Luke began working with the Yokoyama Lab in 2013 as part of a longitudinal imaging study focused on frontotemporal dementia.

Iris is a postdoctoral scholar in the Radiology and Biomedical Imaging Department at UCSF.  Her research combines neuroimaging, genetics, and computational methods to discover pathological mechanisms underlying neurodegenerative conditions. Her main research goal is to develop novel genetic and imaging biomarkers that will enhance the understanding, diagnosis, and treatment of disorders such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, frontotemporal dementia, and Alzheimer’s disease.

In her free time, Iris enjoys traveling, spending time with family, hiking and scuba diving. 

Ale joined the Yokoyama Lab through a post baccalaureate NIH-funded fellowship where she studied clinico-pathologically interesting cases of Alzheimer’s disease. She developed a fascination for identifying a genetic relationship to disease through her very first undergrad research experience at the Health Equity Research Lab at San Francisco State University, where she examined the ancestral linkage between triple-negative breast cancer and African Ancestry. In fall 2022, she completed her Master’s degree in Cell and Molecular Biology through a San Francisco State University—University of California San Francisco joint program.

Valerie joined the Yokoyama Lab in January 2023 as a staff scientist with a career-long interest in evaluating genetic factors involved in neurodegenerative diseases. She earned a PhD in neuroscience at the University of Michigan, where she identified transcriptional regulation sequences for a gene involved in epilepsy and movement disorders. During her postdoctoral fellowship in Dr. Robert Nussbaum’s lab at NHGRI and UCSF, she studied the role of alpha-synuclein in Parkinson’s disease.

Ethan is a postdoctoral scholar at the Memory and Aging Center interested in understanding how genetic variation contributes to the development of neurodegenerative disease. He graduated from University of California, Berkeley with a bachelor’s degree in molecular and cell biology and earned a PhD in 2013 from the Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences at University of California, San Francisco in the laboratory of Dr. Kathleen M. Giacomini.

Phuong is a second-year Movement Disorders clinical fellow at UCSF. She graduated from the MD/PhD program at Columbia and went on to complete her adult Neurology residency at Stanford before coming to UCSF. She is interested in studying mechanisms of neurodegenerative disease, especially Parkinson's disease and related parkinsonian disorders.

Taylor joins us from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo where he studied both microbiology and enology. Prior to his start at UCSF, Taylor worked as a Research Assistant at Cal Poly in cell culture utilizing various commercial probiotics, and Vibrio parahaemolyticus, to elucidate human intestinal epithelial and immune cell relationships upon probiotic and pathogenic challenge.

During his free time, Taylor enjoys surfing, playing music, cooking, fermenting, painting, and running. 

Jared is a PhD student in the PSPG program. Prior to joining the Yokoyama Lab, he received his BS and MS in Quantitative and Computational Biology from the University of Southern California. Jared's research interests center around uncovering the genetic and molecular underpinnings of neurodegeneration to improve diagnosis and treatment.

Outside of the lab, Jared can be found rock climbing, backpacking, playing guitar and banjo, and biking around the city.

Caroline is a data scientist at Data Tecnica and a staff scientist at the Yokoyama lab. She recently completed her PhD in the Pharmaceutical Sciences and Pharmacogenomics (PSPG) program at UCSF. Caroline holds a bachelor's degree in Biological and Chemical Engineering from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Her research interests focus on the genetic factors associated with neurodegenerative diseases.

Outside of her professional work, Caroline enjoys rock climbing, hiking, running, drawing, and writing poetry. A fun fact about Caroline is that she is a triplet.

Susana is a freelance writer and researcher who focuses on socio-environmental topics. She attended Bogotá's Pontificia Universidad Javeriana for her literary studies and Lima, Peru's Universidad San Ignacio de Loyola, for her bachelor's degree in education with a literature and humanities focus. She has worked as a freelance scriptwriter for TV shows centered on travel, sustainability, and Peruvian ancient cultures. Her stories have been featured in the Los Angeles Times, Altaïr (Spain), El País (America), and El Malpensante (Colombia), among other local publications. 

In collaboration with Atlantic Fellows for Equity in Brain Health at the Global Brain Health Institute (GBHI), she has documented stories about aging diversity in Peru during a pandemic.

Dani is an industrial engineer from the University of Buenos Aires (UBA) and musical composition teacher from the JJ Castro Conservatory, with further studies in Epistemology; Data Science; and Financial Inclusion and Social Innovation at Georgetown University. His career includes management roles in Buenos Aires city government, assisting in project management at Starkmacher e.V., and teaching in a variety of subjects, including music, culture, operational research, and most recently, chemistry at UBA. As a Global Institute for Brain Health Fellow, he is focusing on improving mental health equity via artistic interventions in vulnerable communities.

