Prepare to Lead Translational Research Teams
Baylor graduate students in their first or second year who are interested in a career focused on translating biomedical discoveries into molecular medicine advances to benefit human health are invited to apply for the Clinical Translational Research Certificate of Added Qualification (CTR-CAQ) program. Participants will acquire the foundational knowledge and professional skills required of effective leaders of translational research teams.
The CTR-CAQ is a two-year program run in coordination with our seven interdisciplinary Ph.D. programs so that it will not slow down your progress with your thesis research. You and your mentors will design your clinical translational research work so that it integrates with or complements your thesis research. Each year, 30 students will be selected to participate.
The CTR-CAQ program will be supported by an NRSA Institutional Predoctoral Training Grant (T32) from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences. We anticipate funding for eight students beginning in the summer of 2020. See the application for information on eligibility and to apply for support by the T32.
CTR-CAQ Courses
Orientation to Clinical Translational Research (OCTR): Topics covered include T1-T4 translational research, study design for randomized clinical trials and retrospective studies, Good Manufacturing Practice facilities, informed consent, regulatory affairs, Institutional Review Board.
Practical Skills in Translational Research Workshops (PSTRW): Case-based or project based skills development pertaining to clinical research proposal development, sample size and power calculations, retrospective studies, prospective early clinical trials, biobanking research, databases and data management.
Clinical Translational Research Seminars (CTRS): translational research seminars given by guest faculty invited by CTR-CAQ faculty and students. Students have opportunity to interact with guest faculty in small, informal group setting.
Clinical Translational Research Experience (CTRE): Students learn about clinical aspects of their area of research interest through exposure to clinical medicine and clinical research, and develop a short capstone project in consultation with their CTR mentor.
You will:
- Gain knowledge of the ethics, regulatory aspects and practical conduct of clinical research
- Conduct hands-on work with peers in small groups to use this knowledge in simulated scenarios
- Master the skills necessary to work in and lead teams of researchers
- Participate in clinical/translational conferences and meetings where you will learn from and interact with experts in translational research
- Complete a capstone project with mentorship from your chosen clinical translational research mentor who will introduce you to clinical research
Meet Our Students
Meet Brittany Jones
Meet English Laserna
Clinical Translational Research Mentors
Baylor College of Medicine Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences is embedded within a leading health sciences university with a top-ranked medical school and located in the heart of the world’s largest medical complex. This provides access to many exceptional clinical translational research mentors for our students. You will have the opportunity to select mentors from the:
- Asthma Clinical Research Center
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy
- Dan L Duncan Institute for Clinical and Translational Research
- Lester and Sue Smith Breast Center
- Pediatric clinics at Texas Children's Hospital
- Tropical Medicine Clinic
- Children's Nutrition Research Center
- Vaccine Research Center
- And many more clinical research centers and clinics
Current Students
Student: Brandon Bartelmie
CTR Mentor: Sandesh Nagamani, M.D.
Thesis Advisor: Jason Heaney, Ph.D.
Graduate Program: Genetics and Genomics
Student: Jasmine Brown
CTR Mentor: Seema R. Lalani, M.D.
Thesis Advisor: Shinya Yamamoto, DVM, Ph.D.,
Graduate Program: Genetics and Genomics
Student: Thuy-Anh Bui
CTR Mentor: Shaine Morris, M.D., MPH
Thesis Advisor: Lilei Zhang, M.D., Ph.D.
Graduate Program: Development, Disease Models and Therapeutics
Student: Martha Chan
CTR Mentor: Steven Lazar, M.D.
Thesis Advisor: Igna Van Den Veyver, M.D.
Graduate Program: Genetics and Genomics
Student: Grace Freeman
CTR Mentor: Lina Karam, M.D.
Thesis Advisor: Mary Estes, Ph.D.
Graduate Program: Immunology and Microbiology
Student: Cindy Han
CTR Mentor: Medha Airy, M.D., MPH
Thesis Advisor: Ruhee Dere, Ph.D.
Graduate Program: Cancer and Cell Biology
Student: Isabelle Hipple
CTR Mentor: Nevert Badreldin, M.D.
Thesis Advisor: Enrico Barrozo, Ph.D.
Graduate Program: Development, Disease Models and Therapeutics
Student: Millie Lewis
CTR Mentor: Erin Nicholson, M.D.
Thesis Advisor: Katherine Lemon, M.D., Ph.D.
