ALEXANDRA ZEZULIN

MD/PhD

Haverford College

University of Pennsylvania 

Alex grew up in Eastern Europe before moving to Long Island, New York and she first came to Philly in 2013 when she attended Haverford College for her undergraduate degree. While at Haverford College, she studied biology and worked in the laboratory of Dr. Jean Bennett at the University of Pennsylvania, evaluating how inherited forms of retinal degeneration can be treated via gene therapy. After receiving her bachelor’s degree in 2017, Alex continued her education in the MD-PhD program at the University of Pennsylvania. In 2023 she completed his PhD in Cell & Molecular Biology. During her PhD, Alex studied how the transcription factor RUNX1 regulates inflammation in hematopoietic cells. 

In the Barzilay lab, Alex will be characterizing the association between asthma and suicide attempts. She will also be applying to psychiatry research residency programs where she hopes to study how adverse childhood exposures affect depression and suicidality in relation to inflammatory mediators and epigenetic dysregulation. Outside of the laboratory, you can find Alex playing pickleball with her boyfriend or spending time with her family in the suburbs of Philly.