Medical Sc ient ist Tra in ing Program

Last year we excitedly proclaimed our pride in welcoming a record-breaking 9 new students. But this year, we have more buttons to burst, having broken last year’s record with 13 new students, 12 M1s and 1 G1. Again we thank COM Dean Dimitri Azar for his continuing support in allowing our program to grow in quality as well as quantity. Before introducing our baker’s dozen individu-ally, we wish to point out some interesting statistics among the class members, which, as was the case in the 2011 and 2012 entering classes, all deal with the number 2: 1. Two are from the 2013 class of Northwestern University. 2. Two are nicknamed Alex. But Alex Marinelarena’s full name is Alejandra which is the Spanish

equivalent of Alexandria, Ally Young’s full name, which in turn is the female equivalent of Alexander, Alex Ticho’s full name.

3. Two are from Wisconsin, two from California, two of the M1s plus the G1 are from the Chi-cago suburbs (the rest are from Georgia, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina

4. Two are joining the same lab for their first rotation (as was the case the last 2years). 5. Two were research fellows at the NIH. And two at Loyola University.

Catherine (Casey) Blaha Home town: River Forest, IL Degree: BA, Biological Sciences, Northwestern University, June 2013 Research Interests: Molecular biology, genetics, molecular mechanisms of dis-eases, hematology-oncology Summer 2013 Rotation: Lab of Angela Tyner PhD, Dept. of Biochemistry& Mo-lecular Genetics Talents & Hobbies: Varsity women’s soccer, dance performance and competi-tion in jazz, ballet, and tap

Cool vibes: As Vice President of Development of Pi Beta Phi Fraternity, she oversaw all Frater-nity traditions and ceremonies and worked with alumni connection to instill life-long memberships, created new activities to help members appreciate Pi Phi’s history, and made a family tree in which new members record their name in order to see past connection. Quote: You cannot excel in something unless you love it. It must be your passion to have the dedication and commitment to succeed.”

Mir (Isaam) Isaamullah Home town: Powder Springs, GA Degree: BA, Neuroscience, Vanderbilt University, June 2013 Research Interests: Developmental Neuroscience: neural development, the visual system Summer 2013 Rotation: Lab of Rajiv Sharma, MD, Dept. of Psychiatry Talents & Hobbies: Muslim Students Association, concert production Cool vibes: As a 4-year member of the Music Group at Vanderbilt, he con-

trolled a budget of over $500,000 and produced two major concerts per year: Commodore Quake, the homecoming concert, and the Rites of Spring two-day outdoor music festival. Quote: “What then is the difference between Shakespeare and every aspiring musician? ...they use the same delicacies of language to express themselves concisely in an attempt to illustrate their human experience. It is a way that we connect with each other, and the use of poetic lan-guage and wordplay shows a level of skill and finesse.

Joshua Jones Home town: Oakbrook Terrace, IL Degree: BS, Mathematics, University of Illinois-Chicago, May 2012 Post-graduate work: Post-bacc, Case Western Reserve University Research Interests: Experimental & translational bioinformatics, integrative proteomics, systems biology Summer 2013 Rotation: Lab of Jason Yuan, MD, PhD, Dept. of Pharmacol. Talents & Hobbies: Strength training, Sports, Live classical Blues and Jazz events (listening), Community Youth Mentorship Programs (Upward Bound).

Cool vibes: Throughout college, following his father’s passing, he helped him mother keep the family business-a book and gift shop—going and strong. (cont. p. 2)

Volume 15, Issue 1

WELCOME NEW STUDENTS 2013

September 1 , 2013

Calendar:

Tuesday, September 17, 5:30 pm DINNER SEMINAR Olu Ajilore, MD, PhD Thursday, October 17, 5:30 pm DINNER SEMINAR David Perkins MD

I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E :