Graduate Program: Immunology and Microbiology
Student: Emily Madaras
CTR Mentor: Mothaffar Rimawi, M.D.
Thesis Advisor: Valentina Hoyos Valez, M.D.
Graduate Program: Cancer and Cell Biology
Student: Bryce Nielson
CTR Mentor: Jill Weatherhead, M.D., Ph.D.
Thesis Advisor: Shannon Ronca, Ph.D.
Graduate Program: Cancer and Cell Biology
Student: Nicholas O’Brien
CTR Mentor: Dolores Lopez-Terrada, M.D. Ph.D.
Thesis Advisor: Sarah Woodfield, Ph.D.
Graduate Program: Development, Disease Models and Therapeutics
Student: Libbie Ogilvie
CTR Mentor: Shanda Blackmon, M.D. MPH
Thesis Advisor: Diana Monsivais, Ph.D.
Graduate Program: Development, Disease Models and Therapeutics
Student: Melany Puente
CTR Mentor: V. Reid Sutton, M.D.
Thesis Advisor: Ross Poche, Ph.D.
Graduate Program: Genetics and Genomics
Student: Brandi Small
CTR Mentor: Jeffrey Jones, M.D.
Thesis Advisor: Lisa Bouchier-Hayes, Ph.D.
Graduate Program: Cancer and Cell Biology
Student: Sruthi Srinivasan
CTR Mentor: Hsiao-Tuan Chao, M.D., Ph.D.
Thesis Advisor: Elizabeth Atkinson, Ph.D.
Graduate Program: Genetics and Genomics
Student: Rocky Sui
CTR Mentor: Nevert Badreldin, M.D.
Thesis Advisor: Shelley Buffington, Ph.D.
Graduate Program: Neuroscience
Student: Katrine Taran
CTR Mentor: Nader El-Mallawany, M.D.
Thesis Advisor: Carl Allen, M.D., Ph.D.
Graduate Program: Genetics and Genomics
Student: Rene Walsh
CTR Mentor: Allyssa Aguila Abacan, Ph.D.
Thesis Advisor: Melissa Suter, Ph.D.
Graduate Program: Cancer and Cell Biology
Student: Jingyue Wu
CTR Mentor: Valentina Hoyos Velez, M.D.
Thesis Advisor: Blair Benham-Pyle, Ph.D.
Graduate Program: Genetics and Genomics
Student: Chengchuan Xiao
CTR Mentor: Kenneth McClain, M.D., Ph.D.
Thesis Advisor: Carl Allen, M.D., Ph.D.
Graduate Program: Immunology and Microbiology
Student: Matthew Yao
CTR Mentor: Seema R. Lalani, M.D.
Thesis Advisor: Pengfei Liu, Ph.D.
Graduate Program: Genetics and Genomics
Student: Mariel Burquez
CTR Mentor: Jill Weatherhead, M.D., Ph.D.
Thesis Advisor: Kathryn Jones, DVM, Ph.D.
Graduate Program: Immunology and Microbiology
Student: Victoria Cuevas
CTR Mentor: Alexander Sandweiss, M.D., Ph.D.
Thesis Advisor: Melanie Samuel, Ph.D.
Graduate Program: Neuroscience
Student: Zoya Farooqui
CTR Mentor: Ahmed Elkhanany, M.D.
Thesis Advisor: Charles Foulds, Ph.D.
Graduate Program: Cancer and Cell Biology
Student: Autum Hawkins
CTR Mentor: Mothaffar Rimawi, M.D.
Thesis Advisor: Suzanne Fuqua, Ph.D., MS
Graduate Program: Cancer and Cell Biology
Student: Ashley Hirt
CTR Mentor: Lindsay Burrage, M.D., Ph.D.
Thesis Advisor: Ronit Marom, M.D., Ph.D.
Graduate Program: Genetics and Genomics
Student: Winnie Kamau
CTR Mentor: Xiaoming Guan, M.D., Ph.D.
Thesis Advisor: Ramakrishna Kommagani, Ph.D.
Graduate Program: Immunology and Microbiology
Student: Hanning (Vivian) Li
CTR Mentor: Jennifer Whitaker, M.D., MS
Thesis Advisor: Pedro Piedra, M.D.
Graduate Program: Immunology and Microbiology
Student: Sarah Liang
CTR Mentor: Bilal Omer, M.D.
Thesis Advisor: Robin Parihar, M.D., Ph.D.
