Membership
The Center for Heart and Vascular Research welcomes members from across the University of Nebraska system, including students, staff, fellows, residents and faculty.
Membership Requirements
Please read membership requirements and update your MyNCBI Bibliography Profile before applying.
We are an inclusive center, welcoming students, postdocs, staff, residents, nurses and faculty from across the University of Nebraska system, Children's Nebraska and Nebraska Medicine.
- Demonstrate a commitment to the center's vision to advance an integrated program of basic, clinical and translational research related to cardiovascular medicine. This is demonstrated by actively engaging in heart and vascular research and attending center events.
- Share areas of expertise as mentors to junior faculty, trainees, and staff. (For senior members)
- Participate in ad hoc review committees of funding proposals of fellow members upon request. All funding recipients agree to participate in future center award review panels.
- Join and actively participate in at least one focus group. (See Research Opportunities page for details)
- Attend the center's meetings, seminars, review committees, retreats and related activities as appropriate. It is expected that members will attend a minimum of five events per year.
- List the center as an affiliation on all publications (manuscripts, reviews, book chapters), in oral/poster presentations, grant submissions and media announcements.
- Agree to maintain an updated MyNCBI Bibliography Profile. The MyNCBI Bibliography profile provides a centralized platform to track publications and funding.
- Complete the center's annual survey to track grant submissions that result from center activities or funding, collaborative efforts with other members, mentoring, service-related, and community engagement activities.
To apply for CHVR membership, please email Amy Biggerstaff at abiggerstaff@unmc.edu.
Member Benefits
- Access to research funding opportunities.
- Access to research opportunities, including grant and fellowship writing workshops tailored for heart and vascular research and medicine, focus groups and the annual retreat.
- Priority access on core services.
- Access to philanthropic funds directed to center-specific efforts
Current Members: Faculty
Maher Abdalla, PhD
Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology
Assistant Professor - Non-tenure Track (Special Appointment)
Research Focus: The role of free radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS) and Heme Oxygenase-1 (HO-1) in the pathogenesis process.
Arpan Acharya, PhD
Pharmacology & Experimental Neuroscience
Instructor
Research Focus: Identify the location of the anatomical sanctuaries where HIV reservoirs persist
Mona Al-Mugotir, PhD
Obstetrics and Gynecology
Instructor
Research Focus: Targeted therapeutics using homing peptides and efficient delivery of therapeutic payloads using liposomes with a primary interest in safely treating pregnancy complications. Additional translational research-focused training is planned to build on an existing foundation and allow the progress of future projects into preclinical trials.
Mabruka Alfaidi, MD, PhD
Cellular and Integrative Physiology
Assistant Professor - Tenure Track
Research Focus: Explore the intra-molecular pathways in individual cellular responses using translational tools from patients with or without CAD to small and large animal-based approaches
Windy Alonso, PhD, RN
Nursing
Assistant Professor - Tenure Track
Research Focus: Exploration of how post-translational proteins work to break/initiate immune tolerance
Dan Anderson, MD, PhD
Internal Medicine - Cardiovascular Medicine
Associate Professor
Research Focus: To understand inflammation as a result of MAA-adduction (ethanol consumption) and the impact on cardiovascular disease. MAA-adduction of proteins disrupts regulatory lysines and reversible acylation, facilitates protein dysregulation and tissue inflammation that is associated diseases of age such as atrial fibrillation and heart failure. Treatment and prevention is the clinical goal of our research.
Ann Anderson Berry, MD, PhD
Pediatrics
Professor
Research Focus: Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy (HDP) and the impact of fat soluble micro nutrients on pregnancy and neonatal outcomes. Specifically we are interested in carotenoids, Vitamin A, E, and D and Specialized Pre-resolving mediators (SPMs). We are also interested in understanding the disparities related to these conditions.
Amar Annapureddy, MD
Internal Medicine - Cardiovascular Medicine
Assistant Professor - Tenure Track
Research Focus: Ischemia with non-obstructive coronary arteries (INOCA), a condition that remains under-recognized despite its significant impact on patients—especially women—and its association with adverse cardiovascular outcomes.
Paul Ayayee, PhD
Cellular and Integrative Physiology
Assistant Professor - Tenure Track
Research Focus: Demonstrating function and showing biological relevance of symbiotic associations in host ( vertebrate and invertebrates)-microbial symbioses. I use classic molecular and biochemical approaches to investigate in vitro, speculated/proposed microbial functions of relevance to a host.
