Team.

Dr. Jenna Mueller
Principal Investigator

Dr. Mueller is an Assistant Professor in the Fischell Department of Bioengineering at the University of Maryland and in the Department of OB-GYN & Reproductive Science at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. She is also a a member of the Program in Oncology at the University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center (UMGCCC)​. Her interdisciplinary training combines optical imaging, image processing, ablative therapies, and human-centered design to develop biomedical devices to solve challenges in global health. She received her bachelor’s degree in bioengineering with a minor in global health technologies from Rice University, and received both an MS and PhD in biomedical engineering at Duke University for her work developing optical systems and automated algorithms to improve the accuracy of cancer excision during surgery. Prior to joining the University of Maryland, Dr. Mueller was a Postdoctoral Associate at Duke University where she worked with a multidisciplinary team to develop the Pocket colposcope, a low-cost, portable device to screen women for cervical pre-cancer at the primary care setting and conducted studies to demonstrate its impact in 1,000 women in eight countries. She is also spearheading a new program to develop low-cost therapeutics for cervical pre-cancer and received a K99/R00 award from the NCI to do large animal trials before moving to patient studies. Dr. Mueller’s lab is focused on developing translational low-cost diagnostic and therapeutic technologies to improve the management of cervical cancer and other cancers in the United States and in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). 

Postdoctoral Researchers

Tri Quang
Postdoctoral Research Associate

Dr. Tri Quang is a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Fischell Department of Bioengineering at the University of Maryland. He received a PhD from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Iowa. His PhD research focused on integrated intraoperative optical imaging and surgical navigation systems for computer-assisted interventions. In 2019, he was awarded an American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery Student Research Grant for his work. He received a MS in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Akron in 2016. In the Mueller Lab, Tri is interested in development of diagnostic and therapeutic technologies, interdisciplinary projects, and translation of biomedical devices. 

Graduate Researchers

Jeffrey Yang
Graduate Student

Jeffrey is a PhD student in the Fischell Department of Bioengineering at the University of Maryland. After receiving his bachelor's degree in Bioengineering from UMD in 2017, he worked as a research associate and analytical validation specialist for Prometic Biotherapeutics, Inc., based in Rockville, MD, before beginning his PhD studies in August 2020. His current research interests involve optimizing low-cost technologies and cancer therapies for translation into the clinic. In the Mueller Lab, Jeffrey is exploring different applications of ethanol ablation with other cancer therapies as combinatorial treatment modalities for various cancers.

Staff

Michele Kaluzienski
Lab Assistant

Undergraduate Researchers

Asma Farooqui
Undergraduate Student

Asma is a fourth-year undergraduate student studying Bioengineering with a focus on the Biomechanics and Instrumentation tracks. She is interested in working on medical device development within the global health sphere and is planning to pursue a Master's Degree in Bioengineering after graduation. In the Mueller Lab, she is optimizing ethanol ablation treatments for cervical pre-cancer. 

Moussa Haddad
Undergraduate Student

Moussa is a third year undergraduate student studying Bioengineering with a focus in the Biomedical Instrumentation track. He is interested in optical imaging and its importance in cancer diagnosis and treatment on a global scale. In the Mueller Lab, Moussa is enhancing the functionality of a low-cost laparoscope for use in LMICs.

Maya Budzinski
Undergraduate Student

Maya is a second-year undergraduate student studying Bioengineering. She is interested in biomedical device development and its application to global engineering. In the Mueller Lab, she is optimizing ethanol ablation treatments for cervical pre-cancer. 

Anna Parrish
Undergraduate Student

Anna is a fourth year undergraduate student studying Bioengineering with a focus on the Biomedical Instrumentation track. She is interested in biomedical device development and its application to cancer treatments and diagnostics. In the Mueller Lab, she is optimizing ethanol ablation treatments for cervical pre-cancer.

Jason Chen
Undergraduate Student

Jason is a third-year undergraduate student studying Bioengineering. He is interested in the design and development of various biomedical devices and even more so when given the constraints and challenges of using them in low and middle-income countries. In the Mueller Lab, Jason is designing a portable testing setup to characterize the image quality of a low-cost laparoscope for use in LMICs. The setup will enable others evaluate and troubleshoot laparoscopes in LMICs without needing the costly equipment.

Venkata Polavarapu
Undergraduate Student

Venkata is a first year undergraduate student studying bioengineering. She is interested in biomedical device instrumentation and how it can be applied to enhancing global health treatments in LMICs. In the Mueller Lab, Venkata is optimizing injection parameters for the ethanol ablation treatment project.