Shan Parikh is an aspiring physician-scientist training under Dr Bjorn Knollmann at the Vanderbilt Center for Arrhythmia Research and Therapeutics (VanCART). Prior to beginning his MD/PhD, Shan completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Connecticut, where he studied Physiology and Neurobiology. His interest in studying heart disease originated while working at Temple University School of Medicine, where he joined the laboratory of Dr Thomas Force to explore in vivo models of heart failure. He is fascinated by the potential of pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes for repair of the failing heart and is focused on enhancing his understanding of their biology and developing expertise for their use in disease modeling. After completing his MD/PhD, Shan intends to pursue a clinical and research career devoted to the investigation and treatment of heart disease. While at home, Shan enjoys riding his bike, hiking, spending time with his family, and filling his home with plants.

Guizhen Zhao is a PhD candidate in an 8-year Bachelor–PhD program in Physiology and Pathophysiology at Peking University in Beijing, China. She earned a BS in Basic Medicine in …