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Current Resident Biographies
Elio Adib – Elio was born in Byblos, a coastal city in Lebanon. He studied Physics at the American University of Beirut before attending medical school at the same institution. After graduation, he moved to Boston to work as a postdoctoral research fellow at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. His research work focused on the interplay between germline/somatic variants and cancer progression and response to therapy. Outside of work, Elio enjoys cooking his favorite Lebanese dishes, spending time with friends and family and exploring the salsa dancing scene in Boston.
Mina Bakhtiar – Mina grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and attended Macalester College, where she studied Political Science and Economics. After graduating, she worked at the National Academy of Medicine, researching health policy topics including value-based payments and accountable care organizations. While living in DC, Mina also volunteered with healthcare organizations including a hospice and a street-based syringe exchange at the start of the opioid epidemic. Mina completed the post-baccalaureate premedical program at Johns Hopkins University in 2017 and attended the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. As a medical student, she completed a number of clinical research projects, including on the use of proton beam therapy in palliative radiation. Mina completed her preliminary year in Internal Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Outside of work, she enjoys hiking, running, traveling, live music, and trying new recipes and restaurants.
Leou Ismael Banla – Prior to joining HROP, Ismael earned an MD/Ph.D. with a focus in microbiology, studying Enterococcus faecalis as a model of intestinal colonization. He explored the genetics of this relatively understudied bacterium with limited genetic tools to answer questions relevant to the establishment of microbial communities in the GI tract. Ismael remains interested in basic science with strong translational potential. His current interests are in the use of innovative methods to optimize the precision of drug delivery to cancer cells. From antibody-drug conjugates that leverage surface proteins to the development of methods for in-vivo drug activation, Ismael is interested in improving the precision of anti-cancer therapeutics to minimize off target effects. Outside of his clinical work and research, he enjoys running, cooking, and listening to podcasts.
Eric Bent – Eric was born in Boston and grew up in Madison, Wisconsin. He moved back east to attend Brown University, where he majored in Chemistry and Chemical Biology. After college, he joined the Harvard-MIT MD-PhD program, studying the tumor microenvironment and how inflammation and tissue damage influence therapeutic response in cancer, earning his PhD in Biology at MIT. Eric completed his internship in Internal Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and is excited to join the HROP community. He plans to continue combining research with clinical work as a physician-scientist in his future career. In his free time, Eric loves to get outdoors to hike, ski, sail, travel and explore and is an avid sports fan.
Graham Boyd – Graham Boyd was born in Boston and grew up just outside the city in Sudbury, MA. He attended and graduated from Hamilton College with a degree in Biology, where also swam and played water polo. Graham then attended Boston University School of Medicine where he quickly developed an interest in oncology. While in medical school, he spent a year conducting research at Mass General, focusing on the role of adaptive radiation planning in the treatment of retroperitoneal sarcoma. Graham graduated from BU in 2019 and completed his transitional year internship at Carney Hospital in Dorchester. He is very excited to begin his training as a radiation oncologist at HROP. Outside of the hospital, he enjoys swimming, biking, running, and hiking. He also recently learned to ski at the request of his in-laws and very much enjoys it!
Tafadzwa Chaunzwa – Tafadzwa is originally from Zimbabwe and studied biomedical engineering and mathematics at Duke University, where he was a Pratt Research Fellow with a primary focus on image reconstruction and analysis algorithm development, and the design and prototyping of elasticity imaging techniques. After college, he worked in management consulting for the medical devices industry and life sciences venture capital. He earned his medical degree from Yale School of Medicine. During medical school, he was selected for an HHMI research fellowship to conduct cancer imaging informatics research at Harvard and concurrently completed a master’s degree in biomedical data science. He maintains a strong interest in scientific computing, cancer imaging, and computational oncology. In his free time, he enjoys basketball, world football, and traveling – exploring different cultures, cuisines, architectures, and embracing the rich history of various destinations – capturing it all through photography.
