating Lipid Production
Fourth-Year Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) student at Tufts University’s Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine in the Amanda Martinot Lab studying Mycobacterium tuberculosis and how it may control its metabolism by regulating lipid production.
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Umaojo Ojogbane and Julia Hershelman, Biology PhD Students and Members of the Wolfe Lab Antibiotic Resistance Team
Two first-year Biology PhD Students—Umaojo Ojogbane and Julia Hershelman—work with Levy CIMAR’s Benjamin Wolfe, PhD, to explore the ecology of antimicrobial resistance in fermented foods. Both are members of the Wolfe Lab antibiotic resistance team.
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David Manning, Recipient of the Levy CIMAR Undergraduate Summer Internship in Science and Medicine
Senior at Tufts University’s School of Arts and Sciences working with Levy CIMAR investigator Dr. Alysse Wurcel on researching the implementation of antimicrobial stewardship programs in state prisons and jails. Recipient of the 2023 Levy CIMAR Undergraduate Summer Internship in Science and Medicine.
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Jonathan Samuel, Recipient of the Levy CIMAR Undergraduate Summer Internship in Science and Medicine
Sophomore at Tufts University School of Arts and Sciences working with Levy CIMAR investigator Dr. Ralph Isberg on understanding factors contributing to antibiotic resistance in A. baumannii
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Nhi Van, Research Assistant in the laboratory of the Levy CIMAR’s Bree Aldridge, PhD, and a member of the Aldridge Lab’s “DiaMOND” team
Research Assistant in the laboratory of the Levy CIMAR’s Bree Aldridge, PhD, and a member of the Aldridge Lab’s “DiaMOND” team interested in learning to optimize drug combination therapies for tuberculosis and nontuberculous mycobacteria.
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Rachel Ende, PhD, Postdoctoral Scholar in the lab of CIMAR’s Dr. Joan Mecsas, studying mechanisms of synergistic antibiotic interactions against Klebsiella pneumoniae in the lungs
Postdoctoral Scholar & first-year IRACDA Fellow in the lab of Levy CIMAR’s Dr. Joan Mecsas, studying mechanisms of synergistic antibiotic interactions against Klebsiella pneumoniae in the lungs
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Irene Nagawa, Inaugural Recipient of the Levy CIMAR’s Undergraduate Summer Internship
Senior at UMass Boston majoring in biology and working with the Levy CIMAR’s Aimee Shen, PhD; Inaugural recipient of the Levy CIMAR Undergraduate Summer Internship for Underrepresented Groups in Science and Medicine
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Rebecca Tenner, Inaugural Recipient of the Levy CIMAR’s Undergraduate Summer Internship
Rising Senior at Tufts University’s Undergraduate School of Arts & Sciences working with the Levy CIMAR’s Alysse Wurcel, MD; Inaugural recipient of the Levy CIMAR Undergraduate Summer Internship for Underrepresented Groups in Science and Medicine
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Emma Price, VMD, master’s candidate in Clinical and Translational Science at Tufts University’s Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
2nd year master’s candidate in Clinical and Translational Science at Tufts University’s Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences working with the Levy CIMAR’s Claire Fellman DVM, PhD, and Shira Doron MD, to identify factors driving antimicrobial prescription in hospitalized dogs and cats
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Joshua Khuvis, MD Candidate at Tufts University School of Medicine and Levy CIMAR Student Researcher
MD Candidate at Tufts University School of Medicine and Levy CIMAR Student Researcher working with Dr. Shira Doron on exploring the impact of diagnostic stewardship interventions on Clostridioides difficile test ordering practices and results
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Efrat Hamami, Molecular Microbiology PhD Candidate Working to Identify Vulnerabilities in Drug Resistant A. baumannii Isolates
Molecular Microbiology PhD Candidate Working in the Ralph Isberg Lab to Identify Vulnerabilities in Drug Resistant A. baumannii Isolates
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Kathleen Davis, PhD, Postdoctoral Scholar Working on Adapting Drug Combination Testing of Clinical Isolates
Postdoctoral Scholar working to identify antibiotic and small molecule combinations that function against problematic community and hospital-acquired pathogens; Working on adapting drug combination testing of clinical isolates
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Shailab Shrestha, MERGE-ID Ph.D. Candidate and Recipient of the Tufts GSBS Fellowship For International Students
PhD Candidate in Molecular Microbiology, MERGE-ID (Medically-oriented Research in Graduate Education – Infectious Disease) track at Tufts University’s Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences; Inaugural Recipient, Tufts University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Fellowship Supporting International Student Education, 2018
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Courtney Chan, Infection Prevention Coordinator, Medical Scribe, and Researcher
Infection Prevention Coordinator and Infectious Diseases Clinic Medical Scribe at Tufts Medical Center; Research contributor and co-author with the Levy CIMAR’s Drs. Maya Nadimpalli and Shira Doron: “Antibiotic Resistance: A Call to Action to Prevent the Next Epidemic of Inequality,” in Nature Medicine (2021)
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Eve Abraha, Undergraduate Researcher and Co-Teacher
Undergraduate Researcher at Tufts Medical Center working with the Levy CIMAR’s Dr. Shira Doron; Co-teacher in the PARE (Prevalence of Antibiotic Resistance in the Environment) program’s short course, PARE-Seq, under the guidance of the Levy CIMAR’s Drs. Carol Bascom-Slack and Amy Pickering
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Aubrey Specht, DVM Candidate and Award Winner, 2020 Tufts Vet Summer Research Training Program
Second-Year Graduate Student pursuing a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) at the Cummings School; Winner, Basic Science Award at the 2020 Tufts Vet Summer Research Training Program
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Iyob Gebremariam, Levy CIMAR Software Developer
Software Developer working with the Levy CIMAR on our Cutter and DiaMOND research and analytics tools; Masters student studying International Business at the Tufts Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy
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Juan A. Hernández-Bird, MERGE-ID PhD Student
2019 American Society of Microbiology (ASM) Capstone Fellowship awardee and PhD Candidate in Molecular Microbiology – MERGE-ID (Medically-oriented Research in Graduate Education - Infectious Disease) track at Tufts University’s Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
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Scarlet Bliss, Undergraduate Laidlaw Fellow
Laidlaw Scholar working with CIMAR’s Drs. Amy Pickering and Carol Bascom-Slack to incorporate molecular methods into the PARE (Prevalence of Antibiotic Resistance in the Environment) project
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Erica Fuhrmeister, PhD, Postdoctoral Scholar and National Science Foundation Fellow
Postdoctoral Fellow, Pickering Lab, Tufts University School of Engineering; Recipient: National Science Foundation Fellowship titled, “Transfer of Antimicrobial Resistance Genes betwee
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Gabriela Andujar Vazquez, MD, Inaugural LEAP Fellow
Attending physician, Division of Geographic Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Tufts Medical Center; Assistant Professor of Medicine, Tufts University School of Medicine; Inaugural LEAP Fellow for 2018-2019