7/3/2025 Bridget Melton
Written by Bridget Melton
The Mayo Clinic & Illinois Alliance is pleased to introduce the latest recipient of the Graduate Fellowship for Technology-Based Healthcare.
Kaushik Karambelkar is a doctoral student in the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Department of Bioengineering. He is working with Illinois advisors Sergei Maslov and Sharon Donovan and Mayo Clinic advisors Konstantinos Lazaridis and Arjun Athreya. Donovan and Athreya are both IHSI affiliates. Kaushik's work involves using deep learning to predict the genetic and dietary risk factors of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), as well as proposing dietary interventions for the management of MASLD.
The Project
Karambelkar's project focuses on understanding how genetic and lifestyle factors—such as diet and physical activity—interact to influence risk for MASLD, a condition that affects approximately one in three adults worldwide and often remains undetected until it progresses to serious complications. The team will also investigate how environmental factors influence the impact of genetic predisposition. By combining dietary, clinical, and genetic data using a machine learning approach, they will be able to predict MASLD risk and better understand the factors that contribute to MASLD risk, which can be used to inform personalized intervention strategies.
Fellowship Opportunities
The Mayo Clinic & Illinois Alliance Technology-Based Healthcare Fellowship provides a unique opportunity for Illinois graduate students to work collaboratively with Mayo Clinic researchers and clinicians on a translational research project aimed at developing new technologies and clinical tools. To get the most from the experience, fellows are encouraged to spend one year at Illinois and one year at Mayo Clinic, creating a pathway for current Illinois graduate students to investigate post-graduation employment opportunities at Mayo Clinic.
Karambelkar is the seventeenth fellow to participate in the program since its launch in 2016. To learn more about the fellowship and other educational programs offered by the Mayo Clinic & Illinois Alliance, visit the website or reach out to LeaAnn Carson, clinical partnerships manager, at lcarson@illinois.edu.