TL1 Predoctoral Training Program Trainees

Year Out Students

Youngsun Cho

Project Title: Sources of Dopamine Input to the Amygdala-an Anatomic and Neurochemical Focus of Mood Disorders

Youngsun Cho is a medical student currently training with the Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy. Dr. Julie Fudge, Associate Professor in the Departments of Psychiatry and Neurobiology and Anatomy, will serve as Youngsun's primary mentor.

Christopher Hogan

Project Title: Mechanisms for Protecting Human Lung Fibroblasts from Cigarette Smoke-Induced Cell Death: Implications for COPD

Chris Hogan is a medical student training with the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care. Dr. Patricia Sime, Associate Professor in the Departments of Medicine (Pulmonary & Critical Care), Environmental Medicine, and Oncology, will serve as Chris's primary mentor.

Ajay Kuriyan

Project Title: Inhibition of corneal fibroblast differentiation to scar forming cells

Ajay Kuriyan is a medical student who is also pursuing a Master's Degree in Translational Research in the Department of Community and Preventive Medicine. Dr. Richard Phipps, Professor of Environmental Medicine, and of Microbiology & Immunology, Oncology and Pediatrics, and Dr. Steve Feldon, Professor of Ophthalmology, will serve as Ajay's primary mentors.

Judy Liu

Project Title: Mutation specific risk stratification of Long QT Syndrome type 3 viameasure of evolutionary conservation of amino acids expressed by the SCN5A gene.

Judy Liu is a medical student training with the Division of Heart Research. Dr. Arthur Moss, Professor of Medicine and Community and Preventive Medicine, will serve as Judy's primary mentor.

Andrew Marky

Project Title: Role mutant APC on neuroprotection and neurogenesis in mice following traumatic brain injury

Andrew Marky is a medical student who is also pursuing a Master's in Public Health from the Department of Community and Preventive Medicine. Dr. Berislav Zlokovic, Dean's Professor of Neurosurgery and Director of the Center for Neurodegenerative and Vascular Brain Disorders, along with Dr. Rashid Deane, Associate Professor in the Department of Neurological Surgery, will serve as Andrew's primary mentors.

Daniel Platt

Project Title: Phenotypic Variability in and Treatment of Episodic Ataxia Type 1

Daniel Platt is a medical student training with the Department of Neurology. Dr. Robert Griggs, Professor and Chair of Neurology, will serve as Daniel's primary mentor.

Izad-Yar Daniel Rasheed

Project Title: Why does kindling lead to spontaneous seizures?

Izad-Yar Daniel Rasheed is a medical student currently training with the Department of Biomedical Engineering. Dr. David Pinto, Assistant Professor in the Departments of Biomedical Engineering, Neurobiology and Anatomy, and Neurology, will serve as Daniel's primary mentor.
Daniel's research interests include brain-computer interfaces and computational models of neurological disease.

Laurel Stevens

Project Title: Role of Plexin B1 receptor in Melanoma Tumor Progression

Laurel Stevens is a medical student training with the Department of Dermatology. Dr. Glynnis Scott, Associate Professor of Dermatology, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and Pediatrics, will serve as Laurel's primary mentor.

Joanna Walker

Project Title: Central Venous Catheter Thrombosis in Children

Joanna Walker is a medical student currently training in the Department of Pediatrics. Dr. Norma Lerner, Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics, serves as Joanna's primary mentor.

Helen Wei

Project Title: Vasomotor Regulation of the Microcirculation After Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

Helen Wei is a medical student currently training with the Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy. Dr. Maiken Nedergaard, Professor in the Center for Translational Neuromedicine, Department of Biomedical Engineering, and the Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, along with Dr. Edward Vates, Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurological Surgery, will serve as Helen's primary mentors.

Christine Zanghi

Project Title: Anticoagulation in the era of Heparin Induced Thrombocytopenia: Combination Therapy with Bivalirudin and Fondaparinux Versus Conventional Heparin During Cardiopulmonary Bypass

Christine Gorman is a medical student who is also pursuing a Master's Degree in Clinical Investigation through the Department of Community and Preventive Medicine. Dr. Michael Eaton, Associate Professor of Anesthesiology, will serve as Christine's primary mentor.

Medical Scientist Training Program

Natalia Golub

Natalia Golub is an M.D. / Ph.D. student in the Department of Community and Preventive Medicine. She is in her first year of the Epidemiology PhD program. Her mentor is Edwin VanWijngaarden Ph.D., Assistant Professor in the Division of Epidemiology. Her research interests include disparities in access and quality of healthcare, refugee health, preventive medicine, and pediatrics.

Michael Jacob

Michael Jacob is a MD/PhD student in the Neurobiology and Anatomy program. His mentor is Dr. Charles Duffy, Professor in the Departments of Neurology, Neurobiology and Anatomy, Ophthalmology and the Center for Visual Science. Michael's research interests focus on Neuroscience.

Kevin Makino

Kevin Makino is a M.D. / Ph.D. student in the Department of Community and Preventive Medicine and is in the third year of his Ph.D. program. His mentor is Bruce Friedman Ph.D., Associate Professor in the Department of Community and Preventive Medicine and Director of the Doctoral Program in Health Services Research & Policy.
Kevin's research interests include quality of life, burden of disease, mental health, epidemiology, public health and policy.

Kofi Mensah

Kofi Mensah is a M.D. / Ph.D. student in the Department of Immunology, Microbiology, and Virology and he is in the second year of his Ph.D. program. His mentor is Edward Schwarz Ph.D., Associate Professor of Orthopaedics and of Microbiology and Immunology.
Kofi's research interests include Osteoimmunology.

