Class of 1984
Dianna McGookey Milewicz
Dissertation Topic: Aspects of Cholesterol Metabolism involved in the Cholesteryl Ester Cycle in Macrophage Foams Cells and the Endocytic Pathway in Human Fibroblasts
Mentor: RGW Anderson
Current Position: Professor of Internal Medicine, Division of Medical Genetics; Doris Duke Distinguished Clinical Scientist; George Bush Chair in Cardiovascular Medicine; Director, Division of Medical Genetics; Director, M.D./Ph.D. Program
Current Affiliation: University of Texas Houston Health Science Center
Kevin J. Petty
Dissertation Topic: The Role of Sodium-Potassium-Activated Adenosine Triphosphatase in the Mechanism of Mineralocorticoid Hormone Action in the Mammalian Nephron
Mentor: J. Kokko
Current Position: Senior Director and Head of Clinical Pharmacology Translational Medicine
Current Affiliation: Centocor R&D (Malvern, PA)
Class of 1986
Christen M. Anderson
Dissertation Topic: Regulation of the Synthesis and Activity of Cholesterol Side Chain Cleavage Cytochrome P-450 in the Adult and Fetal Testis
Mentor: C. Mendelson
Current Position: Vice President of Clinical Development
Currrent Affiliation: Arena Pharmaceuticals (San Diego, CA)
Debra Jeske Zack
Dissertation Topic: Molecular Mapping of Idiotopes and the Antigen Combining Site in A/J Anti-p-Azophenylarsonate Antibodies
Mentor: JD Capra
Current Position: Executive Director of Global Development, Inflammation Therapeutic Area
Current Affiliation: Amgen, Inc.
(Thousand Oaks, CA)
Class of 1987
John B. Williams
Dissertation Topic: The Role of Retinoic Acid in Vitamin A-Mediated Differentiation: F9 Embryonal Carcinoma Cells as a Model System
Mentor: JL Napoli
Current Position: Clinical Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine
Current Affiliation: University of Tennessee School of Medicine; Endocrinology Consultants of East Tennessee (Knoxville, TN)
Class of 1988
Andrew R. Zinn
Dissertation Topic: Yeast Mitochondrial DNA Recombination
Mentor: R. Butow
Current Position: Associate Professor of Internal Medicine and McDermott Center for Human Growth & Development; Associate Dean, Medical Scientist Training Program
Current Affiliation: University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas
Class of 1989
Richard Rembecki
Dissertation Topic: Genetic analysis of hemopoetic histocompatibility (Hh1 antigens)
Mentor: M. Bennett
Current Position: Director of KidLungs, Pediatric Pulmonary PA; Assistant Medical Director, Respiratory Therapy Program, Collin County Community College; Medical Director, Pediatric Pulmonary Lab, Trinity Medical Center
Current Affiliation: KidLungs Pediatric Pulmonology, PA (Frisco, TX)
Barbara Joy Snider
Dissertation Topic: The complex class of nonadenylated polysomal RNA from rodent brain
Mentor: M. Morrison-Bogorad
Current Position: Assistant Professor of Neurology; Adult Neurology Residency Program Director; Director of Hope Center Viral Vectors Core
Current Affiliation: Washington University School of Medicine
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
Current Position: Professor of Biological Chemistry & 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
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
Current Position: Attending Pathologist
Current Affiliation: CellNetix Pathology PLLC (Everett, WA); Swedish Medical Center (Seattle, WA)
Ronald Rubenstein
Dissertation Topic: Regulation of G Proteins by the β-Adrenergic Receptor: Aspects of Receptor Structure and Selectivity
Mentor: E. Ross
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: M. Norgard
Current Position: Associate Professor of Microbiology and Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Disease
Current Affiliation: University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas
Keith Woeltje
Dissertation Topic: Structure/function/regulatory properties of mitochondrial carnitine palmitoyltransferase
Mentor: JD McGarry
Current Position: Associate Professor of Medicine; Division of Infectious Diseases
Current Affiliation: Washington University School of Medicine
Class of 1992
Brian Maddux
Dissertation Topic: Processing of Multimodality Cortical Signals in the Cerebellar Paraflocculus
Mentor: D. Woodward
Current Position: Neurologist
Current Affiliation: Riverhills Healthcare Montgomery (Cincinnati, OH)
Andrea Richardson
Dissertation Topic: Molecular Cloning and Characterization of the t(2;14) Translocation Associated with Childhood CLL
Mentor: P. Tucker
Current Position: Assistant Professor of Pathology
Current Affiliation: Harvard University, Brigham & Women's Hospital
Mark Segal
Dissertation Topic: The Role of Disulfide Bond Formation & the Cellular Protein BiP in the Folding of Influenza Hemagglutinin
Mentor: MJ Gething
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: M. Brown, J. Goldstein
Current Position: Assistant Professor of Medicine & Cancer Biology; Division of Genetic Medicine; Ingram Assistant Professor, Cancer Research
Current Affiliation: Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Class of 1993
