Research Team
Principal Research Fellow
Ayesha Akbar Waheed, M.B.B.S.
About Ayesha
Dr. Ayesha Akbar Waheed is a Principal Research Fellow at the University of Pittsburgh Department of Neurological Surgery and serves as the Director of Fundraising and the Intern Program for SCOLI. She also serves as the TRACK-SCI Site Coordinator and SCOLI’s Clinical Coordinator for industry study efforts. With her medical degree from the prestigious Aga Khan University Medical College, she brings a unique combination of clinical knowledge and research expertise to advance spine care through innovative research initiatives and collaborative programs.
Senior Research Fellow
Samuel Wakelin, B.S.
About Sam
Junior Research Fellows
Janam Patel, B.S.
About Janam
Janam is a research fellow in SCOLI and is focusing on spinal cord injury treatments and procedures. He will be a medical student at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.
Ben Carnovale, B.S.
About Ben
Interns
Aditi Choudhary, B.S.
About Aditi
Aditi Choudhary has been an undergraduate intern at SCOLI 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 AI and the intersection between medicine and humanity. She will begin her Master’s at the PITT School of Public Health in the Fall 2024.
Armani Manov
About Armani
Armani Manov studies at the University of Pittsburgh with a deep passion for research and discovery. He is interested in intersecting computational biology and AI/ML with neurosurgery.
Zayaan Trimizi
About Zayaan
Zayaan Tirmizi is an undergraduate student at the University of Pittsburgh, majoring in Neuroscience with a Minor in History. He is currently an intern with SCOLI. Zayaan’s research interests within neurosurgery include AI applications within surgery, socioeconomic health disparities, and nutritional factors affecting patient outcomes.
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.
William Rabon, B.S.
Rohit Prem Kumar, M.D.
Rida Mitha, M.D.
