Team Members

David Fajgenbaum, MD, MBA, MSc, FCPP

Founding Director of the Center for Cytokine Storm Treatment & Laboratory

David Fajgenbaum, MD, MBA, MSc, is an Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and one of the youngest faculty members to receive tenure in the history of Penn Medicine. He is also the Founding Director of the Center for Cytokine Storm Treatment & Laboratory, co-Founder & President of the Castleman Disease Collaborative Network, co-Founder & President of Every Cure, and the national bestselling author of ‘Chasing My Cure: A Doctor’s Race to Turn Hope Into Action.’

He is also a patient battling idiopathic multicentric Castleman disease (iMCD), which he discovered a repurposed treatment for that is saving his life and others. He has also advanced 13 other repurposed treatments for diseases they weren’t initially intended for. One of the youngest ever awardees of multiple top NIH and FDA grants, Dr. Fajgenbaum has published nearly 100 scientific papers in high-impact journals such as the New England Journal of Medicine, The Lancet, and the Journal of Clinical Investigation, including a paper selected as one of the top innovations in science and medicine of 2020.

Bridget Austin, MS

Biobank Program Manager

Bridget Austin is the Biobank Coordinator for the Center for Cytokine Storm Treatment & Laboratory (CSTL) at the University of Pennsylvania. As such, Bridget works as a clinical liaison between the research and clinical sides of the CSTL, assists with various research projects such as the ACCELERATE Natural History Registry, and coordinates biological sample donation to the CSTL's Castlebank. Bridget earned her MS in Psychology from Villanova University.

Larissa Borys

Clinical Research Coordinator

Larissa Borys is a Clinical Research Coordinator for the Center for Cytokine Storm Treatment & Laboratory (CSTL) at the University of Pennsylvania. She supports the ACCELERATE Natural History Registry and works closely with the CSTL’s Castlebank to ensure proper data compilation of the diagnosis and treatment processes for patients with Castleman Disease. Prior to joining the CSTL, Larissa researched biomarker discovery and development for neurodegenerative diseases at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. She earned her BA in Neuroscience at the University of Pennsylvania. Larissa will be working at the CSTL before applying to medical school.

Joshua Brandstadter, MD, PhD, MSc

Director of Clinical Research

Dr. Joshua Brandstadter is a physician-scientist and Instructor of Medicine in the Division of Hematology/Oncology at the University of Pennsylvania. As Director of Clinical Research for the CSTL, Dr. Brandstadter oversees the ACCERLERATE Natural History Registry to better understand patient experiences and the comparative effectiveness of different treatments. He cares for patients with Castleman Disease in clinic and pursues laboratory research to better understand the causes of the disease. Dr. Brandstadter holds an MSc in Integrated Immunology from the University of Oxford and a combined MD/PhD from Duke University. He completed his internal medicine and hematology/oncology training at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

Michael Gonzalez, PhD

Associate Director of Basic and Translational Research

Michael V. Gonzalez, PhD, is the Associate Director of Basic and Translational Research at the Center for Cytokine Storm Treatment and Laboratory (CSTL) within the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. He obtained his PhD in Immunology and Infectious Diseases from Washington State University and was a postdoctoral fellow and bioinformatics scientist at the Center for Applied Genomics at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia before coming to the CSTL. His research focuses on utilizing novel ’omics technologies to gain insights into the genetic and cellular architectures of Castleman Disease and other disorders involving autoimmunity.

Abiola Irvine

Research Specialist

Abiola Irvine is a Research Specialist in the Cytokine Storm and Treatment Laboratory at the Perelman School of Medicine. She supports the translational research team in the experimental lab by using immune-based assays and other methods to further our understanding of Castleman Disease. Prior to joining the CSTL team Abiola earned her BS in Psychology with a neuroscience minor from Haverford College and looks forward to applying to medical school in the future. Outside of the lab Abiola enjoys hiking, roller skating, and playing with her dog Hendrxx.

