Cancer Clinical Trials Office Blog

News & Updates from the CCTO

CCTO Staff Update

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Please join us to welcome Meytra Brahman, who started as a Clinical Research Coordinator Associate with Cancer Cell Therapy last week!

Meytra graduated from San Jose State University with a B.S degree in Health Sciences and is about to graduate with her Masters degree in Public Health from San Francisco State University in a few weeks. She previously worked as a Blood Donor Coordinator at Stanford Blood Center. She looks forward to making connections with a passionate team of people and work closely with a community that is striving for better health outcomes for those with cancer, and plans to advance her career in clinical trials.

Meytra likes traveling and exploring new places, hiking and being outdoorsy, getting competitive and playing sports with friends, watching nostalgic movies, and eating new types of foods!

Please send Meytra a virtual hello and welcome her to the CCTO team!

Please join us to welcome Kaushali Anant Thakore-Shah, who started as a Clinical Research Coordinator with Breast Oncology last week!

Kaushali received her PhD at UCLA and previously worked as a Clinical Research Coordinator at UCLA’s Department of OB Gyn. While working at CCTO, she is interested in learning about the latest research and treatment options for breast cancer

Please send Kaushali a virtual hello and welcome her to the CCTO team!

Please join us to welcome Shreya Perepa, who started as a Clinical Research Coordinator Associate with Breast Oncology last week!

Shreya has a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and recently received a Master of Science in Biomedical Informatics from the University of Chicago. Before joining here, she worked as a Clinical Research Coordinator in the Section of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition at the University of Chicago, Medicine.

Shreya is excited about the new projects, and the opportunity to learn, grow, and build lasting relationships. She would like to convey her heartfelt appreciation to her teammates, who have all have been so warm and welcoming.

Please send Meytra a virtual hello and welcome her to the CCTO team!

CCTO Staff Update

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Please join us to welcome Vanna Hovanky, who started as a Clinical Research Coordinator Associate with BMT last week!

Vanna graduated from Stanford University for both her Bachelors of Science in Human Biology (Class of 2018) and her Masters of Science in Community Health and Prevention Research (Class of 2019).  Previously, Vanna was a a dental student for the past year and a half before deciding on a career change to pursue her passion for clinical research, which grew from her time in the Stanford Community Health and Prevention Research master’s program.

Vanna is excited to get to know the team and to continue growing my skills working with clinical data. Fun fact: Vanna enjoys knitting, origami, and social dance.

Please send Vanna a virtual hello and welcome her to the CCTO team!

Please join us to welcome back Sarah Kramer, who started as a temp Administrative Associate with Admin Team last week!

Sarah received her undergraduate degree at San Francisco State University, majoring in Sociology and minoring in Human Sexuality Studies. Sarah has a Masters degree in Education Policy from the Stanford Graduate School of Education, where she focused on gender violence prevention.  Previously, Sarah have held a variety of administrative roles at Stanford, both at the School of Medicine and on the main campus, and is returning to CCTO in this temp position.  Sarah also work at a local non-profit makerspace called Maker Nexus, where she taught classes on laser cutters, industrial sewing machines, digital design, and textiles-based projects.

Sarah is looking forward to re-joining the CCTO Admin team, and providing additional support during this transitional period. She would love for staff to feel free to reach out, and join us on the watercooler slack channel for more social interactions!

Please send Sarah a virtual hello and welcome her to the CCTO team!

CCTO Staff Update

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Please join us to welcome Annie Jinsuh Jung, who started as a Clinical Research Coordinator Associate with Hematology last week!

Annie graduated from the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology. Previously, Annie was a Life Science Research Professional within the Cardiothoracic Surgery Department working on projects relating to cardiovascular therapeutics and surgical biomechanics translational research.

Annie is excited to learn more about the clinical setting of research and how we translate studies from the lab. Annie is looking forward to working with a great team of people and also learn and contribute to the innovative approaches for cancer clinical trials going forward.

Please send Annie a virtual hello and welcome her to the CCTO team!

Please join us to welcome Valentina Stafford, who started as a Clinical Research Coordinator Associate with BMT this week!

Valentina received a B.S. in Kinesiology and a B.A. in Comparative Ethnic Studies from the California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo. Previously, Valentina was a Program Assistant for Student Affairs at Cal Poly.

Valentina is looking forward to working at an institution that truly values learning. Valentina is also excited to work closely with the care team, staff, and most importantly the patients. She believes that the work done here is inspiring and unique and will help her on her journey to becoming a nurse and a lifelong learner.

Please send Valentina a virtual hello and welcome her to the CCTO team!

CCTO Staff Update

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Please join us to welcome Dalton Duvio, who started as a Clinical Research Coordinator Associate with Lymphoma last week!

Dalton graduated from Stanford University with a BA in Psychology. Previously, Dalton was a Clinical Research Coordinator in the neuroimaging lab within the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences.

Dalton is looking forward to expanding his clinical knowledge and experience into oncology while also continuing to work within clinical research at Stanford. Dalton has spent the past decade at Stanford, both as a student and an employee, and is happy to continue his journey at such a wonderful institution with such amazing people.

Dalton is excited to get started with his team as well as continue to meet other members of the CCTO. Please send him a virtual hello and welcome him to the CCTO team!

Please join us to welcome Chelsea Yim, who started as a Clinical Research Coordinator Associate with Thoracic this week!

Chelsea graduated from University of California, Berkeley with a Bachelor’s of Science in Nutritional Science & Toxicology, Physiology and Metabolism. Previously, Chelsea was an Ophthalmic Technician at Bay Area Retina Associates. Chelsea is currently working part-time as a Professional Figure Skating Instructor at Sharks Ice and has been since 2015.

Chelsea is looking forward to collaborating with the brilliant faculty and staff at Stanford and gaining more insight into the field of cancer research. Furthermore, Chelsea is excited to play a part in positively impacting patients’ lives.

Additionally, Chelsea is currently working on improving her Spanish and Mandarin and would love to find people to practice with! Please send her a virtual hello and welcome her to the CCTO team!

CCTO Staff Update

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Please join us to welcome Kimberly Xie, who started as a Clinical Research Coordinator Associate with BMT last week!

Kimberly attended University of California, Irvine for her BS in Biological Sciences.

Previously, Kimberly worked as a Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Aide and Patient Service Specialist Assistant at an outpatient physical therapy clinic in Palo Alto, CA.

Kimberly is looking forward to expanding her knowledge and experience with clinical trials and being part of the CCTO community at Stanford. Please send her a virtual hello and welcome her to the CCTO team!

Please join us to welcome Lily Chaskelmann, who started as a Clinical Trials Regulatory Specialist with Regulatory this week!

Lily attended Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute for her MS.

Previously, Lily worked as the IRB Manager at Stanford’s Research Compliance Office.

Lily is looking forward to forward to learning more about the cancer clinical trials at Stanford. Lily also loves animals and has three rescue pets – a dog and two cats. Please send her a virtual hello and welcome her to the CCTO team!

Please join us to welcome Rohil Taggarsi, who started as a Clinical Research Coordinator Associate with Breast Onc this week!

Rohil attended UC Berkeley for his Bachelors degree in Integrative Biology.

Previously, Rohil was a Clinical Research Coordinator Associate at the CCTO in Radiation Oncology.

Rohil is interested in how clinical research is evolving at a rapid pace. He is looking forward to being able to see the development of novel therapeutics and its impact on patients. 

Apart from his passion in healthcare, Rohil loves music and in his free time he likes to play the drums and mentor students on music production and percussion. Please send him a virtual hello and welcome him to the CCTO team!