Awards, Honors, etc. 4

Wedding Bells and Baby Booties

4

Student Publications 4

Alumni News 5

4th M3 Prep Course 6

Thesis Defenses 6

APSA 2013 6

Grand Rounds 7

Dinner Seminars 7

Retreat 8

MEDICAL SCIENTIST

SAVE THE DATES

Tuesday evening, No-

vember 19

MSTP Research Sym-

posium

ORAL

PRESENTATIONS

Wednesday, Novem-

ber 20

COM Research Forum

POSTERS

Quote: “By relying on an ever strengthening nuclear network and my [late] father's enduring wisdom, I trust that when the time comes, I will be able to provide the kind of leadership necessary to navigate my family back to emotional and financial stability.” Jacob (Jake) Lapping Home Town: Northbrook, IL Degree: BS, Chemistry, University of Michigan, December 2012 Post-graduate work: Undergraduate Student Chemistry Instructor, University of Michigan Research Interests: Biological chemistry, molecular pharmacology, clinical research Summer 2013 Rotation: Lab of Douglas Thomas, PhD, Dept. of Medicinal Chemistry & Pharmacognosy Talents & Hobbies: Tennis Cool vibes: In Junior High he began playing tennis competitively across the Midwest. By the time he was sixteen, he was ranked in the Top 200 in the Midwest. He also gave tennis lessons to younger kids as a part-time job during summers. In High School he played varsity tennis, where he was all-conference, named MVP, and received the "Glenbrook North Male Leadership" award his senior year amongst all student athletes in a graduating class of over 500 students. Quote: “The intellectual and personal rewards of applying what I already know to making new discover-ies, and the promises of developing better treatments for disease in the future are what drive my desire to continue conducting research.” Christopher (Chris) Manzella Home Town: Mendon, NY (vicinity of Rochester) Degree: BS, Chemistry, and Math, St. John Fisher College, May 2013 Research Interests: Drug discovery and development, establishment of predictive biomarkers, protein structure-function. Summer 2013 Rotation: Lab of Arnon Lavie, PhD, Dept. of Biochemistry& Molecular Genetics Talents & Hobbies: Singing in mixed choirs, both as Tenor and Baritone Cool vibes: He was nominated to a team of St. John Fisher math students who took the Putnam exam, an annual college math contest administered by the Mathematical Association of America that tests origi-nality in addition to technical competence. Quote: “Instead of having the situation [of a difficult academic challenge] bring down my academic confi-dence and produce stress, I would direct my negative energy toward a critical analysis of my study habits. Doing so would prevent the situation from affecting other aspects of my academic and non-academic life, in addition to helping prevent similar situations from happening again.” Alejandra (Alex) Marinelarena Home town: Rancho Palos Verdes, CA (originally Chicago, IL) Degree: BA, Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, May 2011 Post-graduate work: Research Intern, NIH, Phoenix Epidemiology and Clinical Research Branch Research Interests: Diabetes, Metabolic and Endocrine Diseases, Stem Cell Biology, Autoimmunity, Regenerative Medicine Summer 2013 Rotation: Lab of Terry Unterman, MD, Dept. of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism

Talents & Hobbies: Singing! In college, was in an a all-women contemporary a cappella group called "The Fallen Angels" and sang in the Harvard Radcliffe Choir. Dancing (salsa, cumbia, merengue, hip hop), photography, and reading non-fiction books.

Cool vibes: As President and publicity Chair of an A Cappella Organization, she served managed audi-tions, finances, publicity, and performances. Quote: “This experience [tutoring economically disadvantaged students] taught me to always offer my help even if it is just a smile and to treat every patient regardless of circumstances with dignity and re-spect. Simple actions such as these can contribute greatly to the healing process.” Laura Hyun-Hwa Rodgers Home town: Madison, WI Degree: BA, Honors Biology, Swarthmore College, May 2012 Post-graduate work: NIH Intramural Research Training Award Fellow Research Interests: The virulence factors that allow a pathogen to invade a host; human genetics Summer 2013 Rotation: Lab of Nancy Freitag, PhD, Dept. of Microbiology & Immunology Talents & Hobbies: Snorkeling and scuba diving

Cool vibes: The child of an intercultural family (Korean mother, American father), she spent most of her childhood in Singapore (where she spent family vacations snorkeling), a melting pot of cultures. Quote: “A physician's personal expertise and dedication are, however, only as effective as his or her ability to communicate successfully with others.” Adam Schafer Home town: Greenville, SC Degree: BS, Biochemistry, Indiana University, May 2013 Research Interests: Biochemistry, immunology, pathology, mechanisms of diseases, Summer 2013 Rotation: Lab of Nancy Freitag, PhD, Dept. of Microbiology & Immunology

Page 2

N E W S T U D E N T S . C O N T . F R O M P A G E 1

Volume 15, Issue 1

Medical Scientist Page 3

Quote: “Which is more important: the knowledge or the ability to communicate that knowledge to others? ...Knowledge and communication are inseparable. Having knowledge without communica-tion skills is like having books but being blind.”