Zoe Cosner – Zoe was born and raised in Miami, Florida. She attended University of Miami for undergraduate where she double majored in Biochemistry and Mathematics. She studied abroad at Charles University in Prague where she focused on her minor in Art History. She pursued her medical education at Johns Hopkins Medical Institute. As a medical student she was awarded with an endowed fund for medical student cancer research to pursue a research year studying the role of telomere length disorders in cancer predisposition. She also spent her research year creating and implementing a virtual elective in equitable healthcare for fourth year medical students. She completed her preliminary intern year at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore, MD. Her hobbies include baking, hiking, swimming, travel, and art.
Sayeh Fattahi – Sayeh was born and raised in Los Angeles, where she attended a French school from kindergarten through 12th grade. She then studied Biology and French Literature at Stanford University, where she also pursued health policy research between finishing her undergraduate studies and starting medical school. She received her MD from the Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine, where she discovered her passion for radiation oncology and focused her research on breast cancer and ocular melanoma. Prior to HROP, she completed her intern year at Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center. Outside of work, Sayeh enjoys traveling, trying new foods, and most importantly, petting every dog she meets along the way!
Thomas Howard – Tom was born and raised in the Boston area, and he is a proud graduate of North Attleboro High School. He moved just slightly south to attend Yale, where he graduated with a BS and MS in Biology while studying plant genetics. He returned to Boston to enroll in the Harvard-MIT MD/PhD program, where his doctoral studies focused on identifying new therapies for rhabdoid tumors, a rare but devastating pediatric cancer. Tom is most proud of his time teaching and mentoring students in the classroom, lab, and clinic. He completed an internship in internal medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital prior to joining HROP. Outside of work, Tom enjoys exploring the outdoors in and around Boston with his wife, Tara, and rescue dog, Stella. He is an avid Boston sports fan, and an amateur but aspiring birdwatcher.
Julie Koenig – Julie grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio. She attended Stanford University, where she majored in biology, played varsity squash, and directed Camp Kesem Stanford, a camp for children whose parents have cancer. She also went to Stanford for medical school, where she was involved in a variety of clinical research projects, including a study of combined immunotherapy and radiotherapy for brain metastases. Prior to joining HROP, she completed her transitional year internship at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. In her spare time, she loves playing squash, running, cycling, exploring restaurants, and visiting museums.
Nayan Lamba – Nayan was born in Washington D.C. and grew up in the suburbs of Northern Virginia. She moved to New York City to attend Columbia University for her undergraduate studies, where she spent three years working in the lab of Dr. Eric Kandel and fell in love with neuroscience. After graduation, she moved to Boston and started at Harvard Medical School. After serendipitously finding her way to Radiation Oncology through a research collaboration, she instantly recognized that it brought together the very aspects of medicine she loved most into one field. During her final year of medical school, she began learning how to perform population-based research on patients with brain metastases, a topic she hopes to continue exploring throughout her career. She is thrilled to be joining HROP this year and looks forward to working alongside such a passionate group of physicians. Outside of the hospital, she enjoys running, shopping, and exploring the Boston restaurant scene with her husband.
Dalia Larios – Dalia was born in Colima, Mexico and was raised in Mesa, Arizona. She attended Arizona State University for college where she majored in Genetics, Cell, and Developmental Biology. Following graduation, she spent time conducting research on HPV vaccine development and led several community projects dedicated to access and health equity within immigrant populations. She attended Harvard Medical School and spent a research year studying patient-derived organotypic tumor spheroids as a platform to facilitate therapeutic screening for malignant pleural mesothelioma. As an activist, she also spent time lobbying in Washington, D.C. and writing about the experiences of undocumented youth in America. She went on to complete her internship in internal medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and is humbled and excited to join the HROP family for her radiation oncology training. When not in the hospital, Dalia likes to go on outdoor adventures (hiking, climbing, camping), explore new foods, and wonder curiously through museums and community art events.
Grace Lee – Grace is originally from Pohang, South Korea. She moved to State College, Pennsylvania in middle school with her two sisters. She studied Biochemistry at Penn State University and then moved to Boston to attend Harvard Medical School. She finished her prelim internal medicine intern year at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital and is looking forward to finally joining HROP! Fun fact: She lives with her younger sister who is a nurse, and she loves spending time with her two nephews 2 and 4 years old.
