CURRENT LAB MEMBERS
Chad Vezina, Principal Investigator, (608) 890-3235. My training is in the field of pharmacology and toxicology and I came to UW-Madison in 2003. My research interests include prostate and urinary tract development, the influence of genetic and environmental factors on their development, and mechanisms by which the prostate interferes with urinary function.
Pre-doctoral Trainees
Elliot Heye, Endocrinology and Reproductive Physiology Graduate Program, (2025-Present), (608) 890-3236. He received his Bachelor’s degree from Otterbein University in 2024. He is investigating the role of inflammation in male urinary voiding dysfunction.
Shreya Nair, Comparative Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program (2025-Present), (608) 890-3236. She received a Bachelor’s degree from Carleton College in 2024. She is investigating the impact of aging on the urobiome and urinary voiding function.
Thomas Peterson, Molecular and Environmental Toxicology Graduate Program (2019-Present), (608) 890-3236. He earned his Bachelor’s degree from the Pennsylvania State University in 2019. His research is testing the role of a long non-coding RNA in inflammation and organ development.
Allison Rundquist, Endocrinology and Reproductive Physiology Graduate Program, (2023-Present), (608) 890-3236. She earned her Bachelor’s degree from UC San Diego. She is investigating the role of serotonin in urethral peristalsis and urinary tract infection.
Brandon Scharpf, Molecular and Environmental Toxicology Graduate Program (2019-Present), (608) 890-3236. He joined the Vezina lab in 2019 to complete his PhD. He graduated with a bachelor’s of science in biology from SUNY Potsdam in 2018. He is determining the role of prostate fibrosis in urinary dysfunction in aging men.
Undergraduate Trainees
Akhil Pidikiti, (2024-Present), (608) 890-3236
Olivia Zhu, (2025-Present), (608) 890-3236
Collaborators
Our laboratory is an active participant in the George M. O’Brien Center for Benign Urology Research and additional collaborators can be found here.
Our laboratory is an active participant in the GenitoUrinary Development Molecular Anatomy (GUDMAP) project and additional collaborators can be found here.
ALUMNI
Lisa Abler (post-doctoral trainee 2009-2014)
Current Position: Science & Engineering Librarian, University of Wisconsin–Madison
Marcela Ambrogi (PhD trainee, 2021-2024)
Current Position: Post-doctoral researcher, Dept. Urology, UW-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health
Piper Bandera (undergraduate researcher, 2022)
Current Position: Wildlife ecology student, UW-Madison
Helene Altmann (undergraduate researcher, 2014-2016)
Current Position: Psychiatry Resident (Child Track), University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
Enrique Avilia (undergraduate researcher, 2017)
Current Position: MD, graduate of Medical College of Wisconsin
Kalina Bathke (undergraduate researcher, 2016)
Current Position: Operations & Policy Analyst 2, Oregon Health Authority
Diya Binoy Joseph (PhD trainee, 2015-2018)
Current Position: Scientist D and Principal Investigator, Institute for Stem Cell Science and Regenerative Medicine (inStem), Bengaluru, India
Mark Cadena (PhD trainee, 2015-2020)
Current Position: unknown, lost to follow up
Anoop Chandrashekar (high school researcher, 2016-2017)
Current Position: Orthopedic Surgery Resident Physician, Emory University
Sneha Chandrashekar (high school researcher, 2021-2023)
Current Position: Research assistant and undergraduate, University of Pennsylvania
Britta (Chelgren) Hernandez (undergraduate researcher, 2018)
Current Position: Registered Nurse, Minneapolis, MN
Thrishna Chathurvedula (undergraduate researcher, 2018-2021)
Current Position: MD Candidate, Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science
Clara Cole (DVM trainee researcher, 2019-2020)
Current Position: Postdoctoral researcher, UW-Madison
Tyler Didier (undergraduate researcher, 2017)
Current Position: Director of Implementation and Policy, Shelter Corp, Minneapolis, MN
Kamyra Edokpolor (undergraduate researcher, 2015)
Current Position: Business Development Lead, Radyus Research
Erik Elton (undergraduate researcher, 2010-2011)
Current Position: Labor Planning Analyst, Amazon, Minnesota
Chelsea-Leigh Flucus (undergraduate researcher, 2014)
Current Position: Assistant Director of Career Development, St. John’s University, Queens, NY
Olivia Fox (undergraduate researcher, 2020-2022)
Current position: DVM candidate, UW-Madison
Nicholas Girardi (undergraduate researcher, 2019-2020)
Current Position: PhD Candidate, Biological and Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program, Harvard University
Adam Gottschalk (undergraduate researcher, 2016-2018)
Current Position: Dentist, Village Dental, Ohio.