Cody Schott Home town: Studio City, CA Degree: BA, Molecular Biology and Genetics, Northwestern University, June 2013 Research Interests: Cancer, RNA & Molecular biology, molecular genetics; Chromatin remodeling; Summer 2013 Rotation: Lab of Elizaveta Benvolenskaya, PhD, Dept. of Biochem-Molec. Genetics Talents & Hobbies: Sports: playing pick-up soccer, basketball, racquetball, watching the English Premier (Soccer) League; Urban exploration, especially Chicago. Cool vibes: An ardent sports fan dreading losing the bond with his college community following graduation, he started a sports blog that serves as a way for the recent grads to share feelings about the NU’s sports program while also opening themselves to current student and alumni. Quote: “From this [stressful] experience, I learned the importance of maintaining rational thought even when faced with emotional or turbulent circumstances. I know that if faced with a similar sce-nario in the future, if I can remain objective, I will be better able to help those around me.”

Alexander (Alex) Ticho Home town: Wausau, WI Degree: BA, Chemistry, St. Olaf College, January 2012 Post-graduate work: Research Assistant, Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine Research Interests: Biophysics, Cardiac physiology, Pharmacology, Biochem. Oncology, Neurosci. Summer 2013 Rotation: Lab of R. John Solaro, PhD, Head, Dept. of Physiology & Biophysics Talents & Hobbies: cooking, racquetball, knitting, tinkering with anything that is broken.

Cool vibes: Graduating from high school at age 14, he decided to work before going to college. Always fascinated with how things work, he took a job as a bicycle mechanic where he learned all he could about bicycles and their components, regularly taking apart broken derailleurs and suspen-sion forks to see how their pieces functioned together to form an operational bicycle component. Quote: “My exposures to bigotry and racism have taught me several things that will help me in my medical training and beyond. As a physician, I will come into contact with many people who make derogatory and racist comments. These experiences have taught me to peacefully stand up for my beliefs and also to recognize that good people can have misguided views.”

Benjamin (Ben) Turturice Home town: Rocky River, OH Degree: BS, Molecular Biology & Biochemistry, Loyola University Chicago, May 2012 Post-graduate work: Research Assistant, Lab of Dr. Kim Williamson, Loyola University Chicago Research Interests: Cell biology, Immunology, Molecular Genetics, and Cell Cycle Regulation Summer 2013Rotation: Lab of Terry Vanden Hoek, MD, Dept. of Emergency Medicine Talents & Hobbies: Club baseball, coaching under-14 baseball Cool vibes: At age 6 he started acting in the Boar's Head and Yule Log Festival, a 49-year old annual event that takes place the week after Christmas in Trinity Cathedral in Cleveland. Quote: “My mom told me that life is a marathon, not a sprint. These words keep me focused on my goals.”

Andrew Widmer (G1) Home town: Woodstock, IL Degree: BA, Psychology (Neuroscience concentration), Carleton College Post-graduate work: Neuroscience Research Assistant, lab of Dr. Diego Laplagne, Leon Levy Center for Mind, Brain, and Behavior, Rockefeller University, 2009-2011. Research Interests: Neuroscience: the phenomena and physiology of high level consciousness pertaining to human or higher vertebrate nervous systems Summer 2013: Start of PhD research in Neuroscience Program, Lab of John Larson, PhD Talents & Hobbies: Experiencing the natural environment, especially exploring new biomes through hiking and camping; love of water, especially oceans, small boat sailing, water polo. Cool vibes: He is a member of the Time Bank of NYC, a volunteer organization that allows mem-bers to trade hours of service or expertise amongst themselves. This creates a cycle of people vol-unteering to help others hundreds of services or skills that are offered by Time Bank members. Quote: “Physician scientists are valuable resources because they represent a bridge between two arenas, those of scientific research and the practical application of research findings. Their comfort in both the laboratory and the hospital allows them to seamlessly transition between the benchtop and the bedside.”

Alexandria (Ally) Young Home town: Bath, PA Degree: BS, BA, Molecular Biology & Anthropology, University of Pittsburgh, April 2012 Post-graduate work: Research Specialist II, Lab of Dr. Richard Chaillet, Magee Women’s Re-search Institute, Pittsburgh, PA (cont. on page 4)

Page 4 Volume 15, Issue 1

Congratulations to: Justin Sysol on his en-gagement during the sum-mer to Erica Nacca. Erica holds a Master of Accoun-tancy from George Wash-ington Univ. and is an ac-count for the US Dept. of Justice. The wedding will take place in Autumn 2014 in Rochester, NY.

