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Ranmal Samarasinghe

Principle Investigator

Ranmal received his BA in economics from Swarthmore College and his MD/PhD from the University of Pittsburgh/Carnegie Mellon MSTP program. He completed residency training in adult neurology at UCLA. This was followed by a fellowship in clinical neurophysiology and a post-doctoral fellowship in the laboratory of Dr. Bennett Novitch. In the Novitch lab, Ranmal worked on developing human brain organoid models to study the development of neural circuits, with a focus on circuit dysfunction in epilepsy and autism. Ranmal sees patients with severe epilepsy syndromes known as developmental epileptic encephalopathies. His lab builds on his clinical and scientific training with the broad goal of developing and utilizing brain organoid models to better understand and treat epilepsy and autism.

Outside of work/lab: Ranmal enjoys running, road cycling, and spending time with his family. 
 

Contact: rsamarasinghe@mednet_DOT_ucla_DOT_edu

Namie Fotion

Laboratory Assistant/Technician 2020-2022

Namie is 2021 UCLA graduate with a degree in Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology (MCDB) and a minor in Biomedical Research. Her scientific interests lie in regenerative therapies, as she finds the idea of engineering human tissues to mitigate previously untreatable pathologies fascinating. Namie is now a medical student at University of Kansas!

Outside of work/lab: Namie’s favorite activities include cooking, baking, drawing/painting, drinking tea, and finding good sales.

Favorite scientific instrument: Shiny new scope from Leica.

Contact: namiedh@ucla_dot_edu