TARDIS Mentors
Internal Medicine Mentors

Zahid Ahmad, M.D. , Associate Professor
Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Endocrinology
Research Interests: 1) identifying the cause(s) of cholesterol and triglyceride disorders and 2) establishing new treatment options for patients who suffer from these disorders.

James Brugarolas, M.D., Ph.D., Professor
Director of the Kidney Cancer Program
Department of Internal Medicine,
Division of Hematology and Oncology
Research Interests: Kidney cancer, renal cell carcinoma (RCC); Molecular genetics and genomics of cancer; Molecularly targeted therapies; Mechanisms of resistance to targeted agents; Research translation; Biomarkers; Immunotherapy

Ezra Burstein, M.D., Ph.D., Professor
Department of Internal Medicine,
Division Chief, Digestive and Liver Diseases
Research Interests: COMMD proteins: regulation of endosomal protein sorting and immune function by members of this protein family; Genetics of inflammatory disorders; Genetic basis of disorders of immune function, particularly affecting the GI tract; Mucosal immunity and immune-tumor interactions in the GI tract

Thomas J. Carroll, Ph.D., Professor
Departments of Internal Medicine and Molecular Biology, Division of Nephrology
Research Interests: Developmental biology, Genetics, Cell polarity, Polycystic kidney disease, and Cancer
Research Lab

David Gerber, M.D., AProfessor
Departments of Internal Medicine and Population and Data Sciences; Division of Hematology and Oncology
Research Interests: Lung cancer, clinical and translational research; Oncology outcomes research

Sarah Huen, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor
Departments of Internal Medicine and Pharmacology, Division of Nephrology
Research Interests: Acute Kidney Injury; Inflammation and Sepsis; Inflammatory cachexia; Renal Metabolism
Research Lab

Rodney Infante, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor
Center for Human Nutrition and Department of Internal Medicine
Division of Digestive and Liver Diseases
Research Interests: Cachexia, Cytokine-Associated Adipocyte, Lipolysis, Lipid Metabolism Obesity

Mark S. Link, M.D., Professor
Department of Internal Medicine
Division of Cardiology, Director, Cardiac Electrophysiology
Research Interests: Air Pollution and Arrhythmias, Atrial Fibrillation, Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy, Resuscitation, Sudden Cardiac Death

Lenette Lu, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor
Departments of Internal Medicine and Immunology
Division of Infectious Diseases and Geographic Medicine
Research Interests:Antibody Effector Functions, Antibody Glycosylation, Host Microbial Interactions, Humoral Immunity, Tuberculosis
Research Lab

Una Makris, M.D., Professor
Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Rheumatic Diseases
Dr. Makris’ research is focused on degenerative musculoskeletal pain conditions in older adults. Her research is based out of the Dallas VA and UTSW. Her research spans secondary data analysis, patient reported outcomes research, qualitative methods and more recently trials to evaluate behavioral interventions for comorbid back pain and depression in older adults.

Denise Marciano, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor
Departments of Internal Medicine and Cell Biology, Division of Nephrology
Dr. Marciano's research is focused on genetics and cell biology of kidney disease, developmental biology, epithelial biology and cell polarity, glomerular development and function.
Research Lab

John Minna, M.D., Professor
Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology
Research Interests: Breast Cancer, Genome wide mRNA, protein, and DNA analysis, Lung Cancer, Molecular biomarkers of response to cancer therapy, Molecular pathogenesis of human cancer

Nikhil Munshi, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor
Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Cardiology
Assistant Director, Physician Scientist Program
Research Interests: Cardiac Development, Cardiac Dysrhythmia, Microfluidics, Regeneration, Reprogramming, Serum Biomarkers, Single-cell genomics, Transcriptional Regulation
Research Lab

Michael Shiloh, M.D, Ph.D., Associate Professor
Departments of Internal Medicine and Microbiology, Division of Infectious Diseases and Geographic Medicine
Research Interests: Innate immune response to intracellular pathogens, Microbial pathogenesis, Mucosal immunology, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Role of carbon monoxide (CO) in host-pathogen interactions
Research Lab

Lance Terada, M.D., Professor
Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine
Research Interests: Anchorage sensing and anoikis, Oxidant biochemistry, Signal transduction, and Vascular biology
Research Lab

Peter Van Buren, M.D., Assistant Professor
Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Nephrology
My primary research interest is in treating hypertension and reducing cardiovascular disease and mortality in HD patients
Research Profile
Pediatric Mentors

Lina Chalak, M.D., Associate Professor
Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine
Interests: Neonatal brain injury, asphyxia, hypothermia

Dai Chung, M.D., Professor
Chief, Division of Pediatric Surgery
Research Interests: Neuroendocrine Regulation of Neuroblastoma

