MSTP Alumni 2000-2012
| Class of 2000 | Class of 2001 | Class of 2002 |
| Class of 2003 | Class of 2004 | Class of 2005 |
| Class of 2006 | Class of 2007 | Class of 2008 |
| Class of 2009 | Class of 2010 | Class of 2011 |
| Class of 2012 |
Class of 2012
Mark Etherton
Dissertation Topic: Molecular Pathogenesis of Autism: A Role for Neurexin & Neuroligin
Mentor: Thomas Südhof, M.D. (Stanford University)
Current Position: Resident, Internal Medicine (prelim): Neurology
Current Affiliation: UT Southwestern Medical Center (prelim); Harvard/Brigham & Women’s Hospital
Bret Evers
Dissertation Topic: Role of Insig-Mediated Cholesterol Homeostasis in the Development of the Palate & Hair Follicles in Mice
Mentors: Michael Brown, M.D., and Joseph Goldstein, M.D.
Current Position: Resident, Pathology
Current Affiliation: UT Southwestern
Midhat Farooqi
Dissertation Topic: The Role of Insig-Mediated Cholesterol Homeostasis in Mouse Hair Development
Mentors: Michael Brown, M.D., and Joseph Goldstein, M.D.
Current Position: Resident, Pathology
Current Affiliation: University of Pennsylvania
Rodney Infante
Dissertation Topic: Unraveling Niemann-Pick: A Disease of Cholesterol Transport
Mentors: Michael Brown, M.D., and Joseph Goldstein, M.D.
Current Position: Resident, Internal Medicine
Current Affiliation: Harvard/Massachusetts General Hospital
David Meredith
Dissertation Topic: Comparative Analysis of Developmental Programs Controlled by Ptfl a
Mentor: Jane Johnson, Ph.D.
Current Position: Resident, Pathology
Current Affiliation: Harvard/Brigham & Women’s Hospital
Anthony Orvedahl
Dissertation Topic: Autophagy in Antiviral Immunity
Mentor: Beth Levine, M.D.
Current Position: Resident, Pediatrics
Current Affiliation: Washington University School of Medicine
Vera Paulson
Dissertation Topic: High-Resolution Array Comparative Genomic Hybridization Reveals Targets in Rhabdyomyosarcoma
Mentor: Scott Cameron, M.D., Ph.D. (Novartis Institutes for Biological Research, Cambridge, Mass.)
Current Position: Resident, Pathology
Current Affiliation: Harvard/Brigham & Women’s Hospital
Alan Poole
Dissertation Topic: Collective Structural Modes in Proteins: A Case Study in the PDZ Domain
Mentor: Rama Ranganathan, M.D., Ph.D.
Current Position: Resident, Pediatrics
Current Affiliation: UT Southwestern
Nora Renthal
Dissertation Topic: The miR-200 Family and Targets, ZEB1 & ZEB2, Modulate Uterine Quiescence and Contractility during Pregnancy and Labor
Mentor: Carole Mendelson, Ph.D.
Current Position: Resident, Pediatrics
Current Affiliation: UT Southwestern
Daniel Schmidt
Dissertation Topic: Bile Acids and Nuclear Receptors: Their Roles in Nutrition and Cancer
Mentor: David Mangelsdorf, Ph.D.
Current Position: Resident, Internal Medicine (prelim): Radiation Oncology
Current Affiliation: Harvard/Brigham & Women’s Hospital
Jason Tuckerman
Dissertation Topic: Heme-based Oxygen Sensors in Commensal and Pathogenic Bacteria
Mentor: Marie-Alda Gilles-Gonzalez, Ph.D.
Current Position: Resident, Internal Medicine Research Pathway
Current Affiliation: Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
Class of 2011
John Astle
Dissertation Topic: Rapid Identification of Antigen Mimics from Millions of Synthetic Molecules through Coupled Bead Library Screening & Microarray Analysis
Mentor: Thomas Kodadek, Ph.D. (Scripps Research Institute)
Current Position: Resident, Pathology
Current Affiliation: Yale University School of Medicine
Abigail Nash
Dissertation Topic: Structural Basis for Signal Transduction in LOV Blue Light Photoreceptors
Mentor: Kevin Gardner, Ph.D.
Current Position: Resident, Psychiatry
Current Affiliation: Emory University School of Medicine
David Owen
Dissertation Topic: Hepatitis C Virus Entry into Hepatocytes and Engagement of Innate Immune Defenses
Mentor: Michael Gale, Ph.D. (U Washington)
Current Position: Resident, Ob/Gyn
Current Affiliation: UT Southwestern
William Renthal
Dissertation Topic: Epigenetic Mechanisms in Drug Addiction
Mentor: Eric Nestler, M.D., Ph.D. (Mt Sinai SOM)
Current Position: Resident, Neurology
Current Affiliation: UT Southwestern
Ameen Salahudeen
Dissertation Topic: FBXL5: Sensor & Regulator of Mammalian Iron Homeostasis
Mentor: Rick Bruick, Ph.D.
Current Position: Resident, Internal Medicine
Current Affiliation: UT Southwestern
Andrew Wang
Dissertation Topic: The Roles of Ly108, the Genetic Susceptibility Loci Sle3, and CXCR4/CXCL12 in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
Mentor: Ward Wakeland, Ph.D.
Current Position: Resident, Internal Medicine
Current Affiliation: Yale University School of Medicine
Rebekkah Warren
Dissertation Topic: Genetic Reduction of Cholesterol Synthesis in the Mouse Brain does not affect Amyloid Formation in an Alzheimer’s Disease Model, but does Expand Lifespan
Mentor: David Russell, Ph.D.
