Our Team | Han Zhu Lab

Who we are

We are a multi-disciplinary group of diverse scientists, physicians and learners from various backgrounds coming together to address important questions using novel techniques to help improve the care of patients with concurrent cardiovascular disease and cancer, as well as those with cardiac immune diseases. Our group values passion, curiosity, dedication and collegiality.

Dr. Han Zhu

Director, Stanford Translational Cardio-Oncology Program

Cardio-Oncology/Cardio-Immunology

Assistant Professor of Medicine

Dr. Zhu is an Assistant Professor of Medicine whose clinical and research expertise focuses on cardio-oncology and cardio-immunology. She specializes in the cardiovascular care of patients undergoing therapies for cancer, with a particular focus on the effects of immunotherapies on the heart. She received a bioengineering degree from MIT, medical degree from Case Western Reserve University, and completed clinical cardiology fellowship and internal medicine residency training at Stanford University School of Medicine. Dr. Zhu’s laboratory focuses on myocarditis, cardiac inflammation, and the effects of cancer therapeutics on the cardiovascular system. Her current research employs clinical data, bio-banked samples, and in vivo/in vitro preclinical models in combination with single-cell technologies to study immune-based toxicities in the heart. Dr. Zhu's clinic sees cardio-oncology and cardio-immunology patients and her lab focuses on devising new methods for minimizing cardiovascular complications in the cancer and autoimmune patient populations.

Stanford Medicine Profile

Basic/Translational Research Team

Yin Sun

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Yin Sun received his B.S. in Pharmacy from Shenyang Pharmaceutical University (SPU) in 2018. He then completed his Ph.D. in Medicinal chemistry at SPU in 2023. His doctoral thesis focused on the design, synthesis, and anti-tumor activity evaluation of polo-like kinase 4 inhibitors and proteolytic targeting chimeras. After joining the Zhu lab, he is particularly interested in combining his background in drug design and development with novel immunological tools to explore new precision therapeutic strategies in the field of cardio-immunology/cardio-oncology. In his free time, he enjoys running and swimming.

Maria Rosaria Vitale

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Maria earned her B.Sc in Biochemistry from the University of Würzburg, Germany, in 2015, followed by her M.Sc in Biochemistry and Biophysics from the University of Freiburg in 2018. She completed her Ph.D. at the University Hospital in Würzburg, focusing on induced human pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) in the context of Molecular Psychiatry. Her research focused on the role of CDH13, a gene linked to ADHD, where she utilized iPSC reprogramming, CRISPR/Cas9 gene knockout, neuronal subtype differentiation, and multielectrode array (MEA) activity for evaluation.

Joining the Zhu lab at Stanford, Maria is dedicated to establishing iPSC models tailored for investigating myocarditis and sarcoidosis. Her objective is to elucidate the cardiac microenvironment changes underlying the initiation and propagation of cardiac inflammation, ultimately advancing targeted therapies to mitigate cardiotoxicity from cancer immunotherapies. Outside of the lab, Maria finds joy in traveling, attending operas, reading, swimming, cooking and baking.

Min Kyung Lee

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Min Kyung Lee, PhD joined the Zhu Lab in 2026 as a postdoctoral scholar studying the epigenetic regulation of immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) myocarditis across the heart and tumor microenvironment. Her work focuses on understanding how epigenomic programs shape inflammatory signaling, immune cell states, and tissue-specific responses that influence both anti-tumor immunity and cardiac toxicity during cancer immunotherapy. Dr. Lee brings expertise in chromatin biology, transcriptional regulation, and high-throughput genomic technologies including ChIP-seq, RNA-seq, and CRISPR-based approaches, with prior work focused on histone deacetylase-mediated transcriptional reprogramming and epigenetic regulation under cellular stress conditions. She has also developed experience in human iPSC culture, cardiomyocyte differentiation, and 3D cardiac modeling, supporting the lab’s efforts to integrate epigenomics with translational human disease models in cardio-immunology.

