We are a multi-cultural team that delights in working together to tackle big challenges in human research. Our team is divided into three sub-teams:
- The Biorepository team partners with clinicians across campus to process patient samples for use in downstream research.
- The Immunogenetics team obtains T cell and B cell receptor repertoire data from patient samples which inform about the adaptive immune response. The team also uses state-of-the-art molecular biology techniques to clone and express recombinant human antibodies that use particular genes of interest.
- The Translational Immunology team takes these recombinant human antibodies and tests them for their functional impact on neurons and astrocytes, including a mouse model of neuroprotection.
George Adams, Ph.D.
George Adams, Ph.D., has been a Research Associate in the Monson lab since August 2020 and at UTSW since 2006. He is responsible for processing, cataloging, and storing blood products (serum, plasma, PBMCs, etc.) or CSF (cerebrospinal fluid) from patients participating in various clinical trials. George’s key strengths are being a team player and his attention to detail. Outside of the lab, George is a certified USATF Master Level Official who loves to officiate the sport of track and field at the national and international level.
Matt Hein, M.B.A., M.S.
Matt Hein, M.B.A., M.S., works as the lab manager for the Neuroscience Biorepository and joined the Monson team in July 2021. Coming from a background in optical physics, and eventually studying neuropharmacology, he finds gratification in translational research that aids in improving medical understanding and treatment. Having moved to Dallas from San Diego, he’s developed a liking for the city, with its vibrant nightlife and broad range of local cuisine. Matt spends his free time playing guitar and golf (though not simultaneously), and enjoys finding new things to see and places to eat around town.
Sara Benavides, B.A.
Sara Benavides, B.A., is a research technician with degrees in Biology and Psychology from the University of North Texas. During her undergraduate studies she fell in love with both immunology and microbiology and decided to join the Monson lab in April 2023 to learn more about those fields – in particular how the immune system relates to neurological conditions. Sara plans to pursue her Ph.D. so that one day she can teach the classes she fell in love with. Sara mainly works with cloning antibody DNA, and her key strengths are an eagerness to learn, attention to detail, and organizational skills. In her free time she enjoys taking care of her huge plant collection (mostly anthurium and Hoyas) and watching anime.
Yipin Wu, Ph.D.
Yipin Wu, Ph.D., has been a Senior Research Associate in the Monson Lab since March 2021 and at UTSW since 2011. Yipin is interested in research because of the creativity. His role in the Monson Lab is to sort single plasmablast cells from patient blood cells and amplify heavy- and light-chain DNA of immunoglobulin genes. Outside of the lab, Yipin enjoys photography and drawing with Adobe Illustrator.
Wei Zhang, Ph.D.
Wei Zhang, Ph.D., has been a Research Scientist in Dr. Monson’s lab since April 2018 and at UTSW since 2009. In Dr. Monson’s lab, her main projects are to generate BCR / TCR libraries and make recombinant human antibodies. She likes doing research because it always brings her challenges, allows her to learn new things, and solve problems. Outside of the lab, Wei likes reading and traveling.
Hannah Greenberg
I am a high school student researcher in the Monson Lab. I am interested in research because it is the "why." Research is the foundation of medicine, and as I began my journey with medicine, I thought it was important to start at the beginning. Outside of the lab I enjoy reading and spending time with loved ones!
Chad Smith, Ph.D.
Chad Smith, Ph.D., is a Senior Research Associate who joined the Monson Lab in November 2021. His research projects focus on understanding how the mechanisms of self-targeting antibodies found in patients with neurodegenerative disease contribute to neuronal dysfunction and neural damage. He became interested in biological research at an early age when he interviewed one of his neighbors about their work, leading to a discussion about the early efforts in developing gene therapy technology. This led to a drive to investigate poorly-understood mechanisms in neurodegenerative disease in order to provide therapeutic targets for conditions that were previously untreatable. Outside of the lab, Chad enjoys hiking, learning about ships from the “Age of Sail” and has a hobby as a determined, but mediocre, gardener. His successes have been mixed – sometimes, his plants even manage to survive for a few months or longer!
Kiel Telesford, Ph.D.
Kiel Telesford, Ph.D., is an instructor who joined the Monson Lab in October 2021 to carry out the experiments associated with his NINDS K22 Career Transition Award mentor phase project. Kiel is a translational research-minded investigator with interdisciplinary training in human immunology and clinical investigation. His vocational vision is to advance precision therapeutics and prognostics by clarifying heterogeneous subclinical human pathobiology. The past twenty-five years has been a period of tremendous change in our understanding of MS and our capacity to therapeutically intervene. The past twenty-five years has also brought into focus the striking disparity in MS severity experienced by individuals identifying with Black/African American, or Latin American ethnicity relative to those identifying with White ethnicity. The objective of Kiel’s current work, and downstream envisioned independent research program is to better understand how lymphocyte dynamics contribute to this ethnicity-associated disparity in MS.
Nancy Monson, Ph.D.
Nancy Monson, Ph.D., is a pioneering neuroimmunologist specializing in immunogenetics and the impact of adaptive immunity on diseases of the central nervous system. She has been at UT Southwestern since 1996 and is currently a tenured Associate Professor in Neurology with a dual appointment in Immunology. Her key strengths are facilitating research across multiple disciplines including immunology, genetics, physiology and neuroscience particularly in arenas that require active collaborations with clinicians. Outside of the lab, Nancy enjoys camping and horseback riding with her husband and family, scrapbooking with her friends, and spending time with God.
Left: Dr. Monson and her husband Vern in the North Dakota Badlands