People

David A. Braun, MD, PhD
Principal Investigator

David is a physician-scientist, an Assistant Professor at the Yale School of Medicine, a Goodman and Gilman Yale Scholar, and a principal investigator in the Center of Molecular and Cellular Oncology within the Yale Cancer Center. He received his undergraduate degree at Princeton University in Molecular Biology with Certificates in Engineering Biology and Applications of Computing. He then received his PhD in Computational Biology from the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences at New York University and his MD from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. During that time, he also served as the national President of the American Physician Scientists Association, and received the AMA Foundation Leadership Award and the Barry Coller Award for Excellence in Clinical Medicine. He completed a residency in Internal Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, and was selected as a Chief Medical Resident.

He subsequently completed a clinical fellowship in Medical Oncology and post-doctoral fellowship at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School, where he was the Emil Frei Fellow, the John R. Svenson Fellow, and served as an Instructor of Medicine. He was selected to be part of the Department of Defense’s Academy of Kidney Cancer Investigator, the Immuno-Oncology Young Investigator’s Forum and the SITC Sparkathon for Emerging Leaders Igniting Innovation in cancer immunotherapy. In 2019, he was named a “NextGen Innovator” by HemOnc Today, in 2022 he received the Kidney Cancer Association “Trailblazer Award”, and in 2023 he received the “Young Physician-Scientist” Award from the American Society of Clinical Investigation (ASCI). Through combined experimental and computational approaches, he aims to better understand the key determinants of anti-tumor immunity in order to develop novel therapies for patients with advanced cancer.

Jess Graham
Graduate Student

Jess is a Computational Biology and Bioinformatics (CBB) PhD student in the Braun Lab at Yale. Jess is originally from Phoenix, Arizona, and she received her undergraduate degrees in Biosystems Engineering and Statistics & Data Science from the University of Arizona. While at the University of Arizona, Jess worked in the Hurwitz lab where she used computational tools to study viral signatures associated with colorectal cancer. Outside of classes and research, she enjoys hiking, crocheting, and watching horror movies.

Soki Kashima, MD, PhD
Associate Research Scientist

Soki is an Associate Research Scientist in the Braun Lab at Yale, a urologic surgeon, and a physician-scientist at Akita University in Japan. He received his MD and PhD from Akita University Graduate School of Medicine, completing his doctoral research in the Laboratory of Immunology at Kyoto University under the mentorship of Prof. Hiroshi Kawamoto. In doctoral research, he studied the efficacy of antigen-specific T cell therapies derived from iPS cells for renal cell carcinoma, using both in vitro and in vivo (orthotopic xenograft models in mice) models. After his PhD, he has continued his research and clinical work as urologist at Kyoto University and Akita University with mentorship from Prof. Osamu Ogawa, Prof. Takashi Kobayashi and Prof. Tomonori Habuchi. He has an extensive research skillset in analyzing immune cell function and phenotype, measuring cytotoxicity of T cells, and in  patient-derived xenograft mouse models. In the BraunLab, he uses immunogenomic and functional approaches to dissect the tumor microenvironment and understand the mechanisms of resistance to immunotherapy in renal cell carcinoma. At leisure, Soki enjoys travelling and experiencing local culture and local cuisine.

Katrine Madsen
Medical Student Researcher

Katrine is a researcher in the Braun Lab and a rising medical student at Yale with an interest in oncology. She received her undergraduate degree at UC Berkeley in Molecular and Cell Biology, with an emphasis in Immunology and Pathogenesis. During her time there, she worked in the laboratory of David Raulet, where she studied Natural Killer cell receptor expression using mouse models. Prior to coming to Yale, Katrine spent a year working as a research technician at Huntington Medical Research Institute studying the role of the Choroid Plexus in migraine. Outside of school, Katrine enjoys visiting her family in Denmark, beach days, and being a plant mom.