Alexis is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, where she received her Bachelor’s degree in Data Science and a concentration in Urban Science. As an Undergraduate Research Assistant, Alexis studied the impact of the technology industry on housing in the Bay Area. Her specialities include data mapping and data visualization, and she is deeply interested in the intersections of neurology, data science, and social justice.

Outside of work, Alexis loves to cook and is always looking for the next camping adventure.

Meri earned her bachelor's degree in biotechnology with a focus in cellular, molecular, and microbial biology from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. She is currently a student in the PSPG program, working with the Andrews and Yokoyama labs. Her research focuses on understanding how genetic, environmental, and socioeconomic determinants interplay in Alzheimer’s disease across Black, Hispanic, and White populations.

In her free time, Meri enjoys exploring different parks with her dog, spending time with her friends, and baking bread.

Jake is a student in the PSPG program and a rotational student in the Yokoyama lab. He graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a major in quantitative biology and a minor in American Indian and Indigenous studies. Before joining PSPG, he worked at Genentech as part of the development sciences rotational program. Jake is interested in investigating genetic factors that influence neurodegenerative disease with a focus on underrepresented populations.

Outside of work and his studies, Jake enjoys hiking, cooking, and playing competitive Spikeball.

Stefanie is a 2020 addition to the Yokoyama Lab as a part of the multi-partner consortium to expand dementia research in Latin America (ReDLat). This project is focused on exploring the genetic, radiological and socioeconomic determinants of Alzheimer's disease and frontotemporal dementia in Latin America. She is particularly interested in the role that mistreatment and stress play in neurodegeneration when they interact with genetic and radiological variables.

Oscar is the Assistant Clinical Research Coordinator at the Yokoyama Lab. He joins our lab to support the research focussed on the genetic, structural and cognitive characterization of alzheimer’s and frontotemporal dementia in Central and South American populations.

Ariel joined the Yokoyama Lab in February 2024 as a Staff Research Associate. She graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, where she received her bachelor’s in English and in Molecular and Cellular Biology. Ariel has experience assisting with research into the effects of environmental air pollution on neurodegenerative disease, as well as working in a clinical pathology setting; she is interested in learning more about neurogenetics. In her free time, Ariel enjoys spending time with friends and family, exploring San Francisco, and drawing at coffee shops

Karen Shuster designs, develops, and maintains custom websites across many units at UCSF, built on Drupal or WordPress platforms. She also trains staff, as needed. For many divisions, she provides marketing support, including brochures and business cards and creates visual branding for large scientific symposia and conferences, including web sites, digital signage, programs, stage banners, slides, table materials, posters, Mailchimp announcements, and more.

Dan is a staff scientist in the Memory and Aging Center studying cellular and molecular changes in the context of neurodegeneration. He is particularly interested in the transcriptional alterations of peripheral blood cells in early-onset dementia syndromes and hopes to leverage this information to enable a more robust understanding of the cell biology of neurodegeneration. Dan completed PhD work in cell biology in 2012 with Robert H. Edwards at UCSF. In 2018, he completed postdoctoral training in membrane trafficking and biochemistry with Randy Schekman at UC Berkeley and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

When not working, Dan enjoys traveling, fishing, and tasting new wines. 

Brendan is a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles with a major in Biochemistry. He began working with the Yokoyama Lab in 2020 through a summer research internship to learn about specific wet-lab techniques used in clinical research related to neurodegenerative diseases. He has also assisted in the lab’s data sharing initiatives by contributing to the testing of a cloud-based platform. Brendan is now working on protocol development and database management for our wet lab.

In his free time, Brendan enjoys playing tennis, cooking and travelling with his family.

Ilaria is a medical student at UCSF. Prior to joining the Yokoyama lab, she graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in Molecular and Cell Biology and spent her gap years as a Clinical Research Coordinator at Stanford.

Ilaria's research interests include uncovering genetic pathways, increasing genetic sequencing in underrepresented populations, and resilience to neurodegeneration.  

Outside of medical school, Ilaria can be found running, baking sourdough, or doing anything outdoors!

Ana Tyler, JD, MA, received her undergraduate degree from The Ohio State University and her law degree with a concentration in health law and policy and master’s degree in bioethics from Case Western Reserve University. After completing a fellowship in Clinical Ethics from Sutter Health (California Pacific Medical Center, San Francisco), she worked as a clinical ethicist at Beaumont Health in the metro Detroit, Michigan area.

Ana is currently a program manager at the Memory and Aging Center and works with Jalayne Arias, JD, MA, and Jennifer Yokoyama, PhD, on their research examining legal, ethical, policy and social issues relating to genetic data sharing and predictive testing for neurodegenerative illnesses.

Natália joined the Yokoyama Lab in August 2022, shortly after graduating from San Francisco State University in spring 2022 with a BS in Cell and Molecular Biology. She is currently pursuing her Master’s in Cell and Molecular Biology in a joint program and SFSU and UCSF. Originally from Brazil herself, Natália works closely with our ReDLat partner site in Brazil.