Principal Investigator
Dr. Melanie C. Dispenza
Melanie Dispenza is an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. She is a translational physician-scientist whose research focuses on mechanisms, biomarkers, and prevention of immediate hypersensitivity reactions. Dr. Dispenza received the 2025 Young Physician-Scientist Award from the American Society for Clinical Investigation, and is an emerging expert in mast cell disorders. Clinically, she in an emerging expert in mast cell disorders and is active in several mastocytosis referral networks. She is also the director of the Johns Hopkins Center of Excellence for Anaphylaxis, which was founded to provide optimal and comprehensive care for patients with anaphylaxis and mast cell disorders and to support collaborative research in these areas.
Lab Members
Tina Sokol
Research Technician. Focus: mast cell cultures and activation assays.
Kris Chichester
Research Technician. Focus: basophil kinetics.
Erica V. Lin
MD Candidate. Focus: immunoglobulin production of humanized mice.
Betania Arce
Undergraduate Student. Focus: peanut protein absorption kinetics.
Lab Life
Dispenza Lab Alumni
Nayalene Bediako
Senior at Howard University majoring in Clinical Lab Sciences.
Natalia Vilela
Sophomore at University of Southern California majoring in Biomedical Engineering.