Current Position: Resident, Surgery
Current Affiliation: Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
Kyle Wedin
Dissertation Topic: With No Lysine (WNK) Family Proteins and their Interactions with Downstream Kinases
Mentor: Melanie Cobb, Ph.D.
Current Position: Research, Internal Medicine, Cardiology
Current Affiliation: UT Southwestern
Class of 2010
David Benavides
Dissertation Topic: The Role of Cdk5 in the Regulation of Dopamine Neurotransmission, Neuronal Excitability, and Reward-Related Behavior
Mentor: James Bibb, Ph.D.
Current Position: Resident, Adult Neurology
Current Affiliation: Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Elizabeth Keohane-Bhoj
Dissertation Topic: Using Balance Translocation to Discover Novel Disease Causing Genes: Potential Involvement of Basonuclin 2 in Congenital Heart Disease and Palmitoylated Membrane Protein 7 in Mature-Onset Diabetes of the Young
Mentor: Andrew Zinn, Ph.D.
Current Position: Resident, Pediatrics (Pediatric Genetics)
Current Affiliation: Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
Vijay Bhoj
Dissertation Topic: Innate and Adaptive Immune Responses to Respiratory Syncytial Virus
Mentor: Zhijian (James) Chen, Ph.D.
Current Position: Resident, Pathology
Current Affiliation: Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
Vaishnav “Kris” Krishnan
Dissertation Topic: Vulnerability and Resilience to Social Defeat: The Role of Neuroplasticity within the Mesolimbic Dopamine Circuit
Mentor: Eric Nestler, M.D., Ph.D. (Mt Sinai SOM)
Current Position: Resident, Internal Medicine (Prelim); Adult Neurology
Current Affiliation: UT Southwestern (Prelim); Harvard-Beth Deaconess Medical Center (Adult Neurology)
James Lee
Dissertation Topic: Structural Insights into Bacterial Sporulation
Mentor: Kevin Gardner, Ph.D.
Current Position: Resident, Surgery
Current Affiliation: Huntington Memorial Hospital, Pasadena, CA
Markey McNutt
Dissertation Topic: Characterization of the Non-Proteolytic Mechanism and Cellular Site of Action of PCSK9 Mediated Degradation of the Low-Density Lipoprotein Receptor
Mentor: Jay Horton, M.D.
Current Position: Resident, Internal Medicine (PST Program)
Current Affiliation: UT Southwestern
Joseph Park
Dissertation Topic: Characterization of Factors Controlling Germline Stem Cell Maintenance in Drosophila melanogaster
Mentor: Dennis McKearin, Ph.D. (HHMI)
Current Position:Resident, Pediatrics
Current Affiliation: UT Southwestern
Maggie Waung
Dissertation Topic: Rapid Protein Translation Governs Persistent Changes in Ampar Trafficking in a Form of Long-Term Synaptic Plasticity
Mentor: Kimberly Huber, Ph.D.
Current Position:Resident, Adult Neurology
Current Affiliation: University of California at San Francisco Medical Center
Nathan York
Dissertation Topic: CNS-specific, Autoreactive CD8+ T-cells have a Regulatory Role in Autoimmune Demyelination
Mentor: Nitin Karandikar, M.D., Ph.D.
Current Position: Resident, Pediatrics
Current Affiliation: UT Southwestern
Bryan Young
Dissertation Topic: Histone Deacetylase 7 in Cardiovascular Development and Transcriptional Regulatory Networks of the Vascular Endothelium
Mentor: Eric Olson, Ph.D.
Current Position: Resident, Internal Medicine
Current Affiliation: Yale University Medical Center
Melissa Rasar Young
Dissertation Topic: Paxillin is a Novel Regulator of Xenopus Oocyte Maturation
Mentor: Stephen Hammes, Ph.D. (U Rochester Medical Center)
Current Position: Resident, Internal Medicine (Prelim); Radiation Oncology
Current Affiliation: Yale University Medical Center
Class of 2009
Christian Gocke
Dissertation Topic: Regulation of Chromatin-Associated Proteins by Sumoylation
Mentor: Hongtao Yu, Ph.D.
Current Position: Resident, Medicine
Current Affiliation: Johns Hopkins University
Ammar Hawasli
Dissertation Topic: Regulation of Excitatory Neurotransmission, Synaptic Plasticity, and Learning by Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 5
Mentor: James Bibb, Ph.D.
Current Position: Resident, Neurosurgery
Current Affiliation: Wash U/Barnes-Jewish Hospital (St. Louis, MO)
Cindy Johnson
Dissertation Topic: Hepatitis C Virus NS3/4A Protease and the Intracellular Antiviral Response: Mapping Complex Virus-Host Interactions
Mentor: Michael Gale, Ph.D. (U Washington)
Current Position: Clinical Fellow, Medicine, Infectious Diseases
Current Affiliation: Wash U/Barnes-Jewish Hospital (St. Louis, MO)
Brian Keller
Dissertation Topic: Insights into Virus-host Interactions: Regulation of Cytokine Signaling is a Virulence Determinant of West Nile Virus
Mentor: Michael Gale, Ph.D. (U Washington)
Current Position: Clinical Fellow, Medicine, Pulmonary
Current Affiliation: Wash U/Barnes-Jewish Hospital (St. Louis, MO)
Christopher Larson
Dissertation Topic: Evolutionary Constraints Specifying Protein Folding and Function
Mentor: Rama Ranganathan, M.D., Ph.D.