(New Students, continued from page 3)

Research Interests: Molecular and cancer biology, genetics and epigenetics, translational research. Summer 2013 Rotation: Lab of Carlos Stocco PhD, Dept. of Physiology & Biophysics Talents & Hobbies: Piano, intramural soccer, and cooking. Cool vibes: Her family has precious traditions with neighbors revolving around food. She comes from a long line of home cooks who will slave for days in a small, hot kitchen to make (cont. page 5)

Awards, Honors, Presentations – Congratulations! April 2—Marisa Young received word that she had been selected as the winner of the 2013 Haen-

szel Research Award of the School of Public Health where she will defend her PHD thesis in Epidemiol-ogy & Biostatistics on Sept. 17. The award notice said, “We were very pleased with the quality of your application and congratulate you on your outstanding work. This award will be presented at the SPH Research Day Awards Ceremony on April 9th, followed by a presentation of your work at the weekly Epi-Bio seminar on Friday, April 12, at 2pm.” May 2, 2013 – Jason Buhrman and Allen Ye were awarded PECTS Fellowships for the 2013-14 aca-demic year from the CCTS TL1 Pre-doctoral Program. June 3. 2013 – Justin Sysol received an Achievement Award for Scholarly Activities for his poster pres-entation at the Dept. of Medicine Research Day, June 3, 2013.

Recent Student Publications David McMullen: Salazar JK, Wu Z, McMullen PD, Luo Q, Freitag NE, Tortorello ML, Hu S, and Zhang W. A prfA-like transcription factor gene lmo0753 contributes to L-rhamnose utilization in Listeria monocytogenes asso-ciated with human foodbore infections. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 2013 Jul [Epub ahead of print] Frencher JT, Ryan-Pasyeur BK, Huang D, Wang RC, McMullen PD, Letvin NL, Collins WE, Freitag NE, Malkovsky M, Chen CY, Shen L, and Chen ZW. SHIV antigen immunization alters patterns of im-mune responses to SHIV/Malaria coinfection and protects against life-threatening SHIV-related malaria. J. Infect. Dis. 2013 Jul;208(2):260-70 Justin Sysol: I Manoli*, JR Sysol* (*Co-first authors), L Li, P Houillier, C Garone, C Wang, PM Zerfas, K Cusmano-Ozog, S Young, NS Trivedi, J Cheng, JL Sloan, RJ Chandler, M Abu-Asab, M Tsokos, AG Elkahloun, S Rosen, GM Enns, GT Berry, V Hoffamnn, S DiMauro, J Schnermann, CP Venditti. “Targeting proximal tubule mitochondrial dysfunction attenuates the renal disease of methylmalonic academia.” Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. Published online before print July 29, 2013, doi: 10.1073/pnas.1302764110 Matthew Tobin: Tobin M, Birk D, Aletich V, Alaraj A. Role of argatroban during neurointerventional procedures in pa-tients with heparin-induced thrombocytopenia. J NeuroIntervent Surg. 2013, under review. Neckrysh S, Siemienow K, Birk D, Tobin M, Schizas C. T1 pedicle subtraction osteotomy for the treatment of rigid cervical kyphotic deformity: clinical series of four patients and review of the litera-ture. J Neurosurg. 2013, under review. Rainier S, Hein ND, Weston VC, Tobin M, Fink JK. Analysis of neuropathy target esterase in Flinders sensitive line rats. 2013;Manuscript In Preparation. Rainier S, Siman-Tov T, Hamlington B, Tobin M, Ravindran N, Moore J, McKenna-Yasek D, Brown, Jr. RH, Fink JK. Neuropathy target esterase gene mutations in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. 2013;Manuscript In Preparation. Rainier SR, Ravindran N, Tobin MK, Hein ND, Wilcock S, Fink JK. FIG4 gene analysis in pri-mary lateral sclerosis. 2013;Manuscript In Preparation.Alaraj A, Tobin MK, Birk DM, Charbel FT: Simu-lation for neurosurgery and neurosurgical procedures, in Levine AI, DeMaria S, Schwartz AD, Sim A (eds): The Comprehensive Textbook of Healthcare Simulation. Springer, 2013, accepted April 2013). Birk DM, Tobin MK, Slavin KV: Neurosurgical options for control of chronic and malignant ab-dominal pain, in Kapural L (ed): Visceral Abdominal pain: An Evidence-Based, Comprehensive Guide to Clinical Managment. Springer-Verlag, 2013, accepted (expected August 2013). Alaraj, A, Charbel FT, Birk D, Tobin M, Luciano C, Banerjee PP, Rizzi S, Sorenson J, Foley K, Slavin K, Roitberg B. Role of cranial and spinal virtual and augmented reality simulation using Immersive Touch modules in neurosurgical training. Neurosurgery. 72(Suppl 1):A115-A123, 2013. Marisa Young: Obiero, W, Young MR, and Bailey RC, The PrePex Device Is Unlikely to Achieve Cost-Savings Com-pared to the Forceps-Guided Method in Male Circumcision Programs in Sub-Saharan Africa. PLoS One, 2013. 8(1): p. e53380.

