Lena Serghides, PhD

Principal Investigator, University Health Network
Assistant Professor, University of Toronto

Dr. Serghides is a Senior Scientist at the Toronto General Hospital Research Institute at the University Health Network and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Immunology and the Institute of Medical Sciences at the University of Toronto.

Her current research focus is on understanding the mechanisms that contribute to the increased risk for adverse pregnancy outcomes in women with HIV, and on the long-term effects of in utero exposure to HIV antiretrovirals.  The research is motivated by the goal of optimizing maternal and infant health in the context of infections of global health importance.

Dr. Serghides is a member of the CIHR Canadian HIV Trials Network (CTN) Women’s Working Group, and a member of the Canadian Infant Feeding in HIV Network (CIFHN).

Haneesha Mohan, PhD

Scientific Research Associate, University Health Network

Dr. Haneesha Mohan is a Scientific Research Associate at the University Health Network. She was previously a Postdoctoral Research Fellow under Dr. Lena Serghides’s supervision. She received a Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Fellowship Award and a CIHR Canadian HIV Trials Network (CTN) Postdoctoral Fellowship Award.

Haneesha earned her Bachelor of Life Science (Hons.) degree in Life Sciences with a Minor in Health Geography at McMaster University. She then pursued her PhD at the University of Saskatchewan in Integrative Neuroendocrinology.

Rabia Anwar, PhD

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University Health Network

Dr. Rabia Anwar is a postdoctoral research fellow at the Serghides lab. She completed her PhD from Humboldt University of Berlin and conducted her research at the Max Delbruck Centre for Molecular Medicine in Berlin, Germany.

She has more than 5 years of experience conducting human placental research and pregnancy-related disorders. Currently, her work is focused on identifying the impact of COVID-19 on pregnancy, especially on birth and placental outcomes and associations with race. The results of this study will shed light on the mechanisms underlying race inequalities in relation to poor pregnancy and placenta outcomes in pregnant women infected with SARS-CoV-2. 

Michelle Marie Ranjbar

Ph.D. Candidate, University of Toronto (2022 – present)

Michelle completed her H.BSc. in Biology, Chemistry & Forensic Sciences from the University of Toronto. After conducting research under the supervision of Dr. Christopher Ball at the Ontario Forensic Pathology Services, and working as an analytical drug chemist for Health Canada; Michelle joined the Serghides Lab, eager to pursue her doctoral studies.

Michelle is the recipient of the NSERC Canada Graduate Scholarship (2023) and Ontario Graduate Scholarship (2023) for her work on establishing an HIV+ pregnancy murine model to investigate adverse fetal outcomes in antiretroviral drug (ARV) exposed pregnancies. Her current research focus is investigating fetal and maternal inflammatory profiles in contrasting ARV drug regimens, and she is looking forward to spending time at Stellenbosch University, collaborating with Dr. Clive Gray in the AAPH-2 cohort immune profiling studies, to further examine this.

Adriana Zutic

Ph.D. Student, University of Toronto (2024 – present)

Adriana Zutic is a direct-entry Ph.D. student in Fundamental Immunology at the University of Toronto. She completed her H.BSc. in Biological Sciences with a minor in Biochemistry at the University of Windsor. Her research interests lie in investigating the immunology of the female reproductive tract, particularly focusing on the inflammatory mechanisms driving pathology.

Adriana’s project broadly aims to examine the impact of integrase strand transfer inhibitors on the expression and activity of nutrient transporters in the placenta during pregnancy, focusing specifically on fatty acid transport. Additionally, Adriana is working to investigate immunometabolic phenotypes of immune cells found at the maternal-fetal interface following antiretroviral treatment. Outside of the lab, she enjoys baking, trying out new coffee shops, and travelling. Adriana is a recipient of CGS-M and is currently supported by CGS-D funding.

Raven Stoddart

MSc. Candidate, University of Toronto (2024 – Present)

Raven Stoddart is a first year Master’s student in the Department of Immunology at the University of Toronto. She completed her B.Sc. at the University of Toronto with a double major in Immunology and Human Biology. Raven has always been passionate about improving women’s health and access to healthcare, which has driven her research interest in her current work.

Her research will focus on the impact of HIV and different classes of antiretroviral therapies on placental structure and morphology. Building on previous research out of the Serghides lab, her research will compare the morphology of placental structures across different antiretroviral regimens. Additionally, she will be investigating the localization and expression of angiogenic factors that regulate the placenta under various antiretroviral therapy regimens. She hopes this research will generate data that will contribute to identifying safer antiretrovirals to use in pregnancy.