Jyothsna Gattineni, M.D., Associate Professor
Department of Pediatrics, Division of Nephrology
Interests: FGF23 and its receptors, Tubular Transport

Natasha Hanners, M.D., Assistant Professor
Department of Pediatrics, Division of Infectious Disease
Interests: Flavivirus infections, including Zika virus neurotropism Neurovirology, Type I Interferon responses, Virus-host interactions

Chieko Mineo, Ph.D., Associate Professor
Department of Pediatrics and Cell Biology, Division of Pulmonary & Vascular Biology
Interests: Antiphospholipid Syndrome, Insulin resistance and endothelial dysfunction, Vascular Biology and Atherosclerosis

Jessica Moreland, M.D., Professor, and Chief
Department of Pediatrics, Division of Critical Care
Interests: Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) support, traumatic brain injury, granule, and vesicle exocytosis, NADPH oxidase and reactive oxygen species signaling, and neutrophil priming
Research Lab

Philip Shaul, M.D., Professor and Vice Chair of Research
Director, Center for Pulmonary and Vascular Biology
Interim Chief, Division of Pediatric Respiratory Medicine
Interests: Caveolae-lipid rafts, membrane-associated estrogen receptors, nitric oxide synthase, scavenger receptor class B-Type I (HDL receptor), and signaling by C-reactive protein
Shaul-Mineo-Umetani Lab

Luis Sifuentes-Dominguez, M.D., Assistant Professor
Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology
Research Interests: Identifying the genetic causes of early onset Inflammatory Bowel Disease; Role of enteroendocrine cells in inflammatory bowel disease pathogenesis

Jeff SoRelle, M.D., Assistant Professor
Department of Pathology and Pediatrics, Division of Allergy and Immunology
Research Interests: Genetic mechanisms of allergy in mice and humans, In vivo glycosylation, Multiplex molecular diagnostics

Dawn Wetzel, M.D., Ph.D. , Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Biochemistry
Division of Infectious Diesease
Interests: Pediatric infectious diseases, parasitic infections, cellular and molecular pathogenesis of leishmaniasis and other parasitic infections, development of novel antiparasitics

Hao Zhu, M.D., Associate Professor,
Children’s Medical Center Research Institute at UT Southwestern, Departments of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics
Research Interests: Epigenetics, Liver cancer, Mechanisms of organ regeneration, RNA biology
Zhu Laboratory
Surgery Mentors

Mathew Augustine, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor
Department of Surgery
Research Interests: Genetic screening for gastrointestinal tumors and methods for identifying drugs that may enhance chemotherapy

Rolf Brekken, Ph.D., Professor
Departments of Surgery, Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, and Pharmacology
Research Interests: Angiogenesis & ECM signaling, Cancer Therapy, Immune therapy, Metastasis, Tumor Microenvironment
Brekken Lab

Emina Huang, M.D., Professor
Department of Surgery and the Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center
Research Interests: Colorectal cancer oncogenesis; Relationship between inflammation and cancer; Early onset colorectal cancer

Benjamin Levi, M.D., Associate Professor & Division Chief
Department of Surgery, Burn, Trauma, Acute and Critical Care Surgery (BTACCS)
Research Interests: fibrosis, matrix biology, stem cell fate

Vanessa Nomellini, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor
Research Interests: critical care, emergency general surgery, immune dysfunction in injury and infection, post-ICU syndrome, sepsis, and trauma

Shirling Tsai, M.D., Assistant Professor
Department of Surgery
Interests: Genetics of abdominal aortic aneurysms and Lipoprotein Receptor signaling mechanisms in aortic aneurysm pathogenesis

Sam Wang, M.D., Assistant Professor
Department of Surgery
Research Interests: how the normal regenerative process in the liver and pancreas mutates and leads to cancer

Adam Yopp, M.D., Associate Professor
Department of Surgery
Research Interests: Developing novel biomarkers for the diagnosis and treatment of patients with upper gastrointestinal malignancies especially hepatocellular carcinoma and pancreatic cancer.

Herbert Zeh, M.D., Professor & Chair
Hall and Mary Lucile Shannon Distinguished Chair in Surgery
Department of Surgery
Interests: examines damage-associated molecular pattern molecules in pancreatic cancer.
Neurology Mentors

Marc Diamond, M.D., Professor & Director
Center for Alzheimer's and Neurodegenerative Diseases
Research Interests: Cell and Molecular Biology; Neurodegenerative Diseases; Neuroscience; Prion Biology

Elan Louis, M.D., M.S., Professor & Chair
Department of Neurology
Research Interests: Disorders of involuntary movement; History of Science; Neurodegenerative diseases; Tremor disorders