MSTP Alumni 2000-2009
Class of 2009
Christian Gocke
Dissertation Topic: Regulation of Chromatin-Associated Proteins by Sumoylation
Mentor: Hongtao Yu, Ph.D.
Current Position: Fellow, Medicine, Hematology/Oncology
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: Clinical Fellow, Neurosurgery
Current Affiliation: Washington University/Barnes-Jewish Hospital (St. Louis)
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. (University of Washington)
Current Position: Clinical Fellow, Medicine, Infectious Diseases
Current Affiliation: Washington University/Barnes-Jewish Hospital (St. Louis)
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. (University of Washington)
Current Position: Clinical Fellow, Medicine, Pulmonary/Critical Care
Current Affiliation: Washington University/Barnes-Jewish Hospital (St. Louis)
Christopher Larson
Dissertation Topic: Evolutionary Constraints Specifying Protein Folding and Function
Mentor: Rama Ranganathan, M.D., Ph.D.
Current Position: Fellow, Internal Medicine PST Program, Hematology/Oncology
Current Affiliation: University of California San Diego Medical Center
Amy Mellgren Archer
Dissertation Topic: PDGFR beta Signaling in Mouse Epicardial and Mural Cells Influences Blood Vessel Remodeling
Mentor: Michelle Tallquist-Seidel, Ph.D.
Current Position: Fellow, Rheumatology (2012-13 Driskill Fellow)
Current Affiliation: Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago
Alexis Melton
Dissertation Topic: Combinatorial Control of CD45 Signal-Induced Exon Repression by hnRNP L and PSF
Mentor: Kristen Lynch, Ph.D. (University of Pennsylvania)
Current Position: Clinical Fellow, Pediatric Hematology/Oncology
Current Affiliation: University of California at San Francisco Medical Center
Prashant Mishra
Dissertation Topic: Dynamic Scaffolding in a G-Protein Signaling Cascade
Mentor: Rama Ranganathan, M.D., Ph.D.
Current Position: Associate Professor, Biology & Biological Engineering
Current Affiliation: California Institute of Technology – Laboratory of David Chan, M.D., Ph.D. (HHMI/Department of Biology)
Baochan Nguyen
Dissertation Topic: Protein Phosphatase Inhibitor-1 and CDK5: Of Molecules and Memory
Mentor: James Bibb, Ph.D.
Current Position: Assistant Professor, Ophthalmology
Current Affiliation: UT Southwestern Medical Center
Brent Presley
Dissertation Topic: Novel Roles of Gastrin and Cholecystokinin in Islet Beta Cell Proliferation
Mentor: Christopher Newgard, Ph.D. (Duke)
Current Position: Clinical Postdoctoral Trainee, Pediatrics
Current Affiliation: UT Southwestern 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: Clinical Fellow, Pediatric Cardiology
Current Affiliation: Harvard University – Children’s Hospital of Boston
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: Assistant Professor, Pathology
Current Affiliation: UC San Diego Medical Center
Jadon Webb
Dissertation Topic: Slow Inactivation of Sodium Channels: Structural Clues
Mentor: Stephen Cannon, M.D., Ph.D.
Current Position: Clinical Fellow, Psychiatry, Child Study Center
Current Affiliation: Yale University Medical Center
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: Faculty, Pediatric Pathology
Current Affiliation: Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Ohio State University, Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH
Tracy Clyne Beswick
Dissertation Topic: Allosteric Regulation of S-Adenosylmethionine Decarboxylase from T. Cruzi
Mentor: Meg Phillips, Ph.D.
Current Position: Dermatologist
Current Affiliation: Private practice, Tulsa, 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: Assistant Professor, 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 & Allergy/Immunology
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. (University of Maryland)
Current Position: Pathologist
Current Affiliation: Private practice, Lewisville, 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
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 Medical Center
Bogachan Sahin
Dissertation Topic: Evaluation and Characterization of Novel Signal Transduction Pathways in the Striatum
Mentor: James Bibb, Ph.D.
Current Position: Assistant Professor, Neurology, Stroke Division
Current Affiliation: University of Rochester Medical Center
Nadia Tsankova
Dissertation Topic: The Role of Chromatin Remodeling in Hippocampus in Depression and Antidepressant Action
Mentor: Eric Nestler, M.D., Ph.D. (Mount Sinai School of Medicine)
Current Position: Assistant Professor, Pathology and Neuroscience
Current Affiliation: Mount Sinai, Icahn School of Medicine
Brant Ward
Dissertation Topic: Behavioral characteristics of Langerhans cells in vivo.
