Research Team

Nour Nassour, MD

Lead FARIL Multidisciplinary Collaborative: Internal Medicine Branch

MD Graduate from Lebanon and Research Fellow at the Foot and Ankle Research and Innovation laboratory. Working on Machine Learning algorithms, Venous Thromboembolisms, and surgical site infections.

Atta Taseh, MD

Atta is an MD Graduate from Iran, interested in rehabilitation medicine, particularly in biomechanical factors contributing to musculoskeletal injuries, and in the use of biofeedback to modify those factors. He is now working on the plantar pressure analyses using the novel pressure plate that has been developed in the lab.

Matthias Peiffer, MD

4^th year Orthopaedic Surgery Resident – PhD fellow from Ghent, Belgium. Matthias has a great interest in the computer-aided analysis and treatment of ankle pathologies, in particular traumatic syndesmotic injuries. He is currently investigating the influence of syndesmotic lesions on the three-dimensional anatomy and articular mechanics of the ankle joint.

Siddhartha Sharma, MD, PhD

Dr. Siddhartha Sharma, from India, works as an Associate Professor of Orthopedics at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India. His research interests include clinical prediction models, biomechanical studies, animal models of bone defects and distraction osteogenesis, and cadaveric studies. His research at FARIL will focus on innovative diagnostic and therapeutic techniques for the management of ankle fractures, syndesmotic injuries, and Lisfranc injuries.  

Bedri Karaismailoglu, MD

Bedri works as an Assistant Professor of Orthopedics & Traumatology at Istanbul University-Cerrahpasa (Turkey) and doing his PhD in the field of anatomy. His research interests include cadaveric and biomechanical studies, gait analysis, 3D anatomic models, and innovative designs in the field of foot & ankle. His research at FARIL will focus on finding a patient-specific method for ideal syndesmotic fixation and validity & safety analyses of various surgical techniques. 

Omer Subasi, PhD

Omer is a biomedical engineer from Turkey. He got his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Caltech (Pasadena, CA) and his Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from Koç University (Istanbul, Turkey). His research interests include orthopaedic implant design, computer-aided surgery assist systems, computational biomechanics, and advanced manufacturing. His research focus at FARIL will be finite element modeling of various foot and ankle-related diseases and osteotomies.

Alireza Ebrahimi, MD

Alireza is an MD, MBA from Iran. Having worked in surgical oncology as a postdoc, his interests include experimental, diagnostic and prognostic clinical research in surgery and orthopedics. His research at FARIL is focused on developing innovative diagnostic methods for the detection of common foot and ankle injuries, using novel examination and imaging techniques. 

Yuzuru Sakakibara, MD, PhD

Yuzu’s main research interests are in the biomechanics of the ankle and knee joints and research related to sports medicine. His hobbies include jogging along the Charles River and completing the Boston Marathon every year.

Rohan Bhimani, MBBS, MBA

Ji-Yong Ahn, MD. PhD

Ji-Yong is an Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery from Uijeongbu St. Mary’s Hospital College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea. His research interests include cadaveric and biomechanical studies pertaining to ankle deformities, and AI prediction models in the field of foot and ankle. His research will focus on biomechanical factors after foot deformity correction.  

David Osei-Hwedieh, MD. PhD

David’s research interests focus on the clinical applications of biotechnology ranging from peptide and cell-based immunotherapy in musculoskeletal cancers, spine biology, foot & ankle injury diagnostics and is currently investigating electrical impedance tomography and acoustic technology in orthopedic practice.

Hye Chang Rhim, MD, MPH

HC is a PM&R resident at Harvard Medical School/Spaulding Rehabilitation. His research interests include epidemiology of orthopedic injuries, outcomes following surgical or non-operative interventions for sports medicine injuries, and wearable devices in rehabilitation. 

Alexandra Flaherty

Alexandra completed her undergrad in mechanical engineering at MIT and is now a third-year medical student at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB). She is involved in several projects, with topics including fifth metatarsal fracture non-unions, Lisfranc joint injuries, perspectives on critical portions of surgical procedures, and lower extremity fall injuries.

Noopur Ranganathan

Noopur is a second year medical student at the Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine. She has been at the lab since her senior year of undergrad at MIT and is very interested in pursuing orthopaedic surgery. She is involved in projects that deal with venous thromboembolism in orthopaedic patients with lower extremity fractures, Lisfranc joint injuries, and AITFL avulsions in ankle fractures.