Pooneh Bagher, PhD
Cellular and Integrative Physiology
Associate Professor
Research Focus: Examining the subtle interplay between endothelial cells, smooth muscle cells, and perivascular nerves using a range of in vivo and in vitro techniques in physiological and pathophysiological states. We are also interested in how vascular function is altered under extreme physiological conditions (like spaceflight!)
Kristina Bailey, MD
Internal Medicine - Pulmonary, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine
Associate Professor
Research Focus: The effects of exposures like aging, cigarette smoke, cannabis smoke in pulmonary innate immunity.
Christopher Barrett, MD
Surgery
MD
Research Focus: Investigating relationships between traumatic coagulopathy, endothelial dysfunction and inflammation in human and animal models.
Hesham Basma, PhD
Internal Medicine - Cardiovascular Medicine
Assistant Professor - Non-Tenure Track (Special appointment)
Research Focus: The mechanisms of inducing toxicities by electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) in iPSCs-derived cardiomyocytes and the molecular signaling and the epigenetic changes in cardiomyocytes and fibroblasts in patients with heart failure.
Keshore Bidasee, PhD
Pharmacology & Experimental Neuroscience
Professor
Research Focus : Deciphering the role played by glycolysis byproducts in triggering end organ diseases, with and emphasis on diabetes, HIV-1 and COVID infections
Sara Bills, MS
Assistant Professor - Non-Tenure Track (Special appointment)
Research Focus : Pursuing my PhD in CTR as part of the Mentored Scholars Program at UNMC. I am a member of the Heart Camp research team researching exercise adherence in HF
Erika Boesen, PhD
Cellular and Integrative Physiology
Associate Professor
Research Focus : To better understanding renal function under normal circumstances, and mechanisms that contribute to renal injury and hypertension. A major current research interest in the lab is understanding mechanisms of renal injury in the autoimmune disease lupus (lupus nephritis). Patients with lupus and lupus nephritis are at increased risk of cardiovascular disease and hypertension, highlighting the relevance of the CHVR to our research area.
Subhash Chand, PhD
Anesthesiology
Assistant Professor - Non-Tenure Track (Special appointment)
Research Focus: People living with HIV are at two times higher risk of heart failure (HF), particularly HF with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), and experience symptoms at a much younger age than the healthy population. Chronic inflammation is strongly associated with HIV infection and HFpEF. We sought to investigate the underlying mechanism of HFpEF in HIV infection via cardiac extracellular vesicles.
Dahn Clemens, PhD
Internal Medicine - Cardiovascular Medicine
Associate Professor
Research Focus: The role of oxidative stress and inflammation and cardiovascular disease as well as the development of models to investigate how oxidative stress and inflammation initiate and propagate cardiovascular disease.
Jason Cook, MD, PhD
Surgery
Assistant Professor - Tenure Track
Research Focus: The vascular pathophysiology including aortic aneurysms and venous thromboembolism that result in life threatening syndromes including aortic ruptures and pulmonary embolisms. Both aortic pathology and venous thromboembolism are the outcome of a complex interplay of a combination of environmental triggers, endothelial dysfunction, and genetic predisposition. Using a combination of translational research models and clinical outcomes data, we seek to identify therapeutic targets to improve care for patients with afflicted disorders.
Kaitlin Dailey, PhD
Eppley Institue
Instructor
Research Focus: Genetic engineering and anaerobic bacteria. which lead to accomplishing the first CRISPR-mediated modification of Clostridium novyi-NT and established methodologies that have added to the field of biologic therapeutics. My long-term career goal is to establish an independent, diverse, and equitable academic research lab focused on genetically engineering single celled organisms for pharmaceutical and biofuel development.
Prasanta Dash, PhD
Pharmacology & Experimental Neuroscience
Assistant Professor - Tenure Track
Research Focus: To understand the drug-drug interactions on molecular pathways for HIV therapeutics and elimination as well as to improve drug penetrance across cell and tissue barriers and improve control over ongoing viral infection.
John Davis, PhD
Obstetrics and Gynecology
Professor
Research Focus: To understand the basic physiological processes that regulate the differentiation of ovarian cells and the production of steroid hormones will allow new strategies to improve fertility, prevent early pregnancy losses, and develop more effective contraceptives. This involves changes in the tissue microenvironment, including angiogenesis and angioregression, fibroblastic tissue remodeling, and the intra-cellular signals that control these processes.
Kajari Dhar, PhD
Internal Medicine - Cardiovascular Medicine
Instructor
Research Focus: Genetic mutation, gene expression and epigenetics changes in cardiomyopathy heart failure patients particularly who had LVAD implementation. Also working on toxicity of electronic cigarette and figuring out mitochondrial effects on human cardiomyocytes functions and gene expression.
