VT

Hi, my name is

Vivan Tadakamalla

I research drug-resistant cancers, pediatric GI disease, and the science of medical literacy — across four labs at Emory and Georgia Tech, while running calls as an EMT on Metro Atlanta rigs.

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01

About Me

I'm a Neuroscience B.S. student at the Georgia Institute of Technology, on track to graduate in May 2026 with a 3.98 GPA on a Zell Miller scholarship. My research spans clonal heterogeneity in drug-resistant AML at Emory's Bhatt Lab, pediatric Crohn's pathology at the Kugathasan Lab, medical literacy at Georgia Tech's VIP Graphic Medicine program, and Alzheimer's interneuron deficits at the Singer Lab.

Outside the lab, I work as an EMT-B with Metro Atlanta Ambulance Service, intern at Central Outreach where I help homeless clients secure documentation and lobby at the Georgia State Capitol for legislative reform, and volunteer as a Crisis Text Line counselor. I'm preparing for a career in medicine that connects bench science, clinical care, and public-health policy.

Education

  • Georgia Institute of Technology B.S. Neuroscience · Minors: Psychology, Health & Medical Sciences Aug 2023 — May 2026 · GPA 3.98
  • University of Edinburgh Study Abroad — Behavioral Neuroscience & Cognitive Psychology Jun — Jul 2024
02

Ongoing Projects

Cancer & Bacterial Persisters — Review Paper In Progress

Research · Bhatt Lab, Winship Cancer Institute

Co-authoring a review paper examining the parallel mechanisms by which cancer cells and bacterial cells achieve persistence — the cellular state in which a small subpopulation survives lethal therapy and seeds relapse. Drawing on shared molecular themes across oncology and microbiology to surface cross-disciplinary therapeutic angles.

Focus Areas

  • Synthesizing recent literature across cancer biology and bacterial drug-tolerance research
  • Mapping shared pathways underlying persister-cell survival in both kingdoms
  • Identifying combination-therapy strategies translatable across disease contexts
  • Manuscript in preparation for submission
  • Cancer Persisters
  • Bacterial Persisters
  • Review Paper
  • Drug Tolerance
  • In Progress

AIDP in Refractory Pediatric UC — Case Report Manuscript in Review

Clinical · Kugathasan Lab, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta

Co-authored a novel case report on Acute Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy in a pediatric patient with refractory ulcerative colitis on Ustekinumab–Upadacitinib dual-targeted therapy. Manuscript currently under peer review.

Key Contributions

  • Performed clinical-data analysis and patient-record synthesis
  • Built data-collection pipelines in R and Python supporting active clinical trials
  • Submitted, accepted, and presented at GT Fall Undergraduate Research Symposium, November 2025
  • Manuscript in review at peer-reviewed journal
  • Pediatric GI
  • Crohn's
  • Case Report
  • R
  • Python
  • In Review

Med App In Development

Personal Project · Atlanta

A mock AAMC portal where pre-med students can work on their applications before officially submitting — with the same template as the real submission, so applicants can iterate on their materials, track their progress, and stress-test their essays and entries before going live on the actual AAMC.

Status

  • Building · in-progress preview screen forthcoming
  • Replicating AAMC form structure and section flow
  • Designed for iterative drafting before real submission
  • Healthcare
  • Pre-Med
  • AAMC
  • Web App
  • In Progress

Clothing Drive — Central OAC

Service · Central Outreach & Advocacy Center

A fundraiser and awareness initiative for the Central Outreach & Advocacy Center, the Atlanta-area homeless-services organization where I intern. Coordinating a community clothing drive while building broader visibility for the center's mission and ongoing programs.

Focus Areas

  • Coordinating clothing-donation logistics, collection, and distribution
  • Driving awareness across the Georgia Tech and Atlanta communities
  • Building partnerships with local volunteers and donors
  • Supporting Central OAC's broader policy & advocacy work
  • Non-profit
  • Public Health
  • Atlanta
  • Service

Central OAC website

03

Experience

  1. Undergraduate Researcher

    Bhatt Lab · Emory Department of Hematology & Medical Oncology / Winship Cancer Institute

    May 2025 — Present

    Investigating clonal heterogeneity in drug-resistant AML to identify combination-therapy targets for chemoresistance.

    • Studied clonal heterogeneity in AML PDX models using high-throughput genomics and functional technologies.
    • Developed RNA-Seq pipelines in R; applied DepMap dependency screens to identify therapeutic targets for chemoresistance.
    • Performed flow cytometry to profile AML cell populations; created data figures using BioRender.
    • Presented "FDX1 and ARAF are Mediators of Persisters' Survival in AML" at UGA-Winship Cancer Research Summit (March 2026).

  2. Undergraduate Researcher

    Kugathasan Lab · Emory Department of Pediatrics · Children's Healthcare of Atlanta

    Aug 2025 — Present

    Investigating Crohn's disease pathology and gut-microbiome interactions to advance clinical understanding.

    • Co-authored a novel case report on a unique Crohn's disease presentation through clinical-data analysis.
    • Supported active clinical trials via patient-data collection and analysis in R and Python.
    • Presented case report on AIDP / Ustekinumab–Upadacitinib dual-targeted therapy at GT Fall Undergraduate Research Symposium (November 2025).