Wedding Bells &

Baby Booties

Marisa Young on her wed-ding to Dr. Walter Obiero on July 13, 2013 In Ma-gadini Village, Kenya (where Marisa is conclud-ing her field work research for her forthcoming thesis defense on Sept. 6). Dr. Obiero will pursue a PhD in in health economics at the UIC School of Public Health upon his arrival in Chicago with Marisa. (Baby Booties cont. on p 5)

Medical Scientist Page 5

Alumni News

“Jake” Returns as Grad Banquet Speaker

The MSTP welcomed alumnus Ronald Jackups (2008) as its distinguished guest speaker at the 2013 Graduation Banquet, held May 9 at the Athena Restaurant in Greek Town. Dr. Jackups, Assistant Professor of Pathology and Immunology in the Depart-ments of Pathology-Immunology and Pediatrics at Washington University-St. Louis School of Medicine, spoke enthusiastically on

the topic “Saving Lives & Money: Blood Management in the 21st Century”. Not only did he cover this fascinating subject expertly, he skillfully wove his own career story into the discussion. This served as a great inspiration to the gradu-ates embarking on the path of putting their medical and scientific learning into practice as well as to current students who saw a successful product of our program as a demonstration of where they can plan on being after a few fast years. Dr. Ron’s “return” as grad banquet speaker followed a precedent in 2010 by his WUSL colleague, Todd Druley, MD, PhD (2002). The program hopes to welcome more and more alumni back as future guest speakers.

Alumni Mailbag From: Kharma C Foucher (2005

Sent: Monday, April 29, 2013

To: Bernstein, Roberta

Subject: RE: Change of Address

As of August 16, my position will be Assis-

tant Professor in the Department of Kinesi-

ology and Nutrition which is in the College

of Applied Health Sciences. I will also

still have an appointment as Adjunct Assis-

tant Professor in the Bioengineering De-

partment (so I will still have at least a

toe in the College of Medicine). I know

that I will have quite a job getting my lab

up and running again, my research off the

ground, and just getting (re)acculturated

to the institution. I have read, however,

that being actively involved in campus life

is actually associated with new faculty

success so I definitely look forward to

getting involved with the program in any

way that I can! All the best, Kharma

(Ed. Note: Welcome “home”, Kharma)

Above, Ronald (“Jake”) Jackups, MD, PhD 2008, at his own graduation. Right, Profes-sor Ronald Jackups with 2013 graduates following his address to them and seminar at the Graduation Banquet, May 9, 2013.

L to R: Dr. Nancy Freitag, Dr. Janai Carr, Dr. Thomas Wubben, Dr. J., Dr. Joel Fontanarosa, Dr. Senta Furman, Roberta Bernstein, Dr. Jennifer Kwan, Dr. Larry Tobacman

DR. SAPAN DESAI (2006)

WHITE COAT CEREMONY SPEAKER

2006 MD-PhD alumnus, Sapan Desai, will be the keynote speaker at the 2013 White Coat Ceremony, on Friday Au-gust 30 at the Pavillion. Dr. Desai did his PhD in the Dept. of Anatomy & Cell Biology in the lab of Dr. Anna Lysakowski. He is Asst. Prof of Surgery at Duke University and the Presi-dent of Surgisphere Corp., a medical software company.

Baby Booties, cont. from page 4

From: Brian R Shy Sent: Monday, May 20, 2013 2:18 PM

To: Bernstein, Roberta

Here is a picture of Penelope (Penny) Ann Shy at about a month old. She was born 4/24 at 9:23am.

