Principal Investigator Dr. Joshua L. Bonkowsky
Bio: Josh is a pediatric neurologist specializing in clinical care and research. He is a professor of Pediatrics at the University of Utah School of Medicine, and Primary Children’s Hospital. After graduating from Harvard College, he spent one year on a Fulbright Fellowship in Vienna, Austria. He received his MD and PhD degrees from the University of California, San Diego, and completed residency training at the University of Utah (pediatrics), Children’s Hospital of Boston and University of Utah (pediatric neurology). In his “spare” time he enjoys camping with his daughter, building a quasi-functional radio telescope with his sons, and trail running.
Tammy Stevenson Lab Manager
Research: In addition to being the lab “mom”, Tammy is currently testing potential gene therapies for Zellweger Spectrum Disorder and also functions as the lab’s “closer”, working to do final experiments needed to get publications out the door.
Bio: Tammy grew up in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, graduated summa cum laude from UC San Diego with a major in molecular biology, and also did a piano performance major at California State University Stanislaus. When she’s not pipetting things, she enjoys racewalking, trail running, playing chamber music, and reading.
Diego Baronio Post-Doc
Research: Diego works on the characterization of disease-critical pathways and pharmacological targets of X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy using zebrafish as a model organism.
Bio: Diego received his PhD degree from the University of Helsinki, Finland. He enjoys spending time with his family and traveling with them. He is also interested in football (soccer), cooking and fishing.
Courtney Demmitt-Rice PhD Student
Bio: Courtney graduated cum laude with a BS in Biotechnology from UVU in 2015. She then taught Biology labs and did environmental toxicology research in honeybees before joining the Molecular Biology PhD program here. Currently, she is using drug screens, transcriptomics, and lipidomics to understand the molecular pathology of Adrenoleukodystrophy.
Research: Courtney enjoys being outdoors with her family, arranging flowers, gardening, and building things. Her youngest child has a rare genetic disorder — this has fueled Courtney’s interest in clinical translational research and she looks forward to contributing to the rare disease community as both a caregiver and researcher.
Julia Wentz –Laboratory Technician IV I Community Outreach & Engagement
Research: Julia is working on an incredibly important project for Vanishing White Matter Disease. She understands the importance of research—her son also lives with a rare disease. Her experience in research began at the University of Utah, 16 years ago.
Bio: Julia’s interest span across a diverse range of activities and taste, from various ethnic cuisines to outdoor adventures in her off-road vehicle. Her favorite love of all time is watching her children grow into kind and caring human beings — they are the future.
Quenna Yuan Undergrad
Research: Quenna is learning foundational techniques including histology, genotyping, and animal handling that will help in studying Vanishing White Matter Disease.
Bio: Quenna is a sophomore at the University of Utah majoring in Mathematics and minoring in Cognitive Science and Honors Integrative Health. She is interested in attending graduate school to get a PhD in Neuroscience. In her free time, she likes to spend time in nature, read, and learn new recipes.
Amanda Mixon Post-Doc
Research: Amanda is studying the implementation and efficacy of combinatorial gene therapy strategies to treat leukodystrophies using model organisms and patient-derived cell lines.
Bio: Amanda is a recent PhD graduate in biochemistry from the University of Utah with prior training in biomedical engineering and molecular biology. Outside of the lab, she enjoys reading fantasy novels, exploring the Utah wilderness, and playing sports such as competitive roller derby and super-social, beer-league softball.
Brett Hollberg Honorary Lab Member
COMING SOON!
Bio:
Former Lab Members
- Pi-kai Chang
- Monika Baker
- Austin Wood
- Ksenia Nokhrina
- Erika Scholl
- Hung-Yu Shih
- Miranda Bowles
- Katy Glaittli
- Abi Deschiffart
- Sarv Raafati
- Haille Soderholm
- Esther Fujimoto
- Lingyan Xing
- Jong Hyun-Son
- Cameron Brimley
- Dana Schiwal
- Quentin Raas
- Tyler Quist
- Kathryn Pavia
- Michael Sam
- Cory Kogelschatz
- Tony Trinh
- Danner Peter
- Samira Rosenthal
- Matt Keefe
- Jingxia Gao
- Lauren Strachan
- Briana Fresher