Lab Members

Irina was born and raised in Camaguey, Cuba. She moved to the U.S. and earned her bachelor’s degree in biological sciences from Florida International University in Miami, FL, in 2000. Two years later, she received her master’s degree in developmental biology under the mentorship of Dr. Lidia Kos. She went on to work at the Miami VA Hospital and the University of Miami, where she studied autoimmune diseases under the mentorship of Drs. Robert Hoffman, Eric Greidinger and Dana Ascherman in the Division of Rheumatology. In 2015, she joined Dr. Abreu’s lab at the University of Miami, School of Medicine, where she focused on the study of inflammatory bowel diseases and helped build the Gnotobiotic Core Facility. She moved with Dr. Abreu’s lab to Cedars-Sinai in 2025.

María earned her doctor of medicine degree from Colegio Mayor de Nuestra Señora del Rosario in Bogotá, Colombia, and a master's degree in public health (with a specialization in epidemiology) from Florida International University in Miami, FL. Previously, she served as a Clinical Program Manager in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at the University of Miami, School of Medicine, where she contributed to groundbreaking research in IBD. Alejandra is passionate about mentoring junior clinicians, promoting medical education and fostering collaborative research environments. Her dedication to improving patient outcomes and advancing public health remains at the forefront of her work.

Hajar earned a master’s degree in infectious disease from Georgetown University, before working in vaccine development and manufacturing, contributing to early-phase clinical trials. She then pursued her PhD at the University of Miami under Dr. Abreu’s mentorship, where her doctoral research focused on understanding the early molecular and microbial events that drive epithelial barrier dysfunction, low-grade inflammation and dysbiosis in IBD. She also investigated how disruptions in DUOX2 signaling and microbial metabolites contribute to systemic effects, such as metabolic syndrome. Her current interests include developing targeted approaches to modulate microbiome-host interactions and immune responses in gastrointestinal disorders.

Katerina received her master’s and PhD in behavioral and evolutionary neuroscience from the Psychology Department at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY. Her research centered on a small Australian songbird, the zebra finch, and how personality traits and parent-juvenile interactions influence song learning. She went on to pursue a career in editing scientific manuscripts and grant proposals at Research Square, where she served as an academic editor and later as head of the journal cover letter team. Katerina earned her certification as an Editor in the Life Sciences in 2023. As part of Dr. Abreu’s team, she assists with crafting competitive grant proposals, interpreting data, generating figures, and writing and revising journal articles. In addition, she is part of the IBD Institute’s Scientific Writing Program, heading a class on grant writing.