5 lbs. 9 oz. Mom and baby are both happy and healthy.

(cont. from p.4) Thanksgiving dinner for a large Italian family. To her, cooking and good food are synonymous with family and great friends. Quote: “As a doctor, it is important to empathize with patients and become their advocates.”

Page 6 Volume 15, Issue 1

Spring-Summer Thesis Defenses—Congratulations!

May 24, 2013 – Ryan Carr, Dept. of Microbiology & Immunology: “Utilizing the Warburg Effect to Enhance TRAIL-Induced Apoptosis in Several Cancer Types ”. His thesis advisor is Bellur Prabhakar, PhD, Professor, Dept. of Mi-crobiology & Immunology. May 29, 2013 – James Frencher, Dept. of Microbiology & Immunology: “Role of Isoprenoid Biosynthesis in Listeria-based Tuberculosis Vaccine Efficacy.” His thesis advisor is Zheng Chen, MD, PhD, Professor and Director Primate Biomedical Research, Dept. of Microbiology & Immunology.

May 30, 2013 – Joseph Zapater, Dept. of Biochemistry & Molecular Genetics: “Identification of Polysialyltransferase Sequences Required for Substrate Recognition and Polysialylation.”His thesis advisor is Karen Colley, PhD, Profes-sor, Dept. of Biochemistry & Molecular Genetics and Dean of the Graduate College.

June 11, 2013 – Andrew Czysz, Neuroscience Program: “Dynamic interaction between G proteins and plasma membrane nanodomains: effects of antidepressant and polyunsaturated fatty acids”. His thesis advisor is Mark Rasenick, PhD, Distinguished Professor, Dept. of Physiology & Biophysics.

June 21, 2013 – Ikenna Madueke, Dept. of Physiology & Biophysics: “The Roles of Canonical Wnt2 and Wnt10b in Prostate Gland Development and Prostate Cancer Progression .” His thesis advisor is Gail Prins, PhD, Professor, Professor of Physiology, Director, Andrology Lab, Dept. of Medicine: Section of Urology.

July 22, 2013 – Tammy Tamayo, Dept. of Physiology & Biophysics: “Role of A2D1 in the efficacy of satellite cell grafts into mdx mice”. Her thesis advisor is Jesus Garcia Martinez, MD, PhD, Professor and DGS, Dept. of Physiol-ogy & Biophysics.

September 6, 2013 – Marisa Young, Dept. of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, SPH: “Scale-up of Male Circumcision for HIV Prevention in Nyanza Province Kenya: Risk Compensation Following Adult Male Circumcision and Introduction of Infant Male Circumcision Services”. Her thesis advisor is Robert Bailey PhD, Professor, Epi-Biostatistics, SPH.

4th Annual M3 Prep Course Another Huge Success

We proudly report that the 4th annual iteration of the MSTP’s return to clinics prep course, held June 6-10, 2013, was another big success, well maintaining the good record of the previous three versions, which were excellent. Thanks to the organizational skills and concentrated efforts of rising M4 Vanessa Reese, the course, taught vol-untarily by some of the best medical and pharmaceutical faculty, prepared rising M3s—Sarah Berth, Ryan Carr, Andy Czysz, James Frencher, Ike Madueke, Tammy Tamayo, Marisa Young and Joseph Zapater—to transi-tion from their just completed PhD studies into clinic readiness. These MD-PhD students and indeed the whole MSTP are deeply indebted to and appreciative of the superb fac-ulty who graciously gave of their time to help them get up to speed for the start of their clerkships: Adam Bursua, PhD, Clinical Assistant Professor, Dept. of Pharmacy Practice, COP William Galanter, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine, Dept. of General Internal Medicine George Kondos, MD, Professor of Medicine, Dept. of Medicine: Cardiology Norman Lieska, PhD, Associate Professor, Dept. of Anatomy & Cell Biology Melvin Lopata, MD, Professor of Medicine, Pulmonary, Critical Care, Sleep and Allergy, Department of Medicine

Heeren Patel, MD, Resident - Neurology/Clinical Neurophysiology Fred Zar, MD, Program Director, Internal Medi Vice Head, Educational Affairs, Dept. of General Internal Medicine

