Meet our Alumni
Jorind Beqari, MD
Research Fellow
James “Jimmy” Cranor, BS
Clinical Research Coordinator
Jacob Hurd, BS
Clinical Research Coordinator
Jorind Beqari, MD
Dr. Beqari is a Thoracic Surgery Research Fellow at MGH and a co-investigator of the MGH Fitbit Study. He received his bachelors in biology from Boston University, and his medical degree at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. He is currently completing his general surgery residency at UMass Chan Medical School-Baystate with the hope of pursuing a career in Thoracic Surgery.
In the Yang Lab, Dr. Beqari’s current research was centered around the use of technology to improve operative/post-operative patient care and outcomes.
Jacob Hurd, BS
Jacob Hurd was a clinical research coordinator for the Wearables Study. Originally from Georgia, he received his bachelors in biology and chemistry at Duke University. Jacob collaborated with Dr. Yang for five years before deciding to pursue a career outside of medicine. In the Yang Lab, Jacob’s research was centered around the use of technology to improve operative/post-operative patient care and outcomes.
James “Jimmy” Cranor
Jimmy was a research coordinator for the Wearables Study. He was born and raised in Las Vegas Nevada. He has lived in Idaho, Utah, Northern Argentina, and right here in Boston. He recently graduated from Brigham Young University, where he received a bachelor’s degree in food science with a minor in chemistry. He has worked on the Wearables project, and other projects with Dr. Yang, since spring 2022.
Jimmy has a background in microbiological research particularly as it pertains to food-borne illness. His primary focus is overall human wellness and understanding how to positively manipulate the controllable factors in maintaining health. He has explored both the research and clinical sides of promoting patient well-being by simultaneously supervising a microbiology lab and working as a medical technician at a retirement home for the last several years. Jimmy has begun his career as a medical student at the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV.
