The CRTC is pleased to announce that 86 new scholars joined programs in 2016. This includes 8 KL2 Career Development Scholars, 3 K12 Career Development Awards for Clinical Oncology, 18 R25 STRENGTH scholars, 7 scholars in the Postdoctoral Mentored Training Program in Clinical Investigation (MTPCI), 5 scholars admitted directly to the Master of Science in Clinical Investigation (MSCI), 8 Applied Health Behavior Research (AHBR) scholars, 2 TL1 postdoctoral trainees and 9 TL1 predoctoral scholars. In addition, 26 predoctoral scholars participated in the TL1 Summer and ASPIRE programs. We want to extend a special thank you to the mentors who provide invaluable learning experiences for all of our scholars.
David M. Brogan, MD, MSc
Assistant Professor, University of Missouri School of Medicine
Mentors: Susan Mackinnon and James Cook
Research Project: Optimizing Outcomes of Peripheral Nerve Repairs: Primary Repair vs. Splinting
Christopher Dy, MD, MPH
Assistant Professor of Orthopedic Surgery
Department: Orthopedic Surgery, Hand Surgery
Mentors: Ken Yamaguchi and Margaret Olsen
Research Project: Utilization of Orthopaedic Surgery Among Medicaid Beneficiaries
Armin Ghobadi, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine, Internal Medicine, Bone Marrow Transplant
Mentors: John DiPersio and Daniel Link
Research Project: Developing and Translating Novel Mobilization Strategies
Cynthia Herrick, MD
Instructor of Medicine, Internal Medicine, Endocrinology, Metabolism and Lipid Research
Mentors: Graham Colditz and Debra Haire-Joshu
Research Project: Improving Post-Partum Diabetes Screening after Gestational Diabetes
Urmeka Jefferson, PhD
Assistant Professor, University of Missouri School of Medicine
Mentors: Vicki Conn and Sarah Patrick
Research Project: Patient-Centered Technology to Support Breastfeeding
Jennie Kwon, DO
Instructor of Medicine, Internal Medicine, Infectious Diseases
Mentors: Erik Dubberke and David Warren
Research Project: Effect of limiting sequential C.difficile testing on patient care outcomes
Jonathan Mitchem, MD
Assistant Professor, University of Missouri School of Medicine
Mentors: Kevin Staveley-O’Carroll and David DeNardo
Research Project: Targeting Myeloid Cell Recruitment in Colorectal Cancer via CCR2/CCL2 Blockade
Rachel Proffitt, OTD
Assistant Professor, University of Missouri School of Medicine
Mentors: Marjorie Skubic and Carolyn Baum
Research Project: Determining the Mechanisms of a Virtual Reality Intervention for Chronic Stroke
K12 Career Development Awards for Clinical Oncology
Matthew Christopher
Mentors: Timothy Ley and John DiPersio
Research Project: Cooperativity of WT1 mutations with PML-RARa in Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia
Allegra Petti
Mentors: Timothy Ley and Todd Fehniger
Research Project: Genomic Analysis of Potential Targets for T Cell-Based Immunotherapy for AML
Jeffery Ward
Mentors: Robert Schreiber and Ramaswamy Govindan
Research Project: Improving Personalized Cancer Vaccines by
Augmenting CD4+ T-cell Responses
George Anastas, MD
Assistant Professor, Medicine, Internal Medicine, Oncology
Mentor: Ramaswamy Govindan
Research Project: Understanding genetic, epigenetic and proteomic alterations in GBM
Pavan Bhamidipati, MD
Instructor, Clinical Medicine, Internal Medicine, Hematology
Mentor: John DiPersio
Research Project: A Pilot Study of Azacitidine in in for Acute GVHD Prophylaxis in Haplo-HCT
Pippa Cosper, MD, PhD
Resident, Radiation Oncology
Mentor: Xiaowei Wang
Research Project: Identifying a transcriptional profile in cervical tumors during chemoradiation that can predict for treatment response
Zachary Crees, MD
Resident, Internal Medicine, Oncology
Mentor: John DiPersio
Research Project: Evaluating a PD-1 Inhibitor as Prophylactic Therapy to Reduce Risk of Disease Relapse in High Risk Patients Post-Allotransplant: A Safety and Feasibility Study
Bita Fakhri, MD, MPH