Robert C. Kowal
Dissertation Topic: Studies of the Structure and Function of the LDL Receptor-Related Protein
Mentors: M. Brown, J. Goldstein
Current Position: Cardiologist
Current Affiliation: Baylor Heart Hospital (Dallas, TX)
Sancy A. Leachman
Dissertation Topic: Functional Domains of Skeletal and Smooth Muscle Myosin Light Chain Kinases
Mentor: J. Stull
Current Position: Associate Professor of Dermatology; Director and Principal Investigator, Matthews Familial Melanoma Research Clinic; Deputy Director, Melanoma Program, Huntsman Cancer Institute
Current Affiliation: University of Utah
Kathryn Maschhoff
Dissertation Topic: An Analysis of the Mechanism of Pre-mRNA Splicing using Phosphorothioate-Substituted RNA
Mentor: R. Padgett
Current Position: Clinical Associate of Pediatrics, Neonatology & Newborn Services
Current Affiliation: University of Pennsylvania
Class of 1994
David Crawford
Dissertation Topic: Structural and Functional Studies of Ribonuclease Inhibitor, a Cytosolic Phosphoprotein
Mentor: B. Beutler
Current Position: Assistant Professor of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology
Current Affiliation: University of Alabama, Birmingham School of Medicine
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: B. Botterman
Current Position: Director, Spinal Cord Injury Center Research; Departments of Neurology & Physiology)
Current Affiliation: Crawford Research Institute, Shepherd Center (Atlanta, GA); Emory University School of Medicine
Class of 1995
Michael Wong
Dissertation Topic: Long-Term and Short-Term Steroidal Modulation of the Electrophysiological Properties of Hippocampal Neurons
Mentor: R. Moss
Current Position: Assistant Professor of Pediatric Neurology
Current Affiliation: Washington University School of Medicine
Class of 1996
Scott Armstrong
Dissertation Topic: Molecular and Biochemical Characterization of Rab Geranylgeranyl Transferase
Mentors: M. Brown, J. Goldstein
Current Position: Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Current Affiliation: Harvard University - Children's Hospital of Boston; Dana Farber Cancer Institute & Karp Family Research Laboratories
David M. Berman
Dissertation Topic: The Role of Steroid 5-α Reductase Isozymes in Male Sexual Development
Mentor: D. Russell
Current Position: Associate Professor of Pathology, Oncology & Urology
Current Affiliation: Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Laura Camp Lee
Dissertation Topic: Purification, Characterization and Molecular Cloning of Palmitoyl-Protein Thioeserase
Mentor: S. Hoffman
Current Position: Assistant Professor of Cell & 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: JD Capra
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
Current Position: Assistant Professor of Pathology
Current Affiliation: University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas
Ravindhra G. Elluru
Dissertation Topic: Characterization of the Axonal Transport of Kinesin and Type I Hexokinase in the Rat Visual System
Mentor: S. Brady
Current Position: Assistant Professor of Otolaryngology Head & 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: M. Brown, J. Goldstein
Current Position: Assistant Professor, McDermott Center for Human Growth & Development
Current Affiliation: University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Christopher L. Newton
Dissertation Topic: Cloning and Characterization of a cDNA for Ataxia-Telangiectasia
Mentor: T. Sudhof
Current Position: Private Practice (Pediatrics)
Current Affiliation: Centennial Medical Center (Frisco, TX)
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: M. Bennett
Current Position: Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Current Affiliation: University of Massachusetts Medical School (Worcester, MA)
Charles Eberhart
Dissertation Topic: A Molecular & Genetic Analysis of Pelota & Boule, Two Loci Required for Meiotic Cell Division in Drosophila Males
Mentor: S. Wasserman
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: M. Brown, J. Goldstein
Current Position: Assistant Clinical Professor of Surgery and Pediatrics; Associate Director of Surgery, Division of Pediatric Surgery
Current Affiliation: University of California at Los Angeles David Geffen School of Medicine; Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
Naoum Issa
Dissertation Topic: The Concentration of Calcium Ions at the Presynaptic Active Zone of Hair Cells During Neurotransmitter Release
Mentor: AJ Hudspeth
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
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: A. Gilman
Current Position: Assistant Professor of Cell & Developmental Biology
Current Affiliation: Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Steve Margossian
Dissertation Topic: Studies of the Dead/H Box Protein, Suv3p, & Its Role in Mitochondrial RNA Metabolism in Yeast
Mentor: R. Butow
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 & Characterization of Cellular Factors that Bind to Critical Regulatory Elements in the HIV-1 LTR
