Our Team

Arpita K. Vyas, MD, is a board-certified Pediatric Endocrinologist at St. Louis Children Hospital and an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Washington University. Vyas completed her medical education at the University of Sheffield in the United Kingdom and pediatric residency at the Case Western Reserve University, followed by a pediatric endocrine fellowship at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Her research expertise is in the field of maternal-fetal medicine and cardiovascular sciences. Her research addressing the impact of in-utero environment on offspring health outcomes is funded by the National Institute of Health.

In her free time, she likes to spend doing jigsaw puzzles with her two children, globe-trotting, reading Jane Austin and Charlotte Bronte’s novels.

Bashar Alkhatib, was born in Montreal, Quebec. He completed his bachelor of science degree in biology at Purdue University in Indianapolis, IN and his doctoral degree at McGill University in Montreal. Alkhatib’s doctoral work was focused on investigating how components of the extracellular matrix are degraded during connective tissue disease and what functional consequences this had on the tissues. His postdoctoral work shifted focus to the role of TGF-beta in the development of the axial skeleton and the role of the immune response in tissue fibrosis. Currently, he is studying how maternal androgen excess during gestation can lead to fetal cardiac programming. His goal is to become an independent investigator in a research-intensive institution.

In his free time, he enjoys spending time with my wife and children, playing basketball, and trying new food.

Md Rahatullah Razan was born in Khulna, Bangladesh. He completed his Bachelor of Pharmacy and Master of Pharmacy in Pharmaceutical Chemistry from University of Dhaka, Bangladesh. Later he completed his PhD with a focus on vascular biology at the University of the Pacific, Stockton, California. Razan’s research focused on sex specific difference in cardiovascular disease in type-2 diabetes. He investigated the effect of estrogen on resistant mesenteric artery function in prediabetic stage female rats. After completing his PhD, he joined University of California, San Diego as a postdoctoral fellow where he investigated mechanism of sex specific differences in coronary microvascular diseases in type-2 diabetes. Currently at the Vyas lab, he will be studying how maternal androgen excess can adversely affect fetal cardiac and vascular programming.

At leisure, Razan likes to spend time with wife and newborn baby. He also enjoys hiking, traveling to new places and coffee in its many forms.

Eylem Topaktas is from Turkey. She completed her pediatric residency at Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine in Turkey. Continuing her career at Washington University in St. Louis as a pediatric endocrinologist, she has started her pediatric endocrinology fellowship. In joining the Vyas lab in 2022, she is interested in studying the cardiac effects of androgens. She has published “Evaluation of metabolic parameters and aortic elasticity in normotensive children with premature adrenarche” in the Journal of Pediatric Endocrinology and Metabolism. She is now working on testosterone’s effect on offspring’s growth and cardiac molecular signaling.

In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her three daughters and doing paper tole.

Alekya Dantam was born in Amalapuram, Andhra Pradesh. She is a sophomore at Washington University in St. Louis double majoring in Computational Biology and Anthropology Global Health and Environment. Dantam is an undergraduate student in the Vyas lab currently funded by Pediatric Student Research Program.  She joined the Vyas lab to learn more about the effects of altered in-utero environments on maternal and fetal health and is interested in pursuing an MD-PHD.

In her free time, she enjoys performing with WashU Raas, listening to Hozier, and anything dance related.

Divya is from the Bay Area, California and is a Research Assistant in the Vyas lab. She majored in Genomics and Computational Biology and minoring in Anthropology: Global Health & Environment at Washington University, St Louis. She plans to pursue a career in medicine. Currently, she is studying the sex-specific impact of prenatal testosterone exposure on the fetal heart and lungs during late gestation. Outside of the lab, Divya is a peer counselor for Uncle Joe’s and tutor to promote childhood literacy in St. Louis, and she enjoys reading, spending time with friends, and playing tennis in her free time.