MSTP Alumni 1991-1999
Class of 1999
David Berman
Dissertation Topic: Regulators of G protein signaling (RGS): A family of GTPase activating proteins
Mentor: Alfred Gilman, Ph.D.
Current Position: Senior Vice President, R&D – Head of Oncology iMED
Current Affiliation: MedImmune – AstraZeneca (Gaithersburg, MD)
Michael Biswas
Dissertation Topic: cDNA cloning and characterization of enzymes that metabolize androgens
Mentor: David Russell, Ph.D.
Current Position:
Current Affiliation: N/A
Greg Clines
Dissertation Topic: Positional cloning of three loci involved in human skeletal growth and morphogenesis
Mentor: M. Lovett, M.D.
Current Position: Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine, Division of Metabolism, Endocrinology & Diabetes
Current Affiliation: University of Michigan Health System
Michele Hutchison
Dissertation Topic: Cloning and characterization of the mammalian STE20-related protein kinases, PAK2 and TAO1
Mentor: Melanie Cobb, Ph.D.
Current Position: Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Current Affiliation: UT Southwestern Medical Center
Robert Marquis
Dissertation Topic: Study of the active mechanical properties of the hair bundle which may underlie signal amplification in vertebrate internal ear organs
Mentor: A.J. Hudspeth, M.D.
Current Position: Ophthalmologist
Current Affiliation: Texan Eye Ophthalmology Practice (Austin, TX)
Thai Nguyen
Dissertation Topic: Characterization of neuroligins: Novel cell adhesion molecules in neurons
Mentor: T. Südhof, Ph.D.
Current Position: Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology & Critical Care Medicine
Current Affiliation: Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Monique Spillman
Dissertation Topic: Estrogen-responsive genes in breast and ovarian cancer
Mentor: A. Bowcock, M.D.
Current Position: Obstetrician/Gynecology Specialist
Current Affiliation: Texas Oncology-Baylor/Charles A. Sammons Cancer Center, Gynecologic Oncology (Dallas/Fort Worth)
Linda Verkruyse
Dissertation Topic: Characterization of palmitoyl-protein thioesterase and its role in human disease
Mentor: Sandra Hofmann, M.D., Ph.D.
Current Position: Hematologist and Medical Oncologist
Current Affiliation: Texas Oncology (Mansfield and Arlington, TX)
Class of 1998
Prakash Bhatia
Dissertation Topic: Identification and analysis of RAD28, the saccharomyces cerevisiae homolog of the cockayne syndrome complementation group A (CSA) gene
Mentor: Errol Friedberg, M.D.
Current Position: Medical Director and Co-Founder; Executive Medical Director, Psychiatry
Current Affiliation: Synergy Clinical Research; Paradise Valley Hospital (El Cajon, CA)
Prakash Bhuyan
Dissertation Topic: Identification of the rat maternally transmitted antigen
Mentor: Kirsten Fischer Lindahl, Ph.D.
Current Position: Director, ID/Vaccines Clinical Research; Adjunct Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases
Current Affiliation: Merck Research Laboratories; University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
Britt Britton
Dissertation Topic: Molecular characterization of human isoforms of carnitine palmitoyltransferase I
Mentor: J.D. McGarry, Ph.D.
Current Position:
Current Affiliation: N/A
Vik Dabhi
Dissertation Topic: Characteristics of T-cells specific for the MHC class I molecule H2-M3
Mentor: Kirsten Fischer Lindahl, Ph.D.
Current Position: Internist, Gastroenterology and Hematology/Oncology
Current Affiliation: Pacific Medical Centers (Seattle, WA)
Jim Davie
Dissertation Topic: Expression and assembly of mammalian branched-chain alpha-ketoacid decarboxylase in Escherichia coli
Mentor: David Chuang, Ph.D.
Current Position: Dermatopathologist AP/CP
Current Affiliation: Medical Center Clinic (Pensacola, FL)
Julia Klesney-Tait
Dissertation Topic: Characterization of the major outer membrane protein of Haemophilus ducreyi
Mentor: Eric Hansen, Ph.D.
