People

Miranda (she/her) is in her final year of her undergraduate degree studying Biomedical Engineering with a minor in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Washington University in St Louis. Originally from Buffalo, New York, Miranda is deeply interested in women’s healthcare technology and hopes to pursue a career in medicine after completing her undergraduate degree. Outside of academics, Miranda is the a member of APO, a hospice volunteer and a member of the prehealth honor society.

Katy Belcher (she/her) was born in Houston and moved to New York City, where she completed her bachelor’s degree at Fordham University in chemistry, applied mathematics, and engineering physics. She has a vast set of research experience, spanning theoretical mathematics to aerosol chemistry. While participating in a research project analyzing the toxicity of chemicals in the air and waterways of San Diego, she realized that she aspired to enact change to mitigate the impact of these issues, in place of purely identifying them, propelling her to pursue engineering for graduate education. To gain experience in biomedical engineering, Katy participated in the NIH’s one-year Post-baccalaureate Research Education Program (PREP) at the University of Michigan, where she worked to create the first 3-D printed, microfluidic artificial lung, to replace the extracorporeal membrane oxygenation system, and provide adequate access to lifesaving technologies in low-resource medical settings. After being awarded the NSF’s Graduate Research Fellowship (NSF GRFP), Katy is continuing her education at WashU, as a prospective biomedical engineering Ph.D. student. As a current rotational student in Dr. O’Brien’s lab, Katy is analyzing changes in cervical mucus throughout pregnancy to predict preterm birth. She is passionate about combining her broad scientific interests to explore medical device design and develop global health solutions that attenuate the impact of healthcare injustice. Beyond science, Katy loves to bake, craft, read, and enjoy nature.

Francesca (she/her) completed her Bachelor’s degree at WashU in Biomedical Engineering with a minor in Computer Science. She is now continuing her studies at WashU to pursue a PhD in Biomedical Engineering. Francesca is a 2023 NSF Graduate Research Fellowship (GRFP) Awardee and is working on the development of a wearable blood perfusion sensor to be used for diagnosis of vaious pregnancy-related complications. She is interested in medical device development for global health problems. Outside of research, Francesca is passionate about STEM education and is involved in volunteer tutoring and student outreach. She is the Outreach Coordinator for both the Association of Graduate Engineering Students (AGES) and SPECTRA at WashU.

Elizabeth (she/her) is a second year dual degree student studying Biomedical Engineering at WashU. Previously, she received an undergraduate degree in Physics from Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida. Her love of research began at Rollins in a biomedical optics lab, studying the potential applications of angular light scattering. She was born in central Florida and grew up in the area. Since starting at WashU a little over a year ago, Elizabeth has become increasingly interested in pursuing a career in women’s health. She is very excited to start this journey in Dr. O’Brien’s lab, looking into the differences in viscoelastic properties of cervical mucus for women at risk of preterm birth.

Hannah (she/her) is a second-year master’s student studying Biomedical Engineering, who is originally from Weldon Spring, Missouri. Hannah is a research assistant in the O’Brien Lab, where she works on a wearable short-wave infrared (SWIR) photoplethysmography (PPG) sensor for real-time detection and monitoring of hemodilution during postpartum hemorrhage. Hannah is also working to build a comprehensive absorption spectra library of biological absorbers. Hannah is passionate about women’s health, wearables, and racially equitable wearable devices, and hopes to continue working on these topics in industry when she finishes her master’s degree. Outside of Washington University, Hannah received her Bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Engineering at The Ohio State University, where she also played 5 years of varsity volleyball and was two-time team captain.

My name is George Mitrev, and I’m persueing two bachelor’s degrees in Biomedical Engineering and Systems Science and Engineering with a minor in computer science. I’m passionate about medical devices and biotechnology. I love photography, hiking, and action/comedy TV shows. I’m a bookworm and a pet-lover. Aside from research on campus, I am also the President of WashU Engineers Without Borders, and Engineering Test Kitchen, a WashU engineering consulting firm.

Folaoluwashewa (she/her) completed her bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Engineering at University of Missouri, Columbia. She is now continuing to pursue her passion for research as a Research Technician in the O’Brien lab. Folaoluwashewa will be working to build a library of spectra for biological absorbers spanning the near-infrared and short-wave infrared ranges. She is interested in improving women’s health globally and creating equitable and accessible technologies. Beyond research Folaoluwashewa enjoys reading, cooking, and dancing.

Emily (she/her/hers) was born in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and completed her undergraduate degree in biology and chemistry at Wake Forest University. She then worked as a clinical research coordinator at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, MD assisting in HIV and HCV clinical research. Returning home, she completed her medical degree at the University of South Alabama. After developing a distinct interest in women’s health, she traveled to New York City to train in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Columbia University. Emily is ecstatic to continue her training at Washington University in St. Louis as a clinical fellow in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility. As a member of Dr. Christine O’Brien’s lab, she hopes to build upon our knowledge of early pregnancy by using innovative noninvasive diagnostic tools to study the cervix during fertility treatments.