Current Students

William Alexander - Maryville College

Adviser: Aram Hezel, M.D.

PhD Degree Program: Genetics - Year: Med 4

Interests: TGFβ superfamily signaling in biliary and pancreatic cancer

Andrew Allbee - Miami University

Adviser: Benoit Biteau, Ph.D.

PhD Degree Program: Genetics - Year: Med 3

Interests: Role of a LIM-homeobox transcription factor in the establishment and maintenance of adult stem cell-niche units

Jonathan Bartko - University of Pittsburgh

Adviser: Marc Halterman, M.D., Ph.D.

PhD Degree Program: PWD - Year: Grad 3

Interests: Defining hypoxia-induced ER stress signaling networks in the CNS

Catherine Beamish - Washington University

Year: Med 1

Hannah Bell - Cornell University

Adviser: Michelle Dziejman, Ph.D.

PhD Degree Program: IMV - Year: Grad 3

Interests: Characterizing effector T cell motility in inflammation and infection 

Michael-John Beltejar - SUNY Brockport

Adviser: Cheryl Ackert-Bicknell, Ph.D.

PhD Degree Program: Genetics - Year: Grad 6

Interests: Genetic contributions to bone strength

John Bennett - Hamilton College

Year: Med 2

Udaysankar Chockanathan - University of Chicago

Adviser: Krishnan Padmanabhan, Ph.D.

PhD Degree Program: NSC - Year: Grad 3

Interests: Comparison of the efficacy of various correlation and causation algorithms for quantifying interactions in resting-state fMRI brain activity using graph theory approaches

Zachary Christensen - Brigham Young University

PhD Degree Program: TBS - Year: Grad 1

Ankit Dahal - University of Pennsylvania

Year: Med 1

Ian DeAndrea-Lazarus - Gallaudet University

Adviser: Edward Freedman, Ph.D. & John Foxe, Ph.D.

PhD Degree Program: TBS - Year: Grad 2

Interests: Task-evoked fMRI language mapping

Carol Deaton - University of New Mexico

Adviser: Gail Johnson, Ph.D

PhD Degree Program: PWD - Year: Grad 1

Interests: Studying the Role of Heat Shock Factor 1 in Neuronal Autophagy

Dawling Dionisio-Santos - University of Puerto Rico

Adviser: M. Kerry O'Banion, M.D., Ph.D. & John Olschowka, Ph.D.

PhD Degree Program: NBA - Year: Grad 4

Interests: Neuroinflammatory mechanisms that contribute to the development and progression of Alzheimer's Disease

Alan Finkelstein - CUNY Queens College

Year: Med 2

Karl Foley - Vasser College

Adviser: Hugh Xia, M.Sc., Ph.D.

PhD Degree Program: NSC - Year: Grad 2

Interests: PP1 regulation in synaptic plasticity

Ranran "Annette" French - Georgia Institute of Technology

Adviser: Greg DeAngelis, Ph.D.

PhD Degree Program: BCS - Year: Grad 1

Scott Friedland - University of Rochester

Adviser: Aram Hezel, M.D.

PhD Degree Program: Genetics - Year: Grad 5

Interests: Pancreatic Cancer and effects on the host

Gary Ge - University of Rochester

Adviser: Kevin Parker, Ph.D. & Jannick Rolland, Ph.D.

PhD Degree Program: OPT - Year: Grad 1

Interests: Medical imaging & optics - optical coherence elastography (OCE)

Adam Geber - Columbia University

Year: Med 1

Jonathan Gigas - University of Massachusetts - Amherst

Adviser: Vera Gorbunova, Ph.D.

PhD Degree Program: BIO - Year: Grad 1

Interests: Studying human Sirtuin6 protein variant found in centenarian individuals.

Nicolas Goldstein - Washington University

Adviser: Peter Veazie, Ph.D.

PhD Degree Program: HSR - Year: Med 3

Interests: Urban health, health disparities, pediatric infectious disease

Booyeon Han - Princeton University

Adviser: Scott Gerber, Ph.D. & David Linehan, M.D.

PhD Degree Program: IMV - Year: Grad 3

Interests: Cancer immune microenvironment and immunotherapy

Katherine Herman - University of Rochester

Adviser: Deborah Fowell, Ph.D.

PhD Degree Program: IMV - Year: Med 4

Interests: The role of innate lymphoid cells in the development and resolution of dermal inflammation

Adnan Hirad - CUNY Lehman

Adviser: Edwin Van Wijngaarden, Ph.D., M.Sc.

