Lab Updates
Jerry Fu, at left, and Dr. Yash Choksi staffing the IES Early Career Booth at the 2025 International Eosinophil Society Congress
Dr. Yash Choksi and Jerry Fu were recently featured in the International Eosinophil Society (IES) newsletter as an example of a successful mentor-mentee relationship:
In the IES 2024–2025 program, mentor Dr. Yash Choksi and mentee Jerry Fu were paired based on shared academic interests. At the time, Jerry was preparing his medical school applications, and Dr. Choksi supported him through multiple mock interview sessions. Jerry went on to receive multiple acceptances and ultimately enrolled at the University of Miami.
Their mentorship continued beyond the initial goal. With Dr. Choksi’s guidance, Jerry explored research opportunities and applied to a competitive NIH-funded T35 summer program at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. After being accepted, Jerry will be joining the Choksi lab this summer, marking the beginning of an ongoing research collaboration.
Interested mentors and mentees can apply here to be part of the International Eosinophil Society (IES) Mentorship Program.
Andrew Michael joined our lab through the Vanderbilt Medical Student Research Training Program (SRTP), funded through the NIDDK T35 Training Grant. He presented his work at the NIDDK/SRTP Symposium. He has stayed with the lab to continue working on his project involving altered basal nuclear shape in EoE.
Matt Buendia was awarded the 2025 NASPGHAN Foundation/Sanofi/Regeneron Young Investigator Development Award for the Study of Pediatric Eosinophilic Gastrointestinal Disorders. This will help fund his research program for 2 more years. Congrats!
This past summer, Anna Brooke Harris studied the role of selenium in naïve CD4+ T cell proliferation and polarization through the Vanderbilt Undergraduate Summer Research Program. She presented her research at the Fall 2025 Vanderbilt Undergraduate Research Symposium. She has stayed with the lab to continue working on her project for her senior Honors Research.