Monday’s activities were Morning Report at UIH with Dr. Zar, Pulmonary I with Dr. Lopata, Pharm 1 with Dr. Bur-sua, and a meeting with then current M3 students. Tuesday’s schedule was Listening to a CD of Heart Sounds followed by a work session on the Harvey patient mannequin heart simulator with Dr. Kondos, and the Wednes-day offerings were Pharm II with Dr. Bursua, and CPP Q&Z with Dr. Zar. Thursday’s schedule was Biostatistics with Dr. Galanter, Pulmonary II with Dr. Lopata, and Anatomy Review with Dr. Lieska. The course concluded on Friday with sessions on Biostats and HTN with Dr. Galanter followed by a Neurology workshop led by Dr. Patel. As always the sessions were recorded and archived for future use by any MD-PhD students. The MSTP thanks Lee Katman, Director of Support Services, COM Office of Informational Resources, for orchestrating this endeavor.

Medical Scientist Page 7

Additional 2013 Grand Rounds Presentation

Following the publication of the Spring 2013 issue of Medical Scientist in which we listed four MSTP Grand Rounds presenta-tions that had been scheduled, this additional one was added to the roster. We congratulate the presenters on a fine seminar: Thursday, May 2, 2:30 pm, 7175 COMRB Topic: “Kawasaki Disease: An Etiologic Mystery” Clinical Presentation: Senta Furman M4, defended doctoral thesis on “Reciprocal Autonomic Regula-tion in Mother-Infant Dyads during Social Interaction” in the Neu-roscience Program (advisor: Pauline Maki, PhD) Research Presentation: James Frencher G3, defended doctoral thesis on “Role of Isoprenoid Biosynthe-sis in Lysteria-based Tuberculosis Vaccine Efficiency” in the Dept. of Microbiology & Immunology (advisor: Zheng Chen, MD, PhD) Presentation Faculty Advisor: Vithida Sueblinvong, MD, Dept. of Pediatric Cardiology

The MSTP delegation to the 2013 annual meeting of the American Physician Scientist Association, a national association of MD-PhD students, included: Jason Buhrman, Janai Carr, Ryan Carr, Michael Fettiplace, Joseph Goldenberg, Jennifer Kwan, Ryan Lahey, Ina Han Lee, David McMullen, Alicia Rizzo, Cody Rutlege, Farah Shareef, Justin Sysol, Matt Tobin, and Jessica Wilson. The weekend-long meeting was held April 26-28 at the Fairmont Hotel in Chicago in conjunction with the annual ASCI/APA Meeting to which APSA members were permitted and encourage to attend. The left photo shows some of the MSTP attendees with Dr. Tobacman; to his left in bowtie, Dr. Dimitri Azar, Dean of the Colllege of Medicine; and to Dr. Tobacman’s right, Charles L. Sawyers, MD, of Memorial Sloan Kettering, the President of the American Association of Cancer Research. To his right (left of photo, front row) are three graduates of the Medical Scholars (MD-PhD) Program at UIUC, including APSA founder, Freddy Nguyen in middle. Posters were presented by: Ryan Lahey: “Chain composition of primary dietary fats mediates impaired or preserved triglyceride dynamics, contractility, and nuclear receptor activation in decompensated hearts” Ina Han Lee: “The role of specific C-Jun N-terminus kinase isoforms in Huntington’s Disease” Cody Rutledge: "c-Src Regulation of Connexin43 in Ischemic Heart Disease" Justin Sysol: “Pre-B Cell Colony-enhancing Factor is Elevated in Patients with Pulmonary Hypertension and Promotes Pulmo-nary Artery Smooth Muscle Cell Proliferation“ JR Sysol, J Chen, MS Wade, T Abbasi, JGN Garcia, JX-J Yuan, RF Machado. Matt Tobin (Abstract in Program book): Nanoparticle directed changes in kidney inflammation following acute ischemia.”

15 MSTP Students Attend APSA

Dinner Seminars

Monday, August 19, 5:30 pm— Larry Tobacman, MD, MSTP Director and Sr. Associate Dean for Research, COM and John Solaro, PhD, Professor and Head, Dept. of Physi-ology and Biophysics—Celebrating Dr. Tobacman’s 10th anniversary as MSTP and thanking Dr. Solaro for recruiting him to UIC:

“Molecular Mechanisms and Translational Medicine”

Tuesday, September 17, Olu Ajilore, MD, PhD, Visiting Assistant Professor, Dept. of Psychiatry. “Why Psychiatry?” Thursday, October 17, David Perkins, MD, Professor, Dept. of Surgery. Tuesday, November 19, MSTP Research Symposium in connection with Com Research Day, Nov. 20: Sarah Berth, James Frencher, Ike Madueke, Marisa Young, Joseph Zapater.

