Current Research Team
Aaron Leong, MD, MSc
Dr. Leong is Assistant Professor in Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Associate Physician, Massachusetts General Hospital, Division of Endocrinology and Division of General Internal Medicine, and Associate Member, the Broad Institute. He is a practicing endocrinologist and sees patients with type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, and general endocrine disorders. His research focuses on the application diabetes genetics and hemoglobin A1c genetics to public health, health disparities, pharmacogenetics, and clinical practice. He uses ancestrally diverse cohorts and biorepositories-linked with electronic health data to test genetic predictions for drug responses, disease incidence, progression, and comorbidities, and have led physiological and multi-omic studies involving detailed phenotyping and pharmacologic interventions. He has played leadership, supervising and participatory roles in genetic discovery efforts within international genetics consortia and published several studies using Mendelian Randomization approaches to evaluate causal relationships between risk factors and cardiometabolic disease.
Griffin Duffy, BSN, RN
Griffin is a research nurse in the Diabetes Research Center at Massachusetts General Hospital, and comes from previous work in neurology clinical trials at MGH. Griffin is delighted to be a part of the PROGRESS study and enjoys the process and exploratory nature of clinical trials as a research nurse. In his spare time, Griffin loves to read, stay active, and play the guitar.
Rachel Huynh
Rachel Huynh is the clinical research coordinator for the PROGRESS study. She began working at the Diabetes Research Clinic after graduating from Tufts University with a degree in community health. She has a strong interest in clinical research and its ties to public health. In the fall, she will pursue her medical degree at the UMass Chan Medical School.
Nopporn (Nop) Thangthaeng, PhD, NP
Biography
Zoe MacDiarmid
Zoe MacDiarmid is a sophomore cell and molecular biology at Northeastern University and a research assistant for PROGRESS. Previously, she worked in a lab studying DNA repair mechanisms and volunteered as an EMT in her hometown fire department. Currently, she is an editor for Northeastern’s independent newspaper, and she dedicates any free minute to writing or reading the news.
Rachel Bartholomew
Rachel Bartholomew is a Senior Clinical Research Coordinator currently working on the EDIC and DPPOS studies at the Diabetes Research Center. Over the past several years, she has worked on various research studies related to Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes at MGH. She has personal connections to diabetes and hopes that by being a part of studies related to the disease, she can help lead to the betterment of everyone living with it. In Rachel’s free time, she loves hanging out with her partner and 2 cats, along with biking to and from work.
Tara Bresnahan, BSN, RN
Tara Bresnahan is the Nurse Director at the MGH Diabetes Research Center, Co-Chair of the MGH Clinical Research Nurse Collaborative, and long-time active member of the MGH clinical research community. Her experience includes physician-initiated and FDA regulated clinical trials in areas of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, surgery, and oncology. She earned her MBA in healthcare administration, obtained certification as a clinical research nurse, and has previously worked as a study monitor. Outside of work, Tara enjoys spending time with her family.
Robin Azevedo, BSN, RN
Robin Azevedo is a Clinical Research Nurse at the Diabetes Research Center, working on multiple studies including EDIC, GO MOMs, DECIDE, Progress, as well as industry sponsored trials.
As a former Labor & Delivery nurse, Robin’s passion is improving the health and well-being of individuals and their offspring during and after pregnancy. Robin enjoys interacting with patients during their study visits, and aims to ensure participant safety and satisfaction during their research interactions. Robin also enjoys collaborating with the Clinical team during research, providing education to staff and helping non-research staff understand research activities that often overlap with clinical care.
Kathy Chu
Scientific Collaborators
Maheak Vora
Maheak Vora, MS, is a Computational biologist at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. Her work focuses on genome-wide association studies (GWAS) aimed at understanding the genetic underpinnings of type 2 diabetes. She works with Drs. Mercader and Leong on the TARGET (Targeted Assessment of participants through Recall by Genotype for Evaluation and Translation) – Diabetes study.