PhD Degree Program: TBS - Year: Med 3

Interests: Characterizing the acute pathophysiology of mild traumatic brain injury

Emily Isenstein - Cornell University

Year: Med 1

Maxime Jean - Barry University

Adviser: Jian Zhu, Ph.D.

PhD Degree Program: IMV - Year: Med 3

Interests: HIV latency, antiretroviral drug discovery for HIV

Howard "Mark" Kenney - University of Rochester

Year: Med 2

Justin Komisarof - Harvard University

Adviser: Hartmut Land, Ph.D.

PhD Degree Program: Genetics - Year: Med 4

Interests: Cancer genomics, with a specific focus on investigating patterns of gene expression in solid tumors

Irina Lerman - University of Rochester

Adviser: Stephen Hammes, M.D., Ph.D.

PhD Degree Program: PWD - Year: Med 3

Interests: Molecular mechanisms of prostate carcinogenesis

Allison Li - Washington University

Adviser: Laura Calvi, M.D.

PhD Degree Program: PWD - Year: Grad 5

Interests: Regulation of hematopoiesis in the bone marrow microenvironment

Nguyen Mai - UCLA

Adviser: Marc Halterman, M.D., Ph.D.

PhD Degree Program: NSC - Year: Med 4

Interests: Cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury

Hayley Martin - SUNY Geneseo

Adviser: Ann Dozier, RN, Ph.D., FAAN

PhD Degree Program: EPI - Year: Grad 4

Interests: Maternal child health epidemiology, specifically looking at prenatal care delivery and breastfeeding outcomes and motivation

Evan McConnell - University of Rochester

Adviser: Maiken Nedergaard, M.D., DMSc

PhD Degree Program: NBA - Year: Med 4

Interests: Deep brain stimulation, movement and cerebrovascular disorders

Briaunna Minor - Xavier University of Louisiana

Adviser: Stephen Hammes, M.D., Ph.D.

PhD Degree Program: IMV - Year: Grad 1

Adwiteeya "Aditi" Misra - Dartmouth College

Adviser: Eric Small, Ph.D.

PhD Degree Program: BME - Year: Grad 2

Interests: Influence of Cytokines on the Regenerative Potential of the Epicardium. Extracted and incubated hearts from embryos mice in cytokines

Keshia Mora - Yale University

Adviser: Mark Buckley, Ph.D. & Alayna Loiselle, Ph.D.

PhD Degree Program: BME - Year: Grad 3

Interests: Investigating the mechanism underlying the differential response of tendon cells to axial tension and transverse compression

Aimee Morris - Eastman School of Music

Adviser: Jonathan Mink, M.D., Ph.D.

PhD Degree Program: NBA - Year: Grad 4

Interests: Musician Dystonia

Laura Owlett - SUNY Geneseo

Adviser: John Olschowka, Ph.D. & M. Kerry O'Banion, M.D., Ph.D.

PhD Degree Program: NBA - Year: Grad 3

Interests: Neuroinflammation

Rohith Palli - University of Pittsburgh

Adviser: Juilee Thakar, Ph.D.

PhD Degree Program: BSCB - Year: Grad 3

Interests: Executable Models for Pathway Analysis

Salvador Peña - University of Rochester

Adviser: Keith Nehrke, Ph.D.

PhD Degree Program: PWD - Year: Med 4

Interests: Role of mitochondria in stress and aging

Catherine Pizzarello - College of William and Mary

Adviser: Kirsi Järvinen-Seppo, M.D., Ph.D. & Deborah Fowell, Ph.D.

PhD Degree Program: IMV - Year: Grad 1

Interests: The role of human milk oligosaccharides in the regulation of intestinal epithelial cell cytokine expression

Benjamin Plog - University of Rochester

Adviser: Maiken Nedergaard, M.D., DMSc & Edward Vates, M.D., Ph.D.

PhD Degree Program: PWD - Year: Med 4

Interests: The role of astrocytes in CSF hydrodynamics

Emily Przysinda - Skidmore College

Year: Med 2

Shuyang Qin - California Institute of Technology

Adviser: Scott Gerber, Ph.D. & Peter Prieto, M.D., M.P.H.