Current Position: Clinical Fellow, Medicine, Hematology/Oncology
Current Affiliation: UC San Diego Medical Center
Amy Mellgren Archer
Dissertation Topic: PDGFRbeta Signaling in Mouse Epicardial and Mural Cells Influences Blood Vessel Remodeling
Mentor: Michelle Tallquist-Seidel, Ph.D.
Current Position: Resident, Medicine
Current Affiliation: Wash U/Barnes-Jewish Hospital (St. Louis, MO)
Alexis Melton
Dissertation Topic: Combinatorial Control of CD45 Signal-Induced Exon Repression by hnRNP L and PSF
Mentor: Kristen Lynch, Ph.D. (U Pennsylvania)
Current Position: Clinical Fellow, Pediatrics
Current Affiliation: Harvard University – Children’s Hospital of Boston
Prashant Mishra
Dissertation Topic: Dynamic Scaffolding in a G-Protein Signaling Cascade
Mentor: Rama Ranganathan, M.D., Ph.D.
Current Position: Postdoctoral Fellow, Biology
Current Affiliation: California Institute of Technology – Laboratory of David Chan, MD, PhD (HHMI/Dept of Biology)
Baochan Nguyen
Dissertation Topic: Protein Phosphatase Inhibitor-1 and CDK5: Of Molecules and Memory
Mentor: James Bibb, Ph.D.
Current Position: Resident, Ophthalmology
Current Affiliation: University of California, Los Angeles Medical Center
Brent Presley
Dissertation Topic: Novel Roles of Gastrin and Cholescystokinin in Islet Beta Cell Proliferation
Mentor: Christopher Newgard, Ph.D. (Duke)
Current Position: Resident, Pediatrics
Current Affiliation: UT Southwestern – Children’s Medical Center
Paul Tannous
Dissertation Topic: Cardiomyocyte Autophagy is Induced by Protein Aggregation in Heart Disease
Mentor: Joseph Hill, M.D., Ph.D.
Current Position: Resident, Pediatrics
Current Affiliation: UT Southwestern – Children’s Med Ctr
Mark Valasek
Dissertation Topic: The Regulation of Cholesterol Absorption: Nuclear Hormone Receptors and Niemann-Pick C1 Like 1
Mentor: Joyce Repa, Ph.D.
Current Position: Resident, Anatomic Pathology
Current Affiliation: U Washington Medical Center (Seattle, WA)
Jadon Webb
Dissertation Topic: Slow Inactivation of Sodium Channels: Structural Clues
Mentor: Stephen Cannon, M.D., Ph.D.
Current Position: Resident, Psychiatry
Current Affiliation: UT Southwestern
Class of 2008
Michael Arnold
Dissertation Topic: The MEF2 Transcription Factor is an Essential Regulator of Bone Development
Mentor: Eric Olson, Ph.D.
Current Position: Clinical Fellow, Anatomic Pathology
Current Affiliation: Center for Cancer Research, Laboratory of Pathology, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD
Tracy Clyne Beswick
Dissertation Topic: Allosteric Regulation of S-Adenosylmethionine Decarboxylase from T. Cruzi
Mentor: Meg Phillips, Ph.D.
Current Position: Resident, Dermatology
Current Affiliation: University of Oklahoma School of Medicine, Oklahoma City, OK
Nathan Bingham
Dissertation Topic: Loss of Ventromedial Hypothalamic Leptin Receptors Results in Increased Adiposity and a Metabolic Syndrome
Mentor: Keith Parker, M.D. (deceased)
Current Position: Clinical Fellow, Pediatric Endocrinology
Current Affiliation: Cincinnati Children's Hospital - University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
Alice Chan
Dissertation Topic: In vivo identification of Sle1b: Ly108 mediates autoantibody production
Mentor: Ward Wakeland, Ph.D.
Current Position: Clinical Fellow, Pediatric Rheumatology
Current Affiliation: University of California at San Francisco Medical Center
Temekka Leday
Dissertation Topic: Use of an Animal Model of Group A Streptococcal Infection to Identify Factors Important for Virulence
Mentor: Kevin McIver, Ph.D. (U Maryland)
Current Position: Resident, Pathology
Current Affiliation: Baylor University Medical Center (Dallas, TX)
Daniel Motola
Dissertation Topic: Identification of Ligands for the Orphan Nuclear Receptor DAF-12 that Govern Dauer Formation and Reproduction in C. elegans
Mentor: David Mangelsdorf, Ph.D.
Current Position: Research Fellow, Medicine
Current Affiliation: Harvard University - Massachusetts General Hospital
Bogachan Sahin
Dissertation Topic: Evaluation and Characterization of Novel Signal Transduction Pathways in the Striatum
Mentor: James Bibb, Ph.D.
Current Position: Chief Resident, Neurology
Current Affiliation: Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Nadia Tsankova
Dissertation Topic: The Role of Chromatin Remodeling in Hippocampus in Depression and Antidepressant Action
Mentor: Eric Nestler, M.D., Ph.D. (Mt Sinai SOM)
Current Position: Fellow, Neuropathology
Current Affiliation: New York Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia School of Medicine
Brant Ward
Dissertation Topic: Behavioral characteristics of Langerhans cells in vivo.
Mentor: Akira Takashima, M.D., Ph.D. (U Toledo)
Current Position: Fellow, Internal Medicine, Allergy & Immunology
Current Affiliation: Virginia Commonwealth University
Class of 2007
James Battiste
Dissertation Topic: Mash1 Defines Lineage-Restricted Neuron and Oligodendrocyte Precursor Cells in Spinal Cord Development
Mentor: Jane Johnson, Ph.D.