Bin Duan, PhD
Internal Medicine - Cardiovascular Medicine
Associate Professor
Research Focus: To create multi-scale complexity within engineered tissues to understand the fundamentals of cell-material interactions and mimic the native tissues for biomedical applications with a specific emphasis on tissue disease, tissue regeneration and stem cell bioengineering. This involves: (1) Develop innovative biomaterials and biofabrication systems; (2) Utilizing biofabrication techniques to fabricate scaffolds with tailored micro- and macroscopic structures for specific tissue regeneration; (3) Developing 3D tissue constructs/organoids to investigate the pathogenesis of diseased tissue and examining potential therapeutic remedies.
Michael Duryee, MS
Internal Medicine - Rheumatology
Instructor
Research Focus: Evaluation of post-translational protein modifications in autoimmune diseases.
Howard Fox, MD, PhD
Neurological Sciences
Professor
Research Focus: Broadly involves the pathogenesis of disease. The majority of this work has been done in vitro in cellular and molecular biology studies and in vivo in rhesus monkeys, rats, and mice, as well as in studies on human specimens. The key decision in what is studied is based on the translatability of the work to humans. The laboratory focuses on diseases of the brain, both infectious (centered on HIV and SIV) as well as neurodegenerative.
Lie Gao, MD, PhD
Anesthesiology
Assistant Professor - Tenure Track
Research Focus: To elucidate a novel mechanism underpinning exercise-evoked cardiovascular benefits involved in nuclear factor-erythroid factor 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) and extracellular vesicles (EVs) in skeletal muscle. We hypothesize that, during exercise, contracting muscle generates a mass of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which in turn activate Nrf2 to upregulate a large group of antioxidant enzymes and other cytoprotective proteins. These proteins are packaged into EVs and transported to the remote tissues/organs where antioxidant defenses are enhanced and protective processes occurred.
Stacey Gilk, PhD
Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology
Associate Professor
Research Focus: Coxiella burnetii, an obligate intracellular bacterial pathogen that causes Q Fever. endocarditis. Trying to decipher how Coxiella survives inside macrophages and causes disease. We discovered that Coxiella is very sensitive to elevated host cholesterol, and use in a combination of cell biology, biochemistry, and molecular biology to characterize critical host and bacterial mechanisms. Given that Q Fever endocarditis is very difficult to treat, the end goal is to identify new therapeutic targets.
Rebekah Gundry, PhD
Cellular and Integrative Physiology
Professor
Research Focus: Discoveries of the human heart - transforming our understanding of what molecules are present in the human heart and how they change in disease. This new insight fuels our understanding of disease processes and reveals untapped therapeutic targets. Also developing new tools and reagents to promote the use of stem cell technologies for improved drug testing and disease modeling.
Bryan Hackfort, PhD
Cellular and Integrative Physiology
Assistant Professor - Non-Tenure Track (Special appointment)
Research Focus: Cardiovascular ultrasound imaging on rodent models as well as assisting researchers in determining the best assay to answer their research needs.
Dongwoo Hahn, PhD
Health & Kinesiology
Assistant Professor - Tenure Track
Research focus: Skeletal and cardiac muscle physiology in the context of diverse models including heart failure, aging, diet, and muscular dystrophy but especially interested in mitochondrial respiration and reactive oxygen species production which influence the function of organs by maintaining or altering redox balance.
Frederick Hamel, PhD
Internal Medicine - Diabetes, Endocrine and Metabolism
Professor
Research Focus: Insulin metabolism and its role in insulin signaling; etiology of type 2 diabetes
Lynda Harris, PhD
Obstetrics and Gynecology
Associate Professor
Research Focus: The identification of new compounds and therapeutic strategies to treat placental dysfunction, and the resulting pregnancy complications of pre-eclampsia, fetal growth restriction and stillbirth. Using a combination of rodent models and human tissue culture to assess different aspects of uteroplacental function, including the study of uterine spiral arteriole remodeling during placental development, and uterine and placental vascular function. Have also identified a suite of vascular homing peptides which selectively home to the placenta and uterine vasculature in pregnancy.
Nicole Iverson, PhD
Biological Systems Engineering
Associate Professor
Research Focus: To develop nanoscale sensors for biologically relevant factors. Focusing on reactive species, specifically nitric oxide and hydrogen peroxide. As well as working on in vitro and in vivo methods of detection, including development of non-invasive and/or long-term sensing/tracking platforms.
