News From the Rao Lab
September 2026
Nikos and Sriya participate in the Run of Hope Seattle
Nikolaos Pipis and Sriya Sagi participated in the 18th annual Run of Hope Seattle, which raises funds and awareness for pediatric cancer research at Seattle Children’s. Congratulations to Nikos on placing second in the men’s 20–29 division and earning an award medal! Make a donation supporting the Ben Towne Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Disorders Research.
August 2026
Congratulations to Nikos on New SFB Leadership Roles!
Dr. Nikolaos Pipis is elected 2026-2027 Industry Chair of the Society for Biomaterials Young Scientist Group and appointed to the SFB Industrial Affairs Committee, recognizing his growing leadership and service within the biomaterials community. Learn more at https://biomaterials.org/young-scientist-group and https://biomaterials.org/node/1105/committees-overview/industrial-affairs-committee.
Hyundai Hope on Wheels Young Investigator Award
Ram receives a Hyundai Hope on Wheels Young Investigator Award supporting pediatric cancer research, celebrated with a special Handprint Ceremony at Seattle Children’s and featured by KIRO 7 and FOX 13.
KIRO 7
Print story: Seattle Children’s gets $700k in grants for pediatric cancer research
Broadcast story: VIDEO: Pediatric grants
FOX 13
Broadcast story: https://insight.tveyes.com/public/share/d1167226-c095-4801-a5fd-6c4dc626426d/d9d9379b-5a1e-4085-b16c-9d0cbb063829
July 2026
Good Luck, Gisele!
We bid farewell to Gisele as she heads to the University of Michigan to pursue her PhD in Chemical Engineering. We’ll miss her and wish her all the best!
Haley Joins the Lab
Following her graduation from UW, Haley joins the Rao Lab as a Research Technician!
Kuni Foundation Imagination Grant
The Rao Lab receives a Kuni Foundation Imagination Grant to support our research in pediatric cancer.
June 2026
Congratulations to Our UW Graduates!
Congratulations to Haley and Avery on earning their BS degrees in Bioengineering from the University of Washington!
Summer at the Rao Lab
Ryan Hsi returns to the lab, while Andrew Lu joins as a Seattle Children’s Summer Scholar and Mackenzie Burr joins as a Triple I Program Scholar. Welcome to the team!
Haley Presents Her Senior Capstone
Haley presents her Senior Design Capstone Project at the University of Washington Undergraduate Research Conference.
Rao Lab at FACTOR 2026
The Rao Lab traveled to Columbus, Ohio, for the MIB Agents FACTOR Conference, where we shared our osteosarcoma research through oral and poster presentations.
May 2026
Nikos at the Gordon Research Seminar & Conference
Dr. Nikolaos Pipis leads the GRS session “Designing Matrices for Disease Modeling and Therapy Development” and presents the Rao Lab’s 3D osteosarcoma research.
Congratulations, Haley!
Haley receives a University of Washington Population Health Recognition Award.
March 2026
A Big Week at SFB 2026
The Rao Lab heads to Atlanta for oral and poster presentations at the Society for Biomaterials 51st Annual Meeting, with Ram also receiving 2 awards: the SFB Outstanding Research by a Hospital Intern, Resident, or Clinical Fellow Award, and the Cell: Biomaterials Patient-Centric Innovation Award 2026!
January 2026
MIB Agents Visit the Rao Lab
We welcomed MIB Agents for a site visit and a closer look at our ongoing osteosarcoma research.
December 2025
New Collaborative Publications
Ram co-authors articles in MedEdPORTAL and in collaboration with Dr. Avik Som’s group. Links - https://www.mededportal.org/doi/10.15766/mep_2374-8265.11567 and https://www.jvir.org/article/S1051-0443(25)00588-3/fulltext.
Excellence in Research Mentorship
Ram receives a Seattle Children’s Research Institute Research Mentor Award, recognizing his commitment to mentorship.
November 2025
Gisele Takes on TERMIS 2025
Gisele receives an R35 TERMIS Travel Award and presents her research at the TERMIS 2025 Annual Meeting.
Welcoming Dr. Pipis to the Lab
Nikolaos Pipis, PhD, joins the Rao Lab as a Postdoctoral Fellow after completing his PhD in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Florida.
September 2025
Ram Publishes in JBMR Part A
Ram publishes a first-author study in Journal of Biomedical Materials Research Part A.
Welcoming Avery to the Lab
Avery joins the Rao Lab team!
July 2025
A Well-Deserved Promotion
Sriya is promoted to Research Scientist I. Congratulations on this exciting milestone!
Welcoming Haley to the Team
Haley Neumiller joins the Rao Lab as an undergraduate researcher.
June 2025
Recognized with the MIB Agents Hope Award
The Rao Lab receives a MIB Agents Hope Award, supporting our work to advance research for patients with osteosarcoma.
Welcoming Ryan to the Lab
Ryan Hsi joins the Rao Lab as an undergraduate researcher.
May 2025
The Team Keeps Growing
Gisele Charpentier joins the Rao Lab as a Research Technician I.
March 2025
A Perspective Beyond the Lab
Ram publishes an Op-Med in Doximity reflecting on the perspectives of being both a doctor and a patient.
October 2024
Celebrating Research Excellence
Ram receives the Seattle Children’s Research Institute Excellence in Research Award.
The Rao Lab Opens Its Doors!
The Rao Lab officially launches, with Sriya Sagi joining the team as Research Technician II. We are eager to join a team of like-minded researchers at the Ben Towne Center; all committed to making a positive impact on the lives of children with cancer.