Samir Ghandour, MD

A Syrian medical graduate coming from Lebanon, Samir is an aspiring radiologist interested in musculoskeletal/vascular imaging techniques and improving their clinical applications in lower extremity arterial/venous disease, soft tissue injuries, and joint disease. His current focus is on imaging modalities such as ultrasound and weight-bearing CT.

Wei Shao (Keris) Tung

Keris obtained his BS in Statistics from McGill and is now a third-year medical student in the UK. He completed a research fellowship in adult reconstruction at Yale, and is very excited to explore foot & ankle research at FARIL. He is currently working on developing new surgical methods using weight-bearing CT and designing prosthetics to decrease the incidence of malunion and nonunion in arthrodesis.

Henri Ullmann

Henri is in his 6th and last year of medical school at the Rijksuniversiteit Groningen. Having rowed competitively during high school and university, he is interested in sports-related injuries and the potential role of AI in streamlining the treatment process. Henri enjoys spending his free time doing sports and being outside on the water when he can.

Joris Hendriks

Joris is a master student medicine from the Amsterdam UMC/University of Amsterdam. He is a graduate research student at FARIL with a focus on Achilles tendon ruptures and sports related injuries. Outside of the hospital he likes to sail, hike and play field hockey.

Riley Baker

Riley is studying at the University of Connecticut and is currently involved in several projects, which include educational video game development, AI machine learning, Achilles Tendon Rupture time to operate, and uncovering potential risk factors for overuse injuries in the lower extremities.

Jack Wolf

Jack is currently at the University of Connecticut, and research student at FARIL. He is involved in several retrospective studies, the Ankle registry, and the lab’s very own Podcast.

Marguerite Mullen

Marguerite is in the Class of 2024 at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. She is involved projects with topics ranging from anatomic axis of the ankle syndesmosis to the representation fo women in Foot & Ankle research

Evan Sirls

Evan completed his undergrad at University of Michigan, and is now a medical student at the University of Massachusetts. He is working on classifying foot and ankle fractures to assist in the training of deep learning models. His research interests include Lisfranc injuries, tendon reconstruction, AI, and surgical innovation. In his free time when he’s not complaining about Jim Harbaugh, he likes reading, playing ping pong, and doing anything related to the outdoors. 

Hadley Leatherman

Hadley is a second year medical student at the University of Washington. She is currently working on studies involving achilles tendon ruptures, plantar fasciitis, surgical site infections, isolated subtalar dislocations, and patient reported outcomes measures. She is keenly interested in translational research and making sure all of her studies will benefit future orthopaedic patients. In her free time she likes to travel, hike, and dance!

Joshua Woo

Joshua is a student at Brown University and in in pre-professional 8 year program: PLME BS/MD. He is studying Computer Science and Data Science B.A.

Mustafa Hashmi

Mustafa graduated from UMass Amherst with a major in Biology and a minor in Economics. He is an aspiring medical student that remains open minded regarding his future speciality. He has a broad interest in sports medicine and pediatrics.

Emmanuel Budis

Emmanuel completed his undergraduate education at Boston College, and is now a third year medical student at the University of Massachusetts. He is working on a study looking at the authorship trends in foot and ankle literature and conferences. He has a wide variety of research interests including translational research and surgical innovation. In his free time he likes to travel, spend time with family, and play basketball .

Caleb Jang

Caleb completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and is now in his first gap year. He is interested in the management of lateral ankle sprains in professional athletes. In his free time, he enjoys playing basketball, trying new foods, and traveling.

Jae Kim

Jae is a PGY1 orthopaedic resident at Tufts Medical Center

Peter Brodeur

Peter completed his undergraduate and master’s degree at Boston University in Economics, and is now a fourth year medical student at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. He is interested in chondral injuries of the foot and ankle. In his free time he enjoys playing soccer, guitar, and cycling.

Alexis Cacace

Alexis graduated from Boston College with a Bachelor of Science in Biology. She is an aspiring medical student and is currently working at MGH in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery in the meantime.

Amir-Ali Shah

Amir is a senior undergraduate student at UMass Amherst majoring in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology. He is interest in sports medicine and am currently helping with research regarding the Medial Clear Space in the ankle. In his free time he enjoys playing sports, watching movies, and traveling. 