Jacques Izard, PhD
Internal Medicine - Cardiovascular Medicine
Associate Professor
Research Focus: Bacteria ultrastructures and biofilms, expanded interest to the microbiomes and involved with the Human Microbiome Project and other cohorts. Continuing investigation of the digestive bioreactor in the context of health and disease.
Majid Jadidi, PhD
Biomechanics
Assistant Professor - Tenure Track
Research Focus: To understand the function and pathophysiology of major elastic and muscular human arteries and develop tools to inform the development of materials and devices for vascular and endovascular repairs. To achieve this using a multidisciplinary approach that involves engineering, medicine, biology, and computer science.
Tate Johnson, MD
Internal Medicine - Rheumatology
Assistant Professor - Tenure Track
Research Focus: Cardiovascular disease outcomes in patients with rheumatic disease, in particular rheumatoid arthritis. The Long-term goal is to elucidate novel mechanisms of cardiovascular disease burden in rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory rheumatic diseases to improve the prediction, prevention, and management of cardiovascular risk in this population.
Chithra Kattukandathil Pushpan, PhD
Surgery
Instructor
Research Focus: The generation of cardiomyocytes from iPSCs and conducting characterization and analysis of proteins specific to congenital heart diseases.
Birgit Khandalavala, MBBS
Family Medicine
Associate Professor
Research Focus: Cholesterol stud, specifically cardiometabolic health and obesity. Both these direct relate to heart and vascular research.
So-Youn Kim, PhD
Obstetrics and Gynecology
Assistant Professor - Tenure Track
Research Focus: Oncofertility
Gwenael Layec, PhD
Health and Kinesiology
Assistant Professor - Tenure Track
Research focus: The role of oxidative stress and environmental pollutants (cigarette smoke) in mediating vascular and skeletal muscle bioenergetics abnormalities. Also investigate pharmacologic and lifestyle (e.g. heat therapy) strategies to improve mobility and health in clinical populations, with the ultimate goal of reducing disease burden.
Yulong Li, MD, PhD
Emergency Medicine
Professor
Research Focus: The regulatory role of the peripheral nervous system in peripheral tissues (such as myocardium and skeletal muscle) in pathophysiological conditions including heart failure, diabetes, ischemia-reperfusion injury, and peripheral artery disease.
Ling Li, MD, PhD
Pediatrics - Cardiology
Assistant Professor - Tenure Track
Research Focus: Cardiology, Ultrasound Imaging, Echocardiography (Pediatric, Fetal, Adult Congenital Heart Disease), Maternal-fetal Medicine Imaging, Cardiac MRI, Cardiac CT, Function Mechanic Research
Brian Lowes, MD, PhD
Internal Medicine - Cardiovascular Medicine
Professor
Research focus: Cardiac organ recovery and replacement therapies to better understand the molecular abnormalities in heart failure and cardiac remodeling. Investigations involve human cardiomyocytes derived from iPS to characterize cellular toxicities and drug therapies, heart tissue obtained from patients with mechanical heart to study recovery, and human clinical trials to test new treatments.
Scott Lundgren, DO
Internal Medicine - Cardiovascular Medicine
Assistant Professor - Non-Tenure Track (Special appointment)
Research Focus: Early identification of advanced HF and cardiogenic shock and identifying biomarkers, clinical markers, and pathways of optimizing outcomes in these populations.
Jason MacTaggart, MD
Surgery
Assistant Professor - Non-Tenure Track (Special appointment)
Research Focus: Aortic and peripheral vascular physiology/pathophysiology using human, large animal and benchtop models with a focus on translating our work into new and improved medical devices and other therapies.
Roslyn Mannon, MD
Internal Medicine - Nephrology
Professor
Research Focus: The causes and mechanisms of late allograft failure in the kidney using mouse models of transplant as well as immunosuppressant toxicity to identify potential pathways for intervention and /or biomarkers of those injury mechanisms.
Teri Mauch, MD, PhD
Internal Medicine - Nephrology
Professor
Research Focus: Include kidney development. Previously used mouse, rat and avian models to study pronephros induction and metanephric branching morphogenesis. Currently investigating the relationship between maternal vitamin A levels and fetal renal development. Participating in clinical trials comparing Complement component 5 inhibitors for the treatment of atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome. A member of the Child Health Research Institute Internal Operations Committee, Grants review Committee, and co-lead the Lifespan Diseases Pillar of CHRI.