Mentor: R. Gaynor
Current Position: Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine, Pulmonary & 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 & Genetic Studies of Neurons that Control Pharyngeal Pumping in Caenorhabditis Elegans
Mentor: L. Avery
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
Current Position: Assistant Professor of Medicine - Hematology/Oncology
Current Affiliation: University of Illinois at Chicago
Brian Weis
Dissertation Topic: Expression of the Carnitine Palmitoyltransferase Enzymes in Rat Liver & Heart
Mentor: JD McGarry
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
Current Position: Obstetrics and Gynecology Specialist
Current Affiliation: Irving/Coppell Women's Health Center (Irving, 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: E. Friedberg
Current Position: Psychiatrist, Bayview Medical Director (Behavioral Health)
Current Affiliation: Paradise Valley Hospital (National City, CA)
Prakash Bhuyan
Dissertation Topic: Identification of the Rat Maternally Transmitted Antigen
Mentor: Kirsten Fischer Lindahl
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 Palmitoyltranferase I
Mentor: JD McGarry
Current Position: (unknown)
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
Current Position: Internist, Gastroenterology & 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: D. Chuang
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: E. Hansen
Current Position: Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine; Medical Director of Lung Transplantation; Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care & Occupational Medicine
Current Affiliation: University of Iowa Roy J. & Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine
Colin Koon
Dissertation Topic: Identification, Purification and Characterization of a Mitochondrial DNA-Binding Protein
Mentor: RS Williams
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
Current Position: Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition
Current Affiliation: Medical College of Wisconsin
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
Current Position: Research Assistant Member, Arthritis & 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: C. Mendelson
Current Position: Assistant Professor of Pathology & Medicine
Current Affiliation: Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Class of 1999
David Berman
Dissertation Topic: Regulators of G Protein Signaling (RGS): A Family of GTPase Activating Proteins
Mentor: A. Gilman
Current Position: Assistant Professor of Pathology and Medicine
Current Affiliation: Bristol-Myers Squibb (Princeton, NJ)
Michael Biswas
Dissertation Topic: cDNA Cloning and Characterization of Enzymes that Metabolize Androgens
Mentor: D. Russell
Current Position: Internist
Current Affiliation: Athens Regional Medical Center (Athens, GA)
Greg Clines
Dissertation Topic: The Positional Cloning of Three Loci Involved in Human Skeletal Growth and Morphogenesis
Mentor: M. Lovett
Current Position: Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism
Current Affiliation: University of Virginia Medical Center
Michele Hutchison
Dissertation Topic: Cloning and Characterization of the Mammalian STE20-Related Protein Kinases, PAK2 and TAO1
Mentor: M. Cobb
Current Position: Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Current Affiliation: University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas
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: AJ Hudspeth
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
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
Current Position: Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Current Affiliation: University of Colorado Health Sciences Center
Linda Verkruyse
Dissertation Topic: Characterization of Palmitoyl-Protein Thioesterase and Its Role in Human Disease
Mentor: S. Hofmann
Current Position: Hematologist & Medical Oncologist
Current Affiliation: Texas Oncology (Mansfield & South Arlington, TX)
Class of 2000
Beth Duncan
Dissertation Topic: Identification and characterization of the sites of regulated proteolysis in SREBP-2
Mentors: M. Brown and J. Goldstein
Current Position: Fellow in Allergy & 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: P. Sternweis
Current Position: Assistant Professor of Pathology (Division of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine)
Current Affiliation: University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston - MD Anderson Cancer Center
Rene Galindo
Dissertation Topic: Genetic and molecular analysis of dorsoventral signaling in the Drosophila embryo
Mentor: S. Wasserman
Current Position: Assistant Professor of Pediatric Pathology and Molecular Oncology
Current Affiliation: University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas
Dick Kibbey
Dissertation Topic: The LDL receptor clustering motif interacts with the clathrin terminal domain in a reverse turn conformation.