Mentor: Akira Takashima, M.D., Ph.D. (University of Toledo)
Current Position: Instructor, Internal Medicine, Allergy and 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: Assistant Professor, Neurology-Neuro Oncology
Current Affiliation: University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center
Jing-Tzyh (Alan) Chiang
Dissertation Topic: Evolution of Pharyngeal Feeding Behaviors in Free-living Soil Nematodes
Mentor: Leon Avery, Ph.D. (Virginia Commonwealth University)
Current Position: Clinical Fellow, Radiology
Current Affiliation: UC San Francisco 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, Internal Medicine, Digestive and Liver Diseases
Current Affiliation: UT Southwestern Medical Center
Jamison Feramisco
Dissertation Topic: SCAP, INSIG, and Cholesterol Interactions in Mammalian Cells
Mentor: Mike Brown, M.D. and Joe Goldstein, M.D.
Current Position: Chief Scientific Officer (MEDgle), Physician-in-Chief (Scanadu), President and Chief Medical Office (Golden Healthcare)
Current Affiliation: MEDgle, San Mateo, CA; Scanadu (NASA) Moffett Field, CA; Golden Healthcare, Temecula, CA
Eileen Foy
Dissertation Topic: Control of Innate Antiviral Defenses by the Hepatitis C Virus NS3/4A Protease
Mentor: Michael Gale, Ph.D. (University of 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: Assistant Professor, Pediatrics, Eugene McDermott Center for Human Growth and Development, and Internal Medicine; Director, Medical Genetics Residency Program
Current Affiliation: UT Southwestern Medical Center
Nathan Holladay
Dissertation Topic: Data-optimized Linear Predictors of Disorder in Proteins Yield Insight into Disorder Prediction and Physical Processes Underlying Disorder
Mentor: Nick Grishin, Ph.D.
Current Position: Internist, private practice
Current Affiliation: Winterville, NC
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 Center, Brighton, CO
Jason Mock
Dissertation Topic: The LspA Proteins of Haemophilus ducreyi: Extracellular Virulence Factors
Mentor: Eric Hansen, Ph.D.
Current Position: Clinical Instructor, Internal Medicine, Pulmonary & Critical Care
Current Affiliation: University of North Carolina 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/Internist, Internal Medicine
Current Affiliation: Houston Northwest Medical Center/UT Health Science Center at 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: Staff Scientist, Dr. Shinya Yamanaka Lab
Current Affiliation: Gladstone Institutes/UCSF
Abhi Seth
Dissertation Topic: Autoinhibition Regulates the Actin Assembly Activity and Cellular Localization of Diaphanous-Related Formins
Mentor: Michael Rosen, Ph.D. and Helen Yin, Ph.D.
Current Position: Clinical Fellow, 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: Associate Professor, 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: Assistant Professor, Neurology (UCSF Adult and Pediatric MS Centers)
Current Affiliation: UCSF Multiple Sclerosis Center, UC San Francisco Medical Center
Rohit Sharma
Dissertation Topic: The physical mechanism underlying long-range energetic interactions between sites in a protein
Mentor: Rama Ranganathan, Ph.D.
Current Position: Resident, Clinical Genetics
Current Affiliation: Harvard University School of Medicine
Andrew I. Shulman
Dissertation Topic: Allosteric Communication in Retinoid X Receptor Heterodimers
Mentor: David Mangelsdorf, Ph.D.
Current Position: Assistant Clinical Professor, Pediatrics; Pediatric Rheumatologist
Current Affiliation: UC Irvine; Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC), Orange and Newport Beach, CA
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: Pathologist
Current Affiliation: Baptist Health, Jacksonville Pathology Consultants, PA , Jacksonville, FL
Rhea M. Sumpter, Jr.
Dissertation Topic: Viral and Host Genetic Determinants of Hepatitis C Virus Persistence and Interferon Resistance
Mentor: Michael Gale, Ph.D. (University of Washington)
Current Position: Assistant Professor, Internal Medicine, Center for Autophagy Research
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: Instructor, Internal Medicine, Hematology & Medical 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: Private practice, Allergist; Medical Director
Current Affiliation: Plano Internal Medicine; Food Allergy Center of 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., and Marc Mumby, Ph.D.
Current Position: Clinical Scholar & Postdoctoral Medical Fellow, Medical Genetics
Current Affiliation: Stanford University
Jimmy L. Holder
Dissertation Topic: The bHLH/PPAS Transcription Factor SIM1 is a Novel Obesity Gene
Mentor: Andrew Zinn, M.D., Ph.D.
Current Position: Assistant Professor, Pediatric Neurology
Current Affiliation: Baylor College of Medicine, Houston
Irfan Kathiriya
Dissertation Topic: GATA Co-factors: Collaborators in Cardiac Development, Conspirators in Cardiac Disease
Mentor: Deepak Srivastava, M.D. (UCSF)
Current Position: Assistant Professor, Anesthesia and Perioperative Care
Current Affiliation: University of California at San Francisco
Deepak Nijhawan
Dissertation Topic: Biochemical Pathways in Apoptosis
Mentor: Xiaodong Wang, Ph.D. (National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing)
Current Position: Assistant Professor, Internal Medicine/Hematology and Biochemistry
Current Affiliation: UT Southwestern Medical Center
John Peters
Dissertation Topic: Casein Kinase 1 Transduces Wnt Signals
Mentor: Jon Graff, M.D., Ph.D.