  3. User Testing Team

    Vertically Integrated Projects (VIP) — Graphic Medicine · Georgia Tech

    Jan 2024 — Present

    Investigating the efficacy of graphic medical literature on patient understanding and engagement.

    • Conducted a literature review on user-testing methodologies applicable to graphic-medicine evaluation.
    • Ran user-testing sessions to assess patient comprehension of health-focused graphic comics.

  4. Undergraduate Researcher

    Singer Lab · Petit Institute for Bioengineering & Bioscience · Georgia Tech

    Aug 2023 — Dec 2024

    Investigated interneuron deficits in Alzheimer's disease and their role in hippocampal inhibition.

    • Analyzed hippocampal inhibition in healthy vs. 5XFAD mutant mice to model interneuron dysfunction.
    • Processed brain-activity and interneuron-count data using MATLAB, R, and Python to assess disease severity.
    • Applied imaging techniques to quantify interneuron populations across hippocampal regions.
    • Conducted statistical analyses linking interneuron deficits to cognitive-decline markers.
    • Presented "Goal-Directed Learning and Interneuron Deficits in Alzheimer's Disease" at GT Spring Neuroscience Research Symposium (April 2024).

  5. Emergency Medical Technician — Basic (EMT-B) EMT-A in progress

    Metro Atlanta Ambulance Service · Marietta, GA

    Jul 2025 — Present

    • Provide emergency patient care including rapid assessment, stabilization, and transport in pre-hospital environments.
    • Communicate effectively with patients and families during high-stress emergencies to ensure comfort and informed care.
    • Assist with critical life-support procedures including airway management and cardiac emergencies.
    • Currently pursuing EMT-A (Advanced) certification.

  6. Social Work Intern

    Central Outreach & Advocacy Center · Marietta, GA

    Dec 2025 — Present

    Supporting homeless individuals in obtaining vital identification documents and advocating for policy reform.

    • Assist homeless clients in securing birth certificates, state IDs, and Social Security cards.
    • Lobbied at the Georgia State Capitol advocating for legislation supporting homeless populations.
    • Coordinated fundraising efforts and organized a 5K for homeless awareness and charitable support.

  7. Crisis Counselor

    Crisis Text Line · Remote

    Oct 2025 — Present

    • Provide crisis intervention and active listening through confidential text-based conversations for individuals in distress.
    • Apply safety planning and nonjudgmental communication in collaboration with mental-health professionals.

  8. Teaching Assistant — BIOS 1108: Organismal Biology

    Georgia Institute of Technology

    Jan 2025 — Present

    • Translate student input, concerns, and feedback into course-development decisions with faculty.
    • Host review sessions for assessments (exams, quizzes, projects).
04

Media & Recognition

See all recent conferences with full-size photos · Recent Conferences

Vivan presenting the FDX1 / ARAF AML poster at UGA-Winship Cancer Research Summit
Research Poster

FDX1 & ARAF in AML Persister Survival

Abstract on chemoresistance mediators in acute myeloid leukemia, accepted and published in symposium proceedings.

UGA-Winship Cancer Research Summit · March 2026

Read poster
Vivan presenting the AIDP pediatric UC case report poster at GT Fall Undergraduate Research Symposium
Research Poster

AIDP in Refractory Pediatric UC: A Case Report

Novel case report on Acute Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy in a pediatric patient on Ustekinumab–Upadacitinib dual-targeted therapy.

GT Fall Undergraduate Research Symposium · November 2025

Read poster
Research Poster

Goal-Directed Learning & Alzheimer's Interneurons

Abstract on hippocampal inhibition deficits in 5XFAD mutant mice and links to cognitive decline.

GT Spring Neuroscience Research Symposium · April 2024

Read poster
Vivan lobbying at the Georgia State Capitol with Central Outreach & Advocacy Center
Advocacy

Georgia State Capitol Lobbying

Lobbied at the Georgia State Capitol with Central Outreach & Advocacy Center, advocating for legislation supporting homeless populations.

Atlanta, GA · 2025 — Present

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Scholarship

Zell Miller Scholarship

100% tuition scholarship awarded by the State of Georgia recognizing top academic achievement at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

State of Georgia · 2023 — Present

About the program
Award

GT Presidential Undergraduate Research Award

Funded research support from Georgia Tech recognizing outstanding undergraduate research contributions.

Georgia Institute of Technology · 2025

About PURA
05

Skills & Technologies

Programming & Data

  • Python
  • R
  • MATLAB
  • VPython
  • STATA
  • HTML

Lab Techniques

  • CRISPR
  • RNA-Seq
  • Western Blot
  • Flow Cytometry
  • Cell Culturing
  • Pipetting
  • Dissections
  • Gel Electrophoresis
  • Dose-Response Curves

Bioinformatics & Tools

  • DepMap
  • BioRender
  • Excel
  • PowerPoint

Medical & Clinical

  • BLS
  • EMT-B (GA)
  • EMT-A (in progress)
  • CEVO
  • GVHCP
  • Lab Animal Handling — Emory DAR

Languages

  • English — native
  • Telugu — native
  • Latin — limited working

Interests

  • Healthcare
  • Public Policy
  • Drug Discovery
  • Travel
  • Rock Climbing
  • Jiu Jitsu
  • Cooking
06

Contact Me

I'm always game for a conversation about MD/PhD pipelines, translational research, public-health policy, or anything you're building in health that doesn't suck. Short notes welcome — long ones encouraged.