Jessica L. Allen, PhD
Research Program Manager
Carter Immunology Center
Jessica.Allen@virginia.edu

Dr. Allen completed her training in Immunology at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, UNC Chapel Hill, and Duke University. Her research primarily focused on B lymphocytes and defining their inflammatory role in various murine models and clinical patient samples: including in innate immunity (regulation of Toll-like receptors), in complications of bone marrow transplant (chronic Graft versus host disease), and in modulating gastrointestinal inflammation (Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis). After leaving the bench, Jessica used her passion for advancing knowledge to lead education-focused nonprofits and catalyze positive change through innovative initiatives. She is thrilled to join the Precision ImmunoMedicine (iPRIME) team and looks forward to using Immunology, advanced imaging, and informatics to inform and enhance outcomes in Cardiovascular Disease.

Michael R. Davis, Jr., PhD
Senior Research Program Officer
Carter Immunology Center
MRD5F@virginia.edu

Dr. Davis received his PhD in Microbiology from UVA.  His research focused on the molecular pathogenesis of several respiratory pathogens, including Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Burkholderia cenocepacia, focusing on mechanisms of polysaccharide synthesis and regulation during the progression from the acute to the chronic state.  More recently, he served as Program Manager for the UVA Global Infectious Diseases Institute (GIDI).  He managed the seed funding program at GIDI, which awarded over $2 million in seed funds to UVA faculty for projects surrounding infectious diseases of global prominence. 

Myles M. Kim, PhD
Research Scientist
Carter Immunology Center
MBT8HZ@virginia.edu

Dr. Kim received his master’s degree in mathematics and PhD in mechanical/biomedical from Brown University. His expertise lies in computational modeling and simulations for biological and medical systems. He worked as a research scientist at Moffitt Cancer Center and the department of computational and systems biology of the University of Pittsburgh.

Vicki Gordon
Laboratory Specialist
Carter Immunology Center
VG6Z@virginia.edu

Vicki Gordon is a lab specialist who is widely trained in molecular biology techniques. She came to the Center for Immunology after over twenty years in the lab of Dr. Michael Weber. She has years of experience in many laboratory procedures, such as tissue culture, Western blotting, and flow cytometry. In her previous lab, her major focus was a study of the immune cells of leukemia and lymphoma. She is currently applying her expertise to study the role of immune cells in cardiovascular disease. Her extensive training brings critical support for the iPRIME initiative.

Chantel McSkimming
Laboratory Specialist
Carter Immunology Center
cct9d@virginia.edu

I’m delighted to be a part of the efforts advancing the study of immunology and precision medicine and its impact on human health. I have extensive knowledge regarding the role of T-Regulatory Cells and CD8+ T-cells and have more recently focused on the role of B-cells in precision immunomedicine. I am well-versed in various techniques, particularly flow and mass cytometry, which includes panel design, sample preparation, in vitro cell stimulations, staining cells, and downstream analyses.

Charlotte Pekich, RN, BSN, MBA
Certified Clinical Research Coordinator
Cardiovascular Research Department
Qur4vf@uvahealth.org

Charlotte Pekich is a registered nurse that has worked in clinical research since 2001. She has functioned as a CRA, Safety Specialist and CCRC in industry and academics. In addition, she was one of the original 17 nurses hired as a sales representative for the Women’s Healthcare Division of Parke-Davis.

Skyler Nelson
Clinical Research Coordinator
aga9mv@virginia.edu

Skyler Nelson graduated from Southern Virginia University with a BA in Biochemistry in 2024. Working as a clinical research coordinator for iPRIME, he recruits participants and collects patient samples to be processed and evaluated for risk of cardiovascular diseases using immune profiling studies in the laboratory. He has clinical experience working as a medical scribe and an EMT for two years.

Corey Williams, PhD
cmw6pa@virginia.edu

Dr. Corey Williams received his PhD at UVA in the Biomedical Engineering department in Dr. Eli Zunder’s lab, combining experimental and computational analyses. He collaborated with Dr. Collen McNamara’s group for his Doctoral training. Dr. Williams is now using his expertise to support the launch of the iPRIME initiative as part of the P2PE program announced by President Jim Ryan, as part of the bioinformatics team that will lead to preeminence in precision Immunomedicine at UVA.

Maria Murach, MS
mm5jy@virginia.edu

Maria Murach, MS is a third year Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics PhD Student. She received her bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Bioinformatics from Poznan University of Technology. She’s interested in using machine learning and AI to understand cardiovascular disease and create new diagnostic methods. Maria enjoys live music, hiking, playing squash, cooking, jogging and learning French.

Micah Hunter-Chang, BA
mjh7zv@virginia.edu

Micah graduated from the University of Richmond with a BA in biology and minors in music and leadership studies. After graduating, he joined the laboratory of Dr. Christopher Deppmann at the University of Virginia as a Laboratory Technician, researching neurodevelopment and neurodegeneration in animal models. During this time, Micah primarily focused on mass cytometry, and found the research of the iPRIME teams to be an impactful and elegant use of the technique with profound clinical application. Now, Micah is a Lab Specialist with the iPRIME initiative, and is excited to be continuing his work with mass cytometry to help make precision immunomedicine for cardiovascular disease into a clinical reality for patients.