MSTP Alumni 2010-2018
Class of 2019
Laura Yuan
Dissertation Topic: The Regulation of hTERT by Alternative Splicing
Mentor: Jerry Shay, Ph.D.
Current Position: Assistant Professor, Psychiatry
Class of 2018
Salman Banani
Dissertation Topic: Understanding the role of phase transitions in cellular organization
Mentor: Michael Rosen, Ph.D.
Current Position: Resident, Pathology
Current Affiliation: Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston
Ryan Golden
Dissertation Topic: Post-transcriptional regulation of MicroRNA abundance and function
Mentor: Josh Mendell, M.D., Ph.D.
Current Position: Resident, Pathology
Current Affiliation: Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
Mindy Lee
Dissertation Topic: Psychological role of exercise-induced autophagy
Mentor: Beth Levine, M.D.
Current Position: Resident, Pediatrics/Research
Current Affiliation: Stanford University
Ying Li
Dissertation Topic: Molecular mechanisms of synaptic vesicle recycling
Mentor: Ege Kavalali, Ph.D.
Current Position: Resident, Psychiatry
Current Affiliation: University of California San Francisco
Zachary Moore
Dissertation Topic: Improving the efficacy and expanding the application of NQO1 bioactivated therapeutics for solid cancers
Mentor: David Boothman, Ph.D.
Current Position: Resident, Radiation Oncology
Current Affiliation: Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York
Thomas Morley
Dissertation Topic: Inflammation, obesity, and cancer
Mentor: Philipp Scherer, Ph.D.
Current Position: Resident, Internal Medicine/Research
Current Affiliation: Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tenn.
Benjamin Nelson
Dissertation Topic: Regulatory mechanisms of striated muscle development and contraction
Mentor: Eric Olson, Ph.D.
Current Position: Resident, Internal Medicine, PSTP
Current Affiliation: UT Southwestern Medical Center
Victor Salinas
Dissertation Topic: Evolution of allosteric and protein-protein in signaling and metabolic pathways
Mentor: Rama Ranganathan, M.D., Ph.D.
Current Position: Resident, Neurology/Research
Current Affiliation: UT Southwestern Medical Center
Class of 2017
Gina Aloisio
Dissertation Topic: Mechanisms of stem cell maintenance and renewal
Mentor: Diego Castrillon, M.D., Ph.D.
Current Position: Resident, Pediatrics
Current Affiliation: Children’s Hospital Boston (Harvard)
Gaurab Chakrabarti
Dissertation Topic: Studying the role of metabolism in the DNA damage/repair response in cancer cells
Mentor: David Boothman, Ph.D.
Current Position: Industry
Current Affiliation: Solugen
Mariam El-Ashmawy
Dissertation Topic: The effects of radiation on the lungs
Mentor: Jerry Shay, Ph.D. and Woodring Wright, M.D., Ph.D.
Current Position: Resident, Internal Medicine/Clinical Investigator Track
Current Affiliation: NYU School of Medicine
Chris Hensley
Dissertation Topic: Metabolism of cell proliferation
Mentor: Ralph DeBerardinis, M.D., Ph.D.
Current Position: Resident, Radiology/Diagnostic Research Track
Current Affiliation: Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
Christopher Inra
Dissertation Topic: Response of hematopoietic stem cells and their supportive microenvironment to injury
Mentor: Sean Morrison, Ph.D.
Current Position: Resident, Internal Medicine
Current Affiliation: Johns Hopkins
Courtney Lane-Donovan
Dissertation Topic: Role of reelin and lipoprotein receptors in the molecular mechanisms of adult neuronal function, Alzheimer’s disease, and brain injury
Mentor: Joachim Herz, M.D.
Current Position: Resident, Neurology
Current Affiliation: University of California San Francisco
Xiaoxiao Li
Dissertation Topic: How transcription factors regulate osteoclast, osteoblast, and bone metabolism
Mentor: Yihong Wan, Ph.D.