Katie Lee – Katie was born and raised in Minnesota and attended the University of Minnesota where she received degrees in Biochemistry and Chemistry. Prior to matriculating into the joint MD-PhD program at Harvard Medical School, she attended the University of Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar where she completed a master’s degree in Immunology. She earned her PhD in Biological and Biomedical Sciences in Wolfram Goessling’s laboratory, where she studied how growth pathways, specifically the Hippo pathway, can be co-opted in cancer using the zebrafish as a model organism. She completed a preliminary internship in Internal Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital prior to joining the Harvard Radiation Oncology Program. She looks forward to continuing her career as a physician-scientist in the field of radiation oncology and caring for cancer patients. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with family, playing the violin and piano, and exploring allergen-free recipes.
Amandeep Mahal – Aman was born and raised in Fresno, California. His upbringing taught him the importance of community and instilled within him the drive to create change, which ultimately led him to a career in medicine. He attended UCLA for his undergraduate studies, Yale for medical school, and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center for internship. He is thrilled to join the HROP family—a brilliant and diverse group that is committed to improving the quality of life for patients with cancer. While not in the hospital, I enjoy being outdoors, exploring new restaurants, dancing, traveling, fitness, and anything tech related.
Elie Mehanna – Elie was born and raised in the Bekaa Valley in Lebanon before moving to Boston, Massachusetts. He earned his MD from Harvard Medical School and completed his internship in Internal Medicine at MGH. He enjoys playing with his goldendoodle puppy called Lemon, who’s as goofy as the name implies.
Javier Mora – Javier was born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to blue-collar, Mexican immigrant parents. He graduated summa cum laude from Marquette University where he majored in biomedical sciences. After earning his undergraduate degree, Javier worked as a clinical research assistant in an NIH-funded consortium study investigating the use of pediatric patient-reported outcomes measures to better understand the well-being of children with sickle cell disease, Type 1 diabetes, and asthma. Javier then received his medical doctorate (M.D.) degree from the Medical College of Wisconsin, where he was involved in Black and Latino community outreach, pre-medical mentorship, medical Spanish curricular programming, and research in ZIP-code based disparities in pancreatic cancer. Javier completed his transitional year internship at Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin before joining HROP. In his free time, Javier enjoys watching NBA and FIFA World Cup games, participating in trivia, and exploring new restaurants.
Shane Neibart – Shane grew up in Morristown, New Jersey before attending Duke University to study biomedical engineering. After graduation, he worked at NYU in a stem cell biology and regenerative medicine laboratory before matriculating at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School as a Chancellor’s Global Health Scholar. There he developed his passions for developing cervical cancer prevention strategies, exploring cancer epidemiology, and investigating drug-radiation interactions. After medical school, Shane moved to Boston to complete his preliminary year in internal medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital before joining the Harvard Radiation Oncology Program. Outside of the hospital, Shane enjoys spending time with his wife (a surgery resident at MGH), fishing, and hiking.
Daniel Rosen – Daniel grew up in Los Angeles and attended UC Berkeley for undergrad. He completed an MD-PhD at Weill Cornell Medicine and the Rockefeller University. During his PhD, he studied immunology and DNA repair, specifically focusing on double strand break formation and repair in immunoglobulin class switch recombination. Fun fact: He rode out the pandemic in Hawaii, where he just finished a preliminary year in medicine in Honolulu. During this year he didn’t cut his hair for 8 months and learned how to surf — poorly. Aloha!
Nadia Saeed – Nadia grew up in Tampa, Florida and received her BA in Classics from Brown University. She developed a strong interest in radiation oncology while working at Moffitt Cancer Center, where she conducted clinical research on gastrointestinal malignancies and collaborated on a number of patient and medical education projects. She attended Yale for medical school during which time she completed a research year focused on hypofractionated radiation for small cell and non-small cell lung cancer and examined the impact of physician attitudes in radiation oncology decision making. Nadia completed her transitional year internship at HCA Florida Brandon Hospital prior to joining the Harvard Radiation Oncology Program. In her free time, she enjoys reading, hiking, baking, watching movies, gardening, and playing golf.
