Iowa Innovation Leadership Fellows

Lexi Aidinovich

College of Pharmacy

Lexi is passionate about the power of bold ideas to create lasting, positive change. She sees innovation as a tool to improve health, promote wellness, and challenge conventional thinking. Through her pharmacy studies, she has explored the intersection of technology and healthcare, earning a Certificate of Proficiency in Artificial Intelligence through the HawkAI program.

Andrea Benavides

Carver College of Medicine

Andrea, a first-generation Hispanic PhD candidate in immunology, is dedicated to inclusive, impactful science. Her research examines how inhaled exposures like e-cigarette vapor, allergens, and viruses affect lung immune function, focusing on monocytes’ role in chronic respiratory diseases like asthma, especially in underserved communities, to enhance accessibility and health outcomes.

Aaron Brake

Carver College of Medicine

Aaron’s passion for medical innovation drives his focus on interventional radiology’s evolving, minimally invasive tools. Inspired by clinical experiences and a personal family story, he explores AI’s potential to enhance imaging and patient education, aiming to improve patient care and empower both patients and physicians by bridging gaps in healthcare delivery.

Stefano Byer

Carver College of Medicine

Stefano is a physician‑scientist devoted to advancing healthcare through innovation at the intersection of medicine, technology, and entrepreneurship. In medical school he helped secure FDA clearance for a novel drug‑delivery device, and during residency - collaborating with colleague and co-fellow Aaron Brake - he spearheaded development of an AI‑powered platform that streamlines patient‑physician communication.

Connor Grierson

College of Engineering

Connor’s interest in innovation began early, inspired by inventors and scientists who shaped his understanding of technology’s potential to improve lives. That passion grew into hands-on experience through ventures in consulting and repair, and later into launching a scientific consulting company through the Iowa Venture School.

Holling Kniffin

Tippie College of Business

Holling’s passion for innovation, sparked by science and technology magazines, led him to advanced training in drug discovery at the University of Iowa. He contributed to novel approaches targeting Caspase-7 for neuroinflammation, using in-silico drug screening and fragment-based validation to identify therapies for neurodegenerative diseases, fueling his interest in translational science and biotechnology entrepreneurship.

Maddie Mocchi

Carver College of Medicine

Maddie’s passion for innovation drives her to improve mental health through biotechnology. At Baylor College of Medicine, she identified a novel neural biomarker for real-time depression tracking, earning a provisional patent. Her ambition is to develop mood-tracking devices, like app-based pupil tracking and smart contact lenses, to enhance mood disorder treatment and prevention.

Cynthia Okafor

College of Pharmacy

Cynthia’s passion for innovation began in pharmacy school when she developed gastro-retentive drug-delivery microballoons using acetylated cocoyam starch, a low-cost, locally sourced material. This experience ignited her commitment to creating affordable, practical solutions that address healthcare challenges in resource-limited settings.

Zachary Richards

Carver College of Medicine

Zac’s passion for hands-on innovation and human physiology shines through his work. At Texas A&M’s EnMed program, he earned an MD and Master of Engineering, honing skills in clinical needs identification and medical device prototyping. His notable project adapted the slit lamp microscope, enhancing accessibility and telemedicine in ophthalmology.

Michael Scott

College of Engineering

Michael’s passion for innovation, driven by a desire to improve tools, led him from medicine to biomedical engineering. His research develops microfluidic models replicating airway behavior in cystic fibrosis, a personally significant condition, to enhance understanding of disease progression and therapeutic response through realistic in vitro models, creating patient-centered solutions.

Sarah Torrence

College of Pharmacy

Sarah was inspired by cardiovascular researcher and entrepreneur Leslie Leinwand, whose work showed how science and business can combine to create meaningful healthcare impact. Sarah is driven to apply this innovative mindset to her own research in mitochondrial oxidative metabolism and cardiovascular disease. She has pursued a broad range of coursework and interdisciplinary learning to develop new ideas and solutions.

Katie Vaiciulis

College of Engineering

Katie has been drawn to innovation since childhood, when she first began designing and building projects at a science center where her mother taught STEM labs. Now a PhD student in mechanical engineering, she channels that same creativity and problem-solving into research that supports rehabilitation and assistive technologies.

Lauren Lavin

College of Public Health

Lauren's passion for innovation comes from a natural curiosity and love for exploring new ideas. She focuses on virtual care, especially how technology in healthcare settings can impact cost. Lauren hopes to create a unique healthcare product or work in venture capital supporting healthcare startups.

George Barrera

College of Engineering

George has always enjoyed understanding how things work, often taking things apart to see their inner workings. Now pursuing a PhD in Chemical Engineering, his research focuses on optimizing coatings for cochlear implants. George is passionate about improving brain-computer interfaces and reducing issues like fibrotic response.

Ayushi Sood

Carver College of Medicine

Ayushi has always been passionate about science and research. Her graduate studies focus on biomedical sciences, with a long-term goal of bridging the gap between science and society, making complex concepts understandable for everyone.

Kaleb Bierstedt

College of Engineering

Kaleb grew up surrounded by entrepreneurs in the financial sector. Drawn more to science and engineering, he’s now pursuing a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering, focusing on pulmonary microfluidics. Kaleb enjoys solving complex problems and aims to develop innovative models for personalized medicine in treating pulmonary diseases.

Vishuka Pathirana

College of Liberal Arts & Sciences

Vishuka is passionate about innovation and creativity, currently focusing on increasing crop yields through sulfide-based treatments, a project with global impact potential. She aims to advance medicinal chemistry by developing sustainable and accessible healthcare solutions.

Garret Caltrider

College of Engineering

Garret loves the challenge of innovation, comparing it to solving a puzzle by combining resources to create new devices. His Senior Design project and graduate research have led to two patent-pending devices he hopes to bring to market.

Abby Morrison

Carver College of Medicine

Abby developed a passion for cancer research during her undergraduate studies, where she explored cell death mechanisms in leukemia. Inspired by her grandmother's battle with cervical cancer, Abby is pursuing a PhD in Cancer Biology at the Carver College of Medicine. Her thesis focuses on overcoming hormone therapy resistance in endometrial cancer.

Ashley Cooney, PhD

Carver College of Medicine

Ashley is passionate about developing therapies for genetic diseases, especially genetic lung disorders. A Postdoctoral scholar in Pediatric Pulmonology, she has filed an invention disclosure and a provisional patent for her recent discovery.

Siddhanth Hejmady

College of Pharmacy

Siddhanth grew up with a deep curiosity about how medicines work in the human body. His passion for pharmaceutical biotechnology led him to pursue advanced studies, and his research focuses on improving the stability and formulation of monoclonal antibodies. He aims to work as a Biologics Scientist, advancing the development of safe and effective biologics.

Mikayla Kamon

College of Engineering

Mikayla's experience working in Emergency Medical Services has fueled her interest in innovation and developing multi-functional medical devices. She transitioned her studies from biological anthropology to biomedical engineering, driven by her desire to use knowledge of the past to enhance the future of medicine.

Maleeha Naseem

College of Public Health

Maleeha is a clinician scientist whose passion for innovation began during her residency, where she helped develop a pediatric resuscitation device that later earned a patent. She aims to bridge clinical practice and research to advance trauma care.