Meet the Team

Robert Baiocchi, MD, PhD, is a board-certified hematologist whose clinical research is dedicated to patients with aggressive, post-transplant lymphoproliferative disease (PTLD) and AIDS malignancies. He and his lab team collaborate with clinical researchers in the Division of Hematology and on a national level to perform correlative laboratory work for multiple clinical trials.

Dr. Ahmed is a postdoctoral scholar researching the genetic diversity of the oncogenic Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in various geographical regions. She is exploring how these genetic variations might influence the virus's ability to cause cancer and its impact on the immune system of the host. The objective: to devise targeted strategies for preventing and treating EBV-related cancers, especially in heavily affected areas such as Sub-Saharan Africa. Dr. Ahmed received her DVM from the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Khartoum in Sudan and completed her PhD at The Ohio State University.

A postdoctoral scholar, Dr. Weigel’s projects include investigating the (epi)genomic layout of human oncogenic DNA viruses to understand and target their regulatory states in viral oncogenesis, with a specific focus on virus-driven lymphoma. His projects cover investigating the human herpesvirus family in the context of multiple viral conditions of unmet clinical need. Christoph received his PharmD from the University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany, and his PhD from the Division of Epigenomics and Cancer Risk Factors, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany.

Haley’s projects focus on in-vivo, preclinical and clinical analysis of the role of viral epigenetics and host immunity in Epstein-Barr Virus driven lymphoproliferative diseases, with a focus on T cells and suppressive myeloid subsets. Haley is also exploring how natural products (silvestrol) that interfere with translation bolster host immunity against EBV+ lymphomas. She received a BS in Biology and certification in Liberal Arts Management from Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, and is currently in the Medical Scientist Training Program and is pursuing her PhD through the department of Biomedical Sciences at The Ohio State University.

Cara’s research focuses on understanding the epigenetic landscape of Epstein-Barr virus-driven lymphomas using novel biologic assays developed at Ohio State. This project is unraveling the complex nature of how EBV regulates gene expression to discover new therapeutic vulnerabilities of aggressive lymphomas. Cara received her BS in microbiology from The Ohio State University and is currently in the Medical Scientist Training Program pursuing a PhD in the Department of Biomedical Sciences at Ohio State.

Claire is investigating the role of Protein Arginine Methyltransferase 5 (PRMT5) in modulating mitochondrial dynamics in mantle cell lymphoma and testing the therapeutic potential of combining PRMT5 inhibitors with BH3 mimetic compounds. She received her BS in Microbiology from The Ohio State University, and she is pursuing her MS in Education at Ohio State.

Dr. Distefano is working on developing computational platforms to design molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs), which support wet laboratory synthesis and qualitative modeling and simulation of biological systems using discrete event-based models. He is also working on characterization of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-induced genetic and epigenetic alterations in EBV-driven malignancies through developing specialized computational resources. He received his PhD in Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and electronic components from University of Verona, Italy.

Jessica has worked in an academic research setting for more than 10 years since she joined her first lab at Ohio State in 2011. She joined the Baiocchi Lab team in Jan 2020 as a laboratory supervisor. She supervises the Baiocchi Lab as well as the Alinari Lab, along with other collaborating labs. She is tasked with all onboarding and inventory upkeep and assists with daily administrative duties. Jessica is passionate about creating a working environment where discoveries can be made. A native of central Ohio, she received her BS in Biology from The Ohio State University.

Joining the Baiocchi Lab in 2023, Sydney is now responsible for treatments, monitoring, various care aspects of lymphoma murine models and colony maintenance. She received her BS in Agricultural Science and her MS in Translational Pharmacology from The Ohio State University.

Ian is responsible for treatments, monitoring and care of lymphoma murine models as well as colony maintenance. A member of the Baiocchi Lab since 2022, Ian received his BS in in animal biosciences from The Ohio State University.

Meba is currently working on BH3 mimetic studies and is pursuing his BS in Molecular Genetics from The Ohio State University.

Adriana is working with Haley Klimaszewski on various lymphoma research projects and she is pursuing her BS in Biological Engineering from The Ohio State University.

Emma is working with Christoph Weigel on EBV sequencing projects and is pursuing a BS in Biology from The Ohio State University.