Daniel T. Leung, MD MSc
Professor, Division of Infectious Diseases; Adjunct Professor, Division of Microbiology & Immunology
Daniel received his BSc (’98) and MSc (’01) from the University of British Columbia, and an MD (’05) from Wake Forest University School of Medicine. He completed his residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Washington, and a fellowship in Infectious Diseases at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center / Harvard Medical School. From 2010 to 2014, Daniel lived in Dhaka, Bangladesh, working on diarrheal disease immunology as a joint research fellow of Massachusetts General Hospital and the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b). He sees patients on the Infectious Diseases consult service at the University of Utah Hospital and in the Travel Clinic. His research focuses on the immunology, microbiology, epidemiology, and clinical management of diarrheal diseases and other mucosal infections. In his free time, Daniel enjoys hiking, skiing, playing violin, and hanging out with his family.
Ben Brintz, PhD
Research Assistant Professor
Ben received his BA (2010) in math from Grinnell College in Iowa. He received his MSc (2014) and PhD (2018) in statistics from Oregon State University where his research extended models for estimating abundances that are imperfectly detected to the application of disease surveillance. He originally joined Dr. Leung’s lab as the data scientist postdoctoral fellow, working on clinical decision rules for pediatric infectious diarrhea. He is currently a Research Assistant Professor in the Division of Epidemiology and continues to work with Daniel on projects related to clinical prediction tools. In his spare time, Ben likes to run, climb, play chess, and watch NBA basketball with his wife.
Shubhanshi Trivedi, PhD
Research Associate
Dr. Trivedi received her Bachelor of Science degree in Biotechnology (2007) from DAVV University, India. She completed her Masters of Biotechnology with Honors (2010) and PhD (2015) from the Australian National University, Canberra, Australia. Her research work has provided novel insights to factors that can play a fundamental role in modulating mucosal vaccine efficacy in the context of HIV-1. She has recently joined Dr. Leung’s laboratory as a postdoctoral research fellow. Her current work involves studying the role of MAIT cells during sepsis and the effects of intestinal infection on respiratory immunity using animal models.
Christy Clutter, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow | Metabolism T32 Training Grant Recipient
Christy received her BS in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of Arizona (2011), where she also went on to earn her PhD in Immunobiology (2017). Her graduate work focused on gut autoimmunity, the microbiota, and public health. In 2018, she took a governmental postdoctoral fellowship with the New York City Public Health Laboratory, working on the laboratory side of disease surveillance and outbreak response for the city, as well as international laboratory capacity-building. In 2022, Christy joined the Leung Lab as a postdoctoral fellow, and currently blends her love of both mechanistic immunology and global health toward cholera serosurveillance projects, as well as immunometabolism studies in mucosal associated invariant T (MAIT) cells. She’s an aspiring metabolism and omics nerd, and is passionate about finding patterns in data. In her spare time, Christy loves to be active outdoors in any capacity, to get lost in good nonfiction, experiment in the kitchen or garden, and spend time with her husband.
Mary Vallecillo-Zuniga, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow | Pulmonary T32 Training Grant Recipient
Dr. Vallecillo-Zuniga earned her BS in Natural Sciences from Francisco Morazán Pedagogic National University, followed by a BS in Chemistry and a Master’s in higher education from the National Autonomous University of Honduras. In the United States, she also completed a BS in Biology at Utah Valley University. Later, she earned her PhD in Biochemistry from Brigham Young University, where her doctoral research focused and developing a protein therapy for Limb Girdle Muscular Dystrophy 2B/R2. In 2022, Dr. Vallecillo-Zuniga began her Postdoctoral Fellowship in Pathology at the Stowell/Arthur Lab, Joint Program in Transfusion Medicine, Department of Pathology at Brigham and Women’s hospital, Harvard Medical School. Her research centered on understanding the mechanisms behind anemia and transfusion-induced alterations in neonatal immunity, which contribute to inflammation and intestinal injury and may lead to necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC).
In 2024, Dr. Vallecillo-Zuniga joined the Leung Lab at the Division of Infectious Diseases at the School of Medicine at the University of Utah as a Postdoctoral Research Trainee on a Pulmonary T32 award. Here, she investigates the impact of intestinal infection, inflammation and the microbiome on respiratory immunity. In her spare time, she enjoyed photography, cross-stitching and crocheting, and spending time with her family.
Léna Mazza, MD, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow
Dr. Léna Mazza recieved her medical doctor degree in 2020 from the University of Geneva, Switzerland. She then completed one year of paediatric residency at the Centre Hospitalier de la Côte in Morges, Switzerland, before completed an MD-PhD degree in microbiology and molecular medicine at the University of Geneva. Her MD-PhD research focused on P. aeruginosa RND efflux pumps and their natural substrates. She has recently joined Dr. Leung’s laboratory as a postdoctoral research fellow. Her current work involves clinical prediction in the context of diarrheal diseases.