Current Position: Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine; Medical Director of Lung Transplantation; Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Occupational Medicine
Current Affiliation: University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine
Colin Koon
Dissertation Topic: Identification, purification, and characterization of a mitochondrial DNA-binding protein
Mentor: R.S. Williams, Ph.D.
Current Position: Ob/Gyn Specialist
Current Affiliation: Texas Oncology-Baylor/Charles A. Sammons Cancer Center, Gynecologic Oncology
Richard Noel
Dissertation Topic: Use of recombinant adenovirus for engineering of glucose transport and glycerol metabolism in insulinoma cells and Islets of Langerhans
Mentor: C. Newgard, Ph.D.
Current Position: Associate Professor and Chief, Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition
Current Affiliation: Duke University Medical Center
Andrea Sestak
Dissertation Topic: Studies of gene expression in two animal models of growth and insulin hypersecretion in the islets of Langerhans
Mentor: C. Newgard, Ph.D.
Current Position: Research Assistant Member, Arthritis and Immunology Research Program
Current Affiliation: Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation
Pampee Young
Dissertation Topic: Two Cis-acting motifs, a CRE-like element and a GT box, are necessary for the cyclic AMP regulation of the human surfactant protein-A2 (SP-A2) gene expression in alveolar type II cells
Mentor: Carole Mendelson, Ph.D.
Current Position: Assistant Professor of Pathology and Medicine
Current Affiliation: Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Class of 1997
Fernando Catalina
Dissertation Topic: The effect of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) administration on the proliferation of normal & neoplastic hematopoietic progenitors: The role of caloric restriction
Mentor: Michael Bennett, M.D.
Current Position: Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Current Affiliation: University of Massachusetts Medical School (Worcester, MA)
Charles Eberhart
Dissertation Topic: A molecular and genetic analysis of pelota and boule, two loci required for meiotic cell division in Drosophila males
Mentor: S. Wasserman, M.D.
Current Position: Associate Professor of Pathology, Ophthalmology and Oncology
Current Affiliation: Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Phil Frykman
Dissertation Topic: The Very Low Density Lipoprotein Receptor Knockout Mouse
Mentors: Michael Brown, M.D. and Joseph Goldstein, M.D.
Current Position: Associate Director, General Pediatric Surgery; Associate Professor, Biomedical Sciences and Academic Affairs; Assistant Clinical Professor, Surgery
Current Affiliation: Cedars-Sinai Medical Center; University of California at Los Angeles David Geffen School of Medicine; Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles
Naoum Issa
Dissertation Topic: The Concentration of Calcium Ions at the Presynaptic Active Zone of Hair Cells During Neurotransmitter Release
Mentor: A.J. Hudspeth, M.D.
Current Position: Assistant Professor of Neurobiology, Pharmacology, Physiology
Current Affiliation: University of Chicago
Daniel Lee
Dissertation Topic: Temperature-dependent regulation of interleukin-1β gene expression
Mentor: P. Nison, M.D.
Current Position: Assistant Clinical Professor of Anesthesiology
Current Affiliation: University of California San Diego Medical Center
Ethan Lee
Dissertation Topic: The structural basis of G protein activation
Mentor: Alfred Gilman, M.D., Ph.D.
Current Position: Assistant Professor of Cell and Developmental Biology
Current Affiliation: Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Steve Margossian
Dissertation Topic: Studies of the dead/H box protein, Suv3p, and its role in mitochondrial RNA metabolism in yeast
Mentor: R. Butow, M.D.
Current Position: Instructor of Pediatric Oncology and Medicine
Current Affiliation: Harvard University-Children’s Hospital of Boston; Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Ignatius Ou
Dissertation Topic: Cloning and characterization of cellular factors that bind to critical regulatory elements in the HIV-1 LTR
Mentor: R. Gaynor, M.D.
Current Position: Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine, Pulmonary and Critical Care Division
Current Affiliation: University of California at Irvine Medical Center, UCI Lung Center, Chao Comprehensive Cancer Center
David Raizen
Dissertation Topic: Behavioral, Electrophysical and Genetic Studies of Neurons that Control Pharyngeal Pumping in Caenorhabditis Elegans
Mentor: L. Avery, M.D.