Current Position: Resident, Dermatology
Current Affiliation: University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
Albert Linden
Dissertation Topic: Cholesterol uptake, metabolism, and transport to the lysosomes
Mentors: Michael Brown, M.D., and Joseph Goldstein, M.D.
Current Position: Resident, Internal Medicine
Current Affiliation: Central Michigan University
Arjun Raman
Dissertation Topic: Understanding the natural design and evolvability of natural biological systems
Mentor: Rama Ranganathan, M.D., Ph.D.
Current Position: Resident, Clinical Pathology
Current Affiliation: Barnes Jewish Hospital (Washington University)
Nathaniel Schaffer
Dissertation Topic: Nuclear hormone receptors in parasitic and free-living nematodes
Mentor: David Mangelsdorf, Ph.D.
Current Position: Resident, Orthopedic Surgery
Current Affiliation: University of Michigan
Caroline Sung
Dissertation Topic: Transcriptional regulation of Ink4a-Arf
Mentors: Stephen Skapek, M.D.
Bennett Waxse
NIH Scholars Program
Mentor: Jennifer Kohler, Ph.D.
Current Position: Resident, Medicine-Pediatrics
Current Affiliation: University of Chicago
Jonathan Xia
Dissertation Topic: Diabetes and obesity
Mentor: Phil Scherer, Ph.D.
Current Position: Resident, Internal Medicine/PSTP
Current Affiliation: Northwestern University
Elizabeth Zhang
Dissertation Topic: Neutrophil polarity and adaption
Mentors: Steven Altschuler, Ph.D. and Lani Wu, Ph.D.
Current Position: Resident, Radiation Oncology
Current Affiliation: UT Southwestern Medical Center
Class of 2016
Alexander Augustyn
Dissertation Topic: Characterizing ASCL1-dependent neuroendocrine non-small cell lung cancers
Mentor: John Minna, M.D.
Current Position: Resident, Radiation Oncology
Current Affiliation: University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center
Xin Cai
Research Interest: Mechanism of innate immune and inflammatory signaling
Mentor: James Chen, Ph.D.
Current Position: Resident, Radiation Oncology
Current Affiliation: Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
Christopher Cano
Research Interest: Genetics of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
Mentor: Christine Garcia, M.D., Ph.D.
Current Position: Resident, Neurology
Current Affiliation: Beth Israel Deaconess MC
Bethany Cartwright
Research Interest: Biogenesis of the lipid droplet organelle and its role in obesity/lipodystrophy
Mentor: Joel Goodman, Ph.D.
Current Position: Resident, Pediatrics/PSTP2
Current Affiliation: UT Southwestern Medical School
Angela Collins
Mentor: Michael Shiloh, M.D., Ph.D.
Current Position: Resident, Orthopedic Surgery
Current Affiliation: McLaren Regional Medical Center
Ankit Garg
Research Interest: Characterization of novel gene function in muscle biology
Mentor: Eric Olson, Ph.D.
Current Position: Resident, Internal Medicine/Research
Current Affiliation: Hospital of University of Pennsylvania
Jaswinder Kumar
Research Interest: Neuronal activity-dependent synaptic and behavioral plasticity in rodent models of stress and anxiety
Mentor: Christopher Cowan, Ph.D., McLean Hospital, Harvard
Current Position: Resident, Psychiatry/Research
Current Affiliation: UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience
Matthew McFarlane
Research Interest: Regulation of cholesterol uptake and metabolism
Mentors: Michael Brown, M.D., and Joseph Goldstein, M.D.
Current Position: Resident, Radiation/Oncology
Current Affiliation: University of Michigan Hospitals
William McKean
Research Interest: Regulation of fatty acid metabolism in the liver
Mentor: Jay Horton, M.D.
Current Position: Resident, Internal Medicine/PSTP
Current Affiliation: University of Utah Affiliated Hospitals
Suong Nguyen
Research Interest: Characterizing novel drug targets for Human African Trypanosomiasis
Mentor: Meg Phillips, Ph.D.
