Current Team
Angela Gibson, MD, PhD
Associate Professor, Division of Acute Care and Regional General Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health
Medical Director, UW Health Wound Healing Services
Dr. Gibson graduated from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health’s Medical Scientist Training Program in 2009, where she also completed her surgical residency in 2014. Subsequently, she completed a visiting Burn Surgery fellowship at the University of California Davis, and a Surgical Critical Care fellowship at the University of Wisconsin.
Certified by the American Board of Surgery in General Surgery and Surgical Critical Care, Dr. Gibson specializes in burn, trauma, emergency surgery and surgical critical care, and the treatment of complex wounds. She is the Medical Director of Wound Healing Services at UW Health, a program that she developed. Her research interests focus on epithelial regeneration in burn injury, evaluation of advanced tissue products, human skin model development for wound healing, and understanding the burn wound microenvironment using advanced imaging techniques. Dr. Gibson leads a truly translational science laboratory using human cells and tissue, animal models, and human subjects to study wound healing.
Publication link:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/angela.gibson.1/bibliography/public/
Aiping Liu, PhD
Scientist II
Dr. Liu is a research scientist in the Gibson lab. She obtained her PhD in Biomedical Engineering at the Oregon Health & Science University. She then completed a postdoctoral fellowship in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and then held a position as a visiting scientist in Bioengineering at the University of Washington. Dr. Liu’s research interests in the Gibson lab include: (1) developing diagnostic and therapeutic techniques for wound healing; and (2) elucidating mechanisms of burn injury progression and prevention. She oversees and coordinates the lab’s research activities.
Publication link:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/myncbi/aiping.liu.1/collections/63767915/public/
Mary Junak, MD
Surgical Resident Postdoctoral Fellow
Mary Junak is a general surgery resident at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and is currently completing two years of academic development time in the Gibson Lab. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Arizona and gained valuable experience as a clinical research coordinator at the Mayo Clinic. She then returned to the University of Arizona for medical school. Her current research focuses on exploring the application of indocyanine green to assess the healing potential of burn wounds. She is planning to pursue a fellowship in Burn and Acute Care Surgery, with a strong interest in both clinical and translational research as well as advocacy.
Bailey A. Donahue, BS
Lab Technician/Manager
Bailey is a Research Technician in the Gibson Lab. She earned a Bachelor of Science from UW-Madison, double-majoring in Biology and Global Health, with a certificate in Science Communication. Her involvement in the lab began as a senior undergraduate student, and she transitioned to a full-time position in July 2024. In her role, Bailey supports research in the lab by exploring the mechanisms of wound healing and developing therapies for improved outcomes in burn and chronic wound patients. She assists in experiments, manages lab operations, and collaborates on innovative projects that have direct clinical impacts. Bringing both research and clinical experience, Bailey worked as a CNA in various healthcare settings before joining the lab. She also works part-time as an Emergency Room Technician. Her combined background allows her to approach research from both scientific and patient-care perspectives, and she plans to apply to medical school to further her goal of bridging the gap between research and clinical practice.
Lab Alumni
Surgical Resident Postdoctoral Fellows
- Jocelyn Zajac, MD (2021-2023)
- Aos Karim, MD (2018-2020)
Medical Students in the Shapiro Summer Research Program
- Emily T. Klossowski (2024)
- Madelon Peterson (2023)
- Collin Tran (2021)
- Quinn Vatland (2020)
- Clayton Rust (2019)
- Chris Glover (2018)
- Ana Estefania Rivera (2017)
- Amy Yan (2016)
Undergraduate Researchers
- Bailey Donahue (2023-2024)
- Alex Houle (2023-2024)
- Rabia Ahmed (2022-2024)
- Lauren Krahl (2018-2021)
- Nate Holly (2018-2021)
- Anna Garren (2018)