Alicia “Lish” Smart – Lish grew up in Tampa, Florida. They attended college at Harvard University where they studied molecular and cellular biology and competed in policy debate. After college, they worked as an associate consultant at Bain and Company. They then enrolled in the Health Sciences and Technology (HST) MD program at Harvard Medical School and MIT. During medical school, they worked in the lab of Dr. Eli Van Allen using computational techniques to study cancer neoantigens. Prior to joining HROP, Lish completed their internship in internal medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. When they are not in the hospital, Lish enjoys spending time outdoors and cooking with friends.
Leah Thompson – Leah was born and raised in Portland, Oregon. She attended Amherst College, where she majored in History, writing her thesis on end-of-life care in her home state before and after the legalization of physician-assisted death. After graduation, she stayed on the East Coast at Harvard Medical School, where she fell in love with the longitudinal relationships, varied treatment opportunities, and spatial challenges offered by Radiation Oncology. She completed a preliminary internship at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and looks forward to joining the HROP community! Outside of the hospital, she enjoys running, skiing, and singing.
Brandon Turner – Brandon was born in Durham, North Carolina but moved constantly and lived in eight states before college. He earned a B.S. in biophysics at Wake Forest University where he researched protein structure-function prediction using active site modeling. He then received a Rhodes Scholarship to study at the University of Oxford, where he completed a MSc in Radiation Biology. He went to Stanford University School of Medicine for medical school, with a concentration in Informatics and Data Driven Medicine. Here he researched cancer genomics, drug re-purposing, and started a research group for the analysis of Clinical Trial metadata to investigate drivers of rigor and equity. Brandon used to play competitive rugby at the college, state, and regional level but after his second knee surgery has decided to listen to his family. He enjoys coming up with healthy cooking recipes, reading/writing poetry, and watching standup comedy.
Tyler Walburn – Tyler grew up in Hershey, Pennsylvania also known as “The Sweetest Place on Earth.” After developing many cavities as a child, he went to college in Pittsburgh where he became a Yinzer and die-hard Steelers fan. He then moved down south to North Carolina for medical school and better BBQ. During intern year, he lived in Utah where he spent much of his time exploring the mountains with his wife, Shayna. He enjoys powerlifting, eating, hiking, traveling, meditation, volleyball, and all pets.
Amy Wisdom – Amy was born in San Diego and grew up in Northern California. She moved to Los Angeles to attend UCLA, where she majored in neuroscience and studied mechanisms of central nervous system inflammation in multiple sclerosis. After college, she joined the Duke MD-PhD program. She earned her PhD in Molecular Cancer Biology in David Kirsch’s laboratory, where she developed novel genetically engineered mouse models of cancer and used these models to study immune-mediated resistance to radiation therapy and immunotherapy in cancer. Amy completed her transitional year internship at Cambridge Health Alliance prior to joining the Harvard Radiation Oncology Program. She looks forward to caring for cancer patients and continuing her research as a physician-scientist. In her free time, she enjoys downhill skiing, baking pastries, running with her dog, and learning to sail.
Johnathan Zeng – John was born in Lexington, KY, and his family currently lives in Jersey City, NJ. He attended the University of Pennsylvania as a Rachleff Scholar, where he received a B.S.E. in bioengineering. After college, he received a Fulbright Scholarship to conduct public health research at Sichuan University in Southwest China. During medical school, he completed a research year at the National Institutes of Health in the Medical Research Scholars Program. Before joining the Harvard Radiation Oncology Program, he completed his preliminary medicine internship at Mount Auburn Hospital. Outside of the hospital he enjoys walking with his wife, RuDa, and playing with his dog, Teddy. He also enjoys traveling the world, learning languages, watching college basketball, and playing keyboard and guitar.
Lin Zhu – Lin Zhu grew up in North Haven, CT and attended Wellesley College. She completed her MD/PhD at Baylor College of Medicine and her transitional year internship at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Fun fact: She has a dog named Pickles!
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