CTSI T32 Program

Rebecca Abbott, PhD

Dept. of Rehabilitation Medicine, Medical School
Primary mentor: Arin Ellingson, Medical School
Additional mentor(s): Paula Ludewig, Medical School

Rayna Addabbo, PhD

Institute for Molecular Virology
Mentors: Louis Mansky, Joachim Mueller
Project title: Human pathogenic virus detection and replication - studies on SARS-CoV-2 and HIV-1

Odichinma Akosionu, MPH

Health Services Research, Policy and Administration PhD Program, School of Public Health
Primary mentor: Tetyana Shippee, PhD, School of Public Health
Additional mentor: Peter Huckfeldt, PhD, School of Public Health

Rebecca Brown, RN

PhD Program, School of Nursing
Mentors: Diane Treat-Jacobson, School of Nursing and Erica Schorr, School of Nursing
Project title: Development of predictive screening tool for patient-reported symptom clusters for artery disease

Gretchen Buchanan

Family Social Science PhD Program, College of Education and Human Development
Mentors: Jerica Berge, Timothy Piehler, Gerald August
Project Title: Optimizing integrated care implementation in primary care settings using latent class analysis

Kacey Bui

Molecular, Cellular, Developmental Biology & Genetics and Medical Scientist Training Program (MD/PhD), Medical School
Primary mentor: Jakub Tolar, Medical School
Additional mentor(s): Christine Kiel, Medical School; Anja Bielinsky, College of Biological Sciences

Lukas Caye

Molecular Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Medical School
Primary mentor: George Wilcox, PhD, Medical School
Interdisciplinary mentor: Carolyn Fairbanks, PhD, College of Pharmacy
Data Scientist mentor: Kyle Rudser, PhD, School of Public Health
Tertiary mentor: Lisa Coles, MS, PhD, College of Pharmacy
Project title: Mechanism of agmatine prodrugs for alleviating chronic pain and opioid addiction

Daniel Chang

Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, College of Science and Engineering
Primary Mentor: Zohar Sachs, School of Medicine
Additional Mentor(s): Chad Myers, College of Science and Engineering

Aaron Clarke, PhD

Biomedical Sciences, Medical School
Primary mentor: Sara Zimmer, PhD, Medical School
Interdisciplinary mentor: Casey Dorr, PhD, Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute
Data Scientist mentor: Marissa Macchietto, PhD, Minnesota Supercomputing Institute
Project title: Evaluating Mitochondrial mRNA Editing in Trypanosoma cruzi

Dunia Dadi, MPH

Epidemiology and Community Health, School of Public Health
Primary Mentor: Susan Mason, School of Public Health
Additional Mentor(s): Eunice Areba, School of Nursing

Rebecca Emery, PhD

School of Public Health
Mentors: Susan Mason, Catherine McCarty
Project title: Identifying health disparities in gestational weight management among rural pregnant women

Emily Faherty, MA

Epidemiology PhD Program, School of Public Health
Mentors: Christy Boraas, Eva A. Enns, Sarah Lofgren, Kumi Smith, Meghan Rothenberger
Project title: Cost-effectiveness and clinical implications of Expedited Partner Therapy for the treatment of N. Gonorrhoeae and Chlamydia Trachomatis Infection

Lillian Haine

Biostatistics PhD Program, School of Public Health
Primary Mentor: Joseph Koopmeiners, PhD, School of Public Health
Additional Mentors: Thomas Murray, PhD, School of Public Health; Jason V. Baker, MD, Medical School

Jason Hatfield

Comparative and Molecular Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine
Primary mentor: Sagar Goyal, PhD, College of Veterinary Medicine
Interdisciplinary mentor: Beth Thielen, MD, PhD, Medical School
Data Scientist mentor: Micah Gearhart, PhD, Medical School
Project title: Environmental Survival and Inactivation by Ultraviolet Light of Avian and Human Metapneumoviruses

Laura Hooper, RD

Nutrition PhD Program, College of Food, Agriculture and Natural Resource Sciences
Mentors: Dianne Neumark-Sztainer, Marla Eisenberg
Project title: Weight stigma experienced during adolescence and young adulthood: Cross-sectional and longitudinal associations with disordered eating, body mass index, and health risk behaviors