Current Position: Pathologist
Current Affiliation: ProPath Pathology Services, Dallas, 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: Faculty, Psychiatry – Douglas Mental Health University Institute
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, M.D., Ph.D.
Current Position: Assistant Clinical Professor, Internal Medicine, 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, M.D., Ph.D.
Current Position: Assistant Professor, Neurological Surgery and Neurology (Emory Program in Sleep)
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
Vivek Arora
Dissertation Topic: Identification and Characterization of a Nef-Associated Kinase
Mentor: J. Victor Garcia-Martinez, M.D. (UNC Chapel Hill)
Current Position: Assistant Professor, Internal Medicine, Molecular Oncology
Current Affiliation: Washington University School of Medicine
Adrienne Hammill
Dissertation Topic: Asymmetric Cell Division Results in Differential Apoptotic Cell Fates in a B-Cell Lymphoma Model of Tumor Dormancy
Mentor: Richard Scheuermann, Ph.D.
Current Position: Assistant Professor, Pediatrics, Pediatric Hematology/Oncology; 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: Assistant Professor, Obstetrics/Gynecology
Current Affiliation: University of Colorado School of Medicine, Denver
Mahesh Karandikar
Dissertation Topic: A Study of Mekk1: Scaffolding Protein and Raf-1 Activator
Mentor: Melanie Cobb, Ph.D.
Current Position: Neurosurgeon (Spinal Disease)
Current Affiliation: Mountain View Regional Hospital, Casper WY
Rafal Kedzierski
Dissertation Topic: Cardiovascular Role of Endothelin-A Receptor: Studies in Conditional Gene Knockout Mice
Mentor: Masashi Yanagisawa, M.D., Ph.D.
Current Position: General Radiologist, MRI focus
Current Affiliation: Medical Regional Hospital, Memphis, TN
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: US Dermatology Medical Group, Arlington, TX
Timothy Lu
Dissertation Topic: Nuclear Receptor Regulation of Bile Acid Metabolism
Mentor: David Mangelsdorf, Ph.D.
Current Position: Assistant Medical Director, Research & Early Development (gRED)
Current Affiliation: Genentech
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: Associate Professor, Biochemistry and Internal Medicine
Current Affiliation: UT Southwestern Medical Center
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, Fort 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, Microbiology and Immunology
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 and 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: University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine
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: Vice President, Parkland Center for Clinical Innovation
Current Affiliation: Parkland Hospital, Dallas
Gail Streater
Dissertation Topic: Elucidation of Functionally Important Amino Acids in the DNA DSBR and V(D)J Recombination Protein XRCC4
Mentor: Kathy Meek, D.V.M.
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: Clinical Assistant Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Current Affiliation: Baylor College of Medicine, Houston
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 Center of Plano
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 of Trypanosoma brucei Ornithine Decarboxylase.
Mentor: Meg Phillips, Ph.D.
Current Position: Clinical Assistant Professor, Internal Medicine – Pulmonary Division
Current Affiliation: UT Southwestern Medical Center
Ben Ohlstein
Dissertation Topic: A role for the Drosophila Bag-of-Marbles and Benign Gonial Cell Neoplasm genes in the differentiation of cystocytes from germline stem cells.
Mentor: Dennis McKearin, Ph.D. (HHMI)
Current Position: Assistant Professor, Genetics and Development
Current Affiliation: Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York
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 and 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 and 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: Private practice, Cardiologist; Medical Director, Center for Advanced Cardiovascular Care
Current Affiliation: The Heart Hospital Baylor Plano, Plano, TX
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 and Dermatology
Current Affiliation: UT Southwestern Medical Center
Laura Klesse
Dissertation Topic: Neurotrophin signaling cascades
Mentor: Luis Parada, Ph.D.
Current Position: Professor of Pediatrics (Pediatric Hematology/Oncology)
Current Affiliation: UT Southwestern-Children’s Medical Center
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 and 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: Dr. Stephen Johnston (Arizona State University Biodesign Institute)
Current Position: Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine, Diabetes Research Center
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 and 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: Director, Department of Pathology, Selective (Soft Tissue) Institutional Tumor Bank; Associate Professor, Department of Dermatology and Pathology; Director, Sarcoma and Melanoma Molecular Diagnostics, Soft Tissue and Bone (Sarcoma) Fellowship Training Program; Co-Director, Surgical Pathology Fellowship Program
Current Affiliation: UT Health Science Center at Houston – MD Anderson Cancer Center
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. (deceased)
Current Position: Associate Professor of Internal Medicine (Section of Endocrinology) and Cellular and Molecular Physiology
Current Affiliation: UT Health Science Center, Houston – MD Anderson Cancer Center
Kevin Rosenblatt
Dissertation Topic: Alternative splicing of slo channels within auditory hair cells: A tune with many variations.
Mentor: AJ Hudspeth (Rockefeller)
Current Position: Associate Professor, Center for Proteomics & Systems Biology
Current Affiliation: University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
