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Chrystal A. S. Smith, Ph.D., is an external affiliate of the AQUASS Research Lab. She is an anthropologist with an M.P.H. in epidemiology. Her research interests include chronic disease and behavioral health management. Dr. Smith has extensive experience developing and writing grant proposals for...

Dr. Enola Okonkwo is a Faculty Affiliate of the AQUASS Research Lab, an Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at the Morsani College of Medicine, and the Associate Program Director for the USF Emergency Medicine Residency Program. She also serves as an Emergency Medicine Physician at Tampa...

I have been the lab manager since 2021. I earned my master’s degree in Law from Shanghai University in China. I have over 15 years of experience in customer service and education. My primary focus is laboratory management and logistics. Additionally, I culture and differentiate human iPSCs and...

Dr. Vicky Sanchez is a clinician-scientist in the Department of Otolaryngology. She provides clinical services and leads research studies in the Auditory Rehabilitation & Clinical Trials Laboratory (ARCT Lab). The ARCT Lab is both federally and industry funded, and is a collaborative multi...

I received my B.S. in 1995 from Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan, China, and earned my Ph.D. in 2006 from the Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology. Following this, I moved to Houston, Texas, where I joined Dr. Qiang Tong’s lab at the Children’s Nutrition Research...

I earned my PhD from Fudan University in 2023, where I investigated the dynamics and molecular mechanisms of synaptic transmission and plasticity using ex vivo electrophysiology, molecular and cellular approaches, and advanced fluorescence imaging. I began my postdoctoral training in Dr. Yong Xu’s...

I received a PhD in Neuroscience from Peking University, where I focused on neuropathic pain pathways and the mechanisms of insulin secretion in pancreatic β cells. In 2025, I started postdoctoral research in Dr. Yong Xu’s laboratory at Baylor College of Medicine, studying the neurocircuits that...

I obtained my PhD from Jiangnan University, where I conducted research on the intergenerational genetic mechanisms by which maternal nutrition impacts the metabolic homeostasis of offspring. My research also explored the beneficial effects of exercise on skeletal muscles through lactate. During my...

I obtained my MD degree from Jilin University. In December 2024, I joined Dr. Xu’s lab as a visiting student, where I continue to investigate the relationship between metabolic disorders and cognitive function. Outside the lab, I enjoy music and drawing.