Fellow, Internal Medicine, Oncology
Mentor: John DiPersio
Research Project: Investigating the Role of NK-cells in Multiple Myeloma Treatment
Gloria Guzman, MD
Clinical Fellow, Radiology, Neuroradiology
Mentor: Tammie Benzinger
Research Project: Diffusion-weighted imaging in the post treatment neck
Ian Hagemann, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor of Pathology & Immunology, Obstetrics & Gynecology
Pathology and Immunology, Anatomic and Molecular Pathology
Mentor: Todd Druley
Research Project: Genetic and Epigenetic Mapping for Prognostication in Uterine Carcinosarcoma
Pan Hua, PhD
Assistant Professor of Medicine, Internal Medicine, Cardiovascular
Mentor: Lee Ratner
Research Project: Biological outcomes of NF-kB siRNA inhibition in metastic melanoma management
Hameem Kawsar, MD, PhD
Associate Program Director, St. Luke’s Hospital
Mentor: Ramaswamy Govindan
Research Project: Genomic Landscape of Neuroendocrine tumors
Jesse Keller, MD
Clinical Fellow, Internal Medicine, Oncology
Mentor: Ken Carson
Research Project: Colorectal Cancer Outcomes in Diabetics with Good vs Poor Glucose Control
Ashiq Masood, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine, Internal Medicine, Medical Oncology
Mentor: Ramaswamy Govindan
Research Project: Somatic mutational landscape of peritoneal mesothelioma
Parinaz Massoumzadeh, PhD
Staff Scientist, Radiology, Radiological Services
Mentor: Joshua Rubin
Research Project: Oxygen-sensitive MR and 150 PET: study of hypoxia in human brain tumors
Thomas Regenbogen, MD
Clinical Fellow, Internal Medicine, Oncology
Mentor: Doug Adkins
Research Project: Deintensification of Treatment for Locally Advanced Head and Neck Cancer
Souzan Sanati, MD
Assistant Professor, Pathology and Immunology, Anatomic and Molecular Pathology
Mentor: Kathy Weilbaecher
Research Project: The role of Genetic Factors in Outcome of Triple Negative Breast Carcinoma
Narendra Sankpal, PhD
Senior Scientist, Department of Surgery, Biologic Gene Therapy
Mentor: Ramaswamy Govindan
Research Project: University of Pune and National Chemical Laboratory, Pune India
Elias Tannous, PhD
Postdoc Research Associate, Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics
Mentor: Peters Burgers
Research Project: Mapping the activation site of Mec1/ATR by cross-linking with activator peptides
Theodore Thomas, MD
Clinical Fellow, Internal Medicine, Medical Oncology
Mentor: Ken Carson
Research Project: Impact of Geography on Cancer Outcomes in VA Population
Paul Zolkind, MD
Postdoc Research Scholar, Otolaryngology
Mentor: Ravindra Uppaluri
Research Project: Immunogenomic Assessment of Checkpoint Blockade in Head and Neck Cancer Patients
Mentored Training Program in Clinical Investigation (MTPCI)
Jonah Attebery, MD
Fellow, Department of Pediatrics, Critical Care
Mentors: Mark Manary and Roger Yusen
Research Project: Heart rate variability in malnourished Malawian children
Jason Burnham, MD
Fellow, Internal Medicine, Infectious Diseases
Mentors: Marin Kollef and Dan Brennan
Research Project: Readmissions for MDR infections among patients with prior MDRO infections
Darren Cullinan, MD
Postdoctoral Scholar, Department of Surgery, General Surgery
Mentors: William Hawkins and Dan Brennan
Research Project: Targeting Myeloid Cell Populations to Enhance Immunotherapy Pancreatic Cancer
Ryan Duncan, DPT
Assistant Professor, Physical Therapy
Mentors: Joel Perlmutter and Jane Garbutt
Research Project: Physical Therapy and Deep Brain Stimulation in Parkinson Disease
Mark Hwang, MD
Fellow, Internal Medicine, Rheumatology
Mentors: Seth Eisen and Jane Garbutt
Research Project: NSAID effect on radiographic progression of Ankylosing Spondylitis
Patrick Reich, MD
Fellow, Department of Pediatrics, Infectious Diseases
Mentors: Stephanie Fritz and David Warren
Research Project: Multi-Drug Resistant Bacterial Colonization and Infection in the NICU
Rachel Zigler, MD
