Recent Graduates
2026
Ankit Dahal, M.D., Ph.D.
Adviser: Minsoo Kim, Ph.D.
Thesis: Mechanism of Cancer Induced Neutrophil Differentiation
Carol Deaton, M.D., Ph.D.
Adviser: Gail Johnson, Ph.D
Thesis: Investigating the Role of Presenilin Proteins and BAG3 in Vacuolar Function and Tau Dynamics
Catherine Everett (Beamish), M.D., Ph.D.
Thesis: Muscle-Specific Targets of Developmental Methylmercury Exposure
Alan Finkelstein, M.D., Ph.D.
Adviser: Giovanni Schifitto, M.D. & Jianhui Zhong, Ph.D.
Thesis: Model-Based Reconstructions for Multiparametric Quantitative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Jonathan Gigas, M.D., Ph.D.
Adviser: Andrei Seluanov, Ph.D. & Vera Gorbunova, Ph.D.
Thesis: Natural Variation Reveals the SIRT6 C-terminus as a Key Regulator of Pro-Longevity Activity.
Emily Isenstein, M.D., Ph.D.
Thesis: A Multimodal Approach to Studying Visual-Somatosensory Integration in Autism
Alison (Roby) Livada, M.D., Ph.D.
Adviser: Craig Morrell, D.V.M., Ph.D.
Thesis: Lung megakaryocytes are long-lived, arise from Flt3-negative bone marrow cells and contribute to platelet recovery in thrombocytopenia
Emily Przysinda, M.D., Ph.D.
Adviser: Edmund Lalor, Ph.D. & David Dodell-Feder, Ph.D.
Thesis: Social processing and underlying language deficits in schizophrenia during naturalistic video viewing
David Richardson, M.D., Ph.D.
Adviser: Edward Freedman, Ph.D. & John Foxe, Ph.D.
Thesis: Probing Cognitive-Motor Interactions During Proactive and Reactive Control Using Mobile Brain/Body Imaging (MoBI)
Noah Salama, M.D., Ph.D.
Adviser: Laura Calvi, M.D. & Minsoo Kim, Ph.D.
Thesis: Bone Marrow Macrophage Metabolic Dysfunction in MDS Associated IDH2 Mutation
Matthew Sipple, M.D., Ph.D.
Adviser: John Lueck, Ph.D.
Thesis: Isolating the Role of Myotonia in Myotonic Dystrophy Type 1 Pathogenesis Through a Novel Myotonia Resistant Mouse Model
Medical Scientist Training Program: University of Rochester, Rochester, NY
2025
John Bennett, M.D., Ph.D.
Adviser: Rudi Fasan, Ph.D.
Thesis: Chemoenzymatic Scaffold Diversification of Natural Products via Cytochrome P450-Catalyzed C-H Oxyfunctionalization
Gary Ge, M.D., Ph.D.
Adviser: Kevin Parker, Ph.D. & Jannick Rolland-Thompson, Ph.D.
Thesis: Reverberant Elastography and Speckle Analysis for Brain Characterization
Briaunna Minor, M.D., Ph.D.
Adviser: Stephen Hammes, M.D., Ph.D.
Thesis: Implications for Targeting Tumor Associated Neutrophils to Attenuate Estrogen Mediated Lymphangioleiomyomatosis Progression
Catherine "Cathy" Pizzarello, M.D., Ph.D.
Adviser: Kirsi Järvinen-Seppo, M.D., Ph.D.
Thesis: Effects of Dietary and Environmental Exposures on Infant Immune Development
Michael Sportiello, M.D., Ph.D.
Adviser: David Topham, Ph.D.
Thesis: Investigating CD8 T cell tissue resident memory phenotype, function, metabolic activity, and differentiation
Samuel J. Weisenthal, M.D., Ph.D.
Adviser: Ashkan Ertefaie, Ph.D. & Sally Thurston, Ph.D.
Thesis: Relative Sparsity and Optimality-based Reward Learning with Applications to Medical Decisions and Toxicology
2024
Hannah Bell, M.D., Ph.D., M.S.
Adviser: Michelle Dziejman, Ph.D.
Thesis: The Function of Type Three Secretion System Protein VopZZ in Vibrio cholerae Infection
Udaysankar "Uday" Chockanathan, M.D., Ph.D.
Adviser: Krishnan Padmanabhan, Ph.D.
Thesis: Variations in neuronal population activity across behaviors, brain regions, and disease
Ian DeAndrea-Lazarus, M.D., Ph.D.