Graduate Program: Immunology and Microbiology
Student: Harita Mani
CTR Mentor: Vaishnav Krishnan, M.D., Ph.D., FAES
Thesis Advisor: Vishnu Cuddapah, M.D., Ph.D.
Graduate Program: Genetics and Genomics
Student: Blayne Oliver
CTR Mentor: Arvind Chandrakantan, M.D.
Thesis Advisor: David Durgan, Ph.D.
Graduate Program: Immunology and Microbiology
Student: Priyanka Rao
CTR Mentor: Jennifer Foster, M.D., MPH
Thesis Advisor: Sarah Woodfield, Ph.D.
Graduate Program: Development, Disease Models and Therapeutics
Student: Tianyi (Kerry)Zhu
CTR Mentor: Indira Mysorekar, Ph.D.
Thesis Advisor: David Durgan, Ph.D.
Graduate Program: Immunology and Microbiology
Certificate Recipients
Past recipients of the Clinical Translational Research Certificate of Added Qualification.
Student: Luiza Elias Coutinho
CTR Mentor: Michelle Redell, M.D., Ph.D.
Thesis Advisor: Lisa Bouchier-Hayes, Ph.D.
Project: Evaluation of Anthracycline Cardiotoxicity and Dexrazoxane Use in Acute Myeloid Leukemia Patients in the Texas Children’s Hospital
Student: Jorie Fleischman
CTR Mentor: Sandeep Agarwal, M.D., Ph.D.
Thesis Advisor: Christine Beeton, Ph.D.
Project: Detection of Circulating Microclots in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis using Flow Cytometry
Student: Paige Hall
CTR Mentor: Eric Storch, Ph.D.
Thesis Advisor: Michael Wangler, M.D.
Project: Understanding Sexual Esteem, Sexual Desire, and Sexual Pain in Adults with Osteogenesis Imperfecta
Student: Ethan Huleatt
CTR Mentor: Hana El Sahly, M.D.
Thesis Advisor: Joseph Hyser, Ph.D.
Project: Comparative Severity of Respiratory Viral Illness in an Outpatient Adult Cohort: A Post Hoc Analysis of the mRNS-1273 Phase III Vaccine Trial
Student: Sybrina Kerr
CTR Mentor: Meenakshi Hegde, M.D.
Thesis Advisor: Nabil Ahmed, M.D.
Project: Longitudinal CSF Immune Profiling Identifies Cytokine Signatures Associated with Clinical Response to Intracranial HER2 CAR T Cell Therapy
Student: Helen Lin
CTR Mentor: Melissa Jones, M.D.
Thesis Advisor: Elizabeth Atkinson, Ph.D.
Project: Investigating the Effects of Traumatic Brain Injury on the Longitudinal Course of REM Sleep Behavior Disorder in OED/OIF/OND Veterans
Student: Christina Magyar
CTR Mentor: Rayne H Rouce, M.D.
Thesis Advisor: Philip Lupo, Ph.D., MPH
Project: Uncovering Blast-Intrinsic Epigenetic Signatures of Relapse in End-Induction MRD-Negative ETV6::RUNX1+ B-ALL: A Single Cell Multiomic Pilot Among Latino Children from the Redial Consortium
Student: Jenn-Yeu Shin
CTR Mentor: Shoba Navai, M.D.
Thesis Advisor: Glenna Foight, Ph.D.
Project: Characterization of HER2-Specific Chimeric Antigen Receptor T Cells for Patients with HER2-Positive CNS Tumors
Student: Lakshmi Somasundaram
CTR Mentor: Julie Boom, M.D.
Thesis Advisor: Sasirekka Ramani, Ph.D.
Project: Association Between Infant Oral Rotavirus Vaccine Response and Gut Microbiome Composition in a U.S. Population
Student: Tessa Steenwinkel
CTR Mentor: Laura Detti, M.D.
Thesis Advisor: Stephanie Pangas, Ph.D.
Project: NEDDylation Maintains Oocyte Quality by Stabilizing Mitchondrial Transcription
Student: Anna Thommen
CTR Mentor: Darly Scott, M.D., Ph.D.
Thesis Advisor: Kyle Eagen, Ph.D.
Project: Phenotypes Associated with Loss of MAGED1 Function
Student: Rajashree Venkatraman
CTR Mentor: David Corry, M.D.
Thesis Advisor: Elizabeth Zuniga-Sanchez, Ph.D.
