Lab Members
Principal Investigator
Wolfram Goessling, M.D., Ph.D.
Wolfram Goessling, MD, PhD, is an oncologist and gastroenterologist who treats patients with chronic liver disease and liver cancer. Wolfram did his graduate work in liver physiology and metabolism and trained as a postdoctoral fellow in zebrafish genetics and developmental biology. His work is inspired by the lack of treatment opportunities for his patients and the hope to have the research in the lab change the way we diagnose and treat liver disease. Wolfram still gets excited about looking at fluorescent zebrafish under the microscope and reviewing new experimental data with the members of his lab. He teaches medical students in the “Introduction to Clinical Medicine” course and graduate students in the Developmental and Regenerative Biology bootcamp. Wolfram is the Robert H. Ebert Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and the Jules L. Dienstag, MD and Betty and Newell Hale Endowed Chair in Gastroenterology. He is Chief of Gastroenterology at Massachusetts General Hospital and the HMS Director of the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology.
wgoessling [at] mgh.harvard.edu
Postdoctoral Fellows
Kristen Alexa, Ph.D.
Kristen attended graduate school at the University of Massachusetts Medical School where she studied endoderm patterning in zebrafish under the tutelage of Charles Sagertrom Ph.D. She graduated with her Ph.D. in December 2009 and joined the Goessling Lab in January 2010 as a postdoc research fellow. Kristen worked on various projects during her postdoc in the lab and took another role, laboratory manager, in September 2014. Balancing both roles, Kristen continued research and managing the lab until July 2017 when she reduced her hours to part time status and continues managing the lab.
kalexa [at] bwh.harvard.edu
Marc Sherman, M.D., Ph.D.
Marc obtained his bachelor degree in Mathematics at the University of Michigan (Go Blue!) and studied at Washington University in St. Louis for his MD and PhD. His thesis work in the lab of Dr. Barak Cohen primarily focused on stochastic physics models of gene expression fluctuations in single yeast cells, and how noise signatures might impart mechanistic information about the process of transcription. He then completed his Internal Medicine residency at Massachusetts General Hospital and remains a gastroenterology fellow there while he applies his expertise in quantitative single cell biology to understanding autoimmune hepatitis.
MSSHERMAN [at] PARTNERS.ORG
Manjari Trivedi, Ph.D.
Manjari studied Biotechnology at VIT University, Vellore in India before doing a research-based Master's in Biomedical Sciences at University of Glasgow in 2016. Her Master’s focused on atherosclerosis and spinal cord injury, projects that inspired her to do a PhD. Supported by a President's PhD scholarship from Imperial College London, she joined Dr Wei Cui's lab to study molecular mechanisms that regulate TGF-β signaling in human embryonic stem cells. Her work showed an important role of Smad2 linker region phosphorylation in modulating the intensity and duration of TGF-β signaling, which has important implication for early embryonic development. Manjari joined the Goessling lab in May 2022 and is interested in exploring the role of leukocytes in liver regeneration and fibrosis. Outside the lab, she enjoys cycling, hiking, yoga, and learning about world geopolitics.
MTRIVEDI2 [at] mgh.harvard.edu
Patrice Delaney, Ph.D.
Patrice hails from City Island, New York. She earned her B.A. from Sarah Lawrence College and Ph.D. from New York University under the supervision of Dr. Kirsten Sadler. Patrice joined the Goessling Lab in September 2023 as a postdoctoral research fellow to expand her interest in studying how environmental toxicants increase the risk of liver disease. Environmental toxicants can cause adverse health outcomes and can predispose individuals to health issues long after exposure has terminated. The Goessling lab uses zebrafish as a tool to study the factors that cause liver disease. Patrice is specifically focused on how aberrant exposure to anthropogenic contaminants, such as bisphenol A, interfere with hormone-regulated events in liver development and function. Beyond the bench, Patrice enjoys being outside and sharing a laugh.
pdelaney3 [at] mgh.harvard.edu
Graduate Students
Enrica Wedig
Enrica is a fifth-year medical student at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Munich, Germany. During her clinical elective at the Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at the University Hospital Vienna, Austria, Enrica discovered her passion for hepatology research and finding novel treatment approaches for chronic liver disease. Enrica joined the Goessling Lab in March 2023 to write her medical dissertation on the role of macrophages in hepatobiliary development. After completing her medical degree, she wants to specialize in gastroenterology and hepatology. In her free time, Enrica enjoys reading, hiking, judo, and exploring new cities.
ewedig [at] mgh.harvard.edu
Thomas McMahon-Skates
Thomas joined the Goessling Lab shortly after graduating from Bowdoin College in 2022 with a B.A. in both Biology and Government and Legal Studies. At Bowdoin he worked in the Jackman Lab investigating the genetic control of zebrafish embryonic tooth development. In the lab Thomas works with Marc to characterize the mechanisms of NASH and other liver diseases. Outside of the lab, he enjoys playing basketball, lifting weights, listening to Hip Hop music, and watching action movies. Overall, he’s a pretty cool guy!
tmcmahon-skates [at] bwh.harvard.edu
Technicians and Undergraduates
Nadia PenkoffLidbeck
Nadia graduated from Smith College in 2022 with a B. A. in Neuroscience with high honors, and a minor in Chemistry. They completed a thesis examining the role of Sonic Hedgehog signaling on neural crest cell migration and commissure formation during forebrain development in the zebrafish. In the Goessling lab, Nadia assists Arkadi with the non-canonical function of macrophages during liver development, as well as in gut formation and function. They also assist Manjari in studying the regulation of TGF-beta signaling by Smad2 linker phosphorylation, and work as a scientific illustrator. Outside of the lab, you can find them knitting, drawing, and baking. They are planning to apply to a PhD program in Developmental Biology in the future.
npenkofflidbeck [at] bwh.harvard.edu
