Genetics

Greg received his bachelor's degree in Microbiology from Brigham Young University where he developed a new class of influenza inhibitors. He completed his PhD degree at UCSF in Martin Kampmann's Lab. In the Kampmann lab, he studied how the V337M tau mutation perturbs differentiating iPSC-derived neurons. Greg works with the Clelland Lab at the Memory and Aging Center to develop new methods for screening nanoparticle delivery of gene editing therapies.  

Liya Rabkina is a licensed and board-certified genetic counselor at the Memory and Aging Center. She graduated from Northwestern University's master’s program in genetic counseling in 2020 and became board-certified later that same year. In 2024, Liya finished a research fellowship through a collaboration between Northwestern University and the University of Pennsylvania, while also earning a master's certificate focused on advancing research training for genetic counselors. She has experience in oncology and preimplantation genetic testing (infertility genetics).

San-Hae is a postdoctoral researcher at the UCSF Memory and Aging Center under the mentorship of Dr. Claire Clelland. His research focuses on developing delivery systems for CRISPR-based therapies to treat neurodegenerative diseases.

Rowan graduated from Middlebury College in May 2024 with a major in Sociology and a minor in Global Health. She joined the UCSF Memory and Aging Center (MAC) in June 2024 as a clinical research coordinator in the Dementia Imaging Genetics Lab led by Dr. Suzee Lee, where she coordinates a study investigating the neurodevelopment of children from families with a history of frontotemporal dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. 

Ariel joined the Yokoyama Lab at the Memory and Aging Center in February 2024 as a Staff Research Associate. She graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, where she received her bachelor’s degree in English and in Molecular and Cellular Biology. Ariel has experience assisting with research into the effects of environmental air pollution on neurodegenerative disease, as well as working in a clinical pathology setting; she is interested in learning more about neurogenetics.

Taylor is an Administrative Coordinator working under the MAC Genetics and Biospecimen manager. 

Valerie joined the Yokoyama Lab in 2023 as a staff scientist with a career-long interest in evaluating genetic factors involved in neurological diseases. She earned a PhD degree in Neuroscience at the University of Michigan, where she identified transcriptional regulation sequences for a gene involved in epilepsy and movement disorders. During her postdoctoral fellowship at NHGRI and UCSF, she studied the role of alpha-synuclein in Parkinson’s disease.

Jana has continuously explored new passions and interests throughout her life. Born and raised in Anchorage, Alaska, her love for the outdoors and adventure was evident from an early age. Between camping and fishing with her family, she competed at a high level in the junior tennis circuit, eventually becoming a recruited athlete at Cornell University. It was there that she discovered her passion for genetics and its impact on people’s lives.