University of Washington

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Medical Scientist Training Program > Students > Current MSTP Students > MSTP Alumni > Christopher Arakawa

Christopher Arakawa

Year Entered MSTP: 2012

Prior Education

College:	UCLA
Degree:	BA, Bioengineering
College:	UCLA
Degree:	MS, Bioengineering

Student Information

Mentor(s)	DeForest, Cole PhD Faculty Website »
Primary Department	Bioengineering

Doctorate Information

Dissertation Title:	4D Control of Tissue Development and Blood Vasculature Using Photo-mediated Chemistries
Defense Date:	2018-08-13

Current Positions

Title:	Resident, Pediatrics - Research Track
Location:	Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA

Christopher Arakawa

Publications »

Current Research

New Biomaterials Controlled by Light

Chris Arakawa's dissertation work in the Department of Bioengineering reflects a continuing translational research trajectory focusing on biomaterials and regenerative medicine that began when he was an undergraduate at UCLA. For his PhD at the UW, Chris engineered new photochemically controllable biomaterials that he used in conjunction with induced pluripotent stem cells and organoids to model renal and cardiovascular biology. His research was highly collaborative and interdisciplinary. He was co-mentored by two faculty (Drs. Cole DeForest and Ying Zheng) and worked across five different labs, including one in Japan, where Chris spent half a year. In one particularly multidisciplinary and innovative application, he studied how falciparum malaria distributes through 3D models of blood vessels.