Current Position: Assistant Professor of Neurology
Current Affiliation: University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
John Villano
Dissertation Topic: Molecular & Genetic Characterization of the Drosophila Four-Jointed Gene
Mentor: F. Katz, M.D. (NIH, International Training and Research)
Current Position: Associate Professor of Medicine; Director, Clinical Neuro-Oncology Research Program
Current Affiliation: University of Kentucky, UK HealthCare and Markey Cancer Center
Brian Weis
Dissertation Topic: Expression of the Carnitine Palmitoyltransferase Enzymes in Rat Liver and Heart
Mentor: J.D. McGarry, M.D.
Current Position: Associate Professor of Internal Medicine
Current Affiliation: Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center and School of Medicine
Patrick Weix
Dissertation Topic: Analysis of Loss of Heterozygosity in Murine Ocular Tumors by Simple Sequence Length Polymorphisms
Mentor: J. Sambrook, M.D.
Current Position: Clinical Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Current Affiliation: Irving/Coppell Women’s Health Center (Irving, TX)
Class of 1996
Scott Armstrong
Dissertation Topic: Molecular and Biochemical Characterization of Rab Geranylgeranyl Transferase
Mentors: Michael Brown, M.D. and Joseph Goldstein, M.D.
Current Position: Director, Leukemia Center, Vice Chair for Basic and Translational Research, Department of Pediatrics; Grayer Family Chair
Current Affiliation: Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
David M. Berman
Dissertation Topic: The Role of Steroid 5-α Reductase Isozymes in Male Sexual Development
Mentor: David Russell, Ph.D.
Current Position: Associate Professor of Pathology, Oncology, and Urology
Current Affiliation: Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Laura Camp Lee
Dissertation Topic: Purification, characterization, and molecular cloning of palmitoyl-protein thioesterase
Mentor: S. Hoffman
Current Position: Assistant Professor of Cell and Developmental Biology
Current Affiliation: Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Leonidas Carayannopoulos
Dissertation Topic: A system for the production of recombinant immunoglobulin A: Application to the study of IgA structure and function
Mentor: J.D. Capra, Ph.D.
Current Position: Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine/Pulmonary; Experimental Medicine Division
Current Affiliation: Washington University School of Medicine; Merck Research Laboratories
Diego Castrillon
Dissertation Topic: Studies of loci required for male fertility in drosophila melanogaster
Mentor: S. Wasserman, M.D.
Current Position: Professor of Pathology; Director, Investigative Pathology
Current Affiliation: UT Southwestern Medical Center
Ravindhra G. Elluru
Dissertation Topic: Characterization of the axonal transport of kinesin and type I hexokinase in the rat visual system
Mentor: S. Brady, M.D.
Current Position: Assistant Professor of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery; Pediatric Otolaryngologist, Department of Otolaryngology
Current Affiliation: University of Cincinnati College of Medicine; Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center
Christine Kim Garcia
Dissertation Topic: Transporters of Mevalonate and Monocarboxylates
Mentors: Michael Brown, M.D. and Joseph Goldstein, M.D.
Current Position: Professor, Eugene McDermott Center for Human Growth and Development
Current Affiliation: UT Southwestern Medical Center
Christopher L. Newton
Dissertation Topic: Cloning and Characterization of a cDNA for Ataxia-Telangiectasia
Mentor: T. Südhof, Ph.D.
Current Position: Private practice (Pediatrics)
Current Affiliation: Centennial Medical Center (Frisco, TX)
Class of 1995
Michael Wong
Dissertation Topic: Long-Term and Short-Term Steroidal Modulation of the Electrophysiological Properties of Hippocampal Neurons
Mentor: R. Moss, M.D.
Current Position: Assistant Professor of Pediatric Neurology
Current Affiliation: Washington University School of Medicine
Class of 1994
David Crawford
Dissertation Topic: Structural and Functional Studies of Ribonuclease Inhibitor, a Cytosolic Phosphoprotein
Mentor: Bruce Beutler, M.D.
Current Position: Associate Professor of Pediatrics
Current Affiliation: The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center
Keith Tansey
Dissertation Topic: Motor Unit Activation during Evoked Muscle Contractions: Implications for the Synaptic Organization of Motoneuron Pools and the Modulation of Muscle Force
Mentor: Barry Botterman, Ph.D.