Current Position: Resident, Pediatrics/PSTP
Current Affiliation: St. Louis Children’s Hospital
Jacob Orme
Research Interest: Signaling pathway disturbances that contribute to SLE pathogenesis
Mentors: Chandra Mohan, M.D., Ph.D., and Anne Satterthwaite, Ph.D.
Current Position: Resident, Internal Medicine/Research
Current Affiliation: Mayo School of Graduate Medicine Education
Nam Pham
Research Interest: The metabolic pathways of sialic acids and their roles in human disease
Mentor: Jennifer Kohler, Ph.D.
Current Position: Resident, Internal Medicine/PSTP
Current Affiliation: UT Southwestern Medical Center
Kartik Rajagopalan
Research Interest: Identifying metabolic pathways that might contribute to cancer progression
Mentor: Ralph DeBerardinis, M.D., Ph.D.
Current Position: Resident, Internal Medicine (Clinician Scientist Pathway)
Current Affiliation: New York Hospital Columbia University Medical Center
YuanYuan Zhang
Research Interest: Reduced autophagy in livers of fasted, fat-depleted, ghrelin-deficient mice; reversal by growth hormones
Mentors: Michael Brown, M.D., and Joseph Goldstein, M.D.
Current Position: Resident, Radiation Oncology
Current Affiliation: UT Southwestern Medical School
Class of 2015
Jamaal Benjamin
Dissertation Topic: Epithelial cell autophagy in antibacterial defense of the small intestine
Mentor: Lora Hooper, Ph.D.
Current Position: Resident, Radiology
Current Affiliation: University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
Vincent Chau
Dissertation Topic: Novel small molecule induces apoptosis in malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor of neurofibromatosis Type 1
Mentors: Luis Parada, Ph.D., and Lu Le, M.D., Ph.D.
Current Position: Resident, Internal Medicine
Current Affiliation: Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Angela Desmond
Dissertation Topic: New approaches to peptoid vaccine development
Mentor: Ellen Vitetta, Ph.D.
Current Position: Resident, Pediatrics
Current Affiliation: Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Christopher Javadi
Dissertation Topic: Hormone Regulation of NPY Neuron Activity in the Arcuate Nucleus of the Hypothalamus
Mentor: Joel Elmquist, D.V.M., Ph.D.
Current Position: Resident, Surgery
Current Affiliation: Stanford University School of Medicine
Ryan Jones
Dissertation Topic: Molecular mechanisms linking cholesterol absorption and hepatic steatosis
Mentor: Joyce Repa, Ph.D.
Current Position: Resident, Pathology
Current Affiliation: Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Ivan Lee
Dissertation Topic: Cellular basis of behavioral circadian rhythms in mammals – the role of neuromedin S (NMS)-ergic neurons in the suprachiasmatic nuclei
Mentor: Masashi Yanagisawa, M.D., Ph.D.
Current Position: Resident, Pediatrics
Current Affiliation: Stanford University School of Medicine
Julia Mattson
Dissertation Topic: Memory and aging: Effects of age on the neural correlates of item and source memory encoding
Mentor: Michael Rugg, Ph.D., UT Dallas
Current Position: Resident, Pediatrics
Current Affiliation: Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Joshua Owen
Dissertation Topic: Insulin stimulation of SREBP-1c processing in liver: Lessons from transgenic rats
Mentors: Michael Brown, M.D., and Joseph Goldstein, M.D.
Current Position: Resident, Dermatology
Current Affiliation: Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
David Pyle
Dissertation Topic: Regulation of human monocyte function by cross-linking of immunoglobulin E
Mentor: Michelle Gill, M.D., Ph.D.
Current Position: Resident, Pediatrics
Current Affiliation: Yale University School of Medicine
Jeremy Semeiks
Dissertation Topic: On two problems in comparative genomics of eukaryotes
Mentor: Nick Grishin, Ph.D.
Current Position: Resident, Emergency Medicine
Current Affiliation: Albany Medical College
Benjamin Shields
Dissertation Topic: Mapping the landscape of acquired vulnerabilities in ovarian cancer
Mentor: Mike White, Ph.D.