Mentor: RGW Anderson
Current Position: Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine (Section of Endocrinology) and Cellular & Molecular Physiology
Current Affiliation: Yale University School of Medicine
Rob Makar
Dissertation Topic: Non-Sterol Regulation of LDL Receptor Gene Expression in Jurkat Cells
Mentor: P Lipsky and J Cuthbert
Current Position: Instructor of Pathology
Current Affiliation: Harvard University - Massachusetts General Hospital
Kevin Rosenblatt
Dissertation Topic: Alternative splicing of slo channels within auditory hair cells: A tune with many variations.
Mentor: AJ Hudspeth
Current Position: Associate Professor of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology & Medicine; Project Leader in Biomarker Discovery, NHLBI Proteomics Center; Scientist, Sealy Center for Molecular Medicine, Director for Biomarker & Drug Development; Scientist, Sealy Center for Cancer Cell Biology
Current Affiliation: University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, Texas
Class of 2001
Hal Berman
Dissertation Topic: Regulation of glucose disposal in hepatocytes and islets of Langerhans studied by metabolic engineering
Mentor: Dr. Chris Newgard
Current Position: Assistant Professor of Surgical Pathology & 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: Dr. Kirsten Fischer Lindahl
Current Position: Instructor of Internal Medicine, Division of Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine; Postdoctoral Research Scholar, Laboratory of Dr. Michael Holtzman (Medicine/Pulmonary)
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: Dr. Jerry Niederkorn
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: Dr. Al Gilman
Current Position: Clinical Assistant Professor of 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: Dr. Steven Wasserman
Current Position: Cardiologist
Current Affiliation: Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Greg Goldmakher
Dissertation Topic: Electrophysiological characterization of the voltage- and GABA-induced currents of periglomerular neurons of the rat accessory olfactory bulb
Mentor: Dr. Robert Moss (Deceased)
Current Position: Radiologist, Clinical Imaging
Current Affiliation: Private Practice (Philadelphia, PA)
Adrian Goldstein
Dissertation Topic: CAATT displacement protein regulates B-lymphocyte and T-lymphocyte development
Mentor: Dr. Richard Scheuermann
Current Position: Fellow, Pathology (Dermatopathology)
Current Affiliation: University of Alabama, Birmingham
Greg Hosler
Dissertation Topic: Minimal residual disease evaluation as a prognostic indicator in T Cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia
Mentor: Dr. Richard Scheuermann
Current Position: Pathologist
Current Affiliation: ProPath Anatomic Pathology Specialists (Dallas, TX)
Laura Klesse
Dissertation Topic: Neurotrophin signaling cascades
Mentor: Dr. Luis Parada
Current Position: Assistant Professor of Pediatrics (Pediatric Hematology/Oncology)
Current Affiliation: University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas
Bobby Korn
Dissertation Topic: SCAP, A sterol sensing protein that regulates cholesterol homeostatis in the liver
Mentor: Drs. Michael Brown and Joseph Goldstein
Current Position: Assistant Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology (Orbit & 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
Current Position: Instructor of Internal Medicine, Division of Endocrinology
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: Dr. Ellen Vitetta
Current Position: Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine and Pathology
Current Affiliation: University of California at Los Angeles Medical Center School of Medicine
Class of 2002
Kevin Berman
Dissertation Topic: Studying Stress Responsive Signaling Pathways in C. elegans and Mammals
Mentor: Dr. Melanie Cobb
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: Dr. Steve Wasserman
Current Position: Assistant Adjunct Professor in the Laboratory of Mark Anderson M.D., Ph.D. - 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
Mentor: Drs. Michael Brown and Joseph Goldstein
Current Position: Resident in Anesthesiology
Current Affiliation: University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas
Amber Luong
Dissertation Topic: Study of the regulation of 2 isoforms of the transcription factor, SREBP-1
Mentor: Drs. Michael Brown and Joseph Goldstein
Current Position: Assistant Professor of 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 ofTrypanosoma brucei Ornithine Decarboxylase.