Current Position: Director, Spinal Cord Injury Center Research; Departments of Neurology and Physiology
Current Affiliation: Crawford Research Institute, Shepherd Center (Atlanta, GA); Emory University School of Medicine
Class of 1993
Robert C. Kowal
Dissertation Topic: Studies of the Structure and Function of the LDL Receptor-Related Protein
Mentors: Michael Brown, M.D. and Joseph Goldstein, M.D.
Current Position: Cardiologist
Current Affiliation: Baylor Heart Hospital (Dallas)
Sancy A. Leachman
Dissertation Topic: Functional Domains of Skeletal and Smooth Muscle Myosin Light Chain Kinases
Mentor: James Stull, Ph.D.
Current Position: Professor and Chair, Department of Dermatology; Director, Melanoma Research Program, Knight Cancer Institute
Current Affiliation: Oregon Health and Science University
Kathryn Maschhoff
Dissertation Topic: An Analysis of the Mechanism of Pre-mRNA Splicing using Phosphorothioate-Substituted RNA
Mentor: R. Padgett, M.D.
Current Position: Clinical Associate of Pediatrics, Neonatology and Newborn Services
Current Affiliation: University of Pennsylvania
Class of 1992
Brian Maddux
Dissertation Topic: Processing of Multimodality Cortical Signals in the Cerebellar Paraflocculus
Mentor: D. Woodward, M.D.
Current Position: Neurologist
Current Affiliation: Riverhills Healthcare Montgomery (Cincinnati)
Andrea Richardson
Dissertation Topic: Molecular Cloning and Characterization of the t(2;14) Translocation Associated with Childhood CLL
Mentor: P. Tucker, M.D.
Current Position: Assistant Professor of Pathology
Current Affiliation: Harvard University, Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Mark Segal
Dissertation Topic: The Role of Disulfide Bond Formation and the Cellular Protein BiP in the Folding of Influenza Hemagglutinin
Mentor: M.J. Gething, M.D.
Current Position: Associate Professor of Internal Medicine
Current Affiliation: University of Florida School of Medicine
Jeffrey Smith
Dissertation Topic: Feedback Regulation of Genes Controlling Cholesterol Metabolism
Mentors: Michael Brown, M.D. and Joseph Goldstein, M.D.
Current Position: Assistant Professor of Medicine and Cancer Biology; Division of Genetic Medicine; Ingram Assistant Professor, Cancer Research
Current Affiliation: Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Class of 1991
Michael J. Eck
Dissertation Topic: The three-dimensional structure of Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF-alpha) at 2.6 angstrom resolution
Mentor: S. Sprang, M.D.
Current Position: Professor of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology
Current Affiliation: Harvard University – Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Sunilkumar Patel
Dissertation Topic: Functional and phenotypic analysis of human T-cell clones
Mentor: P. Lipsky, M.D.
Current Position: Internist
Current Affiliation: Private practice (Abilene, TX)
Ellen Pizer
Dissertation Topic: Insertional activation of the C-MYB locus and development of B-cell lymphomas in chickens infected embryonically with ALV
Mentor: E. Humphries, M.D.
Current Position: Attending Pathologist
Current Affiliation: CellNetix Pathology PLLC (Everett, WA); Swedish Medical Center (Seattle)
Ronald Rubenstein
Dissertation Topic: Regulation of G Proteins by the β-Adrenergic Receptor: Aspects of Receptor Structure and Selectivity
Mentor: Elliott Ross, Ph.D.
Current Position: Associate Professor of Pediatrics
Current Affiliation: University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine; Children’s Hospital, Philadelphia
Mark Swancutt
Dissertation Topic: Molecular characterization of the immunogenic 34-kilodalton membrane lipoprotein of Treponema palladium
Mentor: Michael Norgard, Ph.D.
Current Position: Associate Professor of Microbiology and Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Disease
Current Affiliation: UT Southwestern Medical Center
Keith Woeltje
Dissertation Topic: Structure/function/regulatory properties of mitochondrial carnitine palmitoyltransferase
Mentor: J.D. McGarry, M.D.
Current Position: Associate Professor of Medicine; Division of Infectious Diseases
Current Affiliation: Washington University School of Medicine