Fellow, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Family Planning
Mentors: Colleen McNicholas and Jane Garbutt
Research Project: Treatment of Unscheduled Bleeding Due To Long-Acting Reversible Contraception
Master of Science in Clinical Investigation (MSCI)
Alexander Aleem, MD
Assistant Professor, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Shoulder & Elbow
Washington University School of Medicine
Mentor: Jay Keener
Research Project: Outcomes of Reverse Shoulder Arthroplasty Based on Repair the Subscapularis
Sima Bhatt, MD
Fellow, Department of Pediatrics, Hematology-Oncology
Washington University School of Medicine
Mentor: Robert Hayashi
Research Project: Haploidentical stem cell transplant for patients with non-malignant hematological
Jiayi Huang, MD
Assistant Professor, Department of Radiology Oncology, Clinical
Washington University School of Medicine
Mentor: Albert Lockhart
Research Project: To repurpose disulfiram to treat glioblastoma
Melanie Meister, MD
Fellow, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery
Mentors: Siobhan Sutcliffe and Jerry Lowder
Washington University School of Medicine
Research Project: Prevalence of pelvic myofascial pain in patients with pelvic floor disorders
Patrik Pipkorn
Fellow, Department of Otolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery
Washington University School of Medicine
Mentor: Jay Piccirillo
Research Project: Salvage surgery in Head and Neck: implications of surgical margins
Applied Health Behavior Research (AHBR)
Maraya Camazine
HBR Concentration
Clinical Research Coordinator I, Pediatrics Critical Care
Washington University School of Medicine
Joe Cammarata
HEPPE Concentration
Program Coordinator Workers Comp, Orthopaedic Surgery
Washington University School of Medicine
Rahul Dey
HBR Concentration, 1 Year Option
May 2016, Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy-Neuroscience-Psychology
Washington University
Tichina Felton
HBR Concentration
Associate Production Scientist
Milliport Sigma
Tamara Marable
HEPPE Concentration
Precertification Coordinator, Internal Medicine Business Office
Washington University School of Medicine
Marisel Ponton
HBR Concentration
Medical Records Clerk, Faculty Practice Plan
Washington University School of Medicine
Daniel Sheinbein
HBR Concentration, 1 Year Option
May 2016, Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy-Neuroscience-Psychology
Washington University
Alex Shimony
HBR Concentration, 1 Year Option
May 2016, Bachelor of Science in Political Science
University of Wisconsin-Madison
TL1 Clinical Research Training Program – Postdoctoral
Shaw-Wei David Tsen, MD, PhD
Mentor: Samuel Achilefu
Track: Entrepreneurship
Dana Watt, PhD
Mentor: Emre Toker
Track: Entrepreneurship
TL1 Clinical Research Training Program – Predoctoral
Casey Beleckas, MD Candidate
Mentor: Ryan Calfee
Research Project: Performance of PROMIS Health Assessments in Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Ridhima Guniganti, MD Candidate
Mentor: Gregory Zipfel
Research Project: Factors affecting the natural history of cranial dural arteriovenous fistulae
Rowland Han, MD Candidate
Mentor: David Limbrick
Research Project: Epidemiology and outcomes associated with treatment of pediatric hydrocephalus
Linda Johnson, MSTP Candidate
Mentor: Laura Bierut
Research Project: Analysis of the CHRNa5/a3/ß4 Gene Cluster with Substance Dependence Phenotypes
Omar Karadaghy, MD Candidate
Mentor: Jay Piccirillo
Research Project: Factors that Predict Mortality in Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma
Steven Monda, MD Candidate
Mentor: Robert Figenshau
Research Project: The Development and Evaluation of a Tumor Model for Partial Nephrectomy Training
Alexander Padovano, MD Candidate
Mentor: Daniel Osei
Research Project: Cubital Tunnel Syndrome
Robert Stephens, MD Candidate
Mentor: Brian Fuller