Nicholas Schindler
Research Associate

Nick is a research associate in the Braun Lab at Yale. Prior to moving to Yale, Nick worked as a research technician in the laboratory of Dr. Catherine Wu at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, where he optimized methods for patient-derived models of the tumor microenvironment. He also gained considerable experience in sequence analysis, cloning of T cell receptors, and analyses of T cell responses. Prior to Dana-Farber, Nick worked as a research technician in the laboratory of Dr. JoAnne Flynn, where he assisted in studying immunologic responses to Mycobacterium tuberculosis in non-human primate models. Outside of work, Nick enjoys traveling, climbing, and the beach. 

Renée Maria Saliby, MD
Postdoctoral Fellow
Co-Mentors: David Braun (Yale) | Toni Choueiri (DFCI)

Renée Maria is a postdoctoral research fellow at the Braun lab (Yale) and the Lank Center for Genitourinary Oncology (Dana-Farber Cancer Institute). She completed her medical studies at the Faculty of Medicine of Saint Joseph University in Beirut, Lebanon, in July 2021 and graduated in the 90th percentile. Renée Maria concomitantly worked as a part-time research assistant in a translational laboratory at the same university (Laboratory of Biomechanics and Medical Imaging), where she had the chance to collaborate with the world-renowned references in the field: The Biomechanics Laboratories and Orthopedic surgery departments of Arts et Metiers ParisTech (Paris, France) and Hospital for Special Surgery (New York, USA). She obtained a Master of Science in Biomechanics with a  thesis focused on finding the determinants of quality of life among radiographical and gait parameters in patients with Adult Spine Deformity. During her studies in Lebanon, Renée Maria was part of the student council, several clubs and organizations, and an asset at the University Hospital during the tragic events that Lebanon witnessed in the last two years. Her current work focuses on characterizing the genetic and epigenetic landscape of patients with kidney cancer through innovative techniques. Renée Maria also enjoys traveling, reading, and swimming.

Frankie Scallo
Graduate Student
Co-Mentor: David Braun (Yale) | Jeffrey Ishizuka (Yale)

Frankie is PhD student in the Braun Lab and Ishizuka lab, and part of the Translational Molecular Medicine, Pharmacology, and Physiology Track and Program in Translational at Yale. He received his B.S. in Biology and Psychology from The College of New Jersey in Spring 2020. Before coming to Yale, he worked in the lab of Alexander Valvezan at Rutgers University studying how mTORC1 activity is regulated throughout cell cycle progression in non-malignant and tumor models. Now, he is interested in discovering new therapeutics leveraging the immune system that can be implemented in the clinic. Frankie spends his time camping, hiking, and finding the nearest bar trivia when not in the lab.

Lena Wirth
Graduate Student

Lena is an Immunobiology PhD student in the Braun Lab at Yale. She received her undergraduate degree in biochemistry from Seattle Pacific University. Prior to coming to Yale, she worked as a research technician in Philip Greenberg’s lab, where she used novel T cell engineering approaches to enhance T cell effector functions for adoptive cell therapy. Outside of the lab, Lena enjoys running ultramarathons with former labmate Miya Hugaboom.

Ruchi Gupta
Graduate Student

Ruchi is an MD/PhD student studying Immunobiology in the Braun Lab. She received her undergraduate degree in Chemistry at Rice University. Before coming to Yale, she studied the effects of modified NSAIDs to inhibit the proliferation and metastasis of pancreatic cancer at McGovern Medical School. At Rice, she also worked in a chemical biology lab to develop a novel antibody conjugation technique called pClick to improve the way we deliver cancer immunotherapy. Outside of the lab, Ruchi enjoys going to concerts, baking complicated desserts, and tending to more plants than anyone should legally be allowed to own.

Zhaochen Ye
Graduate Student

Zhaochen is a Computational Biology and Biomedical informatics (CBB) PhD student co-mentored by Drs. David Braun and Steven Kleinstein. He finished his bachelor’s degree in bioinformatics at Peking University, where he worked under the guidance of Drs. Zemin Zhang and Dongfang Wang to identify multicellular programs in colorectal cancer. Currently, his research focuses on how cancer and its treatment shape the human adaptive immune repertoire. Outside the lab, he enjoys watching movies, listening to pop music, and making some beautiful but not always tasty desserts and drinks.

