Present Trainees
Jong-Hyung Lim, Ph.D. (Research Associate) completed his Ph.D. in Immunology at Technische Universität Dresden, Germany in 2016. During his PhD studies, he studied mechanisms of action of the anti-inflammatory protein DEL-1 using distinct animal disease models. Following graduation, he joined the Hajishengallis laboratory in 2018 for further studies on the role of DEL-1 in oral and mucosal tissue inflammation and homeostasis. He is currently a Research Associate working on aging-related alterations in progenitor niches and how these in turn impact on host immunity, inflammation, and tissue regeneration in old age.
Gundappa Saha, M.Tech, PhD (Research Associate) completed his B.Pharm (2012) from West Bengal University of Technology, Kolkata, India; M.Tech (2014) from Anna University, Chennai, India; and Ph.D. (2020) from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati, India. He studied host-pathogen interactions and immune evasion by Leishmania donovani and was bestowed with a prestigious “Prime Minister’s Fellowship for Doctoral Research” by Department of Science & Technology, Govt. of India in the field of Immunology and Infection Biology. He joined the Hajishengallis laboratory in September 2020 and is currently investigating local and systemic mechanisms that promote inflammation in mucosal barrier sites as well as cellular and molecular mechanisms that underlie the connection between periodontitis and systemic comorbidities.
Xudong Wang, Ph.D. (Postdoctoral Fellow) completed his Ph.D. degree in Biology from Tsinghua University, China, in 2018. He completed postdoc training in ophthalmology and cancer biology at Harvard Medical School from 2019-2022. In 2023, he joined the Hajishengallis laboratory, where he is studying macrophage immunometabolic regulation in periodontitis and the impact of aging on trained immunity.
Lina Baeesa, B.D.S. (Graduate Student) earned her Bachelor of Dental Surgery from King Abdulaziz University, Saudi Arabia, in 2018. In 2021, she started her clinical training in Orthodontics, completed her residency training for two years, and joined the Hajishengallis laboratory for her Doctor of Science in Dentistry (D.Sc.D.) degree in 2023. Her postdoctoral research interest is focused on molecular mechanisms of inflammation resolution and bone regeneration in old age.
Saba Mohammadi, D.D.S. (Graduate Student) earned her Doctor of Dental Surgery from Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS), Tehran, Iran, in 2022. She subsequently completed a research training certificate program in the Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases at the ADA Forsyth Institute. In January 2026, she began the Periodontics residency program along with her Doctor of Science in Dentistry (D.Sc.D.) studies, joining the Hajishengallis laboratory in 2026. Her research focuses on clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP) and its bidirectional relationships with metabolic dysfunction and periodontal inflammation.
Ying Zhou, Ph.D. (Postdoctoral Researcher) earned her Bachelor’s degree in Medicine from the School of Dental Medicine, Shandong University, China, in 2017; Master’s degree in Dental Medicine from the Guanghua School of Stomatology, Sun Yat-Sen University, China, in 2020; and Ph.D. in Dental Medicine from the West China School of Stomatology, Sichuan University, China, in 2024. Her doctoral research mainly focused on the relationship between periodontitis and systemic diseases as well as the role of YAP/TAZ in oral cancer. In September 2024, she joined the Hajishengallis laboratory, where she is currently investigating mechanisms of inflammation resolution in the oral mucosa as well as mechanistic links between periodontitis and systemic diseases.