Research Project: Care Variables Impacting Delirium in Mechanically Ventilated Patients in the ED
Kimberly Waddell, PhD Candidate
Mentor: Catherine Lang
Research Project: Evaluating self-reported change and actual change in upper limb use after stroke
TL1 Clinical Research Training Program – Predoctoral Summer
Jerome Arceneaux, MD Candidate
Meharry Medical College
Research Project: Local v. Distant Organ Procurements for Lung Transplantation
Mentor: Dr. Varun Puri
Bronwyn Bedrick, MD Candidate
Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine
Research Project: Antral Follicle Count as a Predictor of Age of Menopause
Mentor: Dr. Emily Jungheim
Dane Fickes, PharmD Candidate
St. Louis College of Pharmacy
Research Project: Alzheimer’s Disease
Mentor: Dr. John Morris
Stephanie Hinds, MD Candidate
Saint Louis University School of Medicine
Research Project: Contraceptive Preferences: Association with Contraceptive Choice & Continuation
Mentor: Dr. Tessa Madden
Helena Hong (Oto T32), MD Candidate
Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine
Research Project: Nitrous oxide as treatment for tinnitus- a pilot study
Mentor: Dr. Jay Piccirillo
Joanna Huang, PharmD Candidate
St. Louis College of Pharmacy
Research Project: Asthma
Mentor: Dr. Mario Castro
Emily John, MD Candidate
University of Missouri School of Medicine
Research Project: Predicting risk for Alzheimer’s disease with cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers”
Mentor: Dr. Anne Fagan
Hoang Pham, MD Candidate
Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine
Research Project: Safety and efficacy of Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs in snakebites
Mentor: Dr. Michael Mullins
Evelyn Reed, MD Candidate
Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine
Research Project: Common Peroneal Nerve Compression and Falling in Bariatric Surgery Patients
Mentor: Dr. Susan Mackinnon
Tejas Sangoi, MD Candidate
Saint Louis University
Research Project: Mechanisms and phenotypic expression of severe asthma
Mentor: Dr. Mario Castro
Emily Schepers, MD Candidate
University of Missouri School of Medicine
Research Project: Correlation between expression of AXL and chemoresistance
Mentor: Dr. Katherine Fuh
Maya Silver, MD Candidate
Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine
Research Project: Association between water source and incident Parkinson disease
Mentor: Dr. Brad Racette
Miya Smith, MD Candidate
Meharry Medical College
Research Project: Chiari-associated Syringomyelia Study Line
Mentor: Dr. David Limbrick
Joy Tao (Oto T32), MD Candidate
Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine
Research Project: Assessing the Validity, Reliability and Factor Structure of the Otitis Media 6 (OM-6) Questionnaire
Mentor: Dr. Judith Lieu
Nneoma Wamkpah (Oto T32), BA/MD Candidate
University of Missouri Kansas City School of Medicine
Research Project: Smell Training Intervention and Budesonide for Patients with Anosmia or Microosmia
Mentor: Dr. Jay Piccirillo
Judy Wang, MD Candidate
Ohio State University College of Medicine
Research Project: The Effect of Amnioinfusion on Electrical Fetal Monitoring Patterns
Mentor: Dr. Alison Cahill
Advanced Summer Program for Investigation and Research Education (ASPIRE)
Victor Castro
Saint Louis University
Mentor: Dr. Keefe Davis
Bianca Chukwueke
Saint Louis University
Mentor: Dr. Michael Avidan
Amanda Crawford
Carleton College
Mentor: Dr. Michael Avidan
Samantha Donaldson
Francis Howell North High School
Mentor: Dr. Gregory Day
Sumana Goli
North Carolina State University
Mentor: Dr. Charles Canter
Roman Gusdorf
Notre Dame University
Mentor: Dr. Mario Castro
Chauncey Hill
Washington University in St. Louis
Mentor: Dr. Jeffrey Henderson
Tyler Raclin
Mary Institute and St. Louis Country Day School
Mentor: Dr. Stephen Liang
John Wang
Grinnell College
Mentor: Dr. Varun Puri
Sarah Yang
Washington University in St. Louis
Mentor: Dr. Amy McQueen