Type2CWRU

Jacqueline Shaia (PhD Student)
Jacqueline Shaia received her bachelor's degree in Biology from George Mason University before obtaining her masters in Anatomy from Eastern Virginia Medical School. After serving as an anatomy faculty member for two years and teaching medical and masters students, she decided to pursue a career in research. Jacqueline is currently a second year PhD student at Case Western Reserve University in the Clinical Translational Science program. Her doctoral work focuses on using bioinformatics, electronic medical records, and machine learning to study diseases impairing vision including the rare Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension.

Razaq Durodoye (MD/PhD Program)
Razaq Durodoye received his bachelor's degree in Biochemistry from the University of Texas at Dallas in 2018 and matriculated to Case Western Reserve University’s (CWRU) Medical Scientist Training Program in 2019. He completed his pre-clerkship training in 2021 and is currently in the 2nd year of the graduate phase in the Epidemiology and Biostatistics PhD program in the department of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences at CWRU. His doctoral work focuses on understanding and modeling complex diseases such as preeclampsia and Alzheimer’s disease and genetic and environmental contributions to risk in marginalized groups in the United States and understudied populations worldwide. Razaq’s clinical and research interests coincide in addressing and minimizing health disparities, especially those falling along racial/ethnic categorizations.

David Selvaraj (Analyst Programmer and PhD Student)
David Selvaraj received his bachelor’s degree in Molecular Biology from University of Michigan before obtaining his Masters in Science in Physiology and Masters in Business Administration from Case Western Reserve University (CWRU). He currently works as an Analyst and Programmer for several NIH grants/projects housed in the School of Dental Medicine at Case Western Reserve University, Metro Health Hospitals, University Hospitals and the Cleveland Clinic. David is a current first year PhD student in the Clinical Translation Science Program at CWRU. His doctoral work focuses on using geographic information systems, electronic health records, and machine learning to study social determinants of health and barriers to care in low income and Medicaid enrolled populations.

Christopher Maatouk (Medical Student)
Christopher Maatouk received his bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences from the University of Chicago in 2018 and is a senior medical student at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. He participated in several clinical research studies throughout medical school, with a particular focus on disorders of the retina such as diabetic retinopathy. His passion for clinical research led him to pursue his current research fellowship position at the Cleveland Clinic Cole Eye Institute Center for Ophthalmic Bioinformatics.

Jacob James Rich (PhD Student)
Jacob James Rich received his master’s degree in mathematics and economics from Eastern Michigan University, where he also double majored in the same subjects for his bachelor’s degree. He is currently pursuing his PhD in epidemiology and biostatistics at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and is funded as an economist at the Cleveland Clinic Center for Evidence-Based Care Research. Before enrolling at Case, Rich worked as a healthcare policy analyst in Washington, DC at the Cato Institute and Reason Foundation.

Faculty Advisor: Scott Williams
Scott Williams is a Professor in Population and Quantitative Health Sciences and Genetics and Genome Sciences and an expert in the genetics of complex human disease, including the genetic risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, cancers, and susceptibility to infection. An experienced population geneticist, he studies how genes, either singly or in interactions with the environment, affect disease risk in different populations. He has also been actively involved in developing statistical analyses for genetic susceptibility to disease, including colorectal and gastric cancers. Dr. Williams also has assessed the role of environmental changes in cardiovascular risk factors in West African populations.