SCOLI Research Team
Lab Members
Principal Fellow
Raj S. Lavadi, M.B.B.S
Raj S. Lavadi, M.B.B.S, joined the Agarwal Lab at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in May 2023. He has been under the able guidance of Dr. Agarwal since July 2022, when he was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. His research focuses on personalizing the care of patients with spine disease as well as using advanced, diffusion imaging modalities to identify biomarkers in patients with traumatic brain injury. He aims to demystify the complexities of performing research as a medical trainee and frequently guides undergraduate and medical students in their own research efforts. Despite being raised in New Jersey, Raj went to medical school in India and received his degree from Vydehi Institute of Medical Sciences & Research Centre. Before Raj joined the Agarwal Lab, he wrote blog posts for Chowder and Champions. He enjoys keeping up with the latest neurosurgical literature, exploring the outdoors with his family, peer mentoring, and playing Mridangam—a South Indian percussion instrument of which he has over two decades of experience. He also enjoys long-distance running and watching the Boston Celtics.
Research Fellows
Rida Mitha, M.B.B.S
Rida Mitha, M.B.B.S, is a postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Neurological Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine where she works under the guidance of Dr. Nitin Agarwal. Her research interests include Neurotrauma, Neurophysiology, Spine and Healthcare Disparities. She graduated from the Aga Khan University, one of the premier medical schools in Pakistan. Outside of medicine, she enjoys swimming, which she now does recreationally after having a decade long career as an athlete on the Pakistan Swim Team. On occasion, she coaches national swimmers in Pakistan, with a firm belief in giving back to the community she represented for many years.
Rohit P. Kumar, B.A.
Rohit Prem Kumar, B.A., joined Dr. Agarwal’s lab in July 2023 as a research fellow. After concluding his fellowship, he will be returning to the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine in Nutley, NJ to begin his fourth year of medical school. Prior to medical school, Rohit completed his undergraduate degree Biology at the New Jersey Institute of Technology. Later, he worked as a data scientist at Bristol Myers Squibb analyzing drug safety trends. His primary interest is in implementing big data to improve outcomes in neurosurgery. Rohit is from Jackson, NJ. His hobbies include photography, reading and weightlifting.
Medical Students
Avi A. Gajjar, B.S., M.B.A.
Avi A. Gajjar, B.S., M.B.A., is a medical student at Albany Medical College. He graduated summa cum laude from Union College in a combined 8-year BS/MD/MBA, majoring in Political Science and Chemistry, and minoring in Psychology. He also earned his MBA in Healthcare Management while he was at Union. His areas of research interests include cerebrovascular, endovascular, and spinal neurosurgery. Avi is the co-founder of NeurosurGen Inc. (www.NeurosurGen.com), a project that aims to compile training lineage for neurosurgeons across the globe. This groundbreaking initiative received significant funding from the National Research and Education Foundation (NREF), enabling the establishment of NeurosurGen Inc. He was born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is also an Eagle Scout and enjoys spending time outdoors kayaking, camping, biking, and skiing.
Undergraduate Interns
Aditi Choudhary
Aditi Choudhary has been an undergraduate intern at the Agarwal Lab since December 2023. She is an honors undergraduate History and Philosophy of Science student at the University of Pittsburgh, and intends on pursuing a career in neurosurgery. She is passionate about artificial intelligence and the intersection between medicine and the humanities. She will begin her Master’s at the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Public Health in the Fall of 2024
Benjamin J. Carnovale
Alumni
Hanish Polavarapu, M.D., M.S.
Ashtah A. Das, B.S.
Souvik Roy, M.D.
Megan Rode, B.S.
Ray Funahashi, M.D.
Tavis Taylor, B.S.
Interested in joining the team?