Paola Fonseca Romero, BS
Molecular Biology PhD Student | STARS CTSI T32 Training Grant Recipient
Paola received her B.S. in Microbiology from Universidad Ana G. Mendéz (UAGM), Carolina Campus, Puerto Rico, where she was a Pfizer honor scholar from 2017 to 2021. In 2019, she participated in a summer research fellowship with the University of Utah Department of Infectious Disease in Dr. Anne Blaschke’s lab, studying complicated pneumonia in children. In 2020, she received a fellowship to work with Dr. Juan Gonzalez at UAGM studying nanoparticle properties to develop more efficient pacemakers. In Dr. Leung’s lab, she is working on prediction modeling for viral infection in children with diarrheal illness and their associated pathogens, and is leading a clinical study for potential biomarkers in children with diarrhea. Lastly, since 2022, Paola has been part of the Master of Science in Clinical Investigation (MSCI), preparing trainees for careers in health sciences and global health-related fields. She enjoys being outdoors, open-water diving, cooking, and reading in her spare time.
Ali Akeefe, BS
Biomedical Informatics PhD Student
Ali received his B.S. in Bioinformatics from the University of California, Santa Cruz in 2022. After graduating, he worked as a clinical data analyst for a medical device startup, where his interest in clinical prediction first emerged. Ali recently joined Dr. Leung’s lab and he works on research projects related to clinical prediction of pediatric diarrhea. In his free time, he enjoys staying active at the gym, gaming with friends, watching NBA games with family, and exploring new recipes in the kitchen.
Anna Jones, MD, MPH
Pediatrics Resident | Utah StARR Program
Anna received her BA in Biology from Brown University and her MD from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In medical school, she took an extra year to earn an MPH from the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health where she became interested in infectious disease epidemiology. She is currently a Pediatrics resident at the University of Utah and is a member of the Utah StARR program which is an NIH-funded R38 grant that provides a year of protected research during residency. She is currently working on several projects related to the epidemiology of pediatric diarrheal diseases. In her free time, Anna enjoys running, making ice cream, baking sourdough bread, and cross-country skiing.
Aparna Mangadu, MPH, BS
Research Analyst
Aparna received her BS (2022) in environmental science from the University of Texas at El Paso where she was a NIH research scholar in the BUILDing Scholars Program and focused her research efforts on providing justification for the conservation and preservation of a historical piece of land in the Franklin Mountains. She received her MPH (2024) in environmental health from The Ohio State University where her research was focused on understanding the association between exposure to persistent organic environmental pollutants and cancer risk among structural firefighters. During her graduate studies, she also participated in the Ferguson RISE Research Fellowship and presented a project at the CDC headquarters that investigated the effects of environmental exposures on social outcomes in children with cerebral palsy. Aparna completed a summer research internship at the University of Utah in 2021 and recently joined Dr. Leung’s lab as a research analyst where she works on qualitative research projects centered around clinical decision-support tools for pediatric diarrheal diseases. During her free time, she enjoys painting, crocheting, and designing creative makeup looks.
Sarah Dallas
Research Assistant
Sarah is a 3rd year at the University of Utah studying Health, Society, and Policy. She joined the Leung Lab in 2023 as a research assistant and works on projects focused on pediatric diarrheal diseases and antibiotic stewardship. She is interested in health disparities and qualitative research. In the future, she plans to study medicine and pursue a career in public health. In her free time, she enjoys yoga, baking, reading and the outdoors.
Jane Putnam
Research Assistant
Jane Putnam will graduate from the University of Utah in May 2025 with a BS in Anthropology. She joined the Leung Lab in August 2023 as an undergraduate research assistant focused on antibiotic stewardship and pediatric diarrheal diseases. Jane is a pre-dental student who hopes to use her understanding of public health throughout her career as a healthcare provider. In her free time, she enjoys trail running, skiing, and cooking.
Kilee Davis, BS
Lab Manager
Kilee received her BS in biotechnology from Utah Valley University. She took part in a research fellowship with Station1 Frontiers and Gloucester Marine Genomics Institute and has recently joined the Leung Lab as a Lab Technician and moved up to Lab Manager. She is excited to learn and work alongside the knowledgeable mentors and scientists associated with the Leung Lab. In her free time she enjoys the outdoors, playing the piano, and motorcycle rides.
Tatum Heiner
Lab Aide
Tatum is a student lab aide in the Leung Lab. She is a pre-nursing major and will be graduating in 2026. She is BSL2 certified and has enjoyed exposing herself to the core of healthcare in a research setting. She has learned a lot by participating in research such as vibriocidals and DNA extraction of fecal samples, as well as being surrounded by intelligent scientists. Her goal is to become a Nurse Practitioner and possibly take part in more research of her own in the future. In her free time, she enjoys the outdoors, spending time with loved ones and furry friends.
Ashley Lopez Flores
Lab Aide
Ashley is a student lab aide in the Leung Lab and is currently a third-year undergraduate student majoring in Health and Kinesiology with an emphasis in Kinesiology. She is minoring in Spanish and is also on the Pre-Med track, prepping for a career in medicine. Ashley is deeply interested in health-related research and has been enjoying how to work in a laboratory setting. She is responsible for lab maintenance and will begin benchwork as well. In addition to being a full-time student, she also works as a Medical Assistant at Intermountain Healthcare. In her free time, she enjoys reading, hiking, and exploring new cuisines.