Current Position: Instructor, Neurology & Neruotherapeutics
Current Affiliation: University of Texas Southwestern
Jing-Tzyh (Alan) Chiang
Dissertation Topic: Evolution of Pharyngeal Feeding Behaviors in Free-living Soil Nematodes
Mentor: Leon Avery, Ph.D. (Virgina Commonwealth University)
Current Position: Fellow, Radiology
Current Affiliation: University of California at San Diego Medical Center
Luke Engelking
Dissertation Topic: Insig-Mediated Regulation of Hepatic Lipid Synthesis
Mentor: Mike Brown, M.D. and Joe Goldstein, M.D.
Current Position: Postdoctoral Trainee, Molecular Genetics
Current Affiliation: University of Texas Southwestern
Jamison Feramisco
Dissertation Topic: SCAP, INSIG, and Cholesterol Interactions in Mammalian Cells
Mentor: Mike Brown, M.D. and Joe Goldstein, M.D.
Current Position: Staff Physician, Dermatology & Wound Care
Current Affiliation: Colusa Regional Medical Center, Colusa, CA
Eileen Foy
Dissertation Topic: Control of Innate Antiviral Defenses by the Hepatitis C Virus NS3/4A Protease
Mentor: Michael Gale, Ph.D. (U Washington)
Current Position: Clinical Fellow, Pediatrics, Infectious Disease
Current Affiliation: University of California at San Francisco Medical Center
Garrett Gotway
Dissertation Topic: The Role of Apobec2 in Striated Muscle Development and Function
Mentor: Deepak Srivastava, M.D. (UCSF)
Current Position: Postdoctoral Clinical Trainee, Genetics
Current Affiliation: University of Texas Southwestern
Nathan Holladay
Dissertation Topic: Data-optimized Linear Predictors of Disorder in Proteins Yield Insight into Disorder Prediction and Physical Processes Underlying Disorde
Mentor: Nick Grishin, Ph.D.
Current Position: Staff Physician, General Medicine
Current Affiliation: Pitt County Memorial Hospital/East Carolina University
Christopher Jones
Dissertation Topic: Development and Analysis of an Animal Model of Autosomal Recessive Hypercholesterolemia
Mentor: Joachim Herz, M.D. and Helen Hobbs, M.D.
Current Position: Staff Physician, Internal Medicine
Current Affiliation: Platte Valley Medical (Brighton, CO)
Jason Mock
Dissertation Topic: The LspA Proteins of Haemophilus ducreyi: Extracellular Virulence Factors
Mentor: Eric Hansen, Ph.D.
Current Position: Clinical Fellow, Internal Medicine, Pulmonology/Respiratory
Current Affiliation: Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Charles Nguyen
Dissertation Topic: Haplotype-specific Effects of the SLAM/CD2 Family on the Immune Response
Mentor: Ward Wakeland, Ph.D.
Current Position: Hospitalist, Internal Medicine
Current Affiliation: Houston Northwest Medical Center/UT Health Science Center, Houston
Tim Rand
Dissertation Topic: A Biochemical Model for siRNA Loading and RISC activation in RNA interference
Mentor: Xiaodong Wang, Ph.D. (National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing)
Current Position: Postdoctoral Scholar, Pathology
Current Affiliation: University of Calfornia at San Francisco Medical Center/ Gladstone Institute
Abhi Seth
Dissertation Topic: Autoinhibition Regulates the Actin Assembly Activity and Cellular Localization of Diaphanous-Related Formins
Mentor: Michael Rosen, M.D. and Helen Yin, M.D.
Current Position: Instructor, Internal Medicine, Rheumatology
Current Affiliation: Yale University School of Medicine
Tuhin Virmani
Dissertation Topic: Molecular And Functional Determinants Of Synaptic Vesicle Recycling In CNS Synapses
Mentor: Ege Kavalali, Ph.D.
Current Position: Postdoctoral Clinical Fellow / Assistant, Clinical Neurology
Current Affiliation: Columbia University Medical Center, New York
Jeff Waugh
Dissertation Topic: A Structural/Behavioral Analysis of Dopamine Regulation by the R7 RGS Subfamily
Mentor: Stephen Gold, Ph.D.
Current Position: Clinical Fellow, Pediatric Neurology
Current Affiliation: Harvard University - Children's Hospital of Boston
Class of 2006
Jeffrey B. Cheng
Dissertation Topic: cDNA Cloning And Characterization Of Enzymes That Synthesize Bile Acids, Vitamin D And Waxes
Mentor: David Russell, Ph.D.
Current Position: Assistant Clinical Professor, Dermatology
Current Affiliation: University of California at San Francisco Medical Center
Jennifer Olson Graves
Dissertation Topic: The Molecular Mechanism of High Signaling Efficiency in Drosophila Photoreceptor Cells.
Mentor: Rama Ranganathan, Ph.D.
Current Position: Instructor, Neurology
Current Affiliation: University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
Rohit Sharma
Dissertation Topic: The physical mechanism underlying long-range energetic interactions between sites in a protein.
Mentor: Rama Ranganathan, Ph.D.
Current Position: Hospitalist, Internal Medicine
Current Affiliation: Harvard University Massachusetts General Hospital
Andrew I. Shulman
Dissertation Topic: Allosteric Communication in Retinoid X Receptor Heterodimers
Mentor: David Mangelsdorf, Ph.D.