Current Position: Resident, Surgery Prelim
Current Affiliation: UT Southwestern Medical Center
Varun Sondhi
Dissertation Topic: The search for the endogenous RORg ligand and investigating the role of cytochrome B5 in steroidogenesis and regulation of the CYP17A1 lyase reaction
Mentors: David Mangelsdorf, Ph.D. and Steven Kliewer, Ph.D.
Current Position: Assistant Instructor, Internal Medicine
Current Affiliation: UT Southwestern Medical Center
Andrew Tyler
Dissertation Topic: CD8+ T cells are required for the therapeutic action of glatiramer acetate in autoimmune demyelinating disease
Mentor: Nitin Karandikar, M.D., Ph.D., University of Iowa
Current Position: Resident, Orthopedic Surgery
Current Affiliation: University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
Amy Zhou
Dissertation Topic: Analysis of synaptotagmin-SNARE complex interactions by one-dimensional NMR spectroscopy
Mentor: Jose Rizo-Rey, Ph.D.
Current Position: Resident, Pediatrics
Current Affiliation: Mount Sinai Icahn School of Medicine
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Class of 2014
Stan Atkin
Dissertation Topic: Liver receptor homolog-1 regulates kisspeptin expression in the arcuate nucleus to promote reproductive axis function
Mentors: David Mangelsdorf, Ph.D. and Steven Kliewer, Ph.D.
Current Position: Resident, Internal Medicine
Current Affiliation: UT Southwestern Medical Center
Jenny Barker
Dissertation Topic: Site-specific genome engineering in mouse primary fibroblasts
Mentor: Matthew Porteus, Ph.D., Stanford Medical School
Current Position: Resident, Plastic Surgery (Integrated)
Current Affiliation: Ohio State University School of Medicine
M. Edward Haws
Research Interest: Effects of regional deletion of Rab3A-interacting molecule and PTEN on brain function
Mentor: Craig Powell, M.D., Ph.D.
Current Position: Resident, Pediatric Neurology
Current Affiliation: Cincinnati Children’s Hospital – University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
Imran Mohiuddin
Dissertation Topic: Preferential regulatory T-cell generation from memory CD4 T-Cells is deficient during acute exacerbation of multiple sclerosis
Mentor: Nitin Karandikar, M.D., Ph.D., University of Iowa
Current Position: Resident, Radiation Oncology
Current Affiliation: University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics
Daniel Quiat
Dissertation Topic: Transcriptional regulation of muscle contractility and metabolism by a microRNA-mediated feed forward loop
Mentor: Eric Olson, Ph.D.
Current Position: Resident, Pediatrics
Current Affiliation: Harvard University – Children’s Hospital, Boston
Oktay Rifki
Dissertation Topic: RalGDS-dependent cardiomyocyte autophagy is necessary for load-induced ventricular hypertrophy
Mentor: Joseph Hill, M.D., Ph.D.
Current Position: Resident, Internal Medicine
Current Affiliation: New York Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center
Swalpa Udit
Dissertation Topic: NAV1.8+ visceral afferent neurons: Roles in metabolism and inflammation
Mentor: Joel Elmquist, D.V.M, Ph.D.
Current Position: Resident, Internal Medicine
Current Affiliation: University of California at San Francisco Medical Center
Richard Voit
Dissertation Topic: Generation of HIV-resistant T-cells and correction of the sickle cell mutation by targeted genome engineering
Mentor: Matthew Porteus, M.D., Ph.D., Stanford University
Current Position: Resident, Pediatrics
Current Affiliation: Harvard University – Children’s Hospital, Boston
Koriand’r Williams
Dissertation Topic: Antagonistic roles of MIR-199A-3P/MIR-214 and the MIR-200 family in the regulation of uterine contractility during pregnancy and labor
Mentor: Carole Mendelson, Ph.D.
