Our Team
We are a diverse group of people coming together to cure retinal degeneration, and we're dedicated to researching what makes eyes work again. We're passionate about what we do, and would like to share that passion with the world! See below to learn more about each member of our amazing team!
Mandeep Singh M.D. Ph.D.
Principal Investigator
Mandeep S. Singh holds the Andreas C. Dracopoulos Professorship in Ophthalmology, and is an Associate Professor of Ophthalmology and Genetic Medicine at the Wilmer Eye Institute. A retina specialist, Dr. Singh’s clinical expertise includes surgical, medical and genetic conditions of the retina and macula. His research focus is on retinal stem cell transplantation. Dr. Singh obtained his bachelors (in medicine and surgery), and medical degrees from the of Surgeons of Edinburgh. He earned a doctor of philosophy degree in ophthalmology from the University of Oxford, United Kingdom in 2014. He completed fellowships in vitreoretinal diseases and surgery at the Oxford Eye Hospital and Moorfields Eye Hospital, both in the United Kingdom.
Contact: [email protected] |
Ying Liu M.D. Ph.D.
Research Associate
Ying earned her M.D. at the West China School of Medicine of Sichuan University in 2010 and completed her Ph.D. training at Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center of Sun Yat-Sen University in 2015, which is the largest and most well-funded clinical and research ophthalmic center in China. Her Ph.D. training program focused on preclinical laboratory studies in retinal development and retina regeneration. In 2016 she became a post-doctoral scientist at the Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins University, in the Singh lab. In June of 2022 she was promoted to Research Associate, a faculty position in the Singh lab. Her research focuses on the structural- and functional- reconstitution of degenerated photoreceptors. She transplants primary or stem cell-derived photoreceptors into retinal degenerate mouse models, trying to rescue the visual function of the blind mice. Her research also digs into the molecular transfer between the donor and the recipient retina. She is hoping to contribute all her efforts to help people who suffer retinal degeneration diseases to restore their vision.
Contact: [email protected] |
Minda McNally
Lab Manager
Minda earned her B.S.E in Chemical Engineering at the University of Michigan in 1992. After five years as a process engineer. She earned her M.S. in Molecular Biology at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County in 1999. She began her journey at The Wilmer Eye Institute in 2005. As lab manager in the Singh lab, she mentors lab members, writes grant reports, performs bench work, contributes to and edits academic papers. Fun Fact about Minda: She always has a positive attitude, probably due to the constant supply of chocolate.
Contact: [email protected] |
Kang Li, M.D. Ph.D.
Post Doctoral Fellow |
Kang earned his M.D. at the University of South China School of Medicine in 2011 and completed his Ph.D. training at Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University in 2017. He became a post doctoral fellow at the CellSight Program, Unviersity of Colorado School of Medicine. There he focused on developing stem cell replacement therapies for treating blindness. In January 2022, he brought years of experience in retinal organoids culture, animal modeling and ocular surgery to the Singh lab to continue exploring the novel treatments for rescuing retina degeneration. As a positive, courteous team player, he is always ready to give a helping hand to those who need help.
Contact: [email protected]
Contact: [email protected]
McKaily Adams
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Bani Antonio-Aguirre, M.D. M.P.H
Post Doctoral Fellow
Bani earned her M.D. from the Panamerican University School of Medicine in Mexico and completed research internships in molecular vision science at the University of San Diego, California, and Institute de la Vision in France. Her main areas of interest include clinical and epidemiological research on degenerative diseases of the retina. At the Singh lab, she works on data science, applying biostatistics and analyzing clinical and experimental data derived from multiple ongoing projects. She aims to pursue a residency in Ophthalmology and continue contributing to the field.
Contact: [email protected]
Contact: [email protected]
Annabelle Pan
Medical Student
Medical Student
Annabelle is a medical student at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine hoping to someday become an ophthalmologist. She majored in environmental engineering in college and was interested in data science, studying home fungal ecologies and later tracking SARS-CoV-2 concentrations in wastewater. After graduating, she took a gap year and pursued a mixed-methods survey and interview-based project focused on the health experiences of migrant workers in Singapore. At the Singh lab, she is studying the psychosocial impacts of vision loss, and hopes her efforts will contribute to improving advocacy for and care to patients with vision problems. In her free time, she enjoys making music and catching sunrises.