Current Position: Postdoctoral Clinical Trainee, Pediatric Rheumatology
Current Affiliation: UT Southwestern
Mark R. Steciuk
Dissertation Topic: The control of terminal bulb pumping in the nematodes C. elegans and P. redivivus
Mentor: Leon Avery, Ph.D. (Virgina Commonwealth University)
Current Position: Fellow, Hematopathology
Current Affiliation: University of Alabama Medical Center at Birmingham
Rhea M. Sumpter, Jr.
Dissertation Topic: Viral & Host Genetic Determinants of Hepatitis C Virus Persistence and Interferon Resistance
Mentor: Michael Gale, Ph.D. (U Washington)
Current Position: Postdoctoral Clinical Trainee/Fellow in Internal Medicine, Infectious Diseases Division
Current Affiliation: UT Southwestern
Elie A. Traer
Dissertation Topic: Regulation of cytochrome c release in UV-induced apoptosis
Mentor: Xiaodong Wang, Ph.D. (National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing)
Current Position: Fellow, Internal Medicine, Hematology/Oncology
Current Affiliation: Oregon Health and Science University
Class of 2005
Gene Devora
Dissertation Topic: Activating Murine NK Cell Receptors LY49H and LY49U and Their Potential Role in Friend Virus Resistance
Mentor: Michael Bennett, M.D.
Current Position: Allergist
Current Affiliation: Texas Health Resources, Texas Health Plano, Plano, TX
Ed Esplin
Dissertation Topic: Characterization of the Role of the PP2A-A Beta Gene, a Putative Tumor Suppressor, in Cell Growth and Tumorigenesis
Mentor: Glen Evans, M.D., Ph.D./Marc Mumby, Ph.D.
Current Position: Resident, Genetics
Current Affiliation: Stanford University
Jimmy L. Holder
Dissertation Topic: The bHLH/PPAS Transcription Factor SIM1 is a Novel Obesity Gene
Mentor: Andrew Zinn, Ph.D.
Current Position: Fellow, Child Neurology
Current Affiliation: Baylor College of Medicine (Houston, TX)
Irfan Kathiriya
Dissertation Topic: GATA Co-factors: Collaborators in Cardiac Development, Conspirators in Cardiac Disease
Mentor: Deepak Srivastava, M.D. (UCSF)
Current Position: Clinical Fellow, Pediatric Anesthesia
Current Affiliation: University of California at San Francisco Medical Center
Deepak Nijhawan
Dissertation Topic: Biochemical Pathways in Apoptosis
Mentor: Xiaodong Wang, Ph.D. (National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing)
Current Position: Instructor, Internal Medicine
Current Affiliation: Harvard University - Dana Farber Cancer Institute
John Peters
Dissertation Topic: Casein Kinase 1 Transduces Wnt Signals
Mentor: Jon Graff, Ph.D.
Current Position: Pathologist
Current Affiliation: Texas Health Resources, Texas Health HEB, Bedford, TX
Katherine Steger
Dissertation Topic: Cholinergic Regulation of Feeding in C. elegans: Studies of a T-type Calcium Channel and Three Muscarinic Acetylcholine Receptors
Mentor: Leon Avery, Ph.D. (Virginia Commonwealth University)
Current Position: Resident, Psychiatry (last known)
Current Affiliation: McGill University Health Centre (Montreal, QC, Canada)
Matthew Wieduwilt
Dissertation Topic: Smad3 in Embryonic Patterning, Mesoderm Induction, and Colorectal Cancer in the Mouse
Mentor: Jon Graff, Ph.D.
Current Position: Clinical Fellow, Internal Medicine, Division of Hematology/Oncology
Current Affiliation: University of California at San Francisco Medical Center
Jon Willie
Dissertation Topic: Lessons from Sleepy Mice: Narcolepsy and the Orexin Neuropeptide System
Mentor: Masashi Yanagisawa, Ph.D.
Current Position: Fellow, Functional & Epilepsy Surgery
Current Affiliation: Emory University
Class of 2004
Dara Aisner
Dissertation Topic: Regulation Of hTERT, The Catalytic Subunit Of Human Telomerase
Mentor: Jerry Shay, Ph.D.
Current Position: Assistant Professor, Pathology
Current Affiliation: University of Colorado School of Medicine, Denver, CO
Vivek Arora
Dissertation Topic: Identification And Characterization Of A Nef-Associatied Kinase
Mentor: Jose Victor Garcia-Martinez, Ph.D.
Current Position: Clinical Fellow, Internal Medicine, Division of Oncology
Current Affiliation: Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (New York, NY)
Adrienne Hammill
Dissertation Topic: Assymetric Cell Division Results In Differential Apoptotic Cell Fates In A B-Cell Lymphoma Model Of Tumor Dormancy
Mentor: Richard Scheuermann, Ph.D.
Current Position: Clinical Assistant Professor, Pedicatrics, Pediatric Hematology/Oncoclogy; Integrated Research Pathway
Current Affiliation: Cincinnati Children's Hospital - University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
Mark Hatley
Dissertation Topic: Allosteric Determinants Of Guanine Nucleotide Binding Proteins And Methods To Crystallize The Cytosolic Domains Of Adenylyl Cyclase
Mentor: Al Gilman, Ph.D.
Current Position: Assistant Member, Pediatrics
Current Affiliation: St. Jude's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN
Jennifer Hodges
Dissertation Topic: Differential Effects Of Thiazolidinediones On Gene Expression In Mouse And Rat
Mentor: J. Denis McGarry, M.D. (deceased) and Victoria Esser, M.D.
