Meet Our Team

Dr. Westendorf cultivates a culture of inclusivity and is dedicated to training the next generation of researchers through a robust education program in her lab. Learn about the lab's current team members and its recent alumni.

Dr. Westendorf

Dr. Westendorf is a professor of orthopedics and a professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science in Rochester, Minnesota. She also is the Margaret Amini Professor of Orthopedic Regenerative Medicine Research at Mayo Clinic and is chair of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Dr. Westendorf was on the faculty at the University of Minnesota from 2000 to 2007 before returning in 2007 to Mayo Clinic, where she earned her Ph.D. She was a V Scholar in 2002 and received the American Society of Bone and Mineral Research (ASMBR) Fuller Albright Award in 2009, the Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Dean's Recognition Award in 2016, the Orthopaedic Research Society (ORS) Women's Leadership Forum Award in 2018, and the University of Minnesota Morris Distinguished Alumni Award in 2022. Dr. Westendorf has served on editorial boards of several journals and in many U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) study sections. She was a member of the advisory council for the U.S. National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) within the NIH. She is a fellow of ASBMR and ORS.

Dr. Westendorf believes that diversity brings great value and productivity to teams, and she understands that there are many dimensions to diversity and intersectionality. She aims to promote an inclusive and equitable culture so that all can excel at Mayo Clinic.

She is dedicated to training the next generation of scientists and directs the Musculoskeletal Research Training Program at Mayo Clinic.

Kayla M. Beddingfield, administrative assistant

Kayla was born and raised in Naples, Florida. She completed her bachelor's degree in business management at Athens State University in Athens, Alabama, before joining Dr. Westendorf's lab in 2022. Now working remotely from Jacksonville, Florida, Kayla enjoys spending time outdoors, hiking, biking, boating, and hanging out with her husband and their two miniature dachshunds.

Xiaodong Li, senior research technologist

Xiaodong graduated from St. Cloud State University in St. Cloud, Minnesota, with a Master of Science degree in 1998. His research interests are bone-related diseases, such as osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, and primary and secondary bone tumors. Xiaodong's passion is pursuing a better understanding of the causes of bone-related diseases at the molecular level. In the lab, Xiaodong's research projects include histone deacetylases (HDACs) in bone and cartilage formation; the role of RUNX family proteins in bone biology; Akt pathway regulation in cartilage biology; and osteoarthritis progression. Xiaodong has worked in the research field for more than 20 years and continues his journey to find cures for numerous diseases. He enjoys traveling, hiking, and biking with his family and friends during leisure time.

Manuela Oviedo, M.D., postdoctoral fellow

Dr. Oviedo is from Balcarce, Argentina, and received her medical degree from the National University of La Plata in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She has always been enthusiastic about learning the pathophysiological processes of diseases. She is studying the inflammatory response of osteoarthritis in murine models and intracellular metabolic pathways influenced by PHLPP phosphatases. In addition to working in the lab, she is studying for her U.S. medical certification and hopes to pursue a residency. Dr. Oviedo's goal is to be a physician-scientist who provides care with state-of-the-art therapies built on groundbreaking research. When not working or studying, Dr. Oviedo enjoys baking, cooking, staying active and traveling.

Eduardo Peralta-Herrera, B.S., post-baccalaureate fellow

Ed grew up in Los Angeles, California, and graduated from the University of Rochester in Rochester, New York, with a Bachelor of Science in molecular genetics in 2023. He is working on a variety of projects and investigating the importance of PHLPP phosphatases and the Girk3 channel in bone biology. Ed plans to start medical school in the fall of 2024. When not in the lab or at school, Ed enjoys playing basketball and traveling.