Project: Understanding the Prevalence of Alzheimer’s Disease in Down Syndrome Patients
Student: Luqiong Wang
CTR Mentor: Ramiro Fernandez, M.D.
Thesis Advisor: Sarah Blutt, Ph.D.
Project: Uncovering the Impact of Ischemia-Reperfusion on Airway Progenitor Cells in Lung Transplantation using Patient-Derived Organoids
Student: Shuai Zhao
CTR Mentor: Ivan Rosas, M.D.
Thesis Advisor: Xander Wehrens, M.D., Ph.D.
Project: Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis and Atrial Fibrillation: Mapping Lung-Atria Crosstalk at Single-Cell Resolution
Student: Sharon Bright Amaya
CTR Mentor: Nabil M. Ahmed, M.D., MPH
Thesis Advisor: William Decker, Ph.D.
Project: IVIg Prophylaxis and Infection Outcomes in Pediatric B-ALL Patients Treated with CD19 CAR-T Cell Therapy
Student: William Bauer
CTR Mentor: William Craigen, M.D., Ph.D.
Thesis Advisor: Ross Poche, Ph.D.
Project: A Humanized Mouse Model to Investigate New Therapies for cblC, an Inborn Error of Cobalamin Metabolism
Student: Haley Dostalik
CTR Mentor: Jennifer E. Posey, M.D., Ph.D.
Thesis Advisor: Shinya Yamamoto, Ph.D., DVM
Project: Re-analysis of a Genomic Research Database to Assess the Frequency and Penetrance of Pathogenic Variants in Rare Disease
Student: Nikhita Gogate
CTR Mentor: Seema R. Lalani, M.D.
Thesis Advisor: Jennifer E. Posey, M.D., Ph.D.
Project: Dissection of Allele Specific Phenotypic Spectrum within TANGO2 Deficiency Disorder
Student: Sean Hyslop
CTR Mentor: Vlad C. Sandulache, M.D., Ph.D.
Thesis Advisor: William Hudson, Ph.D.
Project: Investigating T-Cell Phenotypes in Head and Neck Cancer
Student: Pragati Kore
CTR Mentor: Seema R. Lalani, M.D.
Thesis Advisor: Elizabeth Atkinson, Ph.D.
Project: Advancing Risk Stratification in Wolff-Parkinson White (WPW) Syndrome: Polygenic Risk Score for Atrial Fibrillation
Student: Suhasini Lulla
CTR Mentor: Benjamin Musher, M.D.
Thesis Advisor: Sharon E. Plon, M.D., Ph.D.
Project: Utility of the Human Pangenome Reference to Call Somatic Genetic Variants in Patients with Gastrointestinal Cancers
Student: Danielle Mendonca
CTR Mentor: Davut Pehlivan, M.D.
Thesis Advisor: Mirjana Maletic-Savatic, M.D., Ph.D.
Project: Hyperinflammation in MECP2 Duplication Syndrome: Evidence for Immune Dysregulation
Student: Chloe Munderloh
CTR Mentor: V. Reid Sutton, M.D.
Thesis Advisor: Jennifer E. Posey, M.D., Ph.D.
Project: Leveraging Advanced Molecular Technologies to Identify “Missing” Variants
Student: Hannah Powell
CTR Mentor: Tannaz Armaghany, M.D.
Thesis Advisor: Salma Kaochar, Ph.D.
Project: Serum Biomarker Signature is Predictive of the Risk of Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Veteran Patients with Cirrhosis
Student: Alekya Raghavan
CTR Mentor: Mothaffar F. Rimawi, M.D.
Thesis Advisor: Rachel Schiff, Ph.D.
Project: Assessing the Predictive Value of MCM2 and the Licensing Complex in Endocrine and CDK4/6 Inhibitor Resistance in ER+/HER2- Breast Cancer
Student: Ashweni Ramanah
CTR Mentor: Holly Harris, M.D.
Thesis Advisor: Jimmy L. Holder, Jr., M.D., Ph.D.
Project: Characterization of Neurodevelopmental Trajectory in Phelan-McDermid Syndrome
Student: Caroline Sabotta
CTR Mentor: Mothaffar F. Rimawi, M.D.
Thesis Advisor: Rachel Schiff, Ph.D.