Current Position: Resident, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Current Affiliation: University of Arkansas School of Medicine, Little Rock
Dongbo Yu
Dissertation Topic: Using chemically modified oligonucleotides to modulate gene expression, treat genetic diseases, and probe novel mechanisms of RNA interference
Mentor: David Corey, Ph.D.
Current Position: Resident, Internal Medicine
Current Affiliation: University of Chicago Medical Center
Class of 2013
Ethan Baughman
Thesis Title: Neuroantigen-Specific CD8+Regulatory T-Cell Function is Deficient during Acute Exacerbation of Multiple Sclerosis
Mentor: Nitin Karandikar, M.D., Ph.D.
Current Position: Resident, Plastic Surgery
Current Affiliation: Washington University School of Medicine/Barnes-Jewish Hospital
Robert Li
Thesis Title: Essential Function of Ghrelin in Chronic Starvation
Mentors: Michael Brown, M.D. and Joseph Goldstein, M.D.
Current Position: Resident, Internal Medicine/PSTP
Current Affiliation: Northwestern University
Anna Patrick
Thesis Title: Co-translational Folding of CFTR
Mentor: Philip Thomas, Ph.D.
Current Position: Resident, Pediatrics
Current Affiliation: Vanderbilt School of Medicine
David Patrick
Thesis Title: Regulation of Cellular Growth and Differentiation by microRNAs-21 and -451
Mentor: Eric Olson, Ph.D.
Current Position: Resident, Internal Medicine
Current Affiliation: Vanderbilt School of Medicine
Brian Skaug
Thesis Title: Mechanisms Governing NF-KappaB Regulation by the Anti-Inflammatory Protein A20
Mentor: Zhijian Chen, Ph.D.
Current Position: Resident, Internal Medicine
Current Affiliation: UT Southwestern Medical Center
Christopher Smith
Thesis Title: Regulation of Cardiac Fibroblast and Coronary Vascular Smooth Muscle Development by Platelet Derived Growth Factor Receptors
Mentor: Michelle Tallquist, Ph.D.
Current Position: Resident, Pediatrics
Current Affiliation: Children’s Hospital, Philadelphia
Jamie Walker
Thesis Title: NPAS1 and its Relation to Autism
Mentor: Steve McKnight, Ph.D.
Current Position: Resident, Pathology
Current Affiliation: UT Southwestern Medical Center
Michael Wang
Thesis Title: The Hydrophobic Handoff of Cholesterol between NPC2 and the N-terminal Domain of NPC1in the Export of Cholesterol from Lysosomes
Mentors: Michael Brown, M.D. and Joseph Goldstein, M.D.
Current Position: Resident, Pathology
Current Affiliation: University of Michigan Hospitals, Ann Arbor, MI
Daniel Zeve
Thesis Title: Improved Glucose Homeostasis in a Metabolic Paradox
Mentor: Jon Graff, M.D., Ph.D.
Current Position: Resident, Pediatrics
Current Affiliation: Mount Sanai, Icahn School of Medicine
Class of 2012
Mark Etherton
Dissertation Topic: Molecular Pathogenesis of Autism: A Role for Neurexin and Neuroligin
Mentor: Thomas Südhof, M.D. (Stanford University)
Current Position: Clinical Fellow, Neurology
Current Affiliation: Harvard University – Massachusetts General Hospital
Bret Evers
Dissertation Topic: Role of Insig-Mediated Cholesterol Homeostasis in the Development of the Palate and Hair Follicles in Mice
Mentors: Michael Brown, M.D., and Joseph Goldstein, M.D.
Current Position: Assistant Professor, Pathology
Current Affiliation: UT Southwestern Medical Center
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: Clinical Postdoctoral Trainee, Pathology
Current Affiliation: UT Southwestern Medical Center
Rodney Infante
Dissertation Topic: Unraveling Niemann-Pick: A Disease of Cholesterol Transport
Mentors: Michael Brown, M.D., and Joseph Goldstein, M.D.