Mentor: Dr. Meg Phillips
Current Position: Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine - Pulmonary Division
Current Affiliation: University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas
Ben Ohlstein
Dissertation Topic: A role for the Drosophila Bag-Of-Marbles and Benigh Gonial Cell Neoplasm genes in the differentiation of cystocytes from germline stem cells.
Mentor: Dr. Dennis McKearin
Current Position: Assistant Professor of Genetics & Development
Current Affiliation: Columbia University Medical Center
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: Dr. Helen Yin
Current Position: Rheumatologist
Current Affiliation: Palo Alto Medical Foundation (Palo Alto, CA/Fremont, CA)
Jason Walenta
Dissertation Topic: Hooking Organelles to Microtubules
Mentor: Dr. Helmut Krämer
Current Position: Psychiatrist
Current Affiliation/Location: Reno, NV
Class of 2003
Jared Abbott
Dissertation Topic: Active Site Analysis of Trypanosoma Brucei γ-Glutamylcysteine Synthetase
Mentor: Dr. Meg Phillips
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: Dr. Eric Olson
Current Position: Clinical Fellow in Surgical Pathology
Current Affiliation: Harvard University - Brigham & Women's Hospital
Narimon Honarpour
Dissertation Topic: The Requirement of Apoptotic Protease Activating Factor-1 (APAF-1) For Mammalian Development
Mentor: Dr. Joachim Herz
Current Position: Postdoctoral Fellow in Internal Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Raymond Deshaies Lab (Cal Tech), UCLA Star Program
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: Dr. Xiaodong Wang
Current Position: Assistant Professor of Psychiatry
Current Affiliation: University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas
Holt Oliver
Dissertation Topic: Genetic and Biochemical Analyses of the Necessity for Caspase Activation by the Ced4-Domain Proteins, Apaf-1 and DARK
Mentor: Dr. Xiaodong Wang
Current Position: Clinical Fellow in Internal Medicine, Division of Hematology/Oncology
Current Affiliation: Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Gail Streater
Dissertation Topic: Elucidation of Functionally Important Amino Acids in the DNA DSBR and V(D)J Recombination Protein XRCC4
Mentor: Dr. Kathy Meek
Current Position: Pediatrician, OSF Hospitalist Service
Current Affiliation: OSF St. Francis Hospital (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: Dr. Eric Olson
Current Position: Instructor of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences; Director for Psychiatry Inpatient Consultation-Liaison Service
Current Affiliation: Baylor College of Medicine; Ben Taub General Hospital (Houston TX)
Class of 2004
Dara Aisner
Dissertation Topic: Regulation Of hTERT, The Catalytic Subunit Of Human Telomerase
Mentor: Dr. Jerry W. Shay
Current Position: Fellow in Surgical Pathology & Molecular Pathology
Current Affiliation: University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
Vivek Arora
Dissertation Topic: Identification And Characterization Of A Nef-Associatied Kinase
Mentor: Dr. Jose Victor Garcia-Martinez
Current Position: Clinical Fellow in Internal Medicine, Division of Oncology
Current Affiliation: Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (New York, NY)
Adrienne Hammill
Dissertation Topic: Assymetric Cell Division Results In Differential Apoptotic Cell Fates In A B-Cell Lymphoma Model Of Tumor Dormancy
Mentor: Dr. Richard Scheuermann
Current Position: Clinical Fellow in Pediatrics (Pediatric Hem/Onc; 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: Dr. Al Gilman
Current Position: Fellow in Pediatrics (Pediatric Hematology/Oncology) & Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Molecular Biology, Dr. Eric Olson Laboratory
Current Affiliation: University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, Children's Medical Center of Dallas
Jennifer Hodges
Dissertation Topic: Differential Effects Of Thiazolidinediones On Gene Expression In Mouse And Rat
Mentor: Dr. J. Denis McGarry (deceased) and Dr. Victoria Esser
Current Position: Resident in Obstetrics/Gynecology
Current Affiliation: University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas
Mahesh Karandikar
Dissertation Topic: A Study of Mekk1: Scaffolding Protein and Raf-1 Activator
Mentor: Dr. Melanie Cobb
Current Position: Resident in Neurological Surgery
Current Affiliation: University of Washington Affiliated Hospitals
Rafal Kedzierski
Dissertation Topic: Cardiovascular Role Of Endothelin-A Receptor: Studies In Conditional Gene Knockout Mice
