OUR SPEAKERS
Akash Gunjan , Ph . D ., is an associate professor of Biomedical Sciences at the Florida State University College of Medicine . His research focuses on rare pediatric brain tumors , including diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma , which arise from mutations in histone genes . Gunjan investigates the potential of combining radiation with targeted therapies that modulate epigenetic and DNA repair pathways . His goal is to develop innovative treatment strategies that effectively eliminate tumor cells while minimizing harm to healthy cells .
Yi Zhou , Ph . D ., is a professor of Biomedical Sciences at the FSU College of Medicine . His research focuses on rare pediatric seizure disorders associated with developmental delay and intellectual disability . Zhou is developing and validating novel cellular models to study seizures linked to YWHAG gene mutations . Through these models , he aims to uncover the molecular and neurobiological mechanisms underlying these disorders , advancing the search for effective treatments .
Emily Shiel is a doctoral candidate and graduate research assistant in the Biomedical Sciences laboratory of Stephen Chelko , Ph . D ., at the FSU College of Medicine . She studies arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy , a rare inherited heart disease that significantly increases the risk of sudden cardiac death in children and adolescents . Shiel ' s research focuses on developing and evaluating novel therapeutic strategies to slow disease progression and improve patient outcomes .
David H . Ledbetter , Ph . D ., FACMG , is the associate director for Precision Medicine at the FSU Institute for Pediatric Rare Diseases and a professor of Clinical Sciences . A pioneering clinical geneticist , Ledbetter has made groundbreaking contributions to the understanding of pediatric rare diseases . His early discoveries identified the genetic causes of Prader-Willi syndrome and Miller-Dieker syndrome . His current research focuses on identifying genetic causes of psychiatric disorders and developing advanced technologies for their prevention , early diagnosis , and intervention .