Noah Wagner

Research Tech

Lab Manager

Noah graduated from UMass Boston with a B.S. in Biology and minor in Political Science in 2023. Before joining the Zhu lab, he conducted research on the role of STING signaling in pressure overload heart failure in the Pilar Alcaide lab at Tufts University. His work primarily involved utilizing techniques such as western blotting, immunofluorescent staining, and flow cytometry to profile effects of the STING pathway on cardiac remodeling. Currently, his work in the Zhu lab is focused on characterizing immune activity in ICI induced myocarditis. Outside of the lab, Noah enjoys lifting, cycling, and reading comic books.

Hiranya (Hira) Sundar

Clinical Research Coordinator

Hira (she/her) graduated from UCLA with a B.S. in Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics and a minor in Data Science Engineering. Her research interests primarily lie in translational medicine, with a focus on the statistical analysis of large-scale datasets to identify novel therapeutic and diagnostic biomarkers. She currently studies novel biomarkers of ICI myocarditis and sarcoidosis using single-cell multiomics and contributes to database biobanking efforts. In her free time, she enjoys painting, reading, and drinking boba!

Yann Le Guen

Biostatistician

Yann Le Guen, PhD is a biostatistician and data scientist who collaborates closely with the Zhu Lab through the Stanford Quantitative Sciences Unit (QSU). His work supports the integration and analysis of complex clinical, genomic, and multi-omics datasets across the lab’s translational cardio-immunology and cardio-oncology projects. Dr. Le Guen provides expertise in statistical genetics, computational biology, study design, and high-dimensional data analysis, helping drive biomarker discovery and precision medicine approaches in immune-mediated cardiovascular disease. Through this collaboration, the lab leverages advanced quantitative and computational methods to translate large-scale patient and molecular datasets into clinically meaningful insights.

Yuhsin (Vivian) Huang

Bioinformatics & Past Lab Manager

Yuhsin (Vivian) Huang graduated from Cornell University in 2022 as a Computer Science major and Biology minor. She is currently an MD/PhD student at Cornell. Vivian is primarily interested in translational medicine as well as the use of computational tools to analyze biological data, especially regarding targeted therapies in the fields of cardiology and immunology. Her experiences in leading the Cornell Translator/Interpreter Program as well as in volunteering as an ESL tutor and member of the El Camino Hospital Chinese Health Initiative have additionally aided in her goal to further tailor medical care and support for each individual's unique personal and cultural background. In her free time, she enjoys reading books and DC comics and has recently started acrylic painting as well.

Harrison Chou

Research Tech

Past Clinical Research Coordinator

Harrison Chou received his B.S. in Neuroscience and a minor in Musicology from UCLA in 2023. Prior to joining the Han Zhu lab, he participated in gastroenterology and hepatology research, utilizing large patient databases to analyze prognostic relationships between cirrhosis and other etiologic disorders. He is currently interested in exploring the field of cardio-oncology and studying the molecular mechanisms behind autoimmune diseases like cardiac sarcoidosis. In his free time, he likes playing basketball and viola.

Bruce Changlong Xu

Graduate Researcher

Bioinformatics

Bruce Xu conducts research at Stanford University at the intersection of machine learning, biomedical data, and immunology. His interests include the application of artificial intelligence and large-scale modeling to study immune regulation and disease mechanisms, with a focus on translational and clinically relevant problems.

Corynn Marie Grayson Branche

Undergraduate Student

Corynn Branche is a sophomore from Redondo Beach, California. She plans on majoring in molecular, cell, and developmental biology. Her research interests lie in understanding the molecular basis of ICI myocarditis and outcome disparities. She also volunteers as a patient navigator with Cardinal Free Clinics. In her free time, she enjoys making music and baking.

Natasha Banga

Undergraduate Student

Bioinformatics

Natasha Banga is a freshman at Stanford from Dallas, Texas. She hopes to study computer science and public policy on the premed track. She is interested in the studying the autoimmune mechanisms underlying cardiac disease and working with animal models. In her free time, she enjoys listening to podcasts and going to the gym.

Zachary Lin

Undergraduate Student

Zachary Lin is a freshman from Orange County, California. He is interested in both the clinical and research sides of medicine and hopes to become a physician scientist in the future. He is pursuing a major in bioengineering and a minor in music. In his spare time, he loves to play basketball and the saxophone.