Mentor: Dr. Masashi Yanigasawa
Current Position: Resident/Staff Physician in Radiology
Current Affiliation: University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas; Parkland Memorial Hospital (Dallas, TX)
Thomas Kerr
Dissertation Topic: Cholesterol 25-Hydroxylase And The In Vivo Role Of Short Heterodimer Partner (SHP) In Bile Acid Metabolism
Mentor: Dr. David W. Russell
Current Position: Instructor of Internal Medicine Division of Gastroenterology
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: Dr. Xiaodong Wang
Current Position: Resident in Dermatology
Current Affiliation: University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas
Timothy Lu
Dissertation Topic: Nuclear Receptor Regulation of Bile Acid Metabolism
Mentor: Dr. David Mangelsdorf
Current Position: Fellow in Internal Medicine (Division of GI)
Current Affiliation: University of California at San Francisco Medical Center
David McFadden
Dissertation Topic: Control Of Cardiac And Limb Development By The bHLH Transcription Factors dHAND and eHAND
Mentor: Dr. Eric Olson
Current Position: Research Postdoctoral Fellow, Howard Hughes Medical Institute (Laboratory of Tyler Jacks, PhD); Instructor of Medicine, Endocrine Unit
Current Affiliation: Harvard University - Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Massachusetts General Hospital (Boston, MA)
Timothy Niacaris
Dissertation Topic: Serotonergic And G-Protein Mediated Regulation Of The C. Elegans Pharyngeal Muscle Action Potential
Mentor: Dr. Leon Avery
Current Position: Resident Physician in Orthopedic Surgery
Current Affiliation: University of California at San Diego Medical Center
Adam Seegmiller
Dissertation Topic: Feedback Regulation Of Lipid Biosynthesis By Drosophila Sterol Regulatory Element Binding Protein (dSREBP)
Mentor: Drs. Michael Brown and Joseph Goldstein
Current Position: Assistant Instructor of Pathology
Current Affiliation: University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas
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
Current Position: Postdoctoral Clinical Trainee/Fellow in Internal Medicine - Allergy Division
Current Affiliation: University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas
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/Marc Mumby
Current Position: Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine, Hospitalist Program
Current Affiliation: University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas
Jimmy L. Holder
Dissertation Topic: The bHLH/PPAS Transcription Factor SIM1 is a Novel Obesity Gene
Mentor: Andrew Zinn
Current Position: Resident in Pediatrics, Division of Child Neurology
Current Affiliation: Baylor College of Medicine (Houston, TX)
Irfan Kathiriya
Dissertation Topic: GATA Co-factors: Collaborators in Cardiac Development, Conspirators in Cardiac Disease
Mentor: Deepak Srivastava
Current Position: Resident in Anesthesiology
Current Affiliation: University of California at San Francisco Medical Center
Deepak Nijhawan
Dissertation Topic: Biochemical Pathways in Apoptosis
Mentor: Xiaodong Wang
Current Position: Clinical Fellow in Internal Medicine
Current Affiliation: Harvard University - Dana Farber Cancer Institute
John Peters
Dissertation Topic: Casein Kinase 1 Transduces Wnt Signals
Mentor: Jon Graff
Current Position: Postdoctoral Clinical Trainee/Fellow in Pathology - Hematopathology Division
Current Affiliation: University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas
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
Current Position: Resident in Psychiatry
Current Affiliation: McGill University (Montreal, QC, Canada)
Matthew Wieduwilt
Dissertation Topic: Smad3 in Embryonic Patterning, Mesoderm Induction, and Colorectal Cancer in the Mouse
Mentor: Jon Graff
Current Position: Clinical Fellow in Internal Medicine, Division of 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
Current Position: Resident in Neurosurgery
Current Affiliation: Washington University School of Medicine
Class of 2006
Jeffrey B. Cheng
Dissertation Topic: cDNA Cloning And Characterization Of Enzymes That Synthesize Bile Acids, Vitamin D And Waxes
Mentor: Dr. David Russell
Current Position: Resident in 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: Dr. Rama Ranganathan
Current Position: Instructor in Neurology
Current Affiliation: University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
Rohit Sharma
Dissertation Topic: The physical mechanism underlying long-range energetic interactions between sites in a protein.