Peter Graf (undergraduate researcher, 2022)
Current Position: Student, UW-Madison
Pinak Joshi (undergraduate researcher, 2010-2014)
Current Position: Medical Science Liaison, CareDx, Inc., Boston, MA
Arnaldo López Alvarado (undergraduate researcher, 2014)
Current Position: Unknown, lost to follow-up
Jojo Maier (undergraduate researcher, 2023-2024)
Current Position: PhD student in Endocrinology and Reproductive Physiology, UW-Madison
Robbie Manuel (PhD trainee, 2022-2024)
Current Position: Postdoctoral Research Fellow at NYU Grossman School of Medicine
Vatsal Mehta (postdoctoral trainee, 2009-2014)
Current Position: Toxicologist for Perfume Safety and Chemical Risk Evaluation,
Brett Mueller (undergraduate researcher, 2017-2019)
Current Position: General Surgery Resident, Corewell Health
Bill Mulligan (undergraduate researcher, 2011-2015)
Current Position: Consultant, Isovalent, Berlin, Germany
Mary Murphy (DVM candidate researcher, 2020)
Current Position: unknown, lost to follow up
Royal Oakes (undergraduate researcher, 2015-2019)
Current Position: Unknown, lost to follow up.
Chelsea O’Driscoll (postdoctoral researcher, 2018)
Current Position: Human Safety Toxicologist, Procter & Gamble
David Pontes (undergraduate researcher, 2016)
Current Position: Dermatology Resident, UW-Madison
Jalin Roberson (undergraduate researcher, 2017)
Current Position: Medical Resident, UC Irvine Anesthesiology and Perioperative Care
Hannah Ruetten (DVM/PhD trainee, 2016-2021)
Current Position: Veterinarian and Fellow Comparative Medicine, Wake Forest University
Jaskiran Sandhu (high school and undergraduate researcher, 2018-2023)
Current Position: MD Candidate at UW-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health
Simran Kaur Sandhu (undergraduate researcher, 2018-2022)
Current Position: D.O. Candidate at Marian University College of Osteopathic Medicine
Christopher Schmitz (undergraduate researcher, 2012-2014)
Current Position: Senior Research Technologist at Mayo Clinic
Katyalex (Schoenike) Latus (undergraduate researcher, 2015)
Current Position: Unknown, lost to follow-up
Matt Slentz (DVM trainee, 2012-2013)
Current Position: Veterinarian, Griffith Small Animal Hospital, Austin, TX
Kimberly Stietz-Keil (PhD trainee, 2010-2015)
Current Position: Assistant Professor, University of Wisconsin–Madison
Ryan Trevena (research intern, 2016)
Current Position: Consultant, ClearView Health Care Partners
Regan Truttschel (undergraduate researcher, 2015)
Current Position: MTM Pharmacist at Hennepin Healthcare
Anne (Turco) Luthin (PhD trainee, 2016-2021)
Current Position: Medical Device Toxicologist, Boston Scientific
Laura Vergenz (undergraduate researcher, 2017)
Current Position: Outreach Coordinator, Internet Scout Research Group
Kyle Wegner (PhD trainee, 2014-2019)
Current Position: Study Director, Labcorp Drug Development
Marlyse Wehber (DVM trainee, 2019)
Current Position: Veterinary Resident, Pet Dermatology Clinic
Helen Zhang (undergraduate researcher, 2017-2018)
Current Position: Associate Consultant at ZS
Jonathan Zhu (undergraduate researcher, 2019-2020)
Current Position: Dentist, Madison, WI
Rheba Zimmerman (DVM trainee, 2013-2014)
Current Position: Veterinarian, Madison, WI