Principal Investigator -
Alexander "Zandy" Hillel, MD

I am an Associate Professor of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Originally from New York, I graduated from Dartmouth College and went to Tulane University School of Medicine. After completing residency in the Johns Hopkins Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, which included a three-year research fellowship in biomedical engineering, I finished my training with a Laryngology fellowship at the Emory Voice Center in Atlanta.

I joined the faculty at Hopkins in 2013 and established our laboratory investigating laryngotracheal stenosis. My current clinical and surgical expertise focuses on airway and voice disorders, including endoscopic and open treatment of laryngotracheal stenosis, treatment of professional voice, and spasmodic dysphonia.  I am also the Medical Student Director for the Department of Otolaryngology and am passionate about facilitating medical student education in Otolaryngology.

Kevin Motz, MD

I am an assistant professor at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in the Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery. As part of my residency training, I completed a NIH-funded T32 training fellowship and spent 2 years in this lab. After completing residency training, I will pursue a fellowship in Laryngology at Vanderbilt medical center with the hopes of  advancing my career as a surgeon-scientist.  

I was born and raised in Hagerstown, Maryland and graduated from Villa Julie College in 2009 with a degree in Biology. Afterwards, I received my medical degree from Georgetown University in 2013, and began my Otolaryngology training at Johns Hopkins the same year.

I am an avid golfer, love my dog, and am the #1 Ravens fan!!

Ioan Lina, MD

I am currently a 3rd year resident in the Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Over the next two years, I will be joining Dr. Hillel's lab as part of a T32 funded training grant. Specifically, my interests will focus on the development of biomaterials and novel therapeutics to treat laryngotracheal stenosis. During this time, I hope to continue to advance as a clinician-scientist and will one day integrate the principles I learn into my clinical practice.

I was born and raised in Sudbrook, Maryland and graduated from Johns Hopkins University in 2012 with a degree in Biomedical Engineering. I went on to obtain my medical degree from University of Maryland School of Medicine in 2017, and began my Otolaryngology training shortly thereafter.

In my free time, I love to hike, play tennis, and run around the beautiful Baltimore harbor. 

Ruth Davis, MD

​I am currently a 3rd year resident in the Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital. I am originally from Madison, Wisconsin and graduated from the University of Rochester with a degree in Biomedical Engineering in 2012. I then completed my medical training in 2017 at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine. 

My lab interested are specifically on investigating the role immunological markers and therapeutics on LTS.

Alexandra Berges, BS

I am a third-year medical student at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Starting in 2020, I joined Dr. Hillel’s lab as a part of a Dean’s funded pre-doctoral research year. I am originally from Ellicott City, Maryland and graduated from Johns Hopkins University in 2017 with a degree in biomedical engineering focused on computational medicine and a minor in computer science. My research has focused on the development of a large animal model of laryngotracheal stenosis and acute tracheostomy-induced injury. I plan to apply to Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery residency following medical school and I look forward to using my background in biomedical engineering to develop novel medical technologies as a physician scientist. 

Rafael Ospino, BS

​I am currently a 2nd year medical student at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.  I joined the lab during my first year of medical school to further explore the academic side of otolaryngology. Specifically, I am interested in the underlying pathological mechanisms of laryngotracheal stenosis with an emphasis on translating this knowledge into novel and effective therapies.
I was born and raised in Colombia. In 2010, I immigrated to the united states. I decided to pursue a degree in Biomedical Engineering (BME) and graduated from Florida International University (FIU) in 2017. Soon after graduation, I joined Cook Medical and worked as a test method validation engineer. I began my medical school training in the 2019 and joined Hillel’s lab shortly thereafter.

​Past Members

Dacheng Deng, MD PhD

I have been a Research Specialist in the Hillel Lab since 2013. I am originally from China, and received my medical degree in 1994 from the Peking Union Medical College and Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. As a physician in China, my specialty was in Hematology-Oncology.

Since coming to the United States, I have worked in a variety of labs and I have experience in a large variety of research techniques. I have spent time at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, and the University of Michigan. I hope to use my extensive background in immunology to continue investigating the etiology of airway inflammation and scar formation.

Hsiu-Wen (Irene) Tsai, PhD

Former postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Irene joined Dr Hillel’s lab in 2018. Her  research is focusing on investigating the pathogenic mechanisms of iatrogenic laryngotracheal stenosis and developing specific therapeutic strategies.  She received her Ph.D degree in Physiological Sciences at University of Florida. My area of expertise includes respiratory physiology, neuroscience, molecular biology and metabolism.
    

Michael Murphy, MD

Mike joined the lab in June 2016 following an intern year in General Surgery. His research was focused on investigating  the effects of antimetabolic agents on pathologic fibroblasts derived from iatrogenic laryngotracheal stenosis. Currently a resident in the Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck surgery at Upstate Medical University, New York. 

​Linda Yin, MD

Previously worked in our lab as a 4th year medical student during her gap research year funding by the Dean's Year of Research Program at Hopkins. She is now a third year resident in the Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery at Mayo Clinic.

Madhavi Duvvuri, MPhil, MD

Previously worked in our lab during her time here as a medical student at Hopkins focused on the development of a novel absorbable stent in our LTS mouse model. She has since obtained her medical degree in 2019 and has gone onto become a Interventional Radiology resident at UCSF.

Michael Feeley

Joined the Hillel lab in 2017 after completing my junior year of college at Widener University, where he studied Biomedical Engineering. He is currently as a Graduate Research Assistant at Widener University.
Idris Samad, MBBCh 
​
Former research associate, currently a resident in the University of Ottawa Department of Otolaryngology
Garret Ma, BS, MS - Former student in the lab, currently an Associate Consultant at Bain & Company
Daryan Namba, BS  - Former student in the lab, currently a M.D. Candidate at University of South Carolina School of Medicine

Collaborators

Maureen Horton, MD
Associate Professor of Medicine​, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
Associate Professor of Environmental Health Sciences, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Co-director, Interstitial Lung Disease Clinic

Jonathan Powell, MD, PhD
Professor of Oncology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
Professor of Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine

Jennifer Elisseeff, PhD
​Professor, Wilmer Eye Institute and Department of Biomedical Engineering
Departments of Materials Science and Engineering, Chemical and Biological Engineering and Orthopedic Surgery
Director, Translational Tissue Engineering Center (TTEC)

Susan Thibeault, PhD, CCC-SLP
​Professor, Diane M. Bless Endowed Chair in Otolaryngology
Associate Vice Chair of Research, Department of Surgery
Director, University of Wisconsin Health Voice and Swallow Clinics
Division of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery

Alexander Gelbard, MD
Assistant Professor of Otolaryngology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine

The North American Airway Collaborative (NoAAC)