Max Herzberg

Child Psychology PhD Program, College of Education and Human Development
Mentors: Kathleen Thomas, Institute of Child Development, CEHD; Bill Iacono, Department of Psychology, CEHD; and Bryon Mueller, Department of Psychiatry, Medical School
Project title: Resting-state brain networks underlying psychopathology and associations with early life stress

Caleb Kim

Microbiology, Immunology, and Cancer Biology, Medical School
Primary mentor: Thomas Griffith, PhD, Medical School
Interdisciplinary and Data Scientist mentor: Shuquan (Steven) Shen, MD, PhD, Medical School
Project title: Assessing how T-cell function is improved with interleukin-7 immunotherapy in sepsis

Shannen Kizilski

Mechanical Engineering PhD Program, College of Science and Engineering
Mentors: Victor Boracas, Biomedical Engineering, College of Science and Engineering; and Rumi Faizer, Department of Surgery, Medical School
Project title: Developing a capacitive aortic stent-graft for blood pressure management

Evan Kleinboehl

Genetics, Cell Biology and Development, College of Biological Sciences
Mentors: Branden Moriarity, College of Biological Sciences; Troy Lund, College of Biological Sciences; and Jasmine Foo, College of Science and Engineering
Project title: Clinical Translation of Engineering T Lymphocytes  for Long-Term Enzyme Replacement Therapy of Lysosomal Storage Diseases

Michelle Korir, PhD

Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical School
Mentors: Gary Dunny, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical School; and Courtney Aldrich, Department of Medicinal Chemistry, College of Pharmacy
Project title: Biofilm-associated antibiotic resistance and stress induced alteration of biofilm architecture in Enterococcus faecalis

Jesse Kowalski, DPT

Rehabilitation Science PhD Program, Medical School
Mentors: Leslie Morse, Clas Linnman
Project title: Identification of neuroanatomical biomarkers of outcomes after spinal cord injury with resting state fMRI

Alyssa Lantz

Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy
Primary Mentor: Melanie Nicol, College of Pharmacy
Additional Mentor(s): Pamela Jacobson, College of Pharmacy; Christopher Staley, Medical School

Ethan Leng

MSTP Student, Biomedical Engineering PhD Program, College of Science and Engineering
Mentors: Greg Metzger, Department of Radiology, Medical School; and Joe Koopmeiners, Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health
Project title: Computer-aided diagnosis for prostate cancer detection on multiparametric MRI

Kevin Lin, Medical Scientist Training Program (MD/PhD) 

Bioinformatics and Computational Biology PhD Program, Computer Science and Engineering
Mentors: Chad Myers, Anja-Katrin Bielinsky
Project title: Targeted Chemical-Genetic Screen Platform for Identifying Novel AML Therapeutics

Tailor Mathes

Microbiology, Immunology, and Cancer Biology, Medical School
Primary Mentor: Tyler Bold, Medical School
Additional Mentor(s): Marc Jenkins, Medical School

Anders Matson, PhD

Masonic Cancer Center and Division of Hematology, Oncology and Transplantation, Medical School
Primary mentor: Martin Felices, PhD, Medical School
Interdisciplinary mentor: Jeffrey Miller, MD, Medical School
Data Scientist mentor: Justin Hwang, PhD, Medical School
Project title: Targeting CD83, using novel single- and dual-targeting molecules, to drive NK cells against hematologic malignancies and counteract alloreactive immune cells in the setting of NK cell immunotherapy

Warren McKinney, PhD

Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute
Mentors: Ajay Israni, Department of Medicine, Medical School; Marilyn Bruin, College of Design, Betram Kasiske, Nephrology, Hennepin Healthcare System; and Andrew Wey, Biostats, Hennepin Healthcare System
Project title: Creating a culturally-sensitive report card for Afican-American kidney transplant candidates

Hannah McMullan, PhD

Neuroscience, Medical School
Primary mentor: Paul Mermelstein, PhD, Medical School
Interdisciplinary mentor: Justin Anker, PhD, Medical School
Data Scientist mentor: Ann Brearly, PhD, School of Public Health
Project title: The role of estrogen receptor signaling in cocaine-induced plasticity in the nucleus accumbens core

Joe McPherson

Medicinal Chemistry, College of Pharmacy
Primary mentor: William Pomerantz, PhD, College of Science and Engineering
Interdisciplinary mentor: Natalia Tretyakova, PhD, College of Pharmacy
Data Scientist mentor: Aaron Sarver, PhD, Institute for Health Informatics
Project title: Development of a Novel Treatment Approach for Pediatric Neuroblastoma 