Current Position: Associate Professor of Internal Medicine
Current Affiliation: UT Southwestern Medical Center
David Meredith
Dissertation Topic: Comparative Analysis of Developmental Programs Controlled by Ptfl a
Mentor: Jane Johnson, Ph.D.
Current Position: Clinical Fellow, Pathology
Current Affiliation: Harvard University – Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Anthony Orvedahl
Dissertation Topic: Autophagy in Antiviral Immunity
Mentor: Beth Levine, M.D.
Current Position: Clinical Fellow, Pediatrics Infectious Disease
Current Affiliation: Washington University School of Medicine
Vera Paulson
Dissertation Topic: High-Resolution Array Comparative Genomic Hybridization Reveals Targets in Rhabdomyosarcoma
Mentor: Scott Cameron, M.D., Ph.D. (Novartis Institutes for Biological Research, Cambridge, Mass.)
Current Position: Clinical Fellow, Pathology
Current Affiliation: Harvard University – Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Nora Renthal
Dissertation Topic: The miR-200 Family and Targets, ZEB1 and ZEB2, Modulate Uterine Quiescence and Contractility during Pregnancy and Labor
Mentor: Carole Mendelson, Ph.D.
Current Position: Clinical Fellow, Pediatrics
Current Affiliation: Harvard Medical School – Children’s Hospital of Boston
Daniel Schmidt
Dissertation Topic: Bile Acids and Nuclear Receptors: Their Roles in Nutrition and Cancer
Mentor: David Mangelsdorf, Ph.D.
Current Position: Clinical Fellow, Radiation Oncology
Current Affiliation: Harvard University – Brigham and 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 and 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: Postdoctoral Fellow, Andrew Jenkins’ Laboratory, Department of Anesthesiology and Pharmacology
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. (University of Washington)
Current Position: Resident, Obstetrics/Gynecology
Current Affiliation: UT Southwestern Medical Center
William Renthal
Dissertation Topic: Epigenetic Mechanisms in Drug Addiction
Mentor: Eric Nestler, M.D., Ph.D. (Mount Sinai School of Medicine)
Current Position: Visiting Research Fellow, Neurobiology
Current Affiliation: Harvard University Medical School
Ameen Salahudeen
Dissertation Topic: FBXL5: Sensor and Regulator of Mammalian Iron Homeostasis
Mentor: Rick Bruick, Ph.D.
Current Position: Fellow, Hematology/Oncology
Current Affiliation: Stanford Hospital and Clinics, Stanford, CA
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: Clinical Fellow, Internal Medicine/Rheumatology
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: Resident, Internal Medicine
Current Affiliation: Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta
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: Research and Clinical Fellow, Department of Neurology, Neuroimmunology and Neurological Infections
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: PGY3 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: NRSA Postdoctoral Fellow, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
Current Affiliation: University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
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. (Mount Sinai School of Medicine)
Current Position: Clinical Fellow, Adult Neurology
Current Affiliation: Harvard-Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (Adult Neurology)
James Lee
Dissertation Topic: Structural Insights into Bacterial Sporulation
Mentor: Kevin Gardner, Ph.D.
Current Position: Resident, Pathology
Current Affiliation: Harbor-UCLA Medical Center
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: Associate Professor, Eugene McDermott Center for Human Growth and Development, Internal Medicine, and Pediatrics
Current Affiliation: UT Southwestern Medical Center
Joseph Park
Dissertation Topic: Characterization of Factors Controlling Germline Stem Cell Maintenance in Drosophila melanogaster
Mentor: Dennis McKearin, Ph.D. (HHMI)
Current Position: Fellow, Pediatric Hematology/Oncology
Current Affiliation: Stanford University
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: Pediatrician
Current Affiliation: Sunshine Valley Pediatrics, Las Vegas
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: Clinical Fellow, Internal Medicine/ Cardiology
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. (University of Rochester Medical Center)
Current Position: PGY4 Resident, Therapeutic Radiology/Radiation Oncology
Current Affiliation: Yale University Medical Center
