People

Principal Investigator

Andy Vaughan, PhD

In theory I’m in charge, but seems like people pretty much do whatever they want. I grew up in rural Nebraska, got my BS at the University of Nebraska, PhD in Seattle at the University of Washington with Dr. Dusty Miller, and did my postdoctoral work at the University of California San Francisco with Dr. Hal Chapman.

When I’m not in lab, I like to ride my bike, make and drink beer, read comic books, and hang out with my wife Molly. I also oscillate between musical obsessions with Neil Young, Talking Heads, and Lou Reed.

Postdoctoral Fellows

Gan Zhao, PhD

Gan obtained his PhD from Huazhong Agricultural University in China and joined Vaughan Lab team since Sept. 2018 as a visiting student. We were thrilled that Gan decided to stay on with us as a postdoc since July 2020. He is currently interested in pulmonary vascular regeneration after influenza injury, in particular how endothelial cells achieve this process and identifying the most important inducers/regulators of vascular repair. Outside of lab, Gan likes to watch movies, listen to music, cook and travel.

Michael Maiden, DO-PhD

Sara Kass-Gergi, MD

Michael received his medical degree from Michigan State University where he also obtained a PhD in Microbiology and Molecular Genetics studying cystic fibrosis. He is currently completing his fellowship in Pulmonology at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. His research interests are in studying the mysterious tuft cells which play a role in chemosensory, immune and neuronal pathways. Michael is most interested in how tuft cells play a role in dysplastic lung repair and the formation of "epithelial scars" following viral injury. While not in the lab or in the hospital, he really enjoys running, cooking and escaping to the shore!

Sara was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY by Syrian immigrants and that’s all you really need to know to understand her personality/pathology. She did undergrad at Wesleyan University where she majored in Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, and English Literature. She got her medical degree at SUNY Downstate College of Medicine and completed her Internal Medicine Residency at New York Presbyterian-Columbia Medical Center. She is currently completing her fellowship in Pulmonary and Critical Care at UPenn. Her research interests are in studying fibrosis for the explicit reason of obfuscating the need for lung transplantation and helping people breathe easier. In her free time, she enjoys hosting themed parties, talking/ranting about DC and Marvel, obsessively finding babies to play with, and reading.

Graduate Students

Joanna Wong

Nick Holcomb

Meryl Mendoza

Joanna is from San Jose, California. She got her B.S. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at UC Davis and is currently working towards a PhD in Cell and Molecular Biology at UPenn. Her current project involves unraveling the mechanisms of endothelial regeneration in post-influenza lungs. When she's not doing science, she enjoys hiking with her dog or eating food.

Nick grew up in Coral Springs, Florida and graduated with his BS in Biochemistry from Florida State University. His research experiences fostered a drive to study regeneration using stem cells and pursue a PhD in Cell and Molecular Biology at UPenn. Outside of the lab, Nick enjoys comics, games, fantasy books, competitive sports, and spending time with friends. 

Meryl grew up in Los Angeles, California. She graduated from California State University Los Angeles with her BS in Biology and is now pursuing a PhD in Cell and Molecular Biology. Her project focuses on understanding the mechanisms behind endothelial repair looking at Notch signaling. Outside of doing science, Meryl enjoys drawing, baking, and spending time with her sister’s dog Kodi.

Research Specialists

Madeline Singh

Maddy is from Wilmington, Delaware. She is a joint research specialist for the Vaughan and Lengner labs. She graduated University of Delaware Honors in 2023 with a BS in pre-veterinary medicine. She worked in two research laboratories as an undergraduate researcher (Dr. Yihang Li studying optimal GI physiology in poultry models and Dr. Jason Gleghorn studying pulmonary birth defects in mouse models). She is working towards going to medical school. In her free time, she likes to travel, run, row, spend time with her dogs, and try the different cuisines of the Philadelphia area.