James Lo, MD, PhD

James trained as an immunologist during his PhD at the University of Chicago with Yang-Xin Fu. Afterwards he completed his residency in Internal Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital and Cardiology fellowship at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. He did his postdoctoral fellowship with Bruce Spiegelman at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute where he developed his interest in molecular metabolism. After a short stint as an Instructor of Medicine at Brigham and Harvard Medical School, he established the Lo lab at Weill Cornell Medicine in 2015. James enjoys playing basketball and has taken up the challenge of figuring out how to ride a snowboard.

Lisa Stoll, PhD

Lisa completed a Bachelor of Science at the University of Saarland, Germany, a Master of Science at the University of Cádiz, Spain, and a PhD at the University of Lausanne, Switzerland, where she studied the role of circular RNAs in the control of β-cell functions. Lisa joined the Lo lab in 2018 as a postdoctoral researcher. She is currently investigating organ crosstalk and the link between obesity and atrial fibrillation with a focus on both coding and non-coding RNAs. In her spare time, Lisa enjoys pole dancing, travelling, and playing with her cats Chubby and Goaty.

Ankit Gilani, PhD

Ankit is a classically trained pharmacologist with a PhD in Pharmacology from New York Medical College, New York and a Master’s degree in Pharmacology and Toxicology from National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, India. During his doctoral research, he worked on novel mechanistic mediators of diet-induced obesity and insulin resistance. Ankit joined the Lo Lab as a postdoctoral associate in 2019 and is passionate about continuing his research endeavor on discovering novel treatments for obesity, Type-II diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. When not in the lab, he enjoys playing tennis, running and mentoring young STEM aspirants.

Edwin Homan, MD, PhD

Edwin is a cardiologist with biochemistry training who is returning to the research lab for the final years of his cardiology fellowship. After college at the University of Florida, he earned a PhD in Chemistry and Chemical Biology with Alan Saghatelian at Harvard University, where he discovered a new class of endogenous lipid molecules called FAHFAs with insulin-sensitizing and anti-inflammatory properties. Edwin then pursued medical training at Mount Sinai for his MD, NYP-Columbia for his internal medicine residency, and is now at NYP-Cornell for his cardiovascular disease fellowship. He is currently investigating the cardioprotective effect of caloric restriction in a mouse model of ischemic heart failure. When he is not in the lab or in the hospital, Edwin enjoys cooking, piano, golfing, and jogging all over New York City.

Renan Pereira de Lima, PhD

Renan obtained his MSci and PhD in Pharmacology from the Federal University of Ceara (Brazil), where he focused his studies on investigating the mechanisms of action of secondary metabolites present in the Brazilian flora in the treatment of T2DM and obesity. Renan joined the Lo lab in 2023 as a postdoctoral associate. His current work focuses on studying mechanisms of cardioprotection for brown fat and islet biology. When not in the lab, he enjoys cycling, watching anime, and reading manga.

Arsalan Aamir Khan, MBBS

Arsalan Aamir Khan graduated medical school with a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) from Dow Medical College, Pakistan. Since then, Arsalan has gained valuable and diverse clinical experience across various healthcare settings in the United States, with a particular focus on internal medicine. During medical school, his research primarily focused on innovative cardiovascular treatment such as the development of polypills aimed at preventing cardiovascular disease in low and middle-income countries. Arsalan joined the Lo lab in 2024 as a postdoctoral researcher, where he is focused on the MED16 complex in adipose tissue as a therapeutic target for obesity and metabolic disorders, while also investigating ways to improve myocardium recovery after a heart attack. Outside the lab, Arsalan is passionate about both watching and playing cricket and he enjoys exploring various types of cinema.

Odin Schaepkens, BS

Originally from Albany, New York, Odin began his undergraduate studies at Erasmus University Rotterdam in the Netherlands. After two years in the Netherlands, Odin transferred to the University of Wisconsin-Madison where he completed his Bachelor's of Science. While at UW, Odin volunteered in the Harris Lab which focused on studying the metabolic effects of sleeve gastrectomy. Odin ultimately plans to attend medical school and has clinical interests in cardiology and vascular surgery. In his free time, Odin enjoys rock climbing, playing soccer, and spending time with friends and family.

Fanhui Kong, PhD

Fanhui received his MS and PhD in biology from the South China University of Technology (China), where he focused on the development of nanomedicines for tumor treatment, postoperative wound healing, as well as investigating mechanisms of cell death. Fanhui joined the Lo lab in 2024 as a postdoctoral associate. His current research focuses on investigating the mechanisms of diabetes mellitus with a focus on beta cell function and discovering novel treatment strategies for diabetes. When he is not in the lab, he enjoys playing badminton, watching movies, and reading.

Gabriel Ayala-Carrascal

My name is Gabriel Ayala-Carrascal from Bogotá, Colombia. I'm a senior medical student from Universidad Nacional de Colombia and I come as a volunteer in research as part of my final year of medical school. During medical school, I was enrolled in the Hormones Research Group where we focused our studies on appetite and obesity. I want to be admitted into a medical residency program in internal medicine. My other passions are listening to classical music, playing piano, and running.