Kelly Lab Staff
John Kelly, MD
Principal Investigator
JohnKellyLab@nationwidechildrens.org
Dr. John Kelly is a primary investigator in the Center for Regenerative Medicine and a practicing cardiologist at Nationwide Children’s. He received his medical degree from Tufts University. His main clinical and research interests are understanding the complications that follow Fontan palliation such as exercise intolerance, Fontan-associated liver disease, lymphatic remodeling and arrythmias.
Fahd Taha, MD
Postdoctoral Research Scientist
Fahd.Taha@NationwideChildrens.org
Fahd worked as a pediatric cardiac intensivist at Al-Nas Hospital and a former fellow at Magdi Yacoub Heart Foundation. He earned his medical degree from Menoufia University, Egypt. His research integrates advanced imaging modalities like (CMR, 4D Flow, ECV) with cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) and pre-clinical models to investigate cardiovascular function in congenital heart disease and Fontan physiology. He leads the development of CPET methodologies and ICU care protocols for preclinical models. He is also involved in tissue-engineered vascular graft research.
Junya Matsuda, MD
Postdoctoral Research Scientist
Junya.Matsuda@NationwideChildrens.org
Junya Matsuda is a cardiologist from Nippon Medical School in Japan, specializing in interventional cardiology. His research interests include cardiovascular hemodynamics, Fontan physiology and lymphatic remodeling. In the Kelly Lab, he studies Fontan-associated adaptations in pre-clinical models and is also involved in research on tissue-engineered vascular grafts and bioresorbable ASD closure devices.
Rehab Salah Mohamed
Postdoctoral Research Scientist
Rehab.SalahMohamed@NationwideChildrens.org
Rehab is a graduate of Benha University School of Medicine in Egypt, with clinical training in primary care and cardiology. She plans to pursue residency training in pediatrics in the United States. She leads the team's clinical research projects, focusing on outcomes in patients with Fontan circulation. She developed the Nationwide Children's Fontan Outcomes Database. Her current research explores exercise intolerance mechanisms and metabolic changes in this population, with a particular interest in the early detection of Fontan-related complications.
Jennifer Kievert, BS
Research Student
Jennifer.Kievert@NationwideChildrens.org
Jennifer received her bachelors of science in biochemistry with a minor in psychology and a certificate in chemistry research at Purdue University Fort Wayne in 2023. She joined the Kelly Lab in 2024 through the Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program at The Ohio State University. Her dissertation project is focused on understanding the natural history of Fontan Associated Liver Disease through ultrasound, histology and sequencing in the lab’s preclinical Fontan model.
Madison Briggs, BS
Research Student
Madison.Briggs3@NationwideChildrens.org
Grant Nguyen
Research Assistant
Grant.Nguyen@NationwideChildrens.org
Grant graduated from Swarthmore College in 2025 with a bachelor of arts in biochemistry and a minor in applied mathematics. He recently completed his master’s in microbiology at the University of Strasbourg in Strasbourg, France. Grant is contributing to various projects in the lab, including evaluating continuous telemetry data monitoring and ECGs as potential tools to identify Fontan-associated lived disease (FALD).
Nathan Dawit
Research Assistant
Nathan.Dawit2@NationwideChildrens.org
Nathan received his bachelor’s degree in biology from The Ohio State University in 2025. His current work focuses on the development and analysis of a novel ultrasound elastography technology, characterizing mechanical properties of the heart and liver. He has also contributed to the development of a cardiopulmonary exercise testing protocol and co-designed a respiratory mask to enable exercise testing in preclinical models.
Jocelyhnn Zucco
Undergraduate Research Student
Jocelyhnn.Zucco@NationwideChildrens.org
Jocelyhnn is a fourth-year undergraduate student at The Ohio State University, where she is studying biochemistry on a pre-medical track. She joined the Kelly Lab in Spring of 2025. After completing her undergraduate degree, she plans to pursue a master’s degree before continuing on to medical school.
Former lab members have continued their training and careers at a variety of institutions. Positions listed reflect where they went after leaving the lab and may have since changed.
Research Assistants
- Cameron DeShetler, BS (2023-2025): MD/PhD student at the University of Utah
- J. Logan Spiess, BS (2023-2024): MD student at the University of West Virgina
Summer Interns
- Desmond Carrol (2024): Undergraduate student at Yale University
- Tejas Menneni (2025): Student at New Albany High School
