People

Peñalver Bernabé, Beatriz

“Dr. Peñalver Bernabé is a chemical and biological engineer applying systems biology approaches into regenerative medicine for more than 10 years. Broadly, Dr. Peñalver Bernabé has a great interest in dynamic biological processes (developmental processes, disease progression and treatment), especially those with applications in women’s healthcare. After 8 years working in the polymeric industry, leading several high-profile research and development projects that render multiple patents, Dr. Peñalver Bernabé returned to academia to work in applications for translational and regenerative medicine.

Since 2009, Dr. Peñalver Bernabé has been focused in developing statistical and computational platforms to analyze the evolution and treatment of breast cancer, the dynamical effects of mechano-transduction into cellular programs and ovarian follicle development in vivo and in vitro. Her recent research has been focused on the host-microbial interactions during pregnancy and postpartum, with initial studies in perinatal depression and anxiety. In all those projects, Dr. Peñalver Bernabé has been collaborating with very inter-disciplinary teams, composed by doctors and clinicians, experimentalists, statisticians and computational experts from US and internationally.”

Email: penalver@uic.edu

Read Dr. Peñalver Bernabé’s CV here

Cat Conway

“Catherine is a master’s student in the Graduate Program for Neuroscience and the clinical research coordinator for the MoMent: Moms & Mental Health research study. She graduated from Loyola University Chicago with a dual BS in Biology and Molecular/Cellular Neuroscience with a minor in Psychology. Catherine has strong interests in women’s mental and physical health during pregnancy and the postpartum.”

Email: cmconwa2@uic.edu

 

Abigail Pettineo

“Abigail Pettineo graduated from the University of Illinois Chicago’s Molecular, Cellular, and Organismal Biology program in 2024. She will begin medical school in June 2025.  Abigail began her work with the BEA Lab as a sophomore undergraduate and, after graduation, transitioned to the clinical coordinator position. She presented her Honors College Capstone project on “Everyday Stressors as Important Predictors of Perinatal Depression and Anxiety.” She has a passion for women’s health and understanding the implications of brain and mood changes during pregnancy. With an interest in maternal health and working with individuals of all ages, she plans to pursue family medicine. She is an active volunteer in the community and loves the arts!”

Email: apetti4@uic.edu

Suzanne Alvernaz

“Suzanne Alvernaz is a 5th year MD/PhD student currently in her 3rd year of the Bioinformatics PhD program at the University of Illinois Chicago. She completed her BS in Microbiology from the California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo in 2018. Suzannes research focuses on using multi systems biological approaches to study changes in mood and brain functionality during pregnancy and postpartum. Outside of research, Suzanne founded the Infectious Disease medical student group at UIC in 2019 that was awarded the ID Student Interest Groups Grant Award from the Infectious Disease Society of America Foundation for their work during the COVID-19 pandemic. Suzanne also actively works as a run lead with the Mobile Migrant Health Team, a student lead organization providing primary care for unhoused migrants in Chicago” 

Email: salver5@uic.edu

Yongchao Huang

“Yongchao Huang is a 1^st year PhD candidate in the Bioinformatics program, graduated from the University of Iowa with a BS and MS in Biomedical Engineering focus tracking in bioinformatics and a minor in computer science.

He has a strong interest in artificial intelligence and a desire to develop and utilize the machine learning tools to understand and diagnose the mental disorder in close relationship with genetics and system biology. Learning through this field and applying his strengths to healthcare industry is his future goal. Besides, in his spare time, he has tremendous enthusiasm in sports and music, especially in tennis and classical music.”

Email: yhuan66@uic.edu

Emma Lee

“Emma is a third year PhD student in Bioinformatics. She graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a Bachelors of Science in Bioengineering in May of 2021. She is interested in utilizing genome-scale metabolic models to better understand metabolic differences that result from age and sex chromosome complement. In her free time, she enjoys reading, running, and cooking.”

Email: elee228@uic.edu

Blake Williams

“Blake is a second year PhD candidate in the Bioinformatics program. She is interested in utilizing single-cell sequencing and spatial proteomic/metabolomic technologies to understand cell-cell communications and how they change with aging.