Project: HER2-Positive Metastatic Breast Cancer: Unraveling the Genomic Landscape to Understand Mechanisms of Resistance to HER2-Targeted Therapies
Student: Sophie Taylor
CTR Mentor: Joshua M. Shulman, M.D., Ph.D.
Thesis Advisor: Steven Boeynaems, Ph.D.
Project: Uncovering the Role of TLR activation in Neurodegenerative Diseases Using Patient Samples
Student: Rebekah Townsley
CTR Mentor: Jimmy L. Holder, Jr., M.D., Ph.D.
Thesis Advisor: Michael Wangler, M.D.
Project: Investigating Sleep Patterns in Individuals with Profound Autism
Student: Dayenne Van Leeuwen
CTR Mentor: Premal Lulla, M.D.
Thesis Advisor: Robin Parihar, M.D., Ph.D.
Project: Disease Monitoring of Classical Hodgkin Lymphoma Patients Treated with CD30.CAR-T Cell Therapy Using Circulating Tumor DNA
Student: Christiana Wang
CTR Mentor: Sandesh C. Sreenath Nagamani, M.D.
Thesis Advisor: Pengfei Liu, Ph.D.
Project: Developing a Pipeline for Determining Eligibility of Antisense Oligonucleotide Treatment in Individuals with Epilepsy
Student: Kinza Rizwan
CTR Mentor: Rafee Talukder, M.D.
Thesis Advisor: Salma Kaochar, Ph.D.
Project: Molecular Characterization of SPOP Mutations in Prostate Cancer for Targeted Therapies
Student: Nathalie Aceves
CTR Mentor: Sandesh Nagamani, MBBS
Thesis Advisor: Lindsay Burrage, M.D., Ph.D.
Project: Novel Variants in the Tankyrase Domain of AXIN2 Represent a Case of Phenotypic Expansion
Student: Azlann Arnett
CTR Mentor: Jennifer Foster, M.D.
Thesis Advisor: Andras Heczey, M.D.
Project: Incidence and Survival of Pediatric and Adult Hepatocellular Carcinoma, United States, 2001-2020
Student: Arushana Maknojia
CTR Mentor: Debra Palazzi, M.D.
Thesis Advisor: Katherine King, M.D., Ph.D.
Project: The Role of Gut Microbiome in Antibiotic Associated Neutropenia
Student: Brooke Horist
CTR Mentor: Hsiao-Tuan Chao, M.D., Ph.D.
Thesis Advisor: Mingshan Xue, Ph.D.
Project: Genotype-Phenotype Map of EIF2AK2-Related Disorders
Student: Gwendolynn Hummel
CTR Mentor: Melissa Suter, Ph.D.
Thesis Advisor: Katy Patras, Ph.D.
Project: Placental Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Levels are Associated with Spontaneous Preterm Birth
Student: Tyler Jackson
CTR Mentor: Carla Davis, M.D.
Thesis Advisor: Hongjie Li, Ph.D.
Project: Elucidating the Molecular Mechanism of Gamma-Delta T-Cells in the Shrimp Allergy Response
Student: Brittany Jones
CTR Mentor: Thomas Giordano, M.D., MPH
Thesis Advisor: Indira Mysorekar, Ph.D.
Project: SARS-COV-2 Infected Placentas Display Altered Syncytial Integrity
Student: English Laserna
CTR Mentor: J. Timothy Stout, M.D., Ph.D.
Thesis Advisor: Ross Poche, Ph.D.
Project: Full-Field Stimulus Testing to Quantify Visual Changes in Patients Receiving Luxturne
Student: Che-Hsing Li
CTR Mentor: Helen Heslop, M.D.
Thesis Advisor: Andras Heczey, M.D.
Project: Eighteen-Year Survival After GD2-Directed Chimeric Antigen Receptor Modified Immune Effector Cell Treatment for Neuroblastoma
Student: Malcolm McDonald
CTR Mentor: Ganesh Rao, M.D.
Thesis Advisor: Ben Deneen, Ph.D.
Project: Seizure Presenting IDH Wiltype Glioblastoma Upregulate a Synaptic Dignature and Have Smaller Mutational Burden
Student: Valeria Melendez-Hebib
CTR Mentor: Amy Hair, M.D.
Thesis Advisor: Doug Burrin, Ph.D. and Robert Britton, Ph.D.
Project: Evaluating the Effects of Pasteurization on the Bioactive Properties of Huma Milk in an In Vitro Model of the Infant Intestinal Epithelium
Student: Chang-In Moon
CTR Mentor: Alistair Thompson, M.D.