Current Position: Fellow, Maternal/Fetal Medicine
Current Affiliation: UC Irvine School of Medicine
Mahesh Karandikar
Dissertation Topic: A Study of Mekk1: Scaffolding Protein and Raf-1 Activator
Mentor: Melanie Cobb, Ph.D.
Current Position: Fellow, Neurological Surgery
Current Affiliation: University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Rafal Kedzierski
Dissertation Topic: Cardiovascular Role Of Endothelin-A Receptor: Studies In Conditional Gene Knockout Mice
Mentor: Masashi Yanagisawa, Ph.D.
Current Position: Staff Physician, Radiology
Current Affiliation: UT Southwestern ; Parkland Memorial Hospital (Dallas, TX)
Thomas Kerr
Dissertation Topic: Cholesterol 25-Hydroxylase And The In Vivo Role Of Short Heterodimer Partner (SHP) In Bile Acid Metabolism
Mentor: David W. Russell, Ph.D.
Current Position: Assistant Professor, Medicine, Gastroenterology Division
Current Affiliation: Washington University School of Medicine, Barnes-Jewish Hospital
Lily Li
Dissertation Topic: The Role Of Endonuclease G, A Mitochondrial Nuclease In Apoptosis
Mentor: Xiaodong Wang, Ph.D. (National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing)
Current Position: Dermatologist
Current Affiliation: Texas Health Resources, Texas Health Arlington Memorial, Arlington, TX
Timothy Lu
Dissertation Topic: Nuclear Receptor Regulation of Bile Acid Metabolism
Mentor: David Mangelsdorf, Ph.D.
Current Position: Assistant Adjunct Professor, Medicine, GI Division
Current Affiliation: University of California at San Francisco Medical Center
David McFadden
Dissertation Topic: Control Of Cardiac And Limb Development By The bHLH Transcription Factors dHAND and eHAND
Mentor: Eric Olson, Ph.D.
Current Position: Instructor, Medicine, Endocrine Unit
Current Affiliation: Harvard University - Massachusetts General Hospital
Timothy Niacaris
Dissertation Topic: Serotonergic And G-Protein Mediated Regulation Of The C. Elegans Pharyngeal Muscle Action Potential
Mentor: Leon Avery, Ph.D. (Virginia Commonwealth University)
Current Position: Assistant Professor, Orthopedic Surgery
Current Affiliation: University of North Texas Health Science Center, Forth Worth, TX
Adam Seegmiller
Dissertation Topic: Feedback Regulation Of Lipid Biosynthesis By Drosophila Sterol Regulatory Element Binding Protein (dSREBP)
Mentors: Michael Brown, M.D. and Joseph Goldstein, M.D.
Current Position: Assistant Professor, Pathology
Current Affiliation: Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Class of 2003
Jared Abbott
Dissertation Topic: Active Site Analysis of Trypanosoma Brucei γ-Glutamylcysteine Synthetase
Mentor: Meg Phillips, Ph.D.
Current Position: Dermatopathologist, Anatomic Pathology
Current Affiliation: Iowa Pathology Associates (Des Moines, IA)
Priscilla Chang
Dissertation Topic: Muscle-Specific Regulation Of Serum Response Factor By Differential DNA Binding Affinity And Cofactor Interactions
Mentor: Eric Olson, Ph.D.
Current Position: Pathologist, Anatomic & Clinical Pathology/Hematopathology
Current Affiliation: Pathology Sciences Medical Group, Chico, CA
Narimon Honarpour
Dissertation Topic: The Requirement of Apoptotic Protease Activating Factor-1 (APAF-1) For Mammalian Development
Mentor: Joachim Herz, Ph.D.
Current Position: Clinical Instructor, Medicine
Current Affiliation: University of California at Los Angeles Medical Center
Michael Lutter
Dissertation Topic: The Role of Mitochondrial Contact Sites In Bid Mediated Cytochrome C Release
Mentor: Xiaodong Wang, Ph.D. (National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing)
Current Position: Assistant Professor, Psychiatry
Current Affiliation: UT Southwestern
Holt Oliver
Dissertation Topic: Genetic and Biochemical Analyses of the Necessity for Caspase Activation by the Ced4-Domain Proteins, Apaf-1 and DARK
Mentor: Xiaodong Wang, Ph.D. (National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing)
Current Position: Clinical Fellow, Internal Medicine, Hematology/Oncology (last known)
Current Affiliation: Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Gail Streater
Dissertation Topic: Elucidation of Functionally Important Amino Acids in the DNA DSBR and V(D)J Recombination Protein XRCC4
Mentor: Kathy Meek, DVM
Current Position: Pediatrician, OSF Hospitalist Service
Current Affiliation: OSF St. Francis Medical Center (Peoria IL)
Renee Valdez
Dissertation Topic: Myogenic BHLH Transcription Factors: Their Overlapping Functions And Direct Regulation of MEF2C Provide A Regulatory Network For The Maintenance And Amplification Of Vertebrate Myogenesis
Mentor: Eric Olson, Ph.D.
Current Position: Assistant Professor, Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences
Current Affiliation: Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
Class of 2002
Kevin Berman
Dissertation Topic: Studying Stress Responsive Signaling Pathways in C. elegans and Mammals
Mentor: Melanie Cobb, Ph.D.
Current Position: Dermatologist
Current Affiliation: Atlanta Center for Dermatologic Diseases, PA
Mickie Cheng
Dissertation Topic: Regulation of meiosis and cell cycle in the developmental context of spermatogenesis of Drosophila.