Mentor: Dr. Rama Ranganathan
Current Position: Resident in Internal Medicine
Current Affiliation: Boston University Medical Center
Andrew I. Shulman
Dissertation Topic: Allosteric Communication in Retinoid X Receptor Heterodimers
Mentor: Dr. David Mangelsdorf
Current Position: Clinical Fellow in Pediatrics, Rheumatology Division
Current Affiliation: Harvard University - Children's Hospital of Boston
Mark R. Steciuk
Dissertation Topic: The control of terminal bulb pumping in the nematodes C. elegans and P. redivivus
Mentor: Dr. Leon Avery
Current Position: Resident in Pathology
Current Affiliation: University of Alabama Medical Center at Birmingham
Rhea M. Sumpter, Jr.
Dissertation Topic: Viral & Host Genetic Determinants of Hepatitis C Virus Persistence and Interferon Resistance
Mentor: Dr. Michael Gale
Current Position: Postdoctoral Clinical Trainee/Fellow in Internal Medicine, Infectious Diseases Division
Current Affiliation: University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas
Elie A. Traer
Dissertation Topic: Regulation of cytochrome c release in UV-induced apoptosis
Mentor: Dr. Xiaodong Wang
Current Position: Resident in Internal Medicine
Current Affiliation: Oregon Health and Science University
Class of 2007
James Battiste
Dissertation Topic: Mash1 Defines Lineage-Restricted Neuron and Oligodendrocyte Precursor Cells in Spinal Cord Development
Mentor: Dr. Jane Johnson
Current Position: Resident in Neurology
Current Affiliation: University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas
Jing-Tzyh (Alan) Chiang
Dissertation Topic: Evolution of Pharyngeal Feeding Behaviors in Free-living Soil Nematodes
Mentor: Dr. Leon Avery
Current Position: Resident in Radiology
Current Affiliation: University of California at San Diego Medical Center
Luke Engelking
Dissertation Topic: Insig-Mediated Regulation of Hepatic Lipid Synthesis
Mentor: Drs. Mike Brown and Joe Goldstein
Current Position: Clinical Fellow in Internal Medicine
Current Affiliation: Harvard University - Massachusetts General Hospital
Jamison Feramisco
Dissertation Topic: SCAP, INSIG, and Cholesterol Interactions in Mammalian Cells
Mentor: Drs. Mike Brown and Joe Goldstein
Current Position: Resident in Dermatology, Molecular Medicine Program
Current Affiliation: University of California at San Francisco Medical Center
Eileen Foy
Dissertation Topic: Control of Innate Antiviral Defenses by the Hepatitis C Virus NS3/4A Protease
Mentor: Dr. Michael Gale
Current Position: Resident in Pediatrics
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: Dr. Deepak Srivastava
Current Position: Resident in Pediatrics
Current Affiliation: University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas - Children's Medical Center of Dallas
Nathan Holladay
Dissertation Topic: Data-optimized Linear Predictors of Disorder in Proteins Yield Insight into Disorder Prediction and Physical Processes Underlying Disorde
Mentor: Dr. Nick Grishin
Current Position: Resident in Internal Medicine
Current Affiliation: Pitt County Memorial Hospital/East Carolina University (Winterville, NC)
Christopher Jones
Dissertation Topic: Development and Analysis of an Animal Model of Autosomal Recessive Hypercholesterolemia
Mentor: Drs. Joachim Herz and Helen Hobbs
Current Position: Resident in Internal Medicine
Current Affiliation: George Washington University (Washington, DC)
Jason Mock
Dissertation Topic: The LspA Proteins of Haemophilus ducreyi: Extracellular Virulence Factors
Mentor: Dr. Eric Hansen
Current Position: Resident in Internal Medicine
Current Affiliation: Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Charles Nguyen
