Personnel
Andrew Lewin, BVM&S, DACVO
Assistant Professor of Comparative Ophthalmology, Louisiana State University
Andrew graduated as a veterinarian from the University of Edinburgh in 2010 and completed internship training at a private practice in the UK and ophthalmology residency training at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is an ACVO board certified Veterinary Ophthalmologist. In the past, he has also worked in veterinary private practice, animal shelters and for veterinary charities.
Through the Lewin Lab at LSU he oversees a variety of projects centered around infectious ocular disease, bioinformatics and clinical ophthalmology. Please feel free to reach out to Andrew with any questions regarding research at the Lewin Lab by email.
Ugochi Emelogu, M.S.
Research Associate, Veterinary Clinical Sciences
Ugochi is a graduate of Southern University and A&M, Baton Rouge with a Master of science in Biological Sciences. Following her graduation in 2021, she worked as a research associate and is excited to be part of the Lewin Lab, where she can fulfill her dream of being part of a team that will provide lasting solutions to health problems in both humans and animals through research. She can be reached at umelogu@lsu.edu
Erinn Mills, DVM
2022-2023 Ophthalmology research intern, Louisiana State University
Erinn obtained her veterinary degree in 2021 from the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada. It was during veterinary school that she developed a keen interest in ophthalmology. Afterwards, she stayed in Calgary to complete a rotating internship at VCA Western Veterinary Specialty & Emergency Centre. She is excited to become a part of the Lewin Lab this year as the 2022-2023 ophthalmology research intern. Being Canadian, she is used to cold weather and so the Southern heat is a welcome change! She can be reached at emills@lsu.edu
Chin-Chi (Kitty) Liu, MS, MApStat, PhD
Research Associate, Louisiana State University
Dr. Liu, a native of Taipei, Taiwan, received her Master of Science degree from the National Taiwan University in Taipei, her PhD from Texas A&M University and her MApStat from Louisiana State University.
Dr. Liu oversees the Veterinary Clinical Sciences departmental research laboratory and provides assistance, expertise, and training in benchtop techniques, research study design, data analysis, and experimental statistics. She is specialized in cell and molecular biology techniques, such as ELISA, and Western blotting. She can be reached at cliu@lsu.edu.
Dr. Melanie Mironovich, DVM
2020-2021 Ophthalmology research intern, Louisiana State University
2021-2024 Ophthalmology resident, Louisiana State University
Melanie graduated from The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2019. Following graduation, she completed a rotating equine internship at Mid Atlantic Equine Medical Center in Ringoes, New Jersey where she discovered her love of ophthalmology. Melanie joined the Lewin lab for an ophthalmology research internship beginning in 2020. A Cleveland native, she is excited for warmer weather and southern cooking. Following completion of the internship she began her ophthalmology residency at LSU in 2021.
Melanie is involved with research within the Lewin Lab centered on feline ocular disease and herpesviruses. She can be reached at mironovich1@lsu.edu.
Dr. Hannah Gafen, DVM
2021-2022 Ophthalmology research intern, Louisiana State University
2022-2025 Ophthalmology resident, Louisiana State University
Hannah earned her veterinary degree at the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine in 2020. Following graduation, she completed a rotating internship at The Animal Medical Center in New York City. She will be joining the Lewin Lab for an ophthalmology research internship in 2021. Having spent most of her life in the Northeast and Midwest, she is excited to head south and to embrace all that Louisiana has to offer. Following completion of the internship, she will begin her ophthalmology residency at LSU in 2022. She can be reached at hgafen1@lsu.edu.
Current and previous student researchers:
2019
Angela Yoon, DVM candidate
Stephanie Lind, DVM candidate
Mikayla Sanford, DVM candidate
Hana Hong, DVM candidate
Carlos Aguilar, MS candidate
2020
Mikayla Sanford, DVM candidate
Rebekah Joyner, DVM candidate
2021
Angela Yoon, DVM candidate
Morgan Marino, DVM candidate
Previous lab members:
Pilar Camacho, DVM (2019-2022 Resident in Comparative Ophthalmology)
Nikole Ineck, M.S., Research Associate, Veterinary Clinical Sciences
Christopher Alling, DVM (2019-2022 Resident in Comparative Ophthalmology)