Our Team — Uyhazi Lab

Principal Investigator

Katherine completed MD/PhD training at the Yale School of Medicine, studying translational gene regulation during early development in the lab of Dr. Haifan Lin. She completed an ophthalmology residency and retinal degeneration fellowship at the Scheie Eye Institute, and a postdoctoral fellowship in retinal gene therapy with Dr. Jean Bennett at the University of Pennsylvania. She is an attending physician at the Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine where she provides care to patients with inherited retinal diseases, and runs a federally-funded basic science laboratory with a goal of developing gene and cell therapies to restore vision. Katherine lives in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania with her husband and two daughters.

Katherine Uyhazi, MD, PhD

PhD Candidate (Gene Therapy & Vaccines)

Robin graduated from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County with a bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences. She is developing AAV-mediated gene therapy for the blinding disease gyrate atrophy. She is a student leader of the Trainee Advocacy Alliance (TAA) at Penn, which provides support for students facing adversity. Outside of the lab, she enjoys playing with her dog Bracie and volunteering for student outreach events in Philadelphia.

Robin Wilder

PhD Candidate (Developmental, Stem Cell & Regenerative Biology)

Joe received a bachelor’s degree in Cell/Molecular Biology and Music from Washington & Jefferson College, and is currently a Cell and Molecular Biology (CAMB) graduate student at Penn. He is investigating the heterogeneity of photoreceptor development and developing cell-based therapies for retinal regeneration. He enjoys baking tasty treats for the lab, yoga, and playing bassoon in the Penn Med Symphony Orchestra.

Joseph Yano

Research Technician

Georgia graduated from UPenn in 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience, and has worked with mouse models of retinal degeneration in the Uyhazi lab since 2021. Her research has inspired her to pursue a career in vision science, and she will begin optometry school in the fall!

Georgia Fossett

Research Technician

Ivan received a degree in political science and started working at Penn as an animal care technician in 2009. He was recruited to CAROT in 2013 and currently conducts research and manages the animal colony in the Uyhazi lab. His interests include spending time with his family, camping, and traveling.

Ivan Shpylchak

Undergraduate Student

Andrea is a Penn undergraduate student from Atlanta, Georgia studying Bioengineering. In her free time, Andrea enjoys working out, playing volleyball, and making soup.

Andrea An

Undergraduate Student

Alex is an incoming junior at Penn. In his free time, he enjoys exploring Philadelphia’s coffee shops, watching Riverdale, and karaoke.

Alex Iyer

Summer Student

Emma is an undergraduate student from the greater Philadelphia area majoring in Neuroscience and minoring in Global Health at UCLA. Outside the lab, you can find her playing tennis with friends, volunteering at the children’s hospital, or exploring what LA has to offer.

Emma Yang

Director of Animal Imaging

Brent has extensive experience performing non-invasive ocular imaging of zebrafish, mice, rats, rabbits, and non-human primates. He previously managed the Small Animal Imaging Resources Center at the Cleveland Clinic’s Cole Eye Institute, and currently serves as the Director of Animal Imaging at Penn.

Brent Bell

Lab Manager

Jen received her B.S. in Biology from Penn State and has research experience in both industry (Wyeth Pharmaceuticals) and academia. She has been the lab manager of the Bennett lab since 2014. In her free time she enjoys spending time with her two children.

Jennifer Pham

Histology Specialist

Wei is a lab technician with over 22 years of experience in eye sectioning techniques and histology at the Center for Advanced Retinal and Ocular Therapeutics (CAROT) at Penn. She enjoys spending her spare time on flower arrangement and home decoration.

Wei Zhang

Lab Alumni

Postdoctoral Fellow

Thu completed a PhD in the lab of Dr. Jean Bennett at Penn, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship in the Uyhazi lab where she developed induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) models of gyrate atrophy. She is deeply involved in educational outreach programs including the Vietnam Book Drive and Science Festival for children in Vietnam. Thu is currently an Associate Principal Scientist at Merck.

Thu Duong

MD/PhD Rotation Student

Kenneth is a Penn MD/PhD student in the Genetics & Epigenetics graduate group, and is interested in the therapeutic potential of epigenome manipulation and ophthalmology. When not in the lab, he enjoys art history, cooking, wine, travelling, podcasts, and naps.