Research Team

Neda Rasouli, MD | Director 

Dr. Rasouli received her MD degree from Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Iran. Her internal medicine residency training was at Michigan State University, Lansing, MI and shecompleted her endocrinology fellowship at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, in 2002. Dr. Rasouli joined the faculty at the University of Colorado, Denver in 2009. She is a physician and a translational researcher at the University of Colorado and Eastern Colorado Veterans Health Care System. Dr. Rasouli has special interest in the management and treatment of patients with diabetes and metabolic disorders associated with obesity. Her research interests include studying the pathophysiology of insulin resistance particularly molecular mechanisms involved in adipose tissue inflammation and lipotoxicity associated with obesity and insulin resistance. In addition, Dr. Rasouli is leading several clinical trials to investigate novel therapeutic interventions in the management of diabetes.

Chelsea Baker, PA-C | Sub-Investigator 

Chelsea received her Masters of Physician Assistant Studies degree from the University of Colorado’s Physician Assistant program in 2015.  Prior to attending PA school, Chelsea worked as a Health Educator and Wellness Coach for the State of Oklahoma. Chelsea’s academic background also includes a BS in Health and Exercise Science and an MS in Physiology, both from the University of Oklahoma. She joined Dr. Rasouli’s Diabetes and Endocrinology Clinical Trial Program in June 2015. Chelsea is delighted with the opportunity to merge her backgrounds in research, wellness and medicine to manage diabetes for patients participating in this important research.

Vatsala Singh, MBBS, MBA | VA Operations Manager & Senior Clinical Research Coordinator 

Vatsala received her MBBS degree from the Baroda Medical College in Vadodara, India, and her HA-MBA degree from University of Colorado Denver. Before joining Dr. Rasouli's research team in January of 2017, she completed one year of clinical rotations at SSG Hospital in Vadodara, India, and worked as a junior doctor and clinic manager at the Bindal Hospital in Sikar, India. Having a medical background and aspiring to develop new administrative skills has led her to the field of academic medicine. As the team's research manager, she gets to integrate her clinical and administrative interests.

Courtney King, BS | Clinical Research Coordinator 

Courtney received her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Regis University and has a passion for working in the medical field. She joined Dr. Rasouli's team in August 2019 as a Clinical Research Assistant and has been a Clinical Research Coordinator on the team since November 2020. Since then, she has expanded her interest, knowledge, and experience in clinical diabetes research through her part in various studies. She is excited to continue to explore the clinical research side of medicine.

Brittany Wu, BS │ Clinical Research Assistant 

Brittany is currently working on her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology with a specialization in molecular biology and genetics from Regis University. She joined Dr. Rasouli’s team in 2021 as a clinical research assistant. Prior to joining Dr. Rasouli’s team she was a Certified Nursing Assistant at Centura Health for 2 years. Brittany is excited to be a part of the team and see the different areas of medicine besides nursing.

Andrew Her, BA │ Clinical Research Coordinator 

Andrew received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology (MCDB) from the University of Colorado Boulder. There he spent one year volunteering in the Xue Laboratory working with Bin Yu to study Radiation Induced Bystander Effect (RIBE) in C. elegans. He joined Dr. Rasouli’s team as a Clinical Research Coordinator in August 2021. Andrew is excited to be a part of research initiatives that have close interactions with patients.

Mohsen B Kashkouli, MD | Senior Clinical Research Coordinator 

Mohsen received his MD degree from Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Iran. His ophthalmology residency training was at Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. He completed his oculofacial plastic surgery fellowship training at the Norwich University Hospital, Norwich, UK in 2003. He joined Dr. Rasouli’s research team in January 2022. This position provides him with a great opportunity to combine his medical knowledge and research interests. Mohsen is excited to be a part of this renowned team and advance his knowledge in clinical research.

Reenadevi Agarwal B.H.M.S │ Clinical Research Coordinator

Reena received her B.H.M.S degree from Pune University, India. She completed her one-year residency with Jnana Prabodhini medical trust. She joined Dr. Rasouli’s research team in January 2022. Reena enjoys interacting with the patients and is excited to be part of a well-established and dedicated team. Based on her medical knowledge she will broaden her understanding in clinical research.

Aanchal Gupta, BS │ Clinical Research Coordinator 

I am a fourth-year medical student who just finished her clinical rotations in Michigan and is awaiting graduation. I did my bachelor’s in medical biotechnology from India and went for an MD program to the Caribbean. I have always been passionate about research which originated while I was writing my thesis for undergraduate degree. It became more concrete during medical school and led me to publish a few case reports and papers. I look forward to becoming a physician-scientist one day, understanding human health and disease from a scientific and clinical perspective which makes this position a perfect fit as it offers the best parts of both medicine and research which includes patient interaction and scientific discoveries. I am very excited to join this team and look forward to what this position entails and offers.

Avinash Pyreddy, BS │ Clinical Research Coordinator 

Avinash received her Bachelor of Science in Human Biology from North Carolina State University. From there, he went to the Caribbean for medical school and is hoping to apply to residency in the future. He is interested in starting his own clinical trials in the future once he has been practicing as a physician for a while. He joined Dr. Rasouli's research team in March 2022. Avinash is excited to learn more about the clinical trial process and hopes to learn as much as he can for preparation for future clinical trials.

Rachel Nwogo, BS │ Clinical Research Coordinator 

Rachel received her Bachelor of science in Molecular Neuroscience from the university of South Dakota. There she worked as a Research Assistant in a motor-cognitive lab helping create new experimental treatment plans for Parkinson patients. She passionate about the medical field and hopes to go to medical school in future. She joined Dr Rasouli lab as a Clinical Research Coordinator in May 2022 and is excited in learning more about academic medicine and the field of endocrinology. At leisure time, Rachel loves travelling and experiencing new cultures and food.

Soroush Shakeri, MD │ Post-Doc Research Scholar

Soroush received his MD degree from Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Iran, and is an ECFMG certified foreign medical doctor. His past experiences include primary care practice and research in the clinical and translational fields, which made joining Dr. Rasouli's team as a Post-Doc Research Scholar in July 2022 an excellent opportunity to pursue his goal of becoming a physician-scientist. Soroush is an avid sports fan and is extremely happy to be involved in the vibrant Denver sports scene.