Meet The Team
Rachelle Crescenzi, PhD
she/her
Principal Investigator
Dr. Rachelle Crescenzi, PhD is a translational imaging scientist at the University of Virginia. Dr. Crescenzi is an Associate Professor of Radiology and Medical Imaging, and Biomedical Engineering with 15 years of research experience in development and applications of MRI. She studied Physics at the University of Delaware and completed her doctoral thesis in 2015 in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics at the University of Pennsylvania. During her doctoral research, she received interdisciplinary training in the Center for Magnetic Resonance and Optical Imaging (CMROI) to develop molecular MRI methods. Her postdoctoral training in the Vanderbilt University Institute of Imaging Science (VUIIS) focused on clinical vascular imaging in patients with lymphatic disease. Dr. Crescenzi was awarded a postdoctoral research fellowship through the Lymphatic Education & Research Network (LE&RN) in partnership with the Fat Disorders Resource Society (FDRS) in 2016 to apply imaging science to study lipedema. She received a Career Development Award in 2018 and Innovative Project Award in 2019 through the American Heart Association, before joining faculty at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in 2018. Dr. Crescenzi began SALT lab shortly after, with support from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) to apply imaging science to critical needs for patients with lymphedema or lipedema (R01HL155523, R01HL157378). The SALT Lab moved to the University of Virginia in 2024, and look forward to the next chapter ahead!
Shannon Taylor, BS
she/her
PhD Student
Shannon Taylor is a PhD student in the Biomedical Engineering program at Vanderbilt University. She graduated from Lehigh University in 2020 with a BS in Bioengineering. Shannon’s research interests are in the physiologic mechanisms of salt handling and how the lymphatics system plays a role in tissue sodium storage. She works with sodium MRI methods to better understand these relationships and explore the biological basis of sodium MR signal.
Vanessa Crain, BS
she/they
Study Coordinator
Vanessa Crain is an Imaging Specialist II in Dr. Rachelle Crescenzi’s lab currently focused on the lymphedema study and assists on the lipedema, building MRI tools, and biorepository studies. Vanessa graduated in 2015 from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette in Exercise Science. She has previously worked in out-patient physical therapy clinics and as an in-patient acute care rehab tech at Ochsner Hospital in New Orleans, LA. They are an LGBTQ+ advocate and love learning about expanding inclusivity and diversity.
Allison Scott, MSc
she/her
Research Scientist
Allison Scott, MSc is a Research Scientist in Dr. Crescenzi’s lab. Allison had a background in Anthropology, Religious Studies, and Refugee Services when she first started working in clinical trials. She joined the Donahue Lab as a research analyst in 2014, where she assisted stroke, sickle cell, and lymphedema imaging clinical trials. In 2017 Allison moved to the UK and took a position working with Early Phase Oncology and Hematology Clinical Trials at University of Oxford. There she had the opportunity to work on international multisite trials and gained valuable skills in collaborating with global pharmaceutical sponsors. In 2021 Allison graduated with a Master of Science in Global Public Health and Policy from Queen Mary University of London. She is now excited to apply her clinical trials experience and public health degree to the lipedema trials within the Salt Lab.
Yinan Zheng, MD
he/him
Radiology Resident
Yinan Zheng, MD graduated medical school from Vanderbilt University and is applying research skills this year as an incoming Radiology Resident to University of Pennsylvania. He graduated from Princeton University in 2019 with a BA in physics. Yinan's research interests include point-of-care ultrasound, screening modalities for lipedema, and the use of informatics tools to quantify the prevalence of lipedema. In his free time, he enjoys hiking, climbing, and exploring coffee shops and restaurants around Nashville.