Blake graduated from Santa Clara University with a BS and MS in Bioengineering with a focus in biomolecular and protein engineering. She has more than 10 years of experience working in a wet lab, including 7 years at an early-stage drug discovery start-up focused on discovering peptide-mimetics for cytokine receptors. Blake has experience with a wide range of wet lab skills, including cell culture, molecular biology, and flow cytometry. She decided to return to academia to pursue her interest in translational research.”

Email: bwilli90@uic.edu

 

 

Maigh Attre

“Maigh is a first year PhD student in the department of Biomedical Engineering and third year MD/PhD student co-advised by Dr. Bea Peñalver Bernabé and Dr. Alex Leow. Maigh is interested on computational approaches to research for historically medically underserved populations especially mental health changes during reproductive stages. Outside the lab, Maigh likes to knit, read, and try new coffee shops in Chicago.“

Email: mattre2@uic.edu

Ainsley Tran

“Ainsley is a first year graduate student in the Graduate Program of Neuroscience and a third year MD/PhD student in UIC’s MSTP. She received her BA from Washington University in St. Louis in Philosophy, Neuroscience, and Psychology. While there, she conducted research on apolipoprotein E in Alzheimer’s disease. She is interested in understanding the gut-brain access in mental health and how the gut microbiota can be targeted to advance therapeutics for mood disorders. In her free time, Ainsley enjoys rock climbing, watching anime, and trying new breweries.“

Email: artran2@uic.edu

George Gutierrez

“George is a second-year Bioinformatics MS student at UIC. He earned his BS in Biochemistry with a minor in Italian Studies from UIC. Passionate about leveraging data-driven approaches to advance healthcare research and deepen disease understanding, he is committed to using bioinformatics to make meaningful contributions to the field. In his free time, he enjoys staying active, photography, reading at the beach, and traveling.“

Email: ggutie21@uic.edu

Jaden Wang

“Jaden Wang is a Master’s student in the Bioinformatics program at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC). He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering, concentrating in bioinformatics, from UIC. Jaden is interested in leveraging big data in genomics to increase the individualization of medicine and plans to attend medical school after completing his Master’s. In his free time, he enjoys calisthenics, rings gymnastics, spending time with his friends, and reading.“

Email: jadenw3@uic.edu

Madison Ferris 

” Madison is a third year biomedical engineering undergraduate student at UIC. She is a member of the Honors college and plays for the UIC Women’s Soccer team. Her work in the BeaLab enables her to pursue her interests in studying biomechanics and bioinformatics.” 

Email: mferr5@uic.edu

Julieta Melkun 

“Julieta Melkun is a third year undergraduate student at University of Illinois Chicago who is pursuing a BS degree in Nutrition. Outside of research and classes, she is a run-lead for The Mobile Migrant Health Team, Clinical Care Coordinator at Ascension St.Mary of Nazareth Emergency Department, Medicina Scholar for the UIC Hispanic Center of Excellence, and volunteer for Pilsen Food Pantry. She plans to pursue medical school and continue research and interests in women’s health, nutrition, and advocating for migrants.” 

Email: jmelk2@uic.edu

Clay Weaver 

“Clay is a second year at UIC majoring in biomedical engineering and minoring in math. They are interested in bioinformatics, genetics, and metabolic modeling. As a research assistant, their work in the Bealab enables them to pursue their interests working and creating metabolic models.” 

Email: cweav6@uic.edu

Sebastián Abreu 

“Sebastián Abreu is a third-year student in the Guaranteed Pre-Professional Admissions Program at the University of Illinois at Chicago, pursuing a B.S. in Biochemistry with minors in Spanish for the Professions and Psychology. He is an advocate for an equitable healthcare system and aims to utilize his language skills to promote culturally-competent care. His role in the Bea Lab affords him the opportunity to work with a diverse patient population and investigate health disparities, while exploring his interests in health during pregnancy and the postpartum.” 

Email: sabre2@uic.edu

Aaidah Zubair 

“Aaidah is currently a sophomore majoring in Integrated Health Studies with a concentration in Health and Studies minoring in Biology at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She plans on graduating in 2026,  pursuing Medical School and continuing research in Women’s Health and Mental Health. Outside of classes and research, she is part of the Society of Future Physicians Board and the Honors College Advisory Board. She also works within ABA therapy for children with Autism and volunteers with UI Health” 

Email: azuba4@uic.edu