PhD Degree Program: IMV - Year: Grad 1

Interests: Mechanism of immunomodulation in pancreatic cancer

Bryan Redmond - Xavier University

Year: Med 1

David Richardson - University of Pittsburgh

Adviser: Edward Freedman, Ph.D. & John Foxe, Ph.D.

PhD Degree Program: PWD - Year: Grad 2

Interests: Neurophysiology and Movement

Alison Roby - The Pennsylvania State University

Year: Med 1

Elizabeth Saionz - University of Pennsylvania

Adviser: Krystel Huxlin, Ph.D.

PhD Degree Program: TBS - Year: Grad 4

Interests: Recovery of vision in cortically blind subjects through training

Noah Salama - Washington & Jefferson College

Year: Med 2

Jerry Saunders - Brandeis University

Adviser: James Palis, M.D.

PhD Degree Program: PWD - Year: Grad 4

Interests: Effect of ionizing radiation on the hematopoietic system.

Daniel Savage - University of Rochester

Adviser: Krystel Huxlin, Ph.D. & Wayne Knox, Ph.D.

PhD Degree Program: OPT - Year: Med 3

Interests: Investigating photo modification of corneal ultrastructure using femtosecond pulsed laser light for potential applications in refractive vision correction

Colleen Schneider - Colgate University

Adviser: Brad Mahon, Ph.D.

PhD Degree Program: BCS - Year: Grad 4

Interests: Visual cortical plasticity in patients with strokes or brain tumors

Keshov Sharma - Duke University

Adviser: Julie Fudge, M.D. & Lizabeth Romanski, Ph.D.

PhD Degree Program: NBA - Year: Grad 2

Interests: Identifying neural connections between the amygdala and prefrontal cortex in the non-human primate

Matthew Sipple - Cornell University

Year: Med 1

Andrew Smith - University of Rochester

Adviser: Stephen Dewhurst, Ph.D.

PhD Degree Program: IMV - Year: Grad 4

Interests: Role of a polymerase defect in function of the live attenuated influenza A virus

Michael Sportiello - University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee

Year: Med 2

Stephanie Syc-Mazurek - Brown University

Adviser: Richard Libby, Ph.D.

PhD Degree Program: NSC - Year: Med 4

Interests: Mechanisms of optic neuropathy-induced cell death

Matthew Tanner - University of Oregon

Adviser: Charles Thornton, M.D.

PhD Degree Program: Genetics - Year: Grad 3

Interests: Expanded repeat DNA tracts and their roles in splicing-mediated disease in myotonic dystrophy

Farangis "Fara" Tolibzoda - CUNY Hunter College

Adviser: Vera Gorbunova, Ph.D.

PhD Degree Program: NGP - Year: Grad 1

Interests: The basics of neurodegeneration, as well as basics and therapeutic approaches to neuroregeneration

Jomy Varghese - Loyola University

Adviser: Danielle Benoit, Ph.D.

PhD Degree Program: BME - Year: Med 3

Interests: Controlled drug release via nanoparticle carriers (supported by an NIH F30 Research Fellowship)

Arun Venkataraman - University of Rochester

Adviser: Jianhui Zhong, Ph.D.

PhD Degree Program: PAS - Year: Grad 2

Interests: Utilizing MRI techniques to elucidate neuropathological alterations in neurodegenerative disorders and traumatic brain injury

Jesse Wang - University of Connecticut

Adviser: Henry Kautz, Ph.D.

PhD Degree Program: TBS - Year: Grad 2

Interests: Utilizing statistical speech analysis and natural language processing to capture and understand a physician-patient conversation, then automatically update eRecord with the appropriate information

Samuel Weisenthal - Hamilton College

Adviser: Michael McDermott, Ph.D. & Martin Zand, M.D., Ph.D.

PhD Degree Program: Statistics - Year: Grad 2

Interests: Predictive analytics

Brendan Whitelaw - University of Pennsylvania

Adviser: Ania Majewska, Ph.D.

PhD Degree Program: NSC - Year: Grad 2

Interests: Microglia in neuronal development

Emily Wu - University of Michigan

Adviser: Edward Schwarz, Ph.D.

PhD Degree Program: IMV - Year: Grad 4

Interests: Sexual dimorphism in rheumatoid arthritis

Jimmy Zhang - Cornell University

Adviser: Paul Brookes, Ph.D.

PhD Degree Program: CMPP - Year: Med 3

Interests: Development of novel acute myocardial infarction therapeutics using metabolomics and high-throughput screening.