Josep M. Mercader, PhD
Josep M Mercader, PhD, is a researcher at the Diabetes Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital, Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School, Associate Member at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, and Core Member of the Broad Diabetes Initiative at the Broad Institute. His research involves the discovery and functional characterization of genetic variation associated with T2D and related traits in diverse populations. In collaboration with Aaron Leong and his team, they work together towards the translation of their findings to the clinic, with the overarching goal of studying genetics in diverse populations to reduce health disparities.
Alicia Huerta
Bio
Vicky Kaur
Bio
Hasan S. Dashiti, Ph.D., R.D., FASPEN
Hassan S. Dashti, Ph.D., R.D., FASPEN is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School. He is a registered dietitian and a research scientist with an interest in clinical nutrition, chronobiology, sleep, and genetics.
Past Team Members
Saadhvi Kartik
After working at the DRC for two years, where she was a Northeastern University co-op student and then a Clinical Research Coordinator, Saadhvi is now completing a Master’s program at Tufts University in Biomedical Sciences.
Cassandra Quinones
Bio
Mariella Facibene
Mariella worked at the DRC for two years. She started as a Northeastern co-op student and then as a Clinical Research Coordinator. She is now pursuing her medical degree at SUNY Downstate College of Medicine.
Dang Van Khanh (Stacey) Nguyen
Stacey Nguyen is a fourth-year Psychology major at Northeastern University. She completed her first co-op at the DRC and is now in her second co-op at Boston Children’s Hospital in the Division of Developmental Medicine. She plans to further her education in the field of mental health after graduation.
Mark O’Connor, MD
Mark O’Connor, MD, is an endocrinologist at the UMass Chan Medical School in Worcester, MA. He sees patients, teaches students and residents, and has been the principal investigator for multiple studies focused on new diabetes technology and type 2 diabetes. He says, “My time in the Leong lab provided a great foundation for a career in academic medicine.”
Sophia Anain
Sophia is a former research assistant at the Diabetes Research Center. She studied Behavioral Neuroscience at Northeastern University, and also has research experience in developmental psychology and forensic psychiatry. Sophia now works as a Senior Analyst at Herspiegel, a healthcare and pharmaceutical consulting firm. In her free time, she enjoys reading, running, and knitting.
Julie Parikh
During my undergraduate career, I was a co-op student working at the DRC as a clinical research assistant. After I pursued my master’s in biotechnology at Northeastern University. I am currently working on a Bridge Project between the Koch Institute of MIT and Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center titled Achieving Equity In Precision Oncology Through Integrative Functional Genomics.”
Grace Nobile
I worked with Dr. Leong in 2020 as a Clinical Research Coordinator Co-op from Northeastern University. Together we worked on the TARGET (Targeted Assessment of participants through Recall by Genotype for Evaluation and Translation) – Diabetes study. I recently started a new job as a Research Specialist II in the Feghali-Bostwick Lab at the Medical University of South Carolina. My current project is focused on understanding the mechanisms underlying organ fibrosis, specifically looking at Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) and Systemic Sclerosis (SSc). My project is centered around developing a therapeutic for these diseases.
Lauren Mendez
After working at the DRC for a year where she was a Clinical Research Coordinator as a Northeastern University co-op student, Lauren is now completing her Medical degree at NSU Kiran C. Patel School of Osteopathic Medicine.
Nara Norgil
Bio
Edgar Dorsey Trevino, MD, MMSc
Edgar G. Dorsey-Trevino, MD, MMSc, is currently a second-year internal medicine resident at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV). Building on the formative experience he had at MGH, he has gone on to present his research at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and has earned national recognition for his work. Energized by these opportunities, he is excited to continue his journey toward becoming a physician-scientist with a focus on hematology/oncology.
Philip Schroeder
Philip Schroeder, MS, is a PhD student at MIT CSAIL in the Spoken Language Systems Group.
Abigail Jones
Bio
Manvi Lohia
After working at the DRC as a Clinical Research Coordinator under Dr. Aaron Leong, I am now focused on my ventures. Science to Plate is an evidence-based nutrition platform emphasizing gut, women’s, and cardiac health. Ekaanta is a wellness retreat on the Ganges, integrating sustainable practices and holistic health approaches.
Mary Banick