Zachary Yochum, MD, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow

Zak is a postdoctoral research fellow in the Braun Lab. He completed his MD/PhD as a member of the University of Pittsburgh-Carnegie Mellon Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP). As a graduate student in Timothy Burns’ lab, he studied the role of Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) transcription factors in lung cancer tumorigenesis and resistance to targeted therapies. He subsequently completed Internal Medicine residency at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and is currently a Medical Oncology Fellow at Yale. In the Braun lab, Zak is interested in using single-cell and spatial omic techniques to characterize subtypes of RCC and elucidate drivers of response and resistance to immunotherapies. Outside the lab, he enjoys spending time spending time with family, golfing and watching Pittsburgh sports teams.

Ethan Burns
Graduate Student

Ethan is an immunobiology PhD student in the Braun Lab. Initially from the Philadelphia area, he received his undergraduate degree in Biology from the University of Pennsylvania. While at Penn, he worked as an undergraduate researcher in Mike Betts’s lab studying anti-viral T cell responses as well as the immune checkpoint protein CD200. Ethan is interested in combining wet and dry lab approaches on patient samples to better understand anti-tumor immune responses in renal cell carcinoma. Outside of the lab, he enjoys hiking, cooking, traveling, and sports.

Colin Laughlin
Graduate Student

Colin is an Immunobiology PhD student in the Braun Lab at Yale. He attended the University of Pittsburgh for his undergraduate degree in Biological Sciences, where he also worked as an undergraduate researcher in the lab of Dr. Daniel Kaplan, determining the effects of MRGPRA3 activation on neurons and immune cells in the skin. After graduation, Colin worked as a research technician in the labs of Dr. Marlies Meisel and Reinhard Hinterleitner, investigating the roles that gut commensal bacteria and protists have on cancer and autoimmunity, with an emphasis on the potential beneficial role of probiotics in enhancing antitumor immunity.  Colin's current research interests involve deciphering key cellular communication networks that occur in the tumor and nearby immune tissue, alongside the role of underexplored components of the tumor microenvironment. When not in the lab, Colin enjoys hiking, baking, and collecting records.

Julia Walker
Clinical Research Coordinator

Julia is a Clinical Research Coordinator in the Braun Lab at Yale. Julia is from Fairfield, Connecticut, and received a BS in Pharmacology & Toxicology and Biology with a certificate in Life Sciences Communication from the University of Wisconsin-Madison before joining the lab. During her time in undergrad, she worked in a pharmaceutical science lab to develop TIGIT-targeting dendrimer-peptide conjugates with minimal off-target effects and improved receptor binding. In the Braun Lab, she works to establish a biobank of fresh tissue and blood samples from patients with suspected or diagnosed renal cell carcinoma. She plans to continue a career in pharmacy. Outside of lab, she loves animals, to hang out with friends and family, tutor students, and go out to eat.

Alexander Yang, MD - Internal Medicine Resident Researcher

Chris Labaki, MD - Postdoctoral fellow

Vivien Moritz - Postgraduate Associate, 2023-2025

Deepak Poduval, PhD - Associate Research Scientist / Computational Biologist, 2022-2025

Harry Kane - Medical Student Researcher, 2022-2025

Alia Meliki, MS - Postgraduate Associate, 2023-2024

Miya Hugaboom - Postgraduate Associate, 2022-2024

Katherine Sadak - Postgraduate Associate, 2022-2024

Hanna Soulati - Postgraduate Associate, 2022-2024

Valisha Shah, MA - Computational Biologist, 2022-2024

Elena Ahjem - Visiting Medical Student (University of Cambridge), Summer 2023

Ayjha Brown - Visiting Undergraduate Student (Emory University), Summer 2023