Contact: [email protected]
Contact: [email protected]
Kenneth Jimenez
Undergraduate Student
Undergraduate Student
Kenneth is an undergraduate student majoring in Public Health Studies at Johns Hopkins University, and wishes to eventually attend medical school. In the Singh lab, he hopes to learn more about research in transplanting stem cells as a means of curing degenerative eye diseases. In his free time, he enjoys going to the gym and meditating.
Contact: [email protected]
Contact: [email protected]
Krystal Yearis
Undergraduate student
Undergraduate student
Krystal is an undergraduate at Johns Hopkins University majoring in Medicine, Science, and the Humanities with a minor in Film and Media Studies. She has always been interested in researching stem cells and regenerative medicine and has helped to research skin wound regeneration at the Garza lab. At the Singh lab, Krystal hopes to explore her interest in the ophthalmology field further by studying photoreceptor behavior, survivability and material transfer after transplantation. In her free time, Krystal loves to film and edit videos, play poker/mahjong/any card game, and go on nature hikes!
Contact: [email protected]
Contact: [email protected]
Edward Esposito
Medical Student
Medical Student
Eddie is a medical student at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, conducting a research year before graduating and applying for ophthalmology residency in 2025. He grew up in Johnston, Rhode Island and studied chemistry with a chemical biology concentration in college. He previously worked with gadolinium oxide nanoparticles for use as MRI contrast agents. At the Singh lab, he is studying nanoparticle-conjugated drug delivery to the retina with applications to retinal transplantation and the treatment of cystoid macular degeneration. In his free time, he enjoys cycling and designing flags.
Contact: [email protected]
Contact: [email protected]
Setu Mehta
Medical Student |
Setu is a medical student at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. She grew up in New York and studied stem cell biology with a secondary degree in global health and health policy at Harvard College. She previously conducted stem cell research studying the signals that guide stem cell differentiation into various therapeutic cell types. At the Singh lab, she is studying genetic eye diseases and uncovering relationships between patients with various conditions. In her free time, she enjoys playing spike ball and tennis at Patterson Park and watching sitcoms like Modern Family. Contact: [email protected]
Brian Lei
Undergraduate Student
Undergraduate Student
Brian is an undergraduate student at Johns Hopkins University majoring in Molecular and Cellular biology. His primary interest in the Singh lab is to investigate strategies to improve delivery, longevity, and overall therapeutic efficacy of photoreceptor transplants to the retina. He is also interested in researching nanoparticle drug delivery to the retina. In his free time, he enjoys playing basketball, playing guitar, and rewatching TV shows from his childhood.
Contact: [email protected]
Contact: [email protected]
Patrick Nnoromele
MD/PhD Candidate
MD/PhD Candidate
Patrick earned his B.S. in Neuroscience and minor in Medical Humanities from the University of Texas at Dallas before matriculating into the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in 2022 as an MD/PhD candidate. His undergraduate research emphasized atypical kinase biology and tumor immunology in the context of radiation therapy. His work in the Singh lab focuses on enhanced retinal organoid culture techniques and the creation of 3D retinal scaffolds for in vivo transplantation. In his free time, Patrick enjoys hitting the gym, reading fantasy novels, and writing his own fiction pieces.
Contact: [email protected]
Contact: [email protected]
Dorothy Wang
Medical Student
Medical Student
Dorothy is a medical student at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, conducting a research year before applying for ophthalmology residency in 2026. She is from Portland, Oregon and majored in chemistry and biology in college. She previously studied a zinc finger protein gene therapy approach for preventing subthalamic nucleus neuronal degeneration in a mouse model of Huntington disease. At the Singh lab, she is studying the role of AI in guiding treatment decisions for patients with Stargardt disease. In her free time, she enjoys mountaineering, running, and perfecting low-sugar dessert recipes.
Contact: [email protected]
Contact: [email protected]
Tess Baldwin
Medical Student |
Tess is a medical student at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. She majored in Cellular Biology and Genetics in undergrad and was interested in how genetics can drive medical treatments and the emerging field of Medical Genetics. After graduating, she took a gap year and worked as a medical assistant in an Ophthalmologist's office specializing in cataract surgery. At the Singh lab, she is working with the clinical research team. In her free time, she enjoys painting, going on walks, and testing out different ice cream shops.
Contact: [email protected]
Contact: [email protected]
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