About Us

She/her/hers

Principal Investigator

Assistant Professor, Division of Genetic Medicine

Claudia received her PhD in Environmental Toxicology from Duke University, and did her postdoctoral training in the Department of Neurology at the Duke University School of Medicine. She joined the Division of Genetic Medicine in the Department of Medicine at VUMC in 2025. Claudia is originally from Panama, and is happy to talk about how good Panamanian coffee is for hours.

She/her/hers

Laboratory Manager

Sharia received her Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees from Tennessee State University. She’s been managing and performing experiments in the Gonzalez-Hunt lab since 2025. Sharia has an emergency stash of chocolate in her desk. If anyone needs some chocolate therapy, she is your friend. 

Maanas is from West Des Moines, Iowa. He is curious about the brain and neurodegeneration, particularly how disruptions in cellular and molecular processes contribute to disease and hopes to pursue an MD/PhD in the future. Outside the lab, he is deeply interested in philosophy and spends his free time singing,  volunteering, and learning about random things.