
Sandra S. McAllister, PhD
Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Associate Scientist, Brigham and Woman’s Hospital
Associate Member, Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT
BIO
Dr. McAllister received her undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and completed her Ph.D. studies in molecular and cellular biology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. She joined Robert Weinberg’s laboratory at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research as a postdoctoral fellow where she she did pioneering work to uncover the systemic nature of the complex biology behind breast cancer relapse and recurrence. Dr. McAllister is also an Affiliate Member of the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, a Member of the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center, a Member of the Breast Oncology/Immuno-Oncology Working Group, and Faculty of Biology and Biomedical Sciences, Harvard Medical School. Dr. McAllister received the 2012 Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers from President Obama, the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. Government on science and engineering professionals in the early stages of their careers.
Outside of the lab, Dr. McAllister enjoys time with her husband and 3 dogs, reading, gardening, yoga, and an occasional bootcamp session. She and her dog, Bower, are a canine therapy team and can be found visiting local nursing homes.

Adrienne Parsons, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow
BIO
Adrienne is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the McAllister and van Galen labs and a Biomedical Informatics and Data Science Research Training (BIRT) fellow at Harvard Medical School. Her research interests include bioinformatic analysis of single-cell RNA sequencing and high-dimensional flow cytometry data, with a particular interest in the roles of aging and immune cell types in the progression of breast cancer.
Outside of the lab, Adrienne enjoys reading, crocheting and crafting, and watching scary movies.

Milos Spasic, PhD
Instructor
BIO
Milos is an Instructor in Dr. McAllister’s lab. He received his PhD in biomedical engineering from Columbia University studying bone growth and mechanotransduction. His research now focuses on understanding how age and therapeutic intervention impact tumor growth, bone metastasis, and immune responses in breast cancer.
Outside of the lab, Milos enjoys playing soccer, going to concerts, and finding new restaurants around the city.

Dimitry Lineker
Research Technician
BIO
Dimitry is a Research Technician in the McAllister Lab. He received his B.S. in Bioengineering from Northeastern University. While at Northeastern, he completed three six-month long co-ops conducting cancer immunotherapy research at Genocea Biosciences, Tango Therapeutics, and DEM BioPharma. He is currently taking on a lab manager role while assisting with ongoing research efforts.
Outside of the lab, Dimitry enjoys running, playing guitar, and going to concerts.

Melissa Dolan, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow
BIO
Melissa is a Postdoctoral Fellow in Dr. McAllister’s lab. She received her Ph.D. in Pharmacology from SUNY Buffalo, Roswell Park Cancer Center Division studying therapy-induced senescence like phenotypes and the impact on immunotherapy responses. Her research now focuses on understanding how the aging immune microenvironment impacts therapy responses in breast cancer.
Outside the lab, Melissa enjoys running, cooking, relaxing with her fiancé and two cats, and visiting coffee shops and bakeries around the area.

Meghana Manjunath, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow
BIO
Meghana is a postdoctoral researcher in Dr. McAllister’s lab. She earned her Ph.D. in Cancer Biology from the Institute of Bioinformatics and Applied Biotechnology (Manipal University), India, where she studied the effects of Disarib, a BCL2-specific inhibitor, on breast cancer. She later worked as a Research Scientist at Thermo Fisher Scientific, focusing on RUO antibody validation with an emphasis on immunohistochemistry workflows and imaging applications. Her current research examines Chemotherapy-induced immune modulation and clonal dynamics in liver metastases of Triple Negative Breast Cancer.
Outside the lab, Meghana enjoys sketching, singing, and dancing. She is also a professionally trained table tennis player and serves as a trustee of the Sri Rag Foundation, actively supporting its mission to provide financial assistance to underprivileged students pursuing education in India.

Hanna Starobinets, PhD
Scientific Director
BIO
Hanna is a Scientific Director in the McAllister Laboratory. She received her B.S. in Biology from MIT and her Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences from UCSF. She is passionate about the research and development of innovative immune therapies for human diseases. She is equally passionate about science communication, collaboration, and mentorship. She has led preclinical and translational project teams in the biotechnology industry at Genocea Biosciences and Larkspur Biosciences, and brings an out-of-the-box approach to problem solving informed by both academia and industry.
Outside the lab, Hanna can be found taking her two daughters on a variety of year-round outdoor adventures

Ritah Ogayo
Senior Research Technician
BIO
Ritah is a Senior Research Technician in the T-Hub and McAllister labs. She received her B.S. in Biology and Biochemistry from Hillsdale College. Her research focuses on identifying racial differences in immune profiles and their implications in breast cancer development and outcomes.
Outside of the lab, Ritah enjoys fashion, watching basketball, and working out.

