Members
Lab Members
Joanna Smeeton, PhD
- H.K. Corning Assistant Professor Rehabilitation and Regenerative Medicine Research
Joanna is the H. K. Corning Assistant Professor of Rehabilitation Medicine Research. Joanna was born and raised in the beautiful Niagara region of Canada. She received her BScH from McGill University in Anatomy and Cell Biology. She earned her PhD from the University of Toronto, where she studied kidney development in the lab of Dr. Norman Rosenblum at the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids). She performed her postdoctoral training in the lab of Dr. Gage Crump at the University of Southern California (USC Stem Cell), where she studied the evolutionary origins of synovial joints and first began to probe the regenerative capacity of fish joints. Joanna established the Smeeton Lab in January 2020. At Columbia, she is affiliated with the Departments of Rehabilitation and Regenerative Medicine as well as Genetics and Development. She is a full member of the Columbia Stem Cell Initiative. Outside the lab, she is a mom of twins and enjoys getting outside into nature, choral singing, and artistic swimming.
Desmarie Sherwood
- Technician
Des is a lab technician in the Smeeton lab. She got her start in zebrafish research by completing her MSc thesis in the Smeeton lab as part of the Human Nutrition program at Columbia University, where she investigated the early development of articular cells during jaw joint emergence in juvenile zebrafish. Des was a non-traditional student who earned a BSc in Chemistry from the College of William & Mary. Her undergraduate team explored using organic nanomolecules to capture mercury in aqueous solutions with a published efficacy of 7 ppb. The Smeeton lab offered a much-desired return to basic science after almost 5 years in translational clinical research with pediatric and emergency room patients. Des provides integral administrative and technical support for all lab members from high schoolers to PhD candidates. In her leisure time, she enjoys discovering trends in geopolitics and global demographic changes as well as new features in animation, anime, film, and TV.
Maryam Kamel
- Technician
Troy Anderson
- Graduate Student
Troy is a PhD candidate in the department of Genetics and Development. He earned a BS in Biological Sciences with a concentration in Genetics, Genomics, and Development and a minor in Music from Cornell University in 2019. There, he implemented genetic tools to study how the mitochondrial bottleneck prevents the transmission of deleterious mitochondrial DNA in early Drosophila oogenesis. Troy joined the Smeeton Lab in April 2020 for his PhD training, where he is currently using computational and in vivo experiments to study mechanisms driving ligament fate in progenitor cells during regeneration. Outside of research, Troy enjoys playing jazz, taking his dog to the park, and cooking for the lab.
Julia Mo
- Graduate Student
Julia is a PhD candidate in the Department of Genetics and Development. She grew up near Denver, Colorado and attended the University of Colorado at Boulder for her undergrad. There, she graduated with a B.A. in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology with cum laude honors for her undergraduate work with Dr. Michael Klymkowsky. Afterwards, she worked as a professional research assistant under the guidance of Dr. Katherine Fantauzzo at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, where she studied the genetic interaction of Pdgfra and Pdgfrb during murine craniofacial development. Julia joined the Smeeton Lab as a full-time member in July of 2021. Currently, she is investigating the role of the immune system and ECM remodeling in ligament regeneration. Outside of lab Julia enjoys painting, art, rock climbing, and cooking.
Maria Blumenkrantz
- Graduate Student
Maria is a PhD candidate in the Integrated Program in Cellular, Molecular, and Biomedical Studies (CMBS) at Columbia University. She graduated from UCLA, where she majored in Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology and minored in Biomedical Research. As an undergraduate student, Maria studied the transgenerational epigenetic effects of various environmental exposures in Dr. Patrick Allard’s lab at UCLA. Maria joined the Smeeton Lab in July of 2022, and her current interests lie in the intersection of basic joint biology and regenerative medicine. During her PhD, Maria hopes to uncover genetic and cellular mechanisms driving articular cartilage regeneration. In her free time, Maria enjoys skiing, reading, rollerblading, and exploring New York.
Everett Weinstein
- Graduate Student
Everett is a PhD student in Columbia's Integrated Program in Cellular, Molecular, and Biomedical Studies (CMBS). Everett earned his BS in biology at the University of California San Diego in 2021 and continued to conduct research there on the transcription factors involved in plant stress response to earn his MS in 2022. Everett joined the Smeeton lab in 2023 and his current research project centers around the reinnervation of tissues after whole joint resection. Beyond the lab, Everett enjoys trying out new recipes while cooking, playing Dungeons and Dragons with friends, and biking.
Eric Mao
- Undergraduate Student
Eric is a senior in Columbia College studying Biology. He finds it magical how zebrafish are capable of regenerating entire joints after injury and is excited about the translational potential of this remarkable ability. After graduation, Eric hopes to matriculate into medical school, where he will continue conducting research as he pursues his MD. In his free time, he enjoys constructing crossword puzzles and going on walks along the Hudson.
Ekwueme Eleogu
- Undergraduate Student
Hailey Levitz
- Undergraduate Student
Michelle Aude
- Undergraduate Student