Micheka Fenelon

Micheka is a neuroscience student at Bowdoin College. She is interested in orthopaedic surgery and is working on social determinants of spinal epidural abscess patients and acoustic stimulation for bone oncology. In her free time she enjoys roller skating, playing squash, and is a fan of Tame Impala.

Sora Sohn

Sora is a second year undergraduate student from Tufts University concentrating in Cognitive Brain Sciences and Economics. She is an aspiring medical student with interests in sports medicine, orthopedics, and neurology. In her free time she enjoys surfing, traveling, and spending time with family!

Chesnie Josephine Cheung

Chesnie is from Palo Alto, CA and is currently in her third year at Tufts University. She is an aspiring medical student studying Biology and on the swim team. She hopes to become an exclusive Sports Medicine Physician for a professional sports team, such as the Warriors. In her free time, she likes to go to the beach, surf, cook and spend time with friends and family.

Sumner Viguera Jones

Sumner is a current undergraduate senior at Boston University and helping on various projects including DE&I issues with foot and ankle SSI incidence, a machine learning model to detect SSI, and utilizing a machine learning model to detect fracture on various quality x-ray images. In his free time, Sumner enjoys visiting museums in Boston and spending time outdoors.

Emi Rae Suyama

Emi is a second year health science major minoring in global health and environmental studies on a pre-med track at Northeastern University. Her personal experiences have led to an appreciation and admiration for the field of orthopaedics. At FARIL she is working on clinical research related to Mortons Neuroma.

Bradley A. Weaver, MS

Bradley completed his research thesis in the development of a model to predict non-union in fifth metatarsal fractures at FARIL.  He also is currently co-leading a clinical trial of proprietary foot insoles for patients with plantar fasciitis.  Currently, he is working at FARIL remotely while attending Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine.

Jillian Haywood

Julian Hollander

Julian is an MD/PhD student in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery and Sports Medicine at Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam. His research focuses primarily on osteochondral lesions of the talus with the goal of improving treatment outcomes and exploring the potential role of artificial intelligence.

Jaehyung (Tyler) Shin

Jaehyung (Tyler) is an undergraduate student at Georgia Tech, majoring in biomedical engineering with a pre-med track and research interests in gait analysis and biomechanics. He is an aspiring medical student interested in sports medicine and orthopaedic surgery. He enjoys his free time playing golf, spending time with friends, and traveling.

Tamara Munoz

Tamara is a second year at Northeastern University majoring in Cell and Molecular Biology on the pre-med track. At FARIL, she will be working on a project regarding osteochondral lesions in the talus. She hopes to pursue a career in orthopaedic surgery due to prior sports-related injuries in her foot. In her free time, Tamara enjoys reading, exploring the outdoors, and playing soccer. 

Jackson Woodrow

Jack completed his undergraduate degree in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry at Yale University and is currently a second year medical student at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix. His research interests include surgical device design and development, tendon fixation and reconstruction, improving patient outcomes, and the role of artificial intelligence in medicine. In his free time, he enjoys playing tennis, cooking, hiking, and fixing cars. 

Casey George

George is from Pinehurst, North Carolina and is a rising sophomore at Davidson College on the pre-med track. He is majoring in Chemistry and is interested in pursuing a career in Orthopedic Surgery. At FARIL, he is currently involved with a project that is assessing how the number of falls and the energy associated with them provide insight into hip fracture prediction. In his free time, George enjoys playing golf and tennis.

Adarsh Aratikatla

Adarsh is an incoming third year medical student from Jacksonville, Florida, studying at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. His research interests include cadaver studies, forefoot deformities, and using imaging modalities to aid various aspects of patient care. In his free time, he likes to play pickleball and basketball, travel, cook, and spend time at the beach with his friends and family. 

Krisha Patel

Krisha is a rising senior at the Massachusetts Academy of Math and Science in Worcester, Massachusetts. Growing up playing sports, she developed an interest in orthopedics and plans to major in biomedical engineering. In her free time, she enjoys running, lifting, listening to music, and spending time with friends and family.

Raia Schluter

Raia is a rising third year undergraduate student at Middlebury College, majoring in Biochemistry and on the pre-med track. She is currently working on research projects regarding osteochondral lesions of the talus, the use of artificial intelligence in medical imaging, and the effect of bone stimulators. In her free time, she enjoys playing ice hockey, going to the beach, and spending time with family.