Adviser: Edward Freedman, Ph.D. & John Foxe, Ph.D.
Thesis: Anticipatory Biasing of Visuospatial Attention in Deaf Native Signers
Karl Foley, M.D., Ph.D., M.S.
Adviser: Houhui Xia, Ph.D.
Thesis: Protein phosphatase 1 isoforms differentially regulate synaptic transmission and plasticity
Howard "Mark" Kenney, M.D., Ph.D., M.S.
Adviser: Edward Schwarz, Ph.D.
Thesis: Elucidating the Mechanisms of Lymphatic Muscle Cell Dysfunction in Arthritic Flare
Shuyang "Sue" Qin, M.D., Ph.D.
Adviser: Peter Prieto, M.D., M.P.H. & Scott Gerber, Ph.D.
Thesis: Effects of Intertumoral Heterogeneity on Immunosuppresion and Immunotherapy Resistance in Synchronous Melanoma
Keshov Sharma, M.D., Ph.D.
Adviser: Lizabeth Romanski, Ph.D. & Julie Fudge, M.D.
Thesis: Amygdala-Prefrontal Circuits Implicated in Expression Perception
Farangis "Fara" (Tolibzoda) Zakusilo, M.D., Ph.D., M.S.
Adviser: Vera Gorbunova, Ph.D.
Thesis: Protective mechanisms in Naked Mole Rat CNS: roles of extracellular matrix and astroglia
2023
Ranran "Annette" French, M.D., Ph.D
Adviser: Greg DeAngelis, Ph.D.
Thesis: Perceptual Processes Underlying Depth Judgement of Moving Object During Self-Motion
Adwiteeya "Aditi" Misra, M.D., Ph.D.
Adviser: Eric Small, Ph.D.
Thesis: Transcriptomic Analysis of Neonatal Cardiac Regeneration and Scar Resolution
Keshia Mora, M.D., Ph.D.
Adviser: Mark Buckley, Ph.D. & Alayna Loiselle, Ph.D.
Thesis: Multiaxial and multiscale strain assessment of the impinged Achilles tendon insertion
Jerry Saunders, M.D., Ph.D.
Adviser: James Palis, M.D.
Thesis: A novel combination therapy enhances recovery following radiation exposure
Arun Venkataraman, M.D., Ph.D.
Adviser: Jianhui Zhong, Ph.D.
Thesis: How fast can we go? Optimizing Diffusion MRI (dMRI) Acquisition
Brendan Whitelaw, M.D., Ph.D.
Adviser: Ania Majewska, Ph.D.
Thesis: Mechanisms of ATP-dependent microglial process motility
2022
Jonathan Bartko, M.D., Ph.D.
Adviser: Marc Halterman, M.D., Ph.D.
Thesis: Characterizing Context-Specific Roles for CHOP in ER Stress Signaling and Neurodevelopment
Michael-John Beltejar, M.D., Ph.D.
Adviser: Cheryl Ackert-Bicknell, Ph.D.
Thesis: Understanding the Genetic Basis for Bone-Matrix Quality
Booyeon Han, M.D., Ph.D.
Adviser: David Linehan, M.D. & Scott Gerber, Ph.D.
Thesis: Characterizing and Targeting the Pancreatic Tumor Draining Lymph Node to Enhance Antitumor Responses in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma
Laura Owlett, M.D., Ph.D.
Adviser: M. Kerry O'Banion, M.D., Ph.D. & John Olschowka, Ph.D.
Thesis: Modulation of acute inflammation and Alzheimer’s disease pathology by Gas6-Axl interaction
Rohith Palli, M.D., Ph.D.
Adviser: Juilee Thakar, Ph.D.
Thesis: Executable models of signaling pathways and application to HIV
Resident: Internal Medicine, University of Rochester Medical Center
Elizabeth Saionz, M.D., Ph.D.
Adviser: Krystel Huxlin, Ph.D.
Thesis: Time is Vision: Properties of Vision Early after Occipital Stroke and Capacity for Recovery
Colleen Schneider, M.D., Ph.D.
Thesis: The post-stroke brain: A comprehensive, longitudinal assessment of vascular, neural, and perceptual changes
Matthew Tanner, M.D., Ph.D.
Adviser: Charles Thornton, M.D.
Thesis: mRNA splicing is a marker of molecular pathology and response to therapeutics in myotonic muscular dystrophy