Students | Advanced Ocular Imaging Program | Medical College of Wisconsin

Students in the Advanced Ocular Imaging Program are given the opportunity to develop strong research skills in a multidisciplinary environment. Involved in every aspect of the program, students play a vital role in the ongoing development of innovative imaging research. Inquire Now

Learn With the AOIP

Our students come to us from a variety of programs, and with varied expertise, including medicine, cell biology, engineering, neuroscience, image processing and computer programming. Medical students at Medical College of Wisconsin typically participate via the Clinical and Translational Research Pathway. We also accept undergraduate students through both the Program for Undergraduate Research Experience (PURE) and Summer Program for Undergraduate Research (SPUR) programs offered through the MCW Graduate School, as well as high school students participating in the Research Opportunity for Academic Development in Science (ROADS) program. In addition, we have numerous other research opportunities for local students from the Milwaukee School of Engineering, UW Milwaukee, or Marquette University.

If you are interested in our program, please contact Joseph Carroll to discuss current research opportunities. Get to know our current students on this page or view our graduates on our alumni page.

Get to Know Our Current Students

Iniya Adhan

Medical Student; Quality Improvement and Patient Safety Pathway

iadhan@mcw.edu

My primary research focus is AOSLO imaging to get normative data, which can be used in relation to various patient populations. I am also involved in an Adaptive Optics clinical report project, which will streamline the data provided to clinicians.

Owen Bowie

Medical Student; Clinical and Translational Research

obowie@mcw.edu

My research interests include neurodegenerative disease and stem cell related research.

Hannah Follett

Research Technologist

hfollett@mcw.edu

(414) 955-2078

My role in the AOIP is to assist in data analysis and imaging of human and animal subjects.

Mina Gaffney

Engineer

mgaffney@mcw.edu

(414) 955-8461

My role in the AOIP is to aid in image acquisition and processing, to assist in managing the AOIP retinal-imaging database, and to provide general engineering and software support. Additional responsibilities include assisting in maintenance and alignment of AOSLO and anomaloscope devices.

Garrett Grissim

Medical Student; Bioethics and Medical Humanities Pathway

ggrissim@mcw.edu

My primary research is focused on determining if Achromatopsia is a progressive disease.

Heather Heitkotter

Year Entered MCW: 2017

hheitkotter@mcw.edu

My general focus is neuroscience; I enjoy investigating the underlying mechanisms of behavior and neurological function. I have a particular interest in neurological development and related disorders, which I hope to explore via cellular activities and phenotypic expression.

Tammi Holle

Medical Student; Quality Improvement and Patient Safety Pathway

tholle@mcw.edu

I have joined Dr. Carroll's lab for the summer through MSSRP, and I will be focusing on reliability and repeatability of cone counts in subjects with retinitis pigmentosa and Usher's syndrome.

Joseph Kreis

Year Entered MCW: 2021

jgkreis@mcw.edu

Nicole Manfredonia

Medical Student; Clinical and Translational Research

nmanfredonia@mcw.edu

With Dr. Carroll’s lab I am evaluating the sensitivity of the Multifocal Electroretinogram (mfERG) in detecting retinal detachment ‘blebs’ and exploring the ability of stem cells to regenerate photoreceptors through a ground squirrel animal model. My interests include specialized surgeries, micromanipulation, transgenic animal model design, and stem cell regeneration.

Polina Prokhoda

Medical Student; Urban and Community Health Pathway

pprokhoda@mcw.edu

I am interested in studying the interplay between foveal pit morphology and genotype in patients with albinism as well as learning different Adaptive Optics imaging techniques.

Abigail Scheidt

Medical Student; Clinical and Translational Research

ascheidt@mcw.edu

I am primarily interested in the quantification of melanin using Near-Infrared Autofluorescence techniques.

Jacob Szpernal

Medical Student; Quality Improvement and Patient Safety Pathway

jszpernal@mcw.edu

My primary research focus is on human subject safety in ophthalmic research. Currently, I am looking to characterize safety measures that are in place for human subjects among institutions.

Ana Untaroiu

Medical Student; Quality Improvement and Patient Safety Pathway

auntaroiu@mcw.edu

My research focuses on applying machine learning to Adaptive Optics imaging for improvement of image quality. I am also working collaboratively to improve the design of Adaptive Optics clinical reporting.