Elena M Wilson

Elena is an MD-PhD student born in Moscow, Russia, and raised in Rockford, Illinois. She is pursuing studies in the Department of Immunobiology where she is applying cardiac ex vivo perfusion models to study and intervene on rejection pathophysiology and vascular dysfunction under the mentorship of Dr. Jordan Pober and Dr. Richard Pierce. Clinically, her interests lie in surgery and critical care and she is passionate about establishing and promoting pathways for surgeon scientists.

She graduated in 2020 from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign with her B.S. (Honors) in Molecular and Cellular Biology, including a minor in Chemistry, and her B.A. (High Honors) in Germanic Studies, concentrating in Germanic Literature. She was selected as a 2020 Lincoln Academy Student Laureate by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and State of Illinois.

Following graduation, she completed a 2-year fellowship at the National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland with Dr. Lawrence Samelson studying T-cell signaling kinetics and function. She also pursued independent research with Dr. Tanjala Purnell at Johns Hopkins University's Schools of Medicine and Public Health focused on disparities in kidney transplantation.

Outside of science and medicine, she enjoys cooking, reading, and exploring local coffee shops.