Chelsea Fangyuan Chen, M.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow
BIO
Chelsea (Fangyuan Chen) is a Postdoctoral Fellowat the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. She earned her M.D. from the Tsinghua University physician-scientist program. Her work focuses on single-cell and multi-omics approaches to understand tumor heterogeneity, immuno-oncology, and racial disparities. Her goal is to bridge the gap between computational biology and clinical oncology to develop more precise, personalized treatment strategies for patients.
Outside the lab, Chelsea enjoys reading, sketching, watching movies, hiking, exploring museums, and immersing herself in music and art

Bower
Bower is the Dog Mascot in the McAllister lab. He is a Caring Canine therapy dog and works at local nursing homes and hospitals. Outside of the lab, Bower enjoys eating, swimming, romping with his siblings, and eating. And eating.

Jenks
Jenks is the Cat Mascot in the McAllister lab. His primary duty is to oversee the Dog Mascot. Outside of the lab, Jenks enjoys getting attention from his parents at the expense of his sister.
Caitie Sams (Undergraduate Summer, 2024)
Anastasia Bobos (Research Grant Administrator 2020-2022)
Greg Goreczny, PhD (Postdoc 2018-2020)
Adam Maynard, (Graduate Student 2018-2019)
Anna Molineaux (Sr. Research Specialist, Lab Manager 2015-2019)
Aman Bizuayehu (Research Technician 2017-2019)
Zafira Castano, PhD (Postdoc 2010-2016; Instructor 2016-2018)
Jessica Hawkins Olive, PhD (Graduate Student 2013-2018)
Tyler Laszewski (Research Technician 2015-2018)
Kristin Wilson (Undergraduate 2016-2018)
Ayana Henderson (Post-Baccalaureate Student 2016-2017)
Jaclyn Sceneay, PhD (Postdoc 2014-2017)
Jessalyn Ubellacker, PhD (Graduate Student 2014-2017)
Molly DeCristo, PhD (Graduate Student 2014-2017)
Bennett King, DVM (Undergraduate; Post-Baccalaureate 2014-2017)
Niko Bretz, PhD (Postdoc 2014-2016)
Yuanbo Qin, PhD (Postdoc 2012-2016)
Francis Greathouse (Undergraduate Summer, 2016)
Ellen Murchie (Undergraduate Trainee Summer, 2016)
Mahnaz Paktinat (Research Specialist 2009-2015)
Amy Barakat (Lab Manager, Research Technician 2013-2015)
Marie-Therese Haider, PhD (Visiting Scientist 2015)
Virginia Bruch (Summer Intern 2015)
Sara Morrow (Undergraduate Summer, 2015)
Irene Wong (High School Intern; Undergraduate 2012-2014)
Caroline Arrellano Garcia (Undergraduate Summer, 2014)
Andrea Klapp (Undergraduate Summer, 2014)
Jaewon Lee (Visiting Scientist 2013-2014)
Timothy Marsh, PhD (Research Technician 2010-2013)
Lauren Testa (Undergraduate Summer, 2013)
Laura Rosenthal (Undergraduate Summer, 2013)
Bianca Ho (Undergraduate Summer, 2013)
Amanda Redig, MD, PhD (Medical Internship and Fellowship)
Moshe Elkabets, PhD (Postdoc 2010-2012)
Samantha Hay (Undergraduate Summer, 2012)
Donjeta Gjuka (Undergraduate Summer, 2012)
Hanna Kuznetsov, PhD (Undergraduate 2007-2009; Lab Manager 2009-2011)
Ramya Tadipatri, MD (Research Technician 2010-2011)
Kristin Tracy, PhD (Postdoc 2010-2011)
Laura Gabrovsek (Undergraduate Summer, 2011)
Maria Apellaniz Ruiz (Undergraduate Summer, 2011)
Sarah Harney (Undergraduate Summer, 2011)
Sabine Schneider (Undergraduate Summer, 2010)
Victor Fanjul Hevia (Undergraduate Summer 2010)