Clinical/Translational Research Team

Evaline Cheng

Clinical Assistant Professor

Former Cardiology Fellow/Postdoc

Dr. Evaline Cheng was raised in Sunnyvale, California. She graduated from Princeton University with a degree in ecology and evolutionary biology and a concentration in global health. Afterwards, she spent a year working in health policy in Washington DC, which first sparked her interest in healthcare systems. She earned her medical degree from UC San Diego and completed her internal medicine residency at UCLA. At UCLA, she conducted research investigating disparities of cardiovascular prevention in the cardio-oncology population. During her cardiologist fellowship, she completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the Zhu lab, funded by a Kirschstein-NRSA F32 fellowship to pursue her clinical interest in cardio-oncology combined with her research interests in risk stratification for cardiotoxicities with immunotherapy. She is now a clinical assistant professor as part of the Stanford Cardio-Oncology group.

Miguel Julio Franquiz

Cardiology Fellow

Miguel Franquiz is second year cardiology fellow at Stanford Hospital. He completed undergraduate training in general chemistry at Loyola University in Baltimore, MD, pharmacy training at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD, pharmacy residency at the University of Maryland Medical Center, and medical school at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, TX, where he completed several projects focusing on leukemia at the MD Anderson Cancer Center. His research interests include optimization of pharmacotherapy for cardiovascular disorders, cardio-oncology, and cardiac sarcoidosis. His work with the Zhu lab focuses on cardiac toxicities associated with antineoplastic agents and cardiac sarcoidosis.

Hoda Sayegh

Internal Medicine Resident

Dr. Hoda Sayegh is an Internal Medicine resident at Stanford Medicine. She earned her undergraduate degree at the University of Chicago where she conducted research in Immunology on gamma-delta T cells. She continued her research career working at Massachusetts General Hospital, with a focus on breast cancer-related lymphedema. She then earned her medical degree at the University of Illinois at Chicago where she studied human papillomavirus-related cancers via immunological subtyping. She joined Stanford Medicine in 2022 where she continues to explore her research interests within the fields of oncology, cardiology, and immunology. In her free time, she enjoys making pottery on the wheel.

Jiaqi Li

Internal Medicine Resident

Dr. Jiaqi Li is an Internal Medicine resident at Stanford Medicine and is excited about all things cardiology. She completed her undergraduate and medical training at the University of Cambridge, where she earned her BA, MA, and medical degree before coming to Stanford for residency. Her prior research has included studies of NK/T cells at the Karolinska Institutet as an Amgen Scholar, immune responses to COVID-19 vaccination in patients with cancer, and chemotherapy-associated cardiotoxicity. In the Zhu Lab, she is interested in using single-cell sequencing and immunologic tools to better understand immune checkpoint inhibitor myocarditis and broader questions at the intersection of immunology and cardiology. Outside of medicine, she enjoys pilates, exploring cafes, and spending time with friends.

Ryan Batchelder

APP

Ryan Batchelder is a Physician Assistant on the Cardio-Oncology team at Stanford. He earned his undergraduate degree in Kinesiology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He completed his Master of Health Sciences in PA studies at Quinnipiac University. Ryan spent his first clinical years as a PA in the Boston area, working on inpatient general cardiology teams. He works closely with Han Zhu and Paul Cheng in the Cardio-Oncology Clinic treating oncologic patients with various cardiovascular diseases. His clinical interests include cardio-oncology , heart failure, and coronary artery disease. In his free time, he enjoys playing soccer, hiking, and music.

Alumni/Past Affiliates

Sarah Waliany, MD, MS

Evaline Cheng, MD

Hoda Sayegh, MD

Stefan Torelli, MD

Maja Ivanovic, MD

Andrew Nguyen, MD

Muhammad Fazal, MD

Yuhsin (Vivian) Huang, BA (MD/PhD Candidate)

Shaheen Khatua, BS

Joaquin Parilla-Garcia, BS

Daniel Lee, BA

Julia Ryan, MS

Antonia Chan, MD

Rania Abdusamad, MD candidate

Augustine Chemparathy, MD, MS

Esterline Charles