Lab Members

Sarah Mulkey, MD, PhD

Director, Prenatal and Neonatal Fellowship
Prenatal and Neonatal Neurologist

Full Profile

Sarah Mulkey, MD, PhD

Research Centers

Center for Prenatal, Neonatal and Maternal Health Research

Lab

Research Areas

Zika Virus
Global Health
Developing Brain Institute

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Margarita Arroyave-Wessel, MPH

Co-Investigator
Research Coordinator

Margarita Arroyave-Wessel, MPH

Research Centers

Center for Prenatal, Neonatal and Maternal Health Research

Lab

Mulkey Lab

Biography

Margarita Arroyave-Wessel, MPH, is a health care professional with over 30 years’ experience. She received her master of public health from The George Washington University and has broad knowledge and practice encompassing program management, development and strategy. Margarita was born in Medellin, Colombia and is currently a part time research coordinator. She began working with Dr. Mulkey in 2016 since inception of the longitudinal cohort study in Colombia of children exposed to Zika virus in utero. In addition to contributing to study design and management assistance, Margarita provides cultural context and aids with logistics and liaison activities between the U.S. research team and onsite investigators in Colombia, including financial matters.

Madison M. Berl, PhD, ABPP-CN

Director, Research, Division of Pediatric Neuropsychology
Director, DC-IDDRC Human Neurobehavioral Core

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Madison M. Berl, PhD, ABPP-CN

Research Centers

Center for Neuroscience Research

Lab

Research Areas

Epilepsy Research

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Roberta L. DeBiasi, MD, MS

Division Chief, Infectious Disease
Co-Director, Congenital Zika Program

Full Profile

Roberta L. DeBiasi, MD, MS

Research Centers

Center for Health Outcomes Research & Delivery Science

Lab

DeBiasi

Research Areas

COVID19 Clinical Research

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Emma Hickman, MD

Fellow, Neurology

Emma Hickman, MD

Research Centers

Center for Precision Medicine and Genomics Research

Lab

Mulkey Lab

Biography

Emma Hickman, MD, is a current child neurology fellow at Children's National and she will begin her Fetal and Neonatal Neurology Fellowship at Children's National in July 2025. Emma received her medical degree from Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit, Michigan. Her research interests include clinical ethics, congenital infections, quality improvement and patient safety. Her primary study at the Mulkey Lab is the Lyme in pregnancy research initiative.

Manuela Iglesias, MS, MPH

Clinical Research Program Lead

Manuela Iglesias, MS, MPH

Research Centers

Center for Prenatal, Neonatal and Maternal Health Research

Lab

Mulkey Lab

Biography

Manuela Iglesias, MS, MPH, is a clinical research program lead at Children’s National and has been with the Mulkey Lab since 2023. She earned her master of science in anatomical and translational sciences from the George Washington School of Medicine & Health Sciences and a master of public health at the George Washington Milken Institute School of Public Health. As a Dominican immigrant, her research interests focus on social and environmental factors affecting the health of immigrants and Latinos in the United States. Her primary study is the SARS-CoV-2 and Neurodevelopment research study as part of a collaboration between Children’s National, Inova Fairfax Medical Campus and the Lieber Institute for Brain Development.

Elyse Lanquaye

Clinical Research Coordinator

Elyse Lanquaye

Research Centers

Center for Prenatal, Neonatal and Maternal Health Research

Lab

Mulkey Lab

Biography

Elyse Lanquaye is a clinical research coordinator at Children's National and joined the Mulkey Lab in 2025 after graduating from the University of Virginia with a B.A. in neuroscience and a minor in Spanish. Her research interests include neurodevelopment and factors that affect school readiness in children. She works on the SARS-CoV-2 and Neurodevelopment research study, which is a collaboration between Children’s National, Inova Fairfax Medical Campus and the Lieber Institute for Brain Development.

Ruth Oluwadamilola Olujobi

Clinical Research Coordinator

Ruth Oluwadamilola Olujobi

Research Centers

Center for Prenatal, Neonatal and Maternal Health Research

Lab

Mulkey Lab

Biography

Ruth Oluwadamilola Olujobi is a clinical research coordinator at Children’s National, where she joined the Mulkey Lab in 2025. Originally from Lagos, Nigeria, she earned her bachelor’s degree in neuroscience with a minor in German from Bowdoin College. Her research interests center on maternal and infant health, particularly within underserved communities. She is primarily involved in the SARS-CoV-2 and Neurodevelopmental Research – a collaboration between Children’s National, Inova Fairfax Medical Campus and the Lieber Institute for Brain Development. Passionate about advancing access to quality healthcare, Ruth hopes to continue her career in OB-GYN or pediatrics. Outside the lab, she enjoys cooking Nigerian dishes, creative writing and leading her STEM-access initiative, Rekora.

Meagan Williams, MSPH, IBCLC, CCRC

Lead Clinical Research Coordinator

Meagan Williams, MSPH, IBCLC, CCRC

Research Centers

Center for Prenatal, Neonatal and Maternal Health Research

Lab

Mulkey Lab

Biography

Meagan Williams, MSPH, IBCLC, CCRC, is a lead clinical research coordinator at Children’s National and has been with the Mulkey Lab since 2021. Meagan received her master of science in public health from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan in biopsychology, cognition and neuroscience. Her research interests involve supporting the well-being of children and families after adverse exposures, and she is dedicated to incorporating patient-centered, strengths-based and trauma-sensitive principles into the research process. Her primary studies at the Mulkey Lab include the Lyme in pregnancy research initiatives and the Zika virus studies.

Our Team

Sarah Mulkey, MD, PhD

Margarita Arroyave-Wessel, MPH

Madison M. Berl, PhD, ABPP-CN

Roberta L. DeBiasi, MD, MS

Emma Hickman, MD

Manuela Iglesias, MS, MPH

Elyse Lanquaye

Ruth Oluwadamilola Olujobi

Meagan Williams, MSPH, IBCLC, CCRC

Interns