Mentor: Steve Wasserman, Ph.D.
Current Position: Assistant Adjunct Professor, Diabetes Center and Department of Medicine
Current Affiliation: University of California at San Francisco School of Medicine
Katrina Voe Cotton
Dissertation Topic: Translational regulation of HMG CoA reductase by a mevalonate-derived product
Mentors: Michael Brown, M.D. and Joseph Goldstein, M.D.
Current Position: Anesthesiologist
Current Affiliation: Medical City Dallas
Amber Luong
Dissertation Topic: Study of the regulation of 2 isoforms of the transcription factor, SREBP-1
Mentors: Michael Brown, M.D. and Joseph Goldstein, M.D.
Current Position: Assistant Professor, Otorhinolaryngology and Immunology
Current Affiliation: University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston - MD Anderson Cancer Center
David Myers
Dissertation Topic: Mapping the Energetics of Dimerization ofTrypanosoma brucei Ornithine Decarboxylase.
Mentor: Meg Phillips, MPh.D.
Current Position: Clinical Assistant Professor, Internal Medicine - Pulmonary Division
Current Affiliation: UT Southwestern
Ben Ohlstein
Dissertation Topic: A role for the Drosophila Bag-Of-Marbles and Benigh Gonial Cell Neoplasm genes in the differentiation of cystocytes from germline stem cells.
Mentor: Dennis McKearin, Ph.D. (HHMI)
Current Position: Assistant Professor, Genetics & Development
Current Affiliation: Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY
Andrew Rozelle
Dissertation Topic: Phosphatidylinositol 4,5 bisphosphate induces actin-based movement of endocytic and exocytic vesicles enriched in sphingolipid: Cholesterol rafts through WASP family proteins and the Arp 2/3 complex.
Mentor: Helen Yin, Ph.D.
Current Position: Rheumatologist
Current Affiliation: Palo Alto Medical Foundation (Palo Alto, CA/Fremont, CA)
Jason Walenta
Dissertation Topic: Hooking Organelles to Microtubules
Mentor: Helmut Krämer, Ph.D.
Current Position: Psychiatrist (last known)
Current Affiliation/Location: Reno, NV
Class of 2001
Hal Berman
Dissertation Topic: Regulation of glucose disposal in hepatocytes and islets of Langerhans studied by metabolic engineering
Mentor: Chris Newgard, Ph.D. (Duke)
Current Position: Assistant Professor, Surgical Pathology & Cancer Research
Current Affiliation: University of Toronto Medical Center
Derek Byers
Dissertation Topic: The cytotoxic T lymphocyte response to a viral peptide presented by H2-M3
Mentor: Kirsten Fischer Lindahl, Ph.D.
Current Position: Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine, Division of Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine
Current Affiliation: Washington University School of Medicine
Tom D'Orazio
Dissertation Topic: A study of the camerosplenic axis of Anterior Chamber-Associated Immune Deviation (ACAID)
Mentor: Jerry Niederkorn, Ph.D.
Current Position: Ophthalmologist; Clinical Staff
Current Affiliation: Crossroads Eye Care Associates (McMurray, PA); University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Shadyside Hospital
Alex Duncan
Dissertation Topic: A biochemical dissection of the heterotrimeric G protein thioacylation cycle
Mentor: Al Gilman, Ph.D.
Current Position: Clinical Assistant Professor, Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases
Current Affiliation: University of North Carolina School of Medicine
David Edwards
Dissertation Topic: Intracellular protein-protein interactions involved in the establishment of dorsoventral polarity during Drosophila melanogaster embryogenesis
Mentor: Steven Wasserman, Ph.D. (UCSD)
Current Position: Cardiologist
Current Affiliation: Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Greg Goldmakher
Dissertation Topic: Electrophysiological characterization of the voltage- and GABA-induced currents of periglomerular neurons of the rat accessory olfactory bulb
Mentor: Robert Moss, Ph.D. (Deceased)
Current Position: Associate Director, Medical Affairs (Radiology)
Current Affiliation: ICON Medical Imaging, Warrington, PA
Adrian Goldstein
Dissertation Topic: CAATT displacement protein regulates B-lymphocyte and T-lymphocyte development
Mentor: Richard Scheuermann, Ph.D.
Current Position: Director, Dermatopathology
Current Affiliation: D-PATH, Memphis, TN
Greg Hosler
Dissertation Topic: Minimal residual disease evaluation as a prognostic indicator in T Cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia
Mentor: Richard Scheuermann, Ph.D.
Current Position: Clinical Assistant Professor, Pathology & Dermatology
Current Affiliation: UT Southwestern
Laura Klesse
Dissertation Topic: Neurotrophin signaling cascades
Mentor: Luis Parada, Ph.D.
Current Position: Assistant Professor of Pediatrics (Pediatric Hematology/Oncology)
Current Affiliation: UT Southwestern -CMC
Bobby Korn
Dissertation Topic: SCAP, A sterol sensing protein that regulates cholesterol homeostatis in the liver
Mentors: Michael Brown, M.D. and Joseph Goldstein, M.D.
Current Position: Assistant Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology (Orbit & Reconstructive Surgery)
Current Affiliation: University of California at San Diego Medical Center School of Medicine
Steven Russell
Dissertation Topic: Role of the proteasome in gene transcription and DNA repair
Mentor: Stephen Johnston, Ph.D. (Arizona State U Biodesign Institute)
Current Position: Instructor, Internal Medicine, Division of Endocrinology
Current Affiliation: Harvard University - Massachusetts General Hospital
Greg Van Dyke
Dissertation Topic: Study of the mechanisms by which CD8 T lymphocytes suppress the replication of HIV in CD4 T cells
Mentor: Ellen Vitetta, Ph.D.
