Welcome New Simpson Lab Members

Please join us in welcoming four new members to the Simpson Lab Research Team! 

Cory Simpson, MD, PhD, is the Principal Investigator of the Simpson Lab, one of three research labs in the UW Department of Dermatology and part of the Institute for Stem Cell & Regenerative Medicine at the University of Washington, a cohort of collaborative research labs located at UW Medicine’s research complex in Seattle’s South Lake Union (SLU) medical/tech hub.  

Learn more about the Simpson Lab at simpsonskinlab.org.

Welcome Arti, Karina, Rafael, and Nizhoni!

Arti Parihar, PhD

Dr. Arti Parihar, PhD, is a Research Scientist who joined the lab on June 1, 2024. She has extensive experience in laboratory research at the University of Washington, and will be studying the role of calcium signaling in Darier and Hailey-Hailey disease and optimizing induced pluripotent stem cells to model rare skin blistering disorders in the Simpson Lab. 

Karina Schmidt 

Karina Schmidt is a PhD student in the UW Molecular Medicine and Mechanisms of Disease (M3D) program, who officially joined the lab starting in Summer Quarter for her thesis research. She worked as a research technician at Fred Hutch prior to enrolling to the University of Washington in 2023 for her PhD studies.

Rafael Homer

Rafael Homer is a rising second-year medical student at the University of Washington School of Medicine (Laramie, Wyoming campus). He will be working in the Simpson Lab this summer through the Independent Investigative Inquiry ("triple-I") program. He is a recipient of a Dermatology Foundation Diversity Research Supplement Award which provides scholarship support to medical students.

Nizhoni Sutter 

Nizhoni Sutter is a rising second-year medical student at the University of Washington School of Medicine (Seattle campus). She will be working in the Simpson Lab this summer through the Independent Investigative Inquiry ("triple-I") program. She is a recipient of a Dermatology Foundation Diversity Research Supplement Award which provides scholarship support to medical students.