Payton Morrissey

Executive Assistant

Payton Morrissey is the Executive Assistant to David Fajgenbaum, MD, MBA, MSc at the Cytokine Storm Treatment & Laboratory (CSTL) at the Perelman School of Medicine. She provides direct support to the Director of the CSTL and oversees calendar management and the coordination of travel and events. Prior to joining the CSTL, Payton was a cybersecurity consultant and media coordinator for a cybersecurity firm. She graduated with her B.S. in Security and Risk Analysis from the College of Information Sciences and Technology at Penn State University.

Melanie Mumau, PhD

Associate Director of Immunology

Melanie Mumau, PhD, is Senior Research Investigator at the Center for Cytokine Storm Treatment & Laboratory (CSTL) at the University of Pennsylvania. Melanie is an experimental immunologist by training and oversees all research related to the translational laboratory. She is currently working on understanding the mechanisms that drive cytokine storms and developing new treatments for patients. Melanie earned her PhD in Microbiology & Immunology from Columbia University and prior to joining the CSTL, her research focused on how the immune system regulates the development of blood cells. Melanie enjoys playing soccer, skiing, and making pizza.

Divyaraj Singh Nirwan

Biobank Assistant

Divyaraj Nirwan is the Biobank assistant for Centre for Cytokine Storm Treatment & Laboratory (CSTL) and helps in expanding its sample biobank (Castlebank) and collaborates with members of the translational team on various tasks. He is a dedicated and skilled biotechnologist with a strong academic background in bioinformatics, pursuing his master of biotechnology at the University of Pennsylvania. He has diverse experience in quality control and innovative research projects. His expertise spans a wide range of technical and software skills, complemented by his strong organizational abilities and commitment to academic and community initiatives.

Mateo Sarmiento Bustamante

Senior Data Analyst

Mateo Sarmiento is a Data Analyst for the Center for Cytokine Storm Treatment & Laboratory (CSTL) at the Perelman School of Medicine. He synthesizes and analyzes information across a Castleman patient’s medical history to gain insight on things such as the wide spectrum of symptoms and the effectiveness of treatment regimens that Castleman patients experience. Mateo looks forward to spending his gap years at the CSTL before applying to medical school. Prior to joining the CSTL, Mateo earned his BA in Neuroscience at the University of Pennsylvania where he researched the epigenetics of drug addiction.

Saishravan Shyamsundar

Data Analyst

Saishravan Shyamsundar is a Data Analyst for the Center for Cytokine Storm & Treatment Laboratory (CSTL) at Perelman School of Medicine. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences from Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine. At CSTL, he supports the ACCELERATE Registry Team (ART) in data compilation and analysis of medical records of Castleman Disease patients. The analysis of this data could then provide further insights into understanding the mechanisms of the disease and identifying effective treatment options. He hopes that his work with this team helps lead to better prognosis for patients with Castleman Disease.

Tracey Sikora

Associate Director, CORONA Project & RAPid Clinical Trial

Tracey Sikora is the Associate Director of the CORONA project and the RAPid clinical trial evaluating sirolimus in patients with iMCD. Tracey received a Bachelor of Science degree from Cornell University and spent several years studying inherited rare diseases before working in clinical research. In addition to her work on COVID-19 and Castleman Disease, she has previous experience in high-risk, multi-site clinical trials, gene therapy trials, and orphan disease research.

Amber Vas

Executive Administrator

Amber Vas is the Executive Administrator for the Center for Cytokine Storm Treatment & Laboratory (CSTL) at the Perelman School of Medicine.  She provides direct support for the Director of the CSTL and overseas the administrative functions of the CSTL’s various projects and events.  Prior to her work for the CSTL, Amber was the executive coordinator for the Department of Biostatics, Epidemiology, and Informatics and the Center for Health Behavior Research.  Amber earned her BA in Psychology from the University of Richmond. 

Joseph Zinski, PhD

Senior Research Investigator

Joseph Zinski, PhD is a Senior Research Investigator at the Center for Cytokine Storm Treatment and Laboratory (CSTL) within the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. He received his BS from UConn in Chemical Engineer and his PhD from the University of Pennsylvania in developmental biology. He is using bioinformatic, machine learning, and deep learning to develop better diagnostic tools and treatments for Castleman disease.