Resident (PGY-2)
Dr. Prasanth Romiyo is from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where he graduated from Cooper Medical School with a distinction in research. He was elected as the Gurtin Skull-Base research fellow at UCLA, where he spent a year studying nanoparticle delivery methods for immunotherapies with funding awarded through the AOA, NREF and AANS. Currently, Dr. Romiyo is a neurosurgery resident the School of Medicine & Dentistry at the University of Rochester.
Resident (PGY-4)
Dr. Lawrance Chung earned his MD from the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA following a BS in Biology from UCLA. He is currently a neurosurgery resident at Keck Medicine of USC. He first met Dr. Yang as an undergraduate through their involvement in the American Medical Student Association at UCLA. As a medical student in Dr. Yang’s lab, he published numerous manuscripts in both basic science and clinical neurosurgery, with a particular focus on intracranial tumors and skull base pathology and was the recipient of 9 research grants. During his free time, he enjoys watching movies, playing board games with friends, rock climbing, and exploring nature. He plans on pursuing a career in spine neurosurgery following residency.
Resident (PGY-4)
Dr. Carlito Lagman earned his neuroscience degree from University of Southern California (USC). He worked as a Certified Surgical Technologist for a plastic surgeon prior to attending Cooper Medical School in New Jersey. He went on to complete the Gurtin Skull Base Clinical Research Fellowship at UCLA. Currently, Dr. Lagman is a neurosurgery resident at Case Western Reserve University-University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center. His neurosurgical interests are tumor, skull base and cerebrovascular neurosurgery.
Resident (PGY-6)
Dr. Pelargos Panayiotis earned his graduate degree from the Institute for Clinical & Translational Science at the University of California, Irvine and his medical degree from the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine. During medical school, he spent two years in the Yang Lab conducting clinical and translational research. Some of this research projects included investigating the role of EMP2 in glioblastoma development, the effectiveness of CCL21-coupled vault nanoparticles in treating glioblastoma in mouse models, and the effectiveness of LITT in treating various metastatic and primary tumors. His hobbies includes sports, especially basketball and soccer, and reading. Currently, Dr. Panayiotis is a neurosurgery resident at the University of Oklahoma and is interested in skull base surgery and neuro-oncology. He will be completing a fellowship in skull base surgery and advanced surgical neuro-oncology at Washington University in St. Louis upon graduation and then going on to a career in academic neurosurgery.
Resident (PGY-6)
Dr. Winward Choy is currently a neurosurgery resident at UCSF. After receiving his undergraduate degree from UC Berkeley, he attended UCLA for medical school. There, he developed an initial interest in neurosurgery through research in brain tumors and immunotherapies. During residency, he developed a clinical and research interest in the treatment of spine pathologies.
Resident (PGY-7)
Dr. Kunal Patel earned his medical degree from Weill Cornell Medicine. He is currently the chief neurosurgery resident at UCLA. During his dedicated research year in residency, he studied the role of EMP2 in glioblastoma and meningioma models.
Lab Manager
Courtney Duong graduated from the University of California at Davis with a degree in Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior Sciences. She joined the team as a volunteer in her senior summer and returned as lab manager after finishing her studies. She led the team for five years, to over a dozen national conferences, successfully facilitated more than 100 publications during her tenure, and helped the lab win multiple grants and funding opportunities. She absolutely loved all the students and volunteers she has gotten to meet and is extremely thankful she was able to be a part of their journey. In her free time, she loves to explore the bustling LA restaurant scene, hike with her dog, Archie, read science fiction novels, and play video games.
Medical Student Researcher
Farinaz Ghodrati is a third-year medical student at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. She pursued her undergraduate studies majoring in Neuroscience at the University of Toronto in Canada. She then went on to complete her Master of Science researching prion diseases at the Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases. Prior to attending DGSOM, Farinaz was involved in research in the field of Neuro-oncology at the Keenan Research Centre for Biomedical Science. In addition to her interest in healthcare and clinical research, she is also passionate about medical education, mentorship, and teaching. When not trying to troubleshoot her R code, Farinaz can be found listening to podcasts and exploring the local food scene.
Medical Student
Aditya "Adi" Kondajji is a current fourth year medical student at the David Geffen School of Medicine. As an undergraduate student studying biochemistry, neuroscience, and psychology at the University of Texas at Austin, his academic interests began as a fascination in the neurological and molecular basis of memory. After witnessing a team of neurosurgeons provide incredible outcomes and compassionate care for a close friend, he decided to pursue a career in neurosurgery. As a medical student, Adi has been involved in both basic science and clinical research with a focus on neuro-oncology and cerebrovascular disease. Beyond research, having worked as a tutor, teaching assistant, and teacher, he is passionate about education and continues to mentor undergraduate and medical students. Outside of school, Adi loves landscape oil-painting, studying Greco-Persian history, and fishing.
Medical Student Researcher
Vera Ong is a third-year medical student at the University of Hawaii. She graduated from UCLA in 2020 and has doing research with the Yang lab since 2016. Other than research, her hobbies include volleyball, singing, dancing, and playing guitar.
Medical Student Researcher
Anjali Pradhan is a third-year medical student at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. She is originally from the Bay Area where she received her BA in Molecular and Cell Biology from the University of California, Berkeley. Her interest in neurosurgery originated from her experience conducting neuroscience research in high school and college at Stanford University School of Medicine. Moreover, her passion for global medicine and global neurosurgery arises from her background as a Maternal & Child Health Specialist when she served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Rwanda. In her free time, she enjoys running, surfing or any water sport, spending time with her family & cat, and traveling.
Medical Student Researcher
As a freshman at Emory University, Ansley Unterberger joined her first neuroscience lab and began exploring the mind to understand those elements that make us all human. Ultimately, she graduated Summa Cum Laude with a BS in neuroscience and behavioral biology and a minor in visual arts. Since then, she has worked in four neuroscience public. Each lab has nurtured her curiosity and reinvigorated her passion for scientific investigation, but as a medical student at DGSOM, she has had the privilege to explore oncological neurosurgery in Dr. Yang’s laboratory. Cancer has touched nearly everyone's lives. Therefore, his lab’s work investigating brain tumor biology, gene therapy, immunotherapy, and brain cancer vaccines stands to change the course of medical history. As a current fourth-year student, when she envisions her future neurosurgical career, research is inextricably linked with clinical work. In the future, she hope to emulate her mentor’s example and work at an academic institution, where she might contribute to innovative and compassionate patient care through both research and surgical modalities.
Undergraduate Researcher
Roan Anderson is from Fort Worth, TX, and graduated from UCLA in 2022. She has been with the lab since December of 2018 and is currently working at UCLA Health in the Plastic Surgery Department while preparing to apply for medical school. #GoBruins
