Our Team
Assistant Professor, Internal Medicine
Juanita Murchant Endowed Chair
Email: shayek@med.umich.edu
Phone: 734-998-2015
Dr Hayek's medical education began at the American University of Beirut in Lebanon. He completed his training in Internal Medicine and Cardiology at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. Dr. Hayek moved to Ann Arbor in 2018 to join U of M's Frankel Cardiovascular Center, and is working to expand the Cardio-Oncology clinic. He continues to pursue state of the art research in risk prediction, ever expanding his knowledge base and research interests.
In his free time, Dr. Hayek is a tech geek who enjoys the company of his wife and two children.
You can find Dr. Hayek's full bio on ORCID or Google Scholar
Dr. Hayek has clinic hours both at the Cardiovascular Center at University of Michigan's main medical campus in Ann Arbor and at UM's Northville Health Center.
Find more information for Dr. Hayek at:
Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation
Penney earned her bachelor's degree from the University of California San Diego in Biochemistry and Chemistry. She has spent her career in translational research, from the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, to State University of New York at StonyBrook, to the University of Michigan, where she has spent over 15 years managing translational research labs. Her passion lies in finding treatments and preventative medications for chronic illnesses.
In her free time, she plays soccer, loves reading, crafting, and exploring, and volunteers for all of her three children's many activities.
You can find Penney on ORCID or Google Scholar
Research Team Members
Tonimarie Catalan is a graduate of the University of Michigan Class of 2020 with a B.S. in Biochemistry and Spanish. Suffering from many ailments herself as a child, she was quickly exposed to the world of medicine and felt a fascination for the field. Before attending medical school to pursue an MD-PhD, she hopes to continue her clinical and laboratory research so that she can continue fostering her love for science.
She has spent 2 years with the Department of Biological Chemistry at the University of Michigan Medical School as a laboratory assistant under Dr. Ryan Baldridge, PhD. Her work focused on ER-associated degradation (ERAD) and protein quality control in the Tul1 protein complex.
In addition to working in the Hayek Lab, she does clinical research for Dr. Scott Hummel, MD at Michigan Medicine Department of Cardiology focusing on treatment of patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). In her free time, she enjoys reading, knitting, embroidering, and running.
Anis attended the Faculty of Medicine at the Université Saint-Joseph (USJ) in Lebanon, where he earned a Master's degree in Biology and Medical Sciences in 2020 and received his Medical Doctorate in 2022. He worked with the Physiology and Pathophysiology research lab (Fares lab) at USJ to study the mechanisms related to the early development of cardiac fibrosis in father/offspring mice. He was also a junior clinical researcher on his university hospital’s COVID-19 task force, where he worked on evaluating the prognostic value of pulmonary artery enlargement in hospitalized COVID-19 patients.
Within the Hayek lab, he will be involved in translational research surrounding the reduction of suPAR levels in patient populations at risk of cardiovascular or kidney diseases and clarifying/elucidating mechanisms behind suPAR’s pathogenic role through in vivo and in vitro experimentation.
In his free time, Anis plays table tennis, enjoys outdoor activities, hiking and camping, photography (landscape), reading, and spending time with his family and friends.
Jakob is a medical student from Kiel University in Germany, joining our lab as a visiting scholar. He pauses medical school for one year in order to focus on his doctoral thesis and gain experimental research experience. Jakob plans to pursue a career in Cardiology as a clinician scientist.
In his free time he likes to run, go to the Gym, cook and spend time with his friends and family.
Christina (Tina) Hutten earned her Master’s degree in Molecular, Cellular, Developmental Biology and Genetics from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities in 2007, following which she conducted research in the field of Clinical Genetics at NorthShore University HealthSystem, an academic medical center North of Chicago. For nearly 10 years, she oversaw multiple observational and clinical screening studies for individuals at high-genetic risk for cancer, was involved in national and international consortia, and was published on many papers.
She completed her PhD in Epidemiology in 2023 from the University of Illinois at Chicago, School of Public Health. For her dissertation, she assessed the use of polygenic risk scores for coronary heart disease, low density-lipoprotein levels and control using data from the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos. Her work was supported by a T32 training fellowship and an F31 grant funded by the NIH-National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.
Her research interests involve identifying genetic determinants of disease for high-risk populations, analyzing modifiers of disease risk, and discerning prediction and screening tools to lessen the burden of diseases, particularly for populations that have been historically underserved in healthcare and genetic research. She will continue work in the Hayek Lab to elucidate biomarkers and genomic risk factors for cardiovascular disease and in cardio-oncology.
When not working, Tina enjoys being outdoors hiking, trail running, or birding. She plays soccer, baseball, basketball, or volleyball with her two sons any chance she can. She also enjoys learning to play instruments, such as the banjo.
Kristen graduated from Ashland University in 2020 where she earned her B.S in Biology with a minor in Psychology. Following graduation, Kristen moved to Ann Arbor where she enrolled in a post-baccalaureate program at the University of Michigan Medical School.
Kristen since has worked at Michigan Medicine’s Emergency Department as a clinical research coordinator on medical device innovation, COVID, and clinical trials. She aspires to go on to medical school in the future.
Passionate about improving medical access/education to underrepresented populations, Kristen plans to get her master's in Physiology from the University of Michigan this fall. She also enjoys exercising, spending time outdoors, and live music.
