People

Jennie H. Kwon, DO, MSCI, Principal Investigator

Jennie H. Kwon, DO, MS, is a tenured Associate Professor of Medicine, Section Head of Hospital Epidemiology & Antimicrobial Stewardship, and the Medical Director of Infection Prevention at Washington University in St. Louis. Dr. Kwon is dedicated to combatting antimicrobial resistance and protecting patients from healthcare-associated infections. Dr. Kwon specializes in the care of immunocompromised patients with infectious diseases. Her research is focused on novel and innovative methods to detect, prevent, and treat antimicrobial resistance, and her work is funded by the NIH, AHRQ, CDC, and multiple not-for-profit foundations. She completed a selective two year fellowship with the National Academy of Medicine in Washington, DC focused on health policy. Her experiences as a clinician, researcher, and public health advocate encompasses her goal of ensuring better quality care for all patients.

Carrie O’Neil, MA, MPH, Clinical Research Specialist

Carrie graduated from Truman State University with a B.A. in Sociology/Anthropology. She then earned a M.A. in Anthropology from The University of Missouri and a MPH in Epidemiology from St. Louis University. She has worked as a research coordinator at Washington University for over 10 years. She has three children and enjoys swimming, hiking, and crafting. 

Alyssa Valencia, BS, Sr. Clinical Laboratory Technician

Alyssa graduated from Arizona State University with a B.S. in sociology with a concentration in healthcare and a minor in Global Health. She has many years of clinical laboratory experience including histology, chemistry, and microbiology. Outside of the lab, she enjoys spending time with friends, family, and her cat, Ringo. She also enjoys watching true crime documentaries and traveling. She is excited to be joining the team working in Kwon Lab!

David McDonald, BA, Clinical Research Coordinator

David graduated from Webster University with a B.A. in Film Production in 2014. He has worked in a variety of tech positions and spent three years teaching English in South Korea before joining the Kwon Lab. He enjoys watching films and tv shows with his wife, Katie, running, and playing with his adorably anxious dog, Alfie.

Francesca (Frankie) Yerbic, BS, MLS, MHA, ASCP, Sr. Clinical Lab Technologist

Frankie graduated from Missouri State University with a B.S. in Medical Laboratory Science. She recently earned a masters degree in Healthcare Administration from Webster University. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, hiking, watching musicals, and spending time with family.

Hannah Kinzer, BA, MPH, Doctoral Student

Hannah graduated from Lawrence University with a BA in Biology and completed her MPH at the University of Minnesota. She is currently pursuing her PhD in Public Health Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis. Her research focuses on equity and communication in infectious disease prevention. Her interests are informed by her previous experience in zoonotic disease surveillance at the Minnesota Department of Health and current work monitoring misinformation in St. Louis with the Health Communication Research Lab at Washington University. Outside of her studies and research, you can find Hannah running, volunteering at community events, and trying new recipes.

Katelin B. Nickel, MPH, Sr. Programmer Analyst

Katelin graduated from The College of Wooster with a B.A. in biology and earned her MPH in epidemiology from Saint Louis University.  She completed a fellowship in applied epidemiology through CDC and the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists at the Washington State Department of Health with a focus on communicable diseases.  Katelin has been a data analyst in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Washington University for over ten years.  She enjoys spending time with her family (including two lively sons), being outside, and traveling. 

Kate Peacock, MPH, Sr. Statistical Data Analyst

Kate graduated from Truman State University with a B.S. in Health Sciences. She then earned her MPH from Saint Louis University in 2016. She has worked as a data analyst at Washington University for about five years. In her free time she enjoys reading, hiking with her husband, and hanging out with her cat, Marty

Kelly Bono, BA, MA, Clinical Research Coordinator

Kelly Bono graduated from Lindenwood University with a B.A. in Studio Art. She recently earned an M.A. in Biology from Miami University. Prior to working in research, she was an outreach-focused formal and informal educator. In her free time, she enjoys gardening, hiking, supporting local arts and advocacy groups, and video game duels with her husband and son.

Lucy Vogt, MPH, Clinical Research Coordinator

Lucy graduated for the University of Missouri with a BHS in Health Science and MPH in health policy and promotion. She previously worked at the Health Department within the communicable disease with much of her work focused on COVID-19. Outside of the office, she enjoys hiking, binge watching Netflix, and spending time with family, friends, and her pup, Truman.

Mary Morgan Lee, MD, Infectious Disease Fellow

Mary Morgan graduated from Vanderbilt University with a Bachelor of Engineering in Biomedical Engineering in 2014 and completed her M.D. at Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine in 2019. She trained in Internal Medicine at Barnes Jewish Hospital and is a current Infectious Disease Fellow at WashU. She is interested in Hospital Epidemiology/Infection Prevention and Antibiotic Stewardship and the prevention of antimicrobial resistance. When not in the hospital, she enjoys playing board games with her husband and friends, watching period pieces on Netflix, traveling/eating and giving cuddles and scratches to her little Shiba inu, Miso.

Olivia Arter, BA, Research Technician

Olivia recently graduated from Washington University in St. Louis with a B.A. degree in Microbiology and a minor in Psychology. She is currently in the process of applying to medical school. As an undergraduate student, she worked for the Kwon Lab intermittently during the COVID-19 pandemic as a clinical research assistant. Outside of the office, she spends her time hiking, volunteering, and enjoying quality time with her loved ones.

Rachel Yoken, BA, Undergraduate Researcher

Rachel is an undergraduate in the Washington University class of 2025 pursuing a B.A. degree in Anthropology. She has two years of clinical experience as an ophthalmic technician at Eyehealth NW in Portland, Oregon and has worked as a research assistant in an Eyehealth NW clinical study. In her free time, she enjoys playing tennis, hiking, reading books, and spending time with her family and dogs. 

Sajal Tiwary, AB, MD, Clinician-Scientist Training and Research (C-STAR) Resident

Sajal Tiwary graduated from Princeton University with an A.B. in Molecular Biology and a certificate in Neuroscience, and went on to complete his M.D. at Washington University in St. Louis. He is currently an internal medicine resident at Barnes Jewish Hospital. He’s thrilled to enter the world of infectious diseases! When he’s not combing through patient charts at the hospital, he enjoys being a sore loser at Super Smash Bros Ultimate and exploring the nooks and crannies of St. Louis with his fiancée.

Tiffany Hink, BS, MT, ASCP, Research Lab Manager

Tiffany graduated from Saint Louis University with a B.S. in Clinical Laboratory Science from Saint Louis University.  She worked in clinical microbiology for several years, before joining Washington University in 2011.  She is married with 2 children.  She enjoys reading, traveling, and watching the St. Louis Cardinals.

Regine Burton, BA, Clinical Research Assistant

Regine graduated from the University of Missouri-Saint Louis with a BA in Psychology and a Post-Bacc in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Maryville University. She has many years of clinical experience, including the Adult Psychiatry Department at Washington University. She is excited to be joining the Kwon Lab! In her free time, she enjoys spending time with loved ones, reading, traveling, running (5ks and half marathons), and checking out new brunch spots.

Sachina Mensah, BS, MPH, Sr. Clinical Laboratory Technician

Sachina graduated with a BS in Biological Sciences from the University of Illinois at Chicago. She then earned her Masters in Public Health with a certificate in Epidemiology from Benedictine University in Lisle. A clinical laboratory scientist for about four years, she has worked with COVID, Influenza, and performed disease screening for newborns for the Illinois Department of Public Health and the CDC foundation. She enjoys traveling with her husband, shopping and cooking.