Research

Samantha is a PhD student exploring a potential therapeutic target in drug-resistant leukemia.

Dr. DiStefano joined CHLA in 2021 and is the lead psychologist for the Boone Fetter Clinic.

A fifth-year PhD student, Kevin is studying patterns of genetic mutation in retinoblastoma.

Erin loves the “abstract ethical thinking” that goes into her role as CHLA’s Institutional Review Board (IRB) Administrator.

Children’s Hospital Los Angeles researchers develop a pediatric solid tumor liquid biopsy for use when obtaining a tissue biopsy is not feasible.

Brandi supports 20 research coordinators and assistants across nine divisions.

Raquel developed her passion for research in college—studying virology at California State University, San Bernardino, and working for four years in a university lab focused on influenza A.

Funded by a five-year K23 career development grant from the National Institutes of Health, Dr. Cheng is using MRI techniques to examine blood flow in children with the Fontan circulation.

Ingrid Lekk, PhD, is a postdoctoral fellow exploring why some sarcoma cells metastasize—and how they ‘choose’ where to go in the body.

A postdoctoral fellow, Marjorie Odegard, MD, aims to become an academic pediatric surgeon with a focus on health disparities research.