Haydee M. Torres, Ph.D., postdoctoral fellow

Dr. Torres was born and raised in Miami, Florida. She obtained her Ph.D. in biochemistry from South Dakota State University in Brookings, South Dakota. She performed her dissertation research at Sanford Research in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, with a focus on the epigenetic regulation of Notch signaling. She has a bachelor's degree in psychology from Villanova University in Villanova, Pennsylvania, and a bachelor's degree in biology from St. Thomas University in Miami. Dr. Torres is now studying how PHLPP inhibitors may block joint innervation and osteoarthritis-associated pain behaviors after a knee injury. Outside of the lab, Dr. Torres is a gardener and foodie. She enjoys spending quality time with her family and friends, being a cat mom to Cleo, hiking and listening to music.

Dongwook Yeo, Ph.D., postdoctoral fellow

Dr. Yeo joined Dr. Westendorf's laboratory as a postdoctoral research fellow in August 2019. His two research focus areas are the role of histone deacetylase 3 in bone loss and marrow adiposity formation, and protein phosphatase PHLPP1/2 in skeletal muscle development and mitochondrial function under pathophysiological conditions such as injury, disuse, degeneration and aging. Dr. Yeo received a Bachelor of Science degree and a Master of Science degree in physical education from Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea. He moved to Minnesota to study in 2012. He completed his doctoral studies with Li Li Ji, Ph.D., at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, where he investigated the impact of mitochondrial dysfunction on disuse and age-related muscle atrophy in animal models. Dr. Yeo spends lots of time on weekends playing tennis at local clubs and camping in northern Minnesota.

Elizabeth L. Zars Fisher, M.S., senior research technologist

Elizabeth grew up in Cedar Falls, Iowa, and moved out of state to complete her bachelor's degree in animal sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in Madison, Wisconsin. She joined the Westendorf lab in 2017 and has managed the mouse colony and helped run experiments since then. While working for Dr. Westendorf, Elizabeth earned her master's degree in translational pharmacology with an emphasis in safety pharmacology and toxicology from The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. When she is not in the lab, Elizabeth enjoys relaxing with her family, visiting local coffee shops and running many miles with her friends.

Our lab alumni

Numerous talented graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and visiting scientists have trained under Dr. Westendorf's mentorship in our lab. Working in our lab helps them develop their research and lab skills, and in turn, they contribute to exciting discoveries. Contact us if you're interested in exploring a training or education position in our lab. Some of our recent alumni include:

  • Katherine Arnold, Ph.D., graduate student and postdoctoral fellow, 2020-2024.
  • Leslie Victoria-Sanchez, Summer Undergraduate Research Fellow, 2023-2024.
  • Samantha R. Weaver Kodet, Ph.D., postdoctoral fellow, 2018-2024.
  • Ernest L. Taylor, Ph.D., postdoctoral fellow, 2018-2022.
  • David Molstad, post-baccalaureate fellow, 2017-2019.
  • Elizabeth W. Bradley, Ph.D., postdoctoral fellow and associate consultant, 2010-2019.
  • Ian Lorang, M.D., post-baccalaureate fellow, 2017-2018.
  • Dana Begun, Ph.D., postdoctoral fellow, 2015-2018.
  • Petya DiMitrova, visiting faculty, 2017.
  • Kunimiche Niibe, D.D.S., research trainee, 2017.
  • Lomeli Carpio Shull, Ph.D., graduate student and postdoctoral fellow, 2012-2017.
  • Andrea Wojciechowski, Summer Undergraduate Research Fellow, 2016.
  • Marina Feigenson, Ph.D., postdoctoral fellow, 2015-2016.
  • Soyun Hwang, M.D., Mayo medical student, HHMI research grant recipient, 2015-2016.
  • Lomeli Carpio Shull, graduate student, 2012-2016.
  • Daniel Poston, Summer Undergraduate Research Fellow, 2015.
  • Carolina Bonin Lewallen, Ph.D., postdoctoral fellow, 2013-2015.
  • Krista Bledsoe, graduate student, 2011-2014.
  • Meghan McGee Lawrence, Ph.D., postdoctoral fellow, 2009-2014.