Meet the George Lab
Alex Paul Sanchez Covarrubias, M.S., M.D.
Ph.D. Candidate
Alex is an MD from Peru who came to Miami to engage in research. His current interests are gynecological cancer and health disparities. In 2020, he earned a Master’s degree in clinical and translational investigation from the University of Miami. In the fall of 2020, Alex began working toward his Ph.D. in cancer biology under Dr. George’s mentorship.
Alyssa Mercadel, M.D. ,Gynecologic Oncology Fellow
Alyssa Mercadel is a Gynecologic Oncology fellow and voluntary assistant professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences at the University of Miami. She obtained her medical degree from Texas A&M University College of Medicine and completed Obstetrics and Gynecology residency at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. She has research interests in gynecologic cancer disparities. 
Sandy St-Hilaire, M.S., Research Associate
Sandy earned her M.S. in biomedical sciences at the University of Miami in 2022 and a B.A. in natural and applied sciences at Florida International University in 2020. Sandy was the lab’s Senior Undergraduate Research Fellow (SURF) for Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center in the summer of 2020. She currently serves as a research associate in the HBOC lab and is interested in understanding the development of hereditary cancers, public health, and integrating the arts with the sciences.
Elizabeth R. Smith, Ph.D., Scientist
Elizabeth is a biochemist, cell biologist, and biology instructor with a longstanding interest in ovarian cancer risk, etiology, prevention, and treatment. She joined the George lab in August 2021.

Jovanka Ravix, B.S.,Medical Student/ Ph.D Candidate 

Jovanka Ravix is an M.D./Ph.D. student at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. She graduated with her B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Northwestern University and completed her post-baccalaureate training at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota before applying to medical school. Her research interests include ancestry-driven disparities in cancer and understanding the molecular differences that contribute to the outcomes seen amongst populations in hopes of developing targeted therapies and making research more equitable.

Ayodele Omotoso, M.D., Ph.D Candidate
Ayodele is a medical doctor and fellow of the National Post Graduate College of Nigeria. He specializes in Anatomic Pathology and is a Professor of Pathology at the University of Calabar, Nigeria, and Chief Consultant Pathologist at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital in Nigeria. He is a Ph.D. candidate part of the program in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Miami . Ayodele’s main interests are artificial intelligence and translating basic science research into personalized cancer treatment models for underrepresented individuals.
Cassandra “Carmela” Coriolan MPH, Project Coordinator 
Carmela is a Haitian-Dominican American and was originally born and raised in Austin, Texas. She has conducted ethnographic research in the Dominican Republic and Haiti and is a strong advocate for women and children in the face of maternal-infant mortality and morbidities. She is a birth and postpartum doula who has assisted in the delivery of babies throughout South Florida, Mexico and the Dominican Republic. Carmela is a research associate in the George lab and assists in recruitment processes of breast and prostate cancer patients, and further processing of collected specimens. Her work is committed to the advancement of members of the African Diaspora and she is very excited to be apart of the George lab. 

Daniela Zuniga Carlier DVM,MPH , Project Manager

Daniela Zuñiga Carlier was born in Colombia and was raised in Florida and Mexico. Daniela has a Masters in Public Health in the Environmental and Global Health concentration from the University of Florida and previously studied Veterinary Medicine in the Autonomous University of Queretaro, Mexico. She is currently the Research Project Manager at the George Lab. Daniela is interested in noncommunicable disease and communicable disease epidemiology. She also has a passion for bringing people together.
Winsome Wilson , MBA Manager of Administrative Operations Office of DEI
Winsome Wilson is the Administrative Operations Manager for the Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. Winsome has a master’s degree in business administration and over twenty years of supervisory business administration experience.
Shemir Dauphin , BHSA, BSN Project Manager, Office of DEI
Shemir Dauphin is a critical inaugural member of Sylvester’s Office of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion. With 6 years of Governmental Health Contract Management, Dauphin has transitioned into Project Management. As a Project Manager for the office of DEI, Dauphin’s scope is fully dedicated to supporting projects at the request of George to advance the NCI designated grant “Plan to Enhance Diversity” and Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Dauphin strives to continue to implement, develop, and design initiatives that foster a diverse and inclusive workplace culture and enhance the ability to recruit, develop, and retain a high-performing, diverse workforce.
Isabella Allen , B.S., Full Bright Scholar
Isabella Allen graduated with her B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Notre Dame. She joined the lab as the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellow (SURF) for Syvlester Comprehensive Cancer Center in the summer of 2022. She currently serves as a Fulbright Fellow in the HBOC lab and the ACRJ lab in Jamaica. Her current research interests include gynecological cancers, health disparities, and global health. She is currently applying to MD/PhD programs, with hopes of becoming a physician-scientist centered on serving diverse patient populations.

Destiny Burnett, B.S., Project Coordinator

Destiny graduated from the University of Miami with a B.S. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology with minors in Public Health and Chemistry. She currently serves as a research assistant in the lab where she is studying the early genetic and mechanistic causes of high-grade serous carcinoma and supports other essential lab functions. She ultimately hopes to gain a deeper understanding of the transcriptional and epigenetic factors causing the development of breast and ovarian cancer in diverse patient populations. Destiny is currently a medical student in Chicago.

Ashlee Sealy, B.S., Research Laboratory Technician

Ashlee Sealy graduated from the University of Miami with her B.S. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology with a minor in Chemistry. Ashlee is a research technician in the lab with roles including but not limited to data management and processing. She is fervent about the study and exploration of factors that determine clinical outcomes for minority women. Ashlee has since moved on to continue her academic endeavors.

Osmaray Morales, B.S., Clinical Research Coordinator

Osmaray graduated from the University of Miami with her B.S. in Biology with a minor in Chemistry in 2022. In 2019, Osmaray was a research assistant at Dr. George’s Lab as part of the Bridge to the Baccalaureate program between MDC and UM. In 2020 she graduated from MDC Honors College obtaining her A. A in Chemistry. Osmaray serves in various studies such as the prospective FTE and breast cancer, cervicovaginal sampling in endometrial cancer, registry to address racial and ethnic disparities in cancer, and HBOC in the Dominican Republic. Osmaray is currently a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Miami. 

Melissa Nicole Castillo , M.S. Research Support Specialist

Melissa graduated with a Master’s in prevention science and community health and studied cancer prevention in minority women. Before then, she graduated with a B.S. in microbiology and immunology from the University of Miami. Melissa serves on various non-therapeutic and therapeutic studies, including our African Nativity study, prospective epithelial ovarian cancer, and the Pembro clinical trials. Melissa is currently a medical student in Michigan.

Alexandra Diaz-Barbe, B.A., Research Volunteer
Alexandra graduated with a BA in Political Science and Women’s and Gender Studies from the University of Miami in 2019. She joined the HBOC lab to better her understanding of breast and ovarian cancer (particularly in minority populations) and to learn about the mutations that drive these diseases. Alexandra is currently a medical student in Chicago.
David Samuel, M.D.
Gynecologic Oncology Fellow
Dr. David Samuel is a gynecologic oncology fellow and voluntary assistant professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences at the University of Miami. He obtained his medical doctorate from the George Washington University and went on to complete his residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He has completed several studies on care quality and patient-centered outcomes in gynecologic oncology. His current research focus is early events in carcinogenesis in hereditary ovarian cancer.