Ian Pizzo was born and raised in Michigan, where he graduated from Central Michigan University in 2022 with a BS in Psychology and a minor in Biology, following the pre-medicine pathway. Ian is currently a Study Coordinator in the Hayek Lab, responsible for coordinating the COVID and Cardio-Oncology research studies.
Ian is hoping to gain research experience and exposure before applying to medical school to ultimately pursue his goal of becoming a physician.
In his free time, Ian enjoys spending time with his family and friends, and traveling to experience different cultures around the world.
Feriel Presswalla was born and raised in Mumbai, India, and she received her bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan in 2015. She previously worked at the Miller Lab at the Kellogg Eye Center as a Research Lab Specialist and is taking on the same position at the Hayek Lab. Feriel is interested in going to medical school to pursue cardiopulmonary surgery. Her research with the Hayek Lab focuses on the role of suPAR in cardiovascular disease and chronic kidney disease.
Outside of work, she is the Secretary and Scholarship Chair of the Board of Governors of the Henderson House co-op on campus, as well as Recording Secretary and Archivist for the UMAC (University of Michigan Alumnae Council). In her free time, Feriel is an avid TV and film enthusiast and plant mom, and she loves pub trivia, scavenger hunts, fiber arts, and reading!
Libby received her Bachelor's degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Cornell College in 2018. After graduation, she moved to Ann Arbor, where she earned her Masters Degree in Public Health in Epidemiology in 2020 from the University of Michigan. She is currently applying to medical school where she plans to pursue a career in academic infectious disease medicine.
Outside of school and work, Libby enjoys going on hikes with her rescue dogs Dexter and Arbor, cooking, and photography.
Brayden is a graduate of the University of Michigan Class of 2021 with a B.S. in Biomolecular Science. Brayden joined us with experience working as a Medical Assistant in the Cardiovascular Center clinics. Brayden is a Research Associate and is a first-year medical student at Wayne State University School of Medicine.
In his free time, Brayden enjoys playing basketball and sand volleyball, spending time with family, and going on road trips with his friends.
Noor Sulaiman was born and raised in Michigan, and she graduated from Wayne State University in 2021 with a double major in Neuroscience and Psychology and a minor in Biology. During that time, she volunteered at the Karmanos Cancer Institute as part of a research project studying the effects of a novel anti-cancer drug for about two years. Noor is a research assistant in the Hayek Lab where she is is responsible for clinical data collection for many of our studies.
She is a new student at Wayne State University Medical School earning her MD with hopes to continue pursuing her love for science.
In her free time, Noor loves being outside, spending time with her friends, traveling, and learning about new cultures and languages.
Undergraduate Trainees
Chris is a University of Michigan sophomore studying Biomolecular Science through the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts (LSA). Chris joined the Hayek lab fall of 2023, as a research assistant, hoping to gain clinical research exposure with future plans of attending medical school.
Chris is a Michigan native, and in his free time, enjoys learning about history, having fun with his dog, cooking, playing/ watching sports ("Go Blue!"), and traveling around the world.
Grace is a University of Michigan student in the School of Literature, Science and the Arts, majoring in Biomolecular Science and minoring in French for the class of 2025. She intends to pursue an MD-PhD program in the future with the intent of focusing research in the area of cardiology. Grace began with the Hayek lab as a first-year undergraduate student through the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) and enjoyed the work so much she stayed on as a Research Assistant, continuing her knowledge, training, and skillset.
In addition to her academics, Grace volunteers in the UM hospital and performs with the UM Campus Symphony Orchestra and the Life Sciences Orchestra. In her free time, she enjoys hot yoga, skiing, running, knitting, and cheering for the Wolverines.
Annika began as a student researching in Dr. Hayek's lab with the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP) and has continued on as a Laboratory Assistant. Annika was born and raised in Michigan. She is currently a student at the University of Michigan’s College of Literature, Science, and the Arts. During her undergraduate education at Michigan, she is studying Biology and Spanish on the pre-medical track.
In her free time, Annika loves cooking, baking, playing tennis, and spending time with friends and family.
Medha joined the Hayek lab as first-year undergraduate student through the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP.) She is currently a student at the University of Michigan’s School of Literature, Science and the Arts hoping to pursue a degree in Public Health. Following her UROP project researching suPAR's association with Aortic Aneurysms, Medha returned to the lab as a Research Assistant to expand her research capabilities.
Previously, Medha has worked as a patient attendant at Michigan Medicine and volunteered at the American Red Cross. In addition to her experience in pre-health, she is interested in political science.
In her free time, Medha likes to cook, play chess, work out, and spend time with her family and friends.
Clinical Residents and Fellows
Pat grew up in South Bend, Indiana, and attended the University of Notre Dame, receiving his bachelor's degree in Biological Sciences, along with a minor in Philosphy, in 2013.
Pat earned a Master's degree in cellular and molecular biology from University of Michigan in 2017, while attending medical school. He received his medical degree from UM Medical School in 2019, and began his residency in Internal Medicine shortly thereafter. After his year as Chief Resident, Pat plans on pursuing a Cardiology fellowship and career in academic medicine.
Outside of medicine, Pat loves spending time with his wife, family, and friends, drinking coffee, playing board games, running, cooking, and watching sports.