Steven K. Huang, M.D. – Primary Investigator
Dr. Huang received his MD in 2001 at Northwestern University Medical School in Chicago. He stayed on to do his Internship and Residency in Internal Medicine at Northwestern University McGaw Medical Center, which he completed 2004. Afterwards, he came to the University of Michigan to pursue a Fellowship in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, which he completed in 2007. It was then that he truly appreciated and developed a love for basic science and translational research. His primary research focuses on understanding how epigenetic modifications, particularly DNA methylation, contributes to a variety of chronic lung diseases. He stayed on at the University of Michigan as faculty and is currently an Associate Professor in the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine. He divides his time between laboratory research and clinical medicine. His clinical interests focus on a variety of chronic lung diseases including pulmonary fibrosis and asthma. He is the Medical Director of the University of Michigan Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program. You can view his CV here.
Anne M. Scruggs, M.S.
Anne is a Research Laboratory Specialist and the Lab Manager for the Huang Lab. She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan, as well as her master’s degree from the School of Public Health also at U of M. She has traveled quite a bit and has a wealth of experience working in different biomedical labs across the country. She is versed in a variety of techniques applicable to molecular biology, immunology, and animal modeling.
Eistine Boateng
Hannah Ridenour
Hannah is a Research Laboratory Technician who graduated from Grand Valley State University (GVSU) in 2022 with her bachelor’s degree in Biology. Initially working in veterinary medicine, she has since discovered her passion for research and laboratory work while completing her undergraduate thesis on the molecular evolution of tau proteins in Alzheimer’s Disease and dementia patients. She has also received her certificate in Sustainable Food Systems from GVSU as she is very passionate about the environment and making healthy, sustainable food more accessible. She loves to spread joy in the lab with her cartoon doodles!
Chinwe Onwere
Chinwe is currently a sophomore on a pre-med track studying Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology with a minor in environmental science at the University of Michigan College of LSA. She is originally from Ohio and has two cats named Minnie and Leo. She is interested in research regarding how the environment affects health and wants to go into a career where she is involved in both medicine and environmentalism. In her free time, she enjoys writing, being out in nature, and also exercising.
Laylah Perez
Laylah is a third-year undergraduate student who transferred from Boston University. She studies Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience at the University of Michigan College of LSA. She is excited to learn more about idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and DNA methylation. Laylah finds it fascinating how fibroblasts increase extracellular matrix production and wants to learn more about how it differs from fibroblasts via DNA, RNA, and protein analysis. In her free time, she enjoys photography, listening to hip-hop music, and baking with her family.
Evelyn Jiang
Evelyn is a freshman studying Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology on the pre-med track, and is specifically interested in disease research. She is from Brooklyn, New York and has done research in both environmental science and molecular biology in high school. Her hobbies include calligraphy, journaling/scrapbooking, collecting rocks and minerals (her favorite mineral is celestite!) and baking macarons in different colors. She is currently undecided on what field of medicine she wants to go into, but hopes to figure that out soon!