Christopher Richardson

Christopher Richardson is a M.D. / Ph.D. student in the Department of Immunology, Microbiology, and Virology and he is in the third year of his graduate program. His mentor is Ignacio Sanz M.D., Professor of Medicine and of Microbiology and Immunology.
Chris's research interests include B-Cell Tolerance and Autoimmunity.

Shuolon Ruan

Shuolon Ruan is a M.D. / Ph.D. student in the Department of Community and Preventive Medicine and she is in the second year of her Ph.D. Program. Her mentor is Bruce Friedman Ph.D., Associate Professor in the Department of Community and Preventive Medicine and Director of the Doctoral Program in Health Services Research & Policy.
Shuolon's research interests include health policy and health economics.

Mercedes Szpunar

Mercedes Szpunar is a MD/PhD student in the Department of Pathology. Her primary mentor is Dr. Edward Brown, Assistant Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering.
Mercedes' research interests include women's health, developmental health, and the corresponding environmental influences.

Adam Simming

Adam Simming is a M.D. / Ph.D. student in the Department of Community and Preventive Medicine's Epidemiology Division. Adam is in his first year of the Ph.D. Program and expects to graduate in 2012. His mentor is Edwin VanWijngaarden Ph.D., Assistant Professor in the Division of Epidemiology.
Adam's research interests include cancer epidemiology, neurological diseases, psychiatry, and oncology.

Past Trainees

Jon Black

Project Title: How We See It: Life Through The Eyes of a Pediatric Cancer Patient

Jonathan Black is a M.D. / MPH student in the class of 2008. His mentor is Nancy Chin Ph.D., MPH, Assistant Professor in the Department of Community and Preventive Medicine with secondary appointments in the Departments of Medical Humanities and Psychiatry.

Zachary Borus

Project Title: The Impact of Implementing a 'Collaborative Problem Solving' Approach to Care on an Inpatient Child Psychiatry Unit

Zach Borus is a M.D. / M.P.H student in the class of 2009. His mentor is David Garrison MD, Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and the Director of the Child and Adolescent Inpatient Psychiatry at the University of Rochester Medical Center.

Brian Jenssen

Project Title: Dissemination of Best Practices to Promote Smoke Free Homes

Brian Jenssen is a M.D. student in the Class of 2008. His mentor is Jonathon Klein M.D., MPH, Associate Professor of Pediatrics and of Community and Preventive Medicine, and Director of the American Academy of Pediatrics Julius B. Richmond Center for Excellence.

Evan Katzel

Project Title: The impact of Smad3 loss of function on TGF-beta signaling and the resultant scarring and adhesion formation during tendon healing

Evan Katzel is a M.D. student in the class of 2010. His mentor is Regis O'Keefe, M.D., Ph.D., Professor in the Department of Orthopaedics and Director of the Center for Musculoskeletal Research.

Erika Levy

Project Title: Treatment of Anxiety and Obsessive Compulsive Behaviors in Tourette Syndrome

Erika Levy is a M.D. student in the class of 2008. Her mentor is Jonathon Mink M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor of Neurology and Neurobiology & Anatomy, and Chief of the Child Neurology Division.

Alexi Matousek

Project Title: The Molecular Pathogenesis of Barrett's Esophagus

Alexi Matousek is a M.D. student in the class of 2009. His mentor is Jeffrey Peters, M.D., Professor of Surgery and Chairman of the Department of Surgery at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry.

Allison Panzer

Project Title: Breastfeeding and Health Outcomes in Low and Very Low Birth Weight Infants at 9 Months of Age.

Allison Panzer is a M.D. / MPH student in the class of 2009. Her mentor is Cynthia Howard M.D., MPH, Associate Professor of Pediatrics in the School of Medicine and Dentistry.

Glenn Schneider

Project Title: Inner Ear Gene Therapy Steps to Treat Age-Related Hearing Loss

Glenn Schneider is a M.D. / M.S. student in the class of 2009. His mentor is Robert Frisina Ph.D., Professor in the Departments of Otolaryngology, Neurobiology and Anatomy, Biomedical Engineering and Communication Sciences, and Associate Chair for Research in the Otolaryngology Department.

Jordan Schramm

Project Title: Maternal iron-deficiency and its impacts on auditory temporal processing and myelination in the offspring – translation of animal models into the human system

Jordan Schramm is a M.D. / M.S. Student in the class of 2010. His mentor is Anne Luebke Ph.D., Associate Professor in the Departments of Neurobiology, Anatomy and Biomedical Engineering.

Otto Thomas

Project Title: Characteristics, frequency, and implications of extranodal non-Hodgkin's lymphoma

Otto Thomas is a MD student in the Class of 2010. His mentors are Louis Constine M.D., Vice Chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology and Professor of Radiation Oncology and Pediatrics in the School of Medicine and Dentistry and Susan Fisher Ph.D., Interim Chair of the Department of Community and Preventive Medicine and Chief of the Division of Epidemiology.

Heidi Thompson

Project Title: Research into Health Care in the Deaf Population

Heidi Thompson is a MD student in the Class of 2010. Her mentor is Steven Barnett M.D., Assistant Professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Associate Director of the National Center for Deaf Health Research.

Katherine Eisenberg

Katherine Eisenberg is a M.D. / Ph.D. student in the Epidemiology Program. Katherine is in the third year of her Ph.D. Program and expects to graduate in 2010. Her mentor is Edwin VanWijngaarden Ph.D., Assistant Professor in the Division of Epidemiology.
Katherine's research interests include lead poisoning in refugee children, infectious disease, mapping, and ecology.

Susan Lee

Susan Lee is a M.D. / Ph.D. student in the Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy and is in her second year of the Ph.D. program. Her mentor is Loisa Bennetto Ph.D., Associate Professor of Psychology and Director of Clinical Training.
Susan's research interests include Autism, fMRI, mirror neurons, imitation and language.