Thesis Advisor: Bing Zhang, Ph.D.
Project: ClinicalOmicsDB – Exploring Molecular Associations of Oncology Drug Responses in Clinical Trials
Student: Larissa Neves
CTR Mentor: Amy Hair, M.D.
Thesis Advisor: Geoffrey Preidis, M.D., Ph.D.
Project: Growth Failure in Preterm Infants: Is the Gut Microbiome to Blame?
Student: Katherine Pendleton
CTR Mentor: Valentina Hoyos, M.D.
Thesis Advisor: Gloria Echeverria, Ph.D.
Project: Longitudinally Investigating Differential Immune Responses to Standard of Care Treatment in Triple Negative Breast Cancer
Student: Charlotte Rivas
CTR Mentor: Valentina Hoyos, M.D.
Thesis Advisor: Xiang Zhang, Ph.D.
Project: Immunosuppressive SPP1+ Monocyte Derived Macrophages are Enriched Across Breast Cancer Subtypes: Implications for Novel Macrophage- Targeted Therapies
Student: Faith Sawyer
CTR Mentor: Lina Karam, M.D.
Thesis Advisor: Sarah Blutt, Ph.D. and Mary Estes, Ph.D.
Project: Evaluating Human Intestinal Organoids as a Model of Very Early Onset Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Student: Jonathan Vazquez-Perez
CTR Mentor: Anita Sabichi, M.D.
Thesis Advisor: William Decker, Ph.D.
Project: Lung Cancer Patients Receiving Dual ⍺-PD-1 Immune Checkpoint Blockade and Radiation Therapy Have Enhanced Disease Control Rates Compared to Patients Receiving ⍺-PD-1 Monotherapy
Student: Nicholas DeCleene
CTR Mentor: Ghadir Sasa, M.D.
Thesis Advisor: Alison Bertuch, M.D., Ph.D.
Project: Telomere Length Testing of Lymphocytes Alone by Flow-FISH is a Highly Sensitive and Specific Test to Screen for a Telomere Biology Disorder in a Cohort of Children and Young Adults with Bone Marrow Failure
Student: Lauren Lynch
CTR Mentor: Amy Hair , M.D.
Thesis Advisor: Geoffrey Predis, M.D., Ph.D.
Project: Cholestasis Impairs Gut Microbiota Development and Bile Salt Hydrolase Activity in Preterm Neonates
Student: Matea Paveskovic
CTR Mentor: Joshua Shulman, M.D., Ph.D.
Thesis Advisor: Benjamin Arenkiel, Ph.D.
Project: Characterization of Individual and Population-level Clinical Phenotypes of Alzheimer's Disease Risk Gene CD2AP in CD2AP Variant Carriers
Student: Anh Tran Huynh
CTR Mentor: Bora Lim, M.D.
Thesis Advisor: Benjamin Arenkiel, Ph.D. and Meenakshi Anurag, Ph.D.
Project: Prognostic Roles of LIG1 in TNBC Progression and Chemotherapy Response
Student: Grace Adeniyi-Ipadeola
CTR Mentor: Amy Hair, M.D.
Thesis Advisor: Sasirekha Ramani, Ph.D.
Project: Cream Influences Gut Microbiome Composition and Function in Very Low Birth Weight Preterm Infants: A prospective Cohort Study
Student: Thandiwe Chavula
CTR Mentor: Tiphanie Vogel, M.D., Ph.D.
Thesis Advisor: Sandeep Agarwal, M.D., Ph.D.
Project: Serum Cadherin-11 in Pediatric Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
Student: Anran Chen
CTR Mentor: Alastair Thompson, M.D.
Thesis Advisor: Mathew Ellis, Ph.D.
Project: Determining the Acurate Measurement of NF1 Protein Level
Student: J. Thomas Gebert
CTR Mentor: Hsiao-Tuan Chao, M.D., Ph.D.
Thesis Advisor: Joseph Hyser, Ph.D.
Project: Enteric Defects in a Mouse Model of EBF3-Associated Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Student: Owen Hirschi
CTR Mentor: Seema Lalani, M.D.
Thesis Advisor: Sharon Plon, M.D., Ph.D.
Project: Utilization of KOMP2 Embryonic Lethality Data to Investigate Exome Sequencing Data from Undiagnosed Infants in Intensive Care Units
Student: Chiraag Kapadia
CTR Mentor: Premal Lulla, M.D.