Kathleen Miley

PhD Program, School of Nursing
Mentors: Fang Yu, School of Nursing; and Sophia Vinogradov, Department of Psychiatry, Medical School
Project title: Identification of the neural correlates of social functioning and evaluation of the neuroprotective effects of a novel cognitive training intervention in first episode psychosis

Rachel Moss

Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, College of Science and Engineering
Primary Mentor: Logan Spector, Medical School
Additional Mentor(s): Beau Webber, Medical School

Kellen Mulford

Medical Physics PhD Program, Medical School
Mentors: Pierre Francois Van de Moortele, Donald Nixdorf, Andrew Grande
Project title: MRI-based biomarkers of treatment outcomes in trigeminal neuralgia

Tenzin Namdul, PhD, TMD

School of Public Health
Mentors: Richard MacLehose, Dedra Buchwald
Project title: Factors Associated with Physical and Cognitive Resilience among a Large Tibetan Monastic Community in southern India

Laura Padilla

Neuroscience and Medical Scientist Training Program (MD/PhD), Medical School
Primary mentor: Kathryn Cullen, MD, Medical School
Interdisciplinary and Data Science mentor: Mark Fiecas, PhD, School of Public Health
Project title: Adolescent Brain Developmental Trajectories of Suicide Risk

Eric Rawls, PhD

Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical School
Primary mentor: Scott Sponheim, Medical School
Additional mentor(s): Erich Kummerfeld, Institute for Health Informatics

Zachary Rivers, PharmD

Social and Administrative Pharmacy PhD Program, College of Pharmacy
Mentors: David Stenehjem, Department of Pharmacy Practice and Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy; Karen Kuntz, Department of Health Policy and Management, School of Public Health, Emil Lou, Department of Medicine, Medical School; and Andrew Nelson, Department of Lab Medicine and Pathology, Medical School
Project title: The clinical and economic impact of the implementation of prospective pharmacogenomic testing in the care of patients with cancer

Megan Schmit

MSTP Student, BMBB PhD Program, College of Biological Sciences
Mentors: Anja Bielinsky, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics, College of Biological Sciences; and Jeff Miller, Department of Medicine, Medical School
Project title: The role of Mcm10 in NK cell deficiency

Joshua Shirley

Medicinal Chemistry PhD Program, College of Pharmacy
Mentors: Erin Carlson, Department of Chemistry, CSE; Ryan Hunter, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical School; and Elizabeth Hirsch, Department of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy
Project title: Detection of bacterial pathogens and β-lactamases in cystic fibrosis patient samples using chemical probes and flow cytometry as a novel diagnostic technique

Rebekah Summers, DPT, PhD

Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Medical School
Mentors: Colum MacKinnon, Department of Neurology, Medical School; and Noam Harel, Departments of Radiology and Neurology, Medical School
Project title: Alterned neuroplasicity of the motor system with people with ideopathic REM sleep behaviour disorder: a harbinger of Parkinson's Disease?

Dechen Wangmo

Pharmacology PhD Program, Medical School
Mentors: Subree Subramanian, Emil Lou, Tim Starr
Project title: Role of tumor cell intrinsic factors in colorectal cancer immune evasion

Elizabeth Wash

Molecular, Cellular, Developmental Biology and Genetics, College of Biological Sciences
Primary mentor: Anna Selmecki, PhD, Medical School
Interdisciplinary mentor: Serin Edwin Erayil, MBBS, Medical School
Data Scientist mentor: Benjamin Langworthy, PhD, School of Public Health
Project title: Large-scale characterization of antifungal resistance in clinical isolates of Candida species

Rebecca Watry, PhD

Division of Health Policy and Management, School of Public Health
Primary mentor: Joseph Gaugler, PhD, School of Public Health
Interdisciplinary mentor: Dereck Salisbury, PhD, School of Nursing
Data Scientist mentor: Sarah Hoffman, PhD, MPH, MSN, RN, School of Nursing
Project title: Affective Symptoms and QoL in Persons with Subjective Cognitive Decline and The Impact of Aerobic Exercise: A Mixed Methods Study

Serena Xiong, MPH

Epidemiology PhD Program, School of Public Health
Mentors: DeAnn Lazovich, Rebekah Pratt
Project title: HPV Self-Sampling in Primary Care Clinics in Minnesota: A Pre-Implementation Study