University of Illinois College of Medicine

COM Dean’s Office, MC 784

1853 West Polk Street

Chicago, IL 60612

Office located in the GEMS suite, 308 CSN

Medical Scientist Training Program

Phone: 312-996-7473

Fax: 312-413-8221

E-mail: roberta@uic.edu

MSTP Administration Larry S. Tobacman, MD Director Nancy Freitag, PhD Associate Director Roberta Bernstein, Assistant Director Medical Scientist Editor

COM Administration Dimitri Azar, MD, Dean Larry S. Tobacman, MD, Sr. Associate Dean for Research Saul Weiner, MD Senior Assoc. Dean for Educational Affiars Jorge Girotti, PhD, Associate Dean and Director of Admissions and Special Curricular Programs Kathleen Kashima, PhD Senior Associate Dean of Students

We’re on the web!

www.uic.edu/com/mdphd

2 0 1 3 R E T R E A T – S O A R I N G T O T H E T O P

The Vertigo Lounge on the 26th floor of the Hotel Dana at 660 N. State Street, with it’s wrap-around views of the city, was the site of the culminating evening party of the 2013 retreat, the rest of which was held in a beautiful glass-enclosed meeting room the 5th floor of the hotel. The laughter-filled day comprised of welcoming the 13 new students, discussions of best practices in MD-PhD learning and survival, and serious science, began with a welcome and state of the program message from Dr. Larry Tobacman, followed by a hilarious set of individual introductions of each of the new students by Dr. Nancy Freitag. Following lunch, three students who recently defended their PhD theses—Ryan Carr, Andy Czysz and Tammy Tamayo—gave spirited talks on excerpts from their defense presentations. A Poster Viewing Session allowed everyone to visit the huge array of 19 posters and to vote by ballot on the best in each of two categories, Junior (M1-G1) and Advanced (G2-M4). The Junior presenters were Jacob Lapping, Alejandra Marinelarena, Alan Perez-Rathke, Laura Rodgers, Adam Schafer & Matt Durst, Cody Schott, Justin Sysol, Alex Ticho, Benjamin Turturice, and Alexandria Young. The Advanced presenters were Sarah Baumgarten Erin Beisner, Jason Buhrman, Ryan Carr, Ryan Lahey, David McMullen, Brian Shy, Jessica Wilson, and Allen Ye. And the winners are: Junior—Ally Young-M1; Advanced—Sarah Baumgarten-G3 and Ryan Carr-M3 (tied). Each of these winners will receive a cash prize from the MSTP and all the poster presenters received cer-tificates of commendation: The afternoon activities continued with cohort meetings: M1-M2 led by Dr. Tobacman, G1-G2 led by Dr. Freitag, and the advanced students (to talk about Grand Rounds) with Roberta. This was followed by a spirited game, led by the guru of group cohesiveness, Denise Yates, called Chronol-ogy in which 4 teams competed to accumulate the most correct answers to cards of trivia questions about dates of events throughout world history.

The highlight of the day was the con-cluding session of the formal program, the keynote talk by Jeffrey A. Loeb, MD, PhD, the new Head of the Dept. of Neurology & Rehabilitation Medi-cine, on “Reverse translational re-search: Using systems biology to de-velop new treatments for epilepsy.” This outstanding description of his boundary-breaking research into new approaches to understanding and treating epilepsy was introduced with a discussion of his career as an MD-PhD physician scientist and how he evolved from MD-PhD student to dis-tinguished physician-scientist.

At 7:00 pm, everyone rode the elevator to the roof-top lounge, Vertigo, for an evening of great food and drink, music, break-taking views of the city and good conversa-tion and friendship in a comfy-cozy environment .

Dear Larry, Nancy and Roberta: I am writing to thank you for invit-ing me to participate in the MSTP retreat at the Dana Hotel in Chicago last Sunday. As one of the founders of the MD – PhD programs at UIC and as a regular participant in your Seminars and Retreats, I want to congratulate you for all your successful lecture schedules, enthusiasm and organization. With my regards, Misha Miodrag Radulovacki, M.D., Ph.D. (above right)