Thesis Advisor: Peggy Goodell, Ph.D.
Project: Clonal Hematopoiesis is Enhanced Following CAR-T Treatment
Student: Minhua Li
CTR Mentor: Alexandra Stevens, M.D., Ph.D.
Thesis Advisor: Daisuke Nakada, Ph.D.
Project: An Analysis of Atovaquone as a Therapeutic Against Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML): Combination with Conventional Chemotherapy is Feasible and Well Tolerated
Student: Howard Lin
CTR Mentor: Carl Allen, M.D., Ph.D.
Thesis Advisor: Donald Parsons, M.D., Ph.D.
Project: Clinical Implications of Genomic Alterations and Circulating BRAFV600E+ precursors in Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis
Student: Dallin Lowder
CTR Mentor: Edward Yen, M.D.
Thesis Advisor: Salma Kaochar, Ph.D.
Project: Lipid Metabolism Biomarkers in a Diverse Cohort of Patients with Primary and Metastatic Prostate Cancer
Student: Kelsey Mauk
CTR Mentor: Richard Hamill, M.D.
Thesis Advisor: David Corry, M.D.
Project: Assessing Veteran Travel Habits and Utilization of Travel Medicine services at a Large Urban Veterans Administration Medical Center
Student: Collin McColl
CTR Mentor: Edward Yen, M.D.
Thesis Advisor: Salma Kaochar, Ph.D.
Project: Investigating Growth Factors as Predictive Biomarkers for Prostate Cancer Using 400+ Patient Samples
Student: Marlyd Mejia
CTR Mentor: Sandeep Agarwal, M.D., Ph.D.
Thesis Advisor: Kathryn Patras, Ph.D.
Project: Investigating the Relationship Between the Vaginal Microbiota and Rheumatoid Arthritis in Women
Student: Andy Rivera Munoz
CTR Mentor: Daryl Scott, M.D., Ph.D.
Thesis Advisor: Jennifer Posey, M.D., Ph.D.
Project: A Retrospective Study of Diagnostic Exome Sequencing Cases to Identify Phenotypic Expansion Involving the Cakut Phenotype
Student: Matthew Seasock
CTR Mentor: Pedro Piedra, M.D.
Thesis Advisor: Antony Rodriguez, Ph.D.
Project: Detection of MicroRNA Let-7 Expression Changes in SARS-COV-2 Infection
Student: Lauren Kelly Somes
CTR Mentor: Mothaffar Rimawi, M.D.
Thesis Advisor: Valentino Hoyos, M.D.
Project: Elucidating the Effect of Hormone Therapy on the Tumor-Immune Microenvironment of Breast Cancer Patients
Student: Yuqing Wang
CTR Mentor: Tiphanie Vogel, M.D., Ph.D.
Thesis Advisor: Christine Beeton, Ph.D.
Project: The KCA1.1 Channel as a Prognostic and Predictive Marker in Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis
Student: Amber Wolf
CTR Mentor: Jennifer Foster, M.D., MPH
Thesis Advisor: Eveline Barbieri, M.D., Ph.D.
Project: Examining Immune-suppressive and Immune-activating Metabolites in Primary Neuroblastoma Patient Tumors
Student: Stephanie Wood
CTR Mentor: Manuel Silva Carmona, M.D.
Thesis Advisor: Tiphanie Vogel, M.D., Ph.D.
Project: Moving Toward Use of Type 1 Interferon Assessments in Clinical Practice
Student: Jacob Zulk
CTR Mentor: Barbara Trautner, M.D., Ph.D.
Thesis Advisor: Kathryn Patras, Ph.D.
Project: Characterization of UTI-causing Pathogens and their Phage Susceptibilities
CTR-CAQ Program Student Outcomes
Careers
As of December 2024, eleven students who have successfully completed the CTR-CAQ program have defended their thesis and received their doctorate degree. Since graduation, all students have continued with positions in the biomedical sciences:
- Five of our graduates have found biomedical-related positions in industry
- Four have continued with research training as postdoctoral fellows
- Two have found positions in medicine
Time to Graduation
The average time to graduation for students in the CTR-CAQ program is 5.1 years, compared to 5.2 years for all students in the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at BCM. Our former graduate program, Translational Biology and Molecular Medicine (TBMM), offered students a similar opportunity for clinical observations and translational research. The average time to graduation for TBMM program was 5.4 years.