David Ian Yule, Ph.D.
david_yule@urmc.rochester.edu
Ph.D., University of Liverpool, UK, 1990

I originally hail from Edinburgh, Scotland. After doing a Bachelors degree in Pharmacology at Portsmouth Polytechnic (now the University of Hampshire no less!!) where I became interested in signal transduction, I decided to do a Ph.D. under the supervision of David Gallacher at the University of Liverpool. At this time the measurement of calcium in signal cells was really in its infancy, and powerful new tools were being developed which allowed researchers to see how dynamic calcium changes in cells actually were. After a short post-doc with Ole Petersen, I moved to the U.S. to work with John Williams at the University of Michigan. During the following (numerous) years under John's mentorship, I learned everything there is to know (and much more) about calcium signaling in the exocrine pancreas. In 1998, I moved to the University of Rochester to set up my own lab and continue working on calcium signaling in exocrine cells. During my spare time (which appears to be getting progressively less), I like to walk my dogs and scuba dive (see video).

Jong Hak Won
jonghak_won@urmc.rochester.edu
Postdoctoral Fellow
Ph.D. Sungkyunkwan University, Korea, 2004

I received my B.S. in Biology  from Sungkyunkwan University  (South Korea). I also completed graduate studies at Sungkyunkwan University (South Korea), under the supervision of Dr. Young Min Park. Here my project investigated the regulation mechanism of insulin secretion by annexin I from MIN6N8 cells and pancreatic islets. I then moved to the US to conduct post-doctoral work with Dr. David Yule in the Department of Pharmacology and Physiology. I am interested in stimulus-secretion coupling mechanisms in endocrine and exocrine cells, with a particular focus on intracellular calcium signaling.

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Matthew J. Betzenhauser
matthew_betzenhauser@urmc.rochester.edu Graduate Student
B.A., Boston University, 1996

I am a graduate student working on a PhD in the Pharmacology & Physiology department. I grew up in Utica, NY and attended college at Boston University where I developed a passion for biological research and Boston Red Sox baseball. Prior to entering graduate school, I worked as a research technician at Biogen, Inc. in Cambridge where I worked on protein expression and Interferon-b signaling and later at the Center for Oral Biology at the University of Rochester Medical Center where I worked on gene regulation in oral pathogens. Since escaping from the real world and into graduate school, my research interests have focused on how mammalian cells use signaling pathways to convert multiple input signals into coordinated physiological responses. After entering the Yule lab, I have been exploring the interactions between cAMP and calcium signaling pathways in secretory epithelia. Specifically, I am interested in how phosphorylation by cellular protein kinases tunes the activity of InsP3 receptors which are the main intracellular calcium release channels in many non-excitable cells. When not tormenting my fellow lab mates, I can be found on one of the many reasonably-priced local golf courses during summer months or digging out my driveway during the winter. I also spend my limited free time following the Red Sox, changing my daughter’s diapers and picking up after my dog.

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David A. Brown
david_brown@urmc.rochester.edu
Graduate Student
M.S., University of Rochster, 2005

I traveled all the way from Canandaigua, NY, to the University of Rochester. Yes, that is a whole 45 minute drive from here. I received my Bachelors degree in Biochemistry in 2001 from Bucknell University, which is located in Lewisburg, PA. Here I became interested in graduate studies while conducting undergraduate research in a Biochemistry laboratory studying enzyme kinetics. This interest inspired me to pursue a Ph.D. degree in the Pharmacology and Physiology Department here at the School of Medicine and Dentistry.
Outside of the lab (wait what are we doing outside the lab?), I enjoy staying active by running, lifting, and playing tennis. Also I am just picking up the sport of golf, due to the corruptive nature of my other lab members. Additionally I am a car enthusiast, although I cannot afford an exotic sports car…. yet. I also enjoy spending my time in the summer out on Canandaigua Lake either boating or jet-skiing and also water-skiing and knee-boarding.

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Keigan M. Park
keigan_park@urmc.rochester.edu
Graduate Student
B.S., Pennsylvania State University, 2003

I was born in Ipswitch, England (I am positive it was either raining or about to rain) and was raised mostly along the Eastern US Coast with a hometown of Corning, New York.  In 2003, I graduated from Penn State with a MS in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, while studying the metabolism of Vitamin A as an undergraduate researcher, and moved further north to the “beautiful in summer” city of Rochester to attend the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry.   I successfully convinced the Yule lab to start studying an “exciting” cell in the summer of 2005 and begun work on the effects of inflammation on Ca2+ signals in Alzheimer’s disease.  I am currently working on my Ph.D. in the Department of Pharmacology and Physiology.  In my spare time, I enjoy water sports (skiing and wakeboarding), golf, and watching either the Lions facing off against the “Big Blue M” or the Yankees beating the Red Sox. 

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Lyndee M. Knowlton lyndee_knowlton@urmc.rochester.edu
Laboratory Technician III
B.S., Rochester Institute of Technology, 2005

I come to the University of Rochester from Willet, a little town in central New York. I have been in the Rochester area for the last four years obtaining my B.S. in biotechnology from Rochester Institute of Technology. I will have successfully completed my degree as of November of 2005. I came to the Yule lab in June of 2005. I look forward to the experiences that I will gain here. I plan on starting my Master’s degree in May of 2006, and we will see where I go from there. In my spare time I enjoy reading, keeping up to date on the latest advances in science and health. I also enjoy being outdoors, biking and walking. 

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