Current Position: Assistant Clinical Professor, Medicine and Pathology
Current Affiliation: University of California at Los Angeles Medical Center School of Medicine
Class of 2000
Beth Duncan
Dissertation Topic: Identification and characterization of the sites of regulated proteolysis in SREBP-2
Mentors: Michael Brown, M.D. and Joseph Goldstein, M.D.
Current Position: Fellow in Allergy & Immunology Departments
Current Affiliation: University of North Carolina School of Medicine
Alex Faulkner Lazar
Dissertation Topic: A New Family of Lipid Phosphate Phosphatases: What DO they Do
Mentor: Paul Sternweis, Ph.D.
Current Position: Associate Professor of Pathology; Director, Sarcoma Molecular Diagnostics; Director, Soft Tissue Pathology Fellowship Program; Sarcoma Research Center
Current Affiliation: University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston - MD Anderson Cancer Center
Rene Galindo
Dissertation Topic: Genetic and molecular analysis of dorsoventral signaling in the Drosophila embryo
Mentor: Steven Wasserman, Ph.D.
Current Position: Assistant Professor of Pediatric Pathology and Molecular Oncology
Current Affiliation: UT Southwestern
Richard (Dick) Kibbey
Dissertation Topic: The LDL receptor clustering motif interacts with the clathrin terminal domain in a reverse turn conformation.
Mentor: RGW Anderson. M.D.
Current Position: Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine (Section of Endocrinology) and Cellular & Molecular Physiology
Current Affiliation: Yale University School of Medicine
Rob Makar
Dissertation Topic: Non-Sterol Regulation of LDL Receptor Gene Expression in Jurkat Cells
Mentor: P Lipsky, MD and J Cuthbert, M.D.
Current Position: Instructor of Pathology
Current Affiliation: Harvard University - Massachusetts General Hospital
Kevin Rosenblatt
Dissertation Topic: Alternative splicing of slo channels within auditory hair cells: A tune with many variations.
Mentor: AJ Hudspeth, M.D.
Current Position: Associate Professor, Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine for the Prevention of Human Diseases - Proteomics & Systems Biology
Current Affiliation: University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston
Mark Etherton
Dissertation Topic: Molecular Pathogenesis of Autism: A Role for Neurexin & Neuroligin
Mentor: Dr. Thomas Südhof (Stanford)
Current Position: Resident, Internal Medicine (prelim): Neurology
Current Affiliation: UT Southwestern (prelim); Harvard/Brigham & Women’s Hospital
Bret Evers
Dissertation Topic: Role of Insig-Mediated Cholesterol Homeostasis in the Development of the Palate & Hair Follicles in Mice
Mentor: Drs. Michael Brown & Joseph Goldstein
Current Position: Resident, Pathology
Current Affiliation: UT Southwestern
Midhat Farooqi
Dissertation Topic: The Role of Insig-Mediated Cholesterol Homeostasis in Mouse Hair Development Mentor: Drs. Michael Brown & Joseph Goldstein
Current Position: Resident, Pathology
Current Affiliation: University of Pennsylvania
Rodney Infante
Dissertation Topic: Unraveling Niemann-Pick: A Disease of Cholesterol Transport
Mentor: Drs. Michael Brown & Joseph Goldstein
Current Position: Resident, Internal Medicine
Current Affiliation: Harvard/Massachusetts General Hospital
David Meredith
Dissertation Topic: Comparative Analysis of Developmental Programs Controlled by Ptfl a Mentor: Dr. Jane Johnson
Current Position: Resident, Pathology
Current Affiliation: Harvard/Brigham & Women’s Hospital
Anthony Orvedahl
Dissertation Topic: Autophagy in Antiviral Immunity
Mentor: Dr. Beth Levine
Current Position: Resident, Pediatrics
Current Affiliation: Washington University School of Medicine
Vera Paulson
Dissertation Topic: High-Resolution Array Comparative Genomic Hybridization Reveals Targets in Rhabdyomyosarcoma
Mentor: Dr. Scott Cameron (Novartis Institutes for Biological Research, Cambridge, MA)
Current Position: Resident, Pathology
Current Affiliation: Harvard/Brigham & Women’s Hospital
Alan Poole
Dissertation Topic: Collective Structural Modes in Proteins: A Case Study in the PDZ Domain
Mentor: Dr. Rama Ranganathan
Current Position: Resident, Pediatrics
Current Affiliation: UT Southwestern
Nora Renthal
Dissertation Topic: The miR-200 Family and Targets, ZEB! & ZEB2, Modulate Uterine Quiescence and Contractility during Pregnancy and Labor
Mentor: Dr. Carole Mendelson
Current Position: Resident, Pediatrics
Current Affiliation: UT Southwestern
Daniel Schmidt
Dissertation Topic: Bile Acids and Nuclear Receptors: Their Roles in Nutrition and Cancer
Mentor: Dr. David Mangelsdorf
Current Position: Resident, Internal Medicine (prelim): Radiation Oncology
Current Affiliation: Harvard/Brigham & Women’s Hospital
Jason Tuckerman
Dissertation Topic: Heme-based Oxygen Sensors in Commensal and Pathogenic Bacteria
Mentor: Dr. Marie-Alda Gilles-Gonzalez
Current Position: Resident, Internal Medicine Research Pathway
Current Affiliation: Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine