Monica Ardura, DO, Instructor in Pediatrics, earned her doctorate degree from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. Her current research interests include microarray analysis of host immune response to infections, with particular emphasis on methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections.

Scott Brakenridge, MD, Surgical Resident, received his medical degree from Rush Medical College. His research currently focuses on proteomic profiling of severely injured trauma patients with the systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) to elucidate the immunologic mechanism and explore the potential of immunotherapeutic interventions for patients with SIRS, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and Multi-system organ failure (MOF).

Alisa Gotte, MD, Instructor in Pediatric Rheumatology, received her medical degree from UT Southwestern. Her current research interest is in the differences that exist in disease course and severity in children with various ethnic backgrounds with pauciarticular juvenile arthritis.

Marlene Corton, MD, Associate Professor in Obstetrics and Gynecology, earned her medical degree from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey – Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. Her present research interests include anal incontinence, pelvic organ innervation, and educational tool development.  

She received an NCTCTSI Pilot Award in Summer, 2008 for a pilot study titled Endoanal Ultrasound for Detection of Occult Anal Sphincter Tears Following Childbirth.

Vincent Gabriel, MD, Assistant Professor in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation earned his medical degree from the University of Saskatchewan. He is currently interested in the field of skeletal muscle abnormalities following major burn injury and response of the muscle to exercise.

In Summer, 2008, Dr. Gabriel  received an NCTCTSI Pilot Award for a pilot study titled Human Scarring Project.

Samir Gupta, MD, Assistant Professor in Internal Medicine, received his degree from the University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor. His research interests include the precision, accuracy, and limits of agreement of polyp size measurements by CT colonography as well as the test characteristics of serum complement C3a anaphylotoxin for detection of colorectal neoplasia.

In Summer, 2008 Dr. Gupta received a Summer 2008 NCTCTSI Pilot Award for a pilot study titled Molecular Markers of Carcinogenesis for Risk Stratification of Individuals with Colorectal Polyps.

Terry Jones, RN, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in Nursing Systems at the University of Texas at Austin, where she also earned her doctorate degree. Her research interests include the scope of nursing sensitive process and outcome measures.  

Dr. Jones received an NCTCTSI Pilot Award in Summer, 2008 for a pilot study titled Quantification of Nursing Time with Patients Using Real Time Location System (RTLS) & Wi-Fi ID Technology.

Asuncion Maria Mejias, MD, Assistant Professor in Pediatrics and Infectious Diseases, earned her medical degree from the Universidad de Malaga in Spain. She is currently interested in the pathogenesis of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

Cindy Neunert, MD, Assistant Professor in Pediatric Hematology-Oncology, received her medical degree from Eastern Virginia Medical School. She is currently interested in hematologic management in children with hemophilia who undergo elective surgery.

Nancy Puzziferri, MD, Assistant Professor in Surgery and GI/Endocrinology, earned her medical degree from the University of Wisconsin. Her current area of primary interest is in if psychopathology, compliance, or satiety affects weight loss outcomes after bariatric surgery.  

In Summer, 2008 Dr. Puzziferri received an NCTCTSI Pilot Award for a pilot study titled The Natural History of Satiety Determinants Before and After Gastric Band.

Mike Singer, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor in Neurology, earned both his degrees at the University of Chicago. His current research interests encompass the role of thymectomy in the treatment of patients with myasthenia gravis.

Tamra Slone, MD, Assistant Professor in Pediatric Hematology Oncology, received her medical degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She is interested in the development and implementation of new treatments and supportive care strategies for children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).

Andrea Warner-Czyz, PhD, a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the University of Texas at Dallas, Callier Center for Communication Disorders, earned her doctorate degree at the University of Texas at Austin. Her research interests include speech perception and production development in babies with hearing loss.   

She received an NCTCTSI Pilot Award in  Fall, 2008 for a pilot study titled Effects of Reduced Spectral Resolution on Speech Discrimination in Hearing Infants.

Debra Weinberger, MD, Assistant Professor in Otolaryngology, received her medical degree from Northwestern University in Illinois. Her research interests include the development of pre-speech in very low birth weight infants.  

In Summer, 2008 Dr Weinberger received an NCTCTSI Pilot Award for a pilot study titled Physiologic Bases of Speech Development in Infants.