Meet the Team
Dr. AlAsfoor earned her bachelor's degree in general biology and chemistry from the University of Bahrain. She pursued a master's degree in molecular biology with specialization in medical biology at Lund University in Sweden. Then she moved to Switzerland, where she completed her doctoral studies in biomedical research-immunology at University of Basel. In 2020, she joined Dr. Grover's laboratory as a postdoctoral fellow.
Dr. AlAsfoor leads projects on the roles of two types of white blood cells — monocytes and macrophages — in diabetic gastroparesis. For these studies, she uses murine models and multi-omics approaches such as CyTOF, scATACseq and scRNAseq.
Amanda earned a Bachelor of Science in biological engineering from Purdue University. As an undergraduate, she performed research on carbohydrate use in anaerobic cultures and did additional work discovering and isolating bacteriophages. Amanda is engaged in microbial colonization studies in germ-free mice to determine how microbes affect protease regulation. The same studies examine a type of cellular signaling called quorum sensing between types of microbes that are important for protease regulation.
Maggie earned her Bachelor of Science in chemistry and biology from Ripon College in Wisconsin. As an undergraduate, she studied enzymes called electron transfer flavoproteins. She also worked as an emergency medical technician. She has been a clinical research coordinator at Mayo Clinic for seven years.
In Dr. Grover's lab, Maggie manages both sponsored and investigator-initiated studies. She works in protocol development, participant recruitment and regulatory maintenance. She is the lead coordinator to synchronize and coordinate study tasks among various teams, sponsors and overseeing entities. She has worked with patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), cyclic vomiting syndrome, functional dyspepsia, gastroparesis and fecal incontinence.
Dr. Edwinson earned his Bachelor of Science in microbiology and biotechnology from Minnesota State University, Mankato, and then earned his doctorate in molecular pathogenesis from North Dakota State University. He is interested in understanding relationships between hosts and microbiota and how these relationships affect gastrointestinal health and physiology.
Dr. Edwinson has several publications on the role of intestinal microbiota in regulating host proteases and intestinal permeability in IBS. These publications also show how microbiota influence host gene expression in vivo using a humanization model of germ-free mice. He remains curious and excited to explore interactions between microbes and their hosts, focusing on microbial metabolites composition and diversity, and their impact on gut health.
Ashley earned an Associate of Science degree from Rochester Community and Technical College. She received her Certificate of Radiography from Mayo Clinic School of Health Sciences and worked in radiology for 12 years before joining Dr. Grover's lab.
Ashley manages both sponsored and investigator-initiated clinical trials, as well as FDA-regulated studies. She works in protocol development, budget development, participant recruitment and regulatory maintenance. She has worked with patients with IBS, systemic sclerosis and Campylobacter enterocolitis.
Dr. Lesmana earned her medical degree from the Faculty of Medicine Universitas Indonesia. She worked as a general practitioner in the emergency room and primary healthcare services in Jakarta, Indonesia.
In Dr. Grover's lab, Dr. Lesmana assesses small intestinal microbiome and permeability in patients with systemic sclerosis. In this role, she receives mentorship from and coordinates her research with colleagues in Mayo Clinic's Division of Rheumatology.
Dr. Maalouf earned her medical degree from Poznan University of Medical Sciences in Poland after completing her undergraduate studies in medical laboratory sciences at the University of Balamand in Beirut. As a postdoctoral research fellow, Dr. Maalouf's main focus is on the interplay between interstitial cells of Cajal and macrophages in the setting of delayed gastric emptying. She uses animal models as well as human biopsy samples in this research.
Currently, Dr. Maalouf is working on single-cell spatial transcriptomics, calcium-transient imaging, immunohistochemistry and cell isolation. She also is developing an analysis program to quantify interstitial cells of Cajal.
Dr. Maalouf strongly believes in the power of interdisciplinary collaboration and constantly seeks opportunities to grow and learn. When she is not busy, she enjoys playing the piano.
Jack earned a Bachelor of Science in health science from the University of Minnesota Rochester. As an undergraduate, he did his internship in a Mayo Clinic virology lab. In Dr. Grover's lab, Jack studies macrophage-driven pathophysiology in murine models of delayed gastric emptying. He supports the postdoctoral fellows with their experiments and leads gastric emptying measurements.
Dr. Rao earned his Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery degree from Sawai Man Singh Medical College in Jaipur, India. In Dr. Grover's lab, Dr. Rao studies the use of artificial intelligence to better understand and treat neurogastrointestinal disorders. His academic vision is to pursue an internal medicine residency followed by a gastroenterology fellowship.