Meet the Team

Haiyan Hou is a Clinical Laboratory Manager at the University of Calgary’s Department of Medicine. With extensive experience in clinical laboratory operations, Haiyan plays a key role in managing laboratory practices to support medical research and patient care. 

Jean Kawasoe is a Lab Manager at the University of Calgary and is a graduate of the University of Waterloo, majoring in Biology.  She has been with the University of Calgary for 19 years and has extensive experience in molecular biology and immunohistochemistry as well as managing the day to day operations of the research laboratory. 

Katherine is a graduate of the University of Calgary's Bachelor of Health sciences, majoring in Bioinformatics. She enjoys analyzing data, from traditional statistical methods to exploring how machine learning can be applied to more challenging problems. Katherine has been working for Dr. Choi since she became an Assistant Professor in 2020.  

Wrechelle Ocampo O'Keefe has a Bachelor of Science degree in Cellular, Molecular, Microbial Biology and Master of Biomedical Technology degree from the University of Calgary. She is currently a Research Manager and Chair of the McCaig Institute Highly Qualified Personnel (HQP) Sub-Committee. Wrechelle has been involved with clinical research for over 12 years and has supported over 20 projects, which include quality improvement and implementation, clinical trials, medical devices, and e-health technology. 

Dr. Yang Yang is a research scientist focused on improving ANA interpretation using super-high-resolution microscopy. She received her MD degree in China and her PhD in Medical Science at the University of Calgary. She is also passionate about identifying novel autoantibodies and biomarkers for autoimmune diseases and translating research findings into improved diagnostic testing and patient care. 

Connie Mantei has been working at U of C for 18 years supporting faculty members, adapting to their varying needs and learning new programs and techniques along the way.  She has become proficient in many areas, both clinical and research oriented, and continues to grow and expand in her role in order to meet the individual needs of her faculty members. 

Dr. Cini Mathew John, RPh, PhD, is the Research Manager for the CTD Research Group at University of Calgary. With 15 years of research experience, she completed a postdoctoral fellowship in vascular immunology at the University of Calgary and holds a PhD in Pharmacology and Toxicology, a Master’s degree in Immunology from Universiti Putra Malaysia, and is a registered pharmacist. Dr. John has authored more than 30 peer-reviewed publications and has served as an Associate Professor, Principal Investigator, and expert in translational drug discovery. 

Simon is a Research Associate with over 25 years of biomedical research experience, including a strong background in lymphatic physiology. He now applies that foundation to support our research programs, contributing to study design, grant development, and the day-to-day science that moves these projects forward.  

Yvonne Henshaw is a Research Coordinator in the Division of Rheumatology at the Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, and a PhD student in Community Health Sciences. She works closely with patients, clinicians, and researchers to support studies focused on scleroderma and other autoimmune connective tissue diseases. Her research interests include improving patient outcomes through clinical and translational research, advancing early diagnosis, and helping bring new discoveries from the laboratory into patient care.

Ann is a Research Coordinator with the Department of Rheumatology at the Cumming School of Medicine. She holds a Master of Science in Public Health and has six years experience supporting clinical research with the University of Calgary. Her work includes protocol development, ethics submissions, project management, and mixed‑methods data collection and analysis. Ann is committed to supporting research that improves diagnosis, treatment, and patient experiences in autoimmune rheumatic diseases. 

Heewon leads the Bioinformatics Hub (https://TheBioHub.ca/), specializing in omics data analysis and microbiome research. He is committed to building transparent, reproducible workflows that support collaborative biomedical research.

Sajida completed her Bachelor of Health Sciences (Hons.) in Biomedical Sciences with a minor in Bioinformatics at the University of Calgary's Cumming School of Medicine. She is now pursuing her Master’s degree, where her research focuses on identifying and validating novel urinary biomarkers for the detection and monitoring of lupus nephritis. 

Jordan completed her Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry, with a minor in Anthropology, at the University of Calgary. She is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Community Health Sciences, specializing in Epidemiology, at the University of Calgary’s Cumming School of Medicine. Her research is part of a community-partnered initiative working with Indigenous communities to identify barriers to care for systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases (SARDs) and co-develop strategies to improve access. Within this work, she focuses on validating saliva and dried blood spot autoantibody testing as minimally invasive, culturally appropriate alternatives to traditional serum-based methods. 

Nathan Barreth is a fourth-year undergraduate student in the Bachelor of Health Sciences program at the University of Calgary, majoring in biomedical sciences. He conducts research under the supervision of Dr. May Choi, Dr. Marvin Fritzler, and Dr. Eugene Krustev, investigating biomarkers to improve the diagnosis and management of systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases; in particular, idiopathic inflammatory myopathies and systemic lupus erythematosus. 

Victoria Dungey is an undergraduate student in the Maine College of Engineering and Computing, majoring in biomedical engineering. Her current research is focused on assessing saliva as a diagnostic matrix for autoantibodies and the prediction of SLE.

Ray Zhong is a third year undergraduate student in the Bachelor of Health Sciences program, majoring in Biomedical Sciences at the University of Calgary. His current research focuses on biobanking and longitudinal analysis of ANA patterns in systemic sclerosis patients.

Maria Huang is a BSc student in Cellular, Anatomical and Physiological Sciences at the University of British Columbia and a summer research volunteer in Dr. Maggie Larché’s lab, where she contributes to systemic sclerosis research through PBMC processing, literature review, and biobanking. Her interests include systemic sclerosis and biomarker research, with a broader focus on aging-related cognitive and musculoskeletal health and health equity in underserved populations.  

My name is Sophie Butler-Henderson I am a second year student at Newcastle University in the UK currently studying Biomedical Science. This summer I will be joining Dr. Larché’s Autoimmune Precision Laboratory, where my work will span both laboratory and epidemiological research, contributing to biomarker discovery in systemic sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis alongside population level analysis of disease patterns and patient data. 

Hi! I'm Sahil, a second-year Biomedical Sciences student at the University of Calgary. My current research explores how the microbiome may influence autoimmune disease through interactions with the immune system. Outside the lab, I compete in archery and hope to continue pursuing the sport at a high level.