Dissertation Topic: Haplotype-specific Effects of the SLAM/CD2 Family on the Immune Response
Mentor: Dr. Ward Wakeland
Current Position: Resident in Internal Medicine
Current Affiliation: University of Texas Health Science Center (Houston, TX)
Tim Rand
Dissertation Topic: A Biochemical Model for siRNA Loading and RISC activation in RNA interference
Mentor: Dr. Xiaodong Wang
Current Position: Resident in Anatomic Pathology
Current Affiliation: University of California at San Francisco Medical Center
Abhi Seth
Dissertation Topic: Autoinhibition Regulates the Actin Assembly Activity and Cellular Localization of Diaphanous-Related Formins
Mentor: Drs. Michael Rosen and Helen Yin
Current Position: Resident in Internal Medicine
Current Affiliation: Yale University School of Medicine
Tuhin Virmani
Dissertation Topic: Molecular And Functional Determinants Of Synaptic Vesicle Recycling In CNS Synapses
Mentor: Dr. Ege Kavalali
Current Position: Resident in Neurology
Current Affiliation: Washington University School of Medicine - Barnes-Jewish Hospital
Jeff Waugh
Dissertation Topic: A Structural/Behavioral Analysis of Dopamine Regulation by the R7 RGS Subfamily
Mentor: Dr. Stephen Gold
Current Position: Resident in Pediatric Neurology
Current Affiliation: Harvard University/Boston Children's Hospital
Class of 2008
Michael Arnold
Dissertation Topic: The MEF2 Transcription Factor is an Essential Regulator of Bone Development
Mentor: Dr. Eric Olson
Current Position: Resident in Pathology
Current Affiliation: University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas
Tracy Clyne Beswick
Dissertation Topic: Allosteric Regulation of S-Adenosylmethionine Decarboxylase from T. Cruzi
Mentor: Dr. Meg Phillips
Current Position: Resident, Internal Medicine (Preliminary Year); Dermatology
Current Affiliation: University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas; University of Oklahoma
Nathan Bingham
Dissertation Topic: Loss of Ventromedial Hypothalamic Leptin Receptors Results in Increased Adiposity and a Metabolic Syndrome
Mentor: Dr. Keith Parker
Current Position: Resident in Pediatrics
Current Affiliation: Cincinnati Children's Hospital
Alice Chan
Dissertation Topic: In vivo identification of Sle1b: Ly108 mediates autoantibody production
Mentor: Dr. Ward Wakeland
Current Position: Resident in Pediatrics
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: Dr. Kevin McIver
Current Position: Resident in Pathology
Current Affiliation: Baylor University Medical Center (Dallas, 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: Dr. David Mangelsdorf
Current Position: Resident in Internal Medicine, Research Track
Current Affiliation: Mount Sinai School of Medicine
Bogachan Sahin
Dissertation Topic: Evaluation and Characterization of Novel Signal Transduction Pathways in the Striatum
Mentor: Dr. James Bibb
Current Position: Resident in Internal Medicine (Preliminary Year); Resident in Neurology
Current Affiliation: University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas; Johns Hopkins University
Nadia Tsankova
Dissertation Topic: The Role of Chromatin Remodeling in Hippocampus in Depression and Antidepressant Action
Mentor: Dr. Eric Nestler
Current Position: Resident in Pathology
Current Affiliation: New York Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia School of Medicine
Brant Ward
Dissertation Topic: Behavioral characteristics of Langerhans cells in vivo.
Mentor: Dr. Akira Takashima
Current Position: Resident in Internal Medicine, Research Track
Current Affiliation: Virginia Commonwealth University
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