Shaheed Merani, PhD
Cellular and Integrative Physiology
Associate Professor
Research Focus: Diabetes-induced cardiac remodeling and heart failure
Michael Moulton, MD
Surgery
Professor
Research Focus: Mathematical modeling of the heart, HFpEF
Palanisamy Nallasamy, PhD
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Instructor
Research Focus: How the tumor microenvironment regulate the stemness features in pancreatic cancer. Additionally the combination therapeutic approach to pancreatic cancer in vivo and in vitro models.
Sakthivel Muniyan, PhD
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Assistant Professor - Non-Tenure Track (Special appointment)
Research focus: Understanding the molecular mechanisms of prostate tumor growth and recurrence.
Sathish Kumar Natarajan, PhD
Nutrition & Health Sciences
Assistant Professor - Tenure Track
Research Focus: To improve cardiac function in patients with HADHA (long chain hydroxy acyl CoA dehydrogenase) deficiency by elucidating the mechanism of mitochondrial damage in cardiomyocytes.
Brian North, PhD
Biomedical Sciences
Associate Professor
Research Focus: The molecular and cellular basis for development and aging in a range of organs including the heart, skin, and intestinal tract.
Laura Ortmann, MD
Pediatrics - Critical Care
Associate Professor
Research Focus: 1. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation, primary using large multi-centered databases and 2. Congenital heart disease with a focus on post-operative care and improving outcomes.
Song-Young Park, PhD
School of Health and Kinesiology
Associate Professor
Research Focus: Using both in-vivo and in-vitro techniques to examine the impact of aging and disease on vascular function and blood pressure regulation. Specifically interested in the complex interactions of endothelial function, oxidative stress, and vascular function in terms of blood pressure regulation in diseased populations, such as peripheral artery disease, heart failure, and hypertension. Also interested in cardiovascular fitness and muscular strength of spinal cord injury (SCI) patients and wheelchair sport athletes, most specifically the relationship between cardiovascular and skeletal muscle fitness level and the cardiovascular/skeletal muscle disease development and quality of life.
Kaushik Patel, PhD
Cellular and Integrative Physiology
Professor
Research Focus: The neural regulation of cardiovascular and renal function in health and disease states. Studying various aspects of the blood volume regulation in normal and disease states such as heart failure, diabetes and hypertension. Biochemical, molecular biology, electrophysiological, hemodynamic and renal function measurements and techniques are used for studying the various components of the blood volume reflex arc with particularly emphasis on role the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus in this regulation.
Eric Peeples, MD, PhD
Pediatrics
Associate Professor
Research Focus: Omics approaches to drug development in birth asphyxia (systemic hypoxia-ischemia). Mostly assessed brain effects, but would love to find collaborators who would be interested in helping us focus on the cardiac ischemic changes in this injury as well, as it has not been well explored in the literature to date. Also have a long standing clinical research interest in neonatal hypotension and improving hemodynamics for preterm infants.
Peter Pellegrino, MD, PhD
Anesthesiology
Assistant Professor - Non-Tenure Track (Special appointment)
Research Focus: To develop novel autonomic therapies for patients with cardiovascular disease and chronic pain.
Iraklis Pipinos, MD
Surgery
Professor
Research Focus: Exploring the pathophysiology of Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) as well as the cardiovascular effects of aging in general. As faculty at the University of Nebraska and the Omaha VA, extended research in vascular biology, gait biomechanics and the use of exoskeletons and I currently serve as a co-principal investigator of a collaborative, NIH- and VA- funded group at the frontier of evaluating the ischemic myopathy of the legs of patients with PAD, the functional impairment it produces for our elderly patients and the optimal ways to diagnose and treat it.
Sheri Rowland, PhD, APRN
Nursing
Associate Professor
Research Focus: Primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular risk in underserved populations, particularly Hispanic/Latinos, using mobile health technology (mHealth) and community/clinic-based cardiorespiratory fitness assessment to support self-management of diet and physical activity behaviors.
Jeffrey Salomon, MD
Cellular and Integrative Physiology
Assistant Professor - Tenure Track
Research Focus: Understanding the intestinal microbiome and metabolite profile influence on systemic inflammation following cardiopulmonary bypass in pediatric congenital heart disease. Evaluating intestinal permeability, immune cell activation, and inflammatory pathways to identify mechanisms by which the intestinal microcosm signals downstream inflammation in efforts to identify therapeutic interventions aims to reduce the inflammatory process following cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass.
Harold Schultz, PhD
Cellular and Integrative Physiology
Professor
Research Focus: Neural cardio-respiratory physiology in health and disease
Parthasarathy Seshacharyulu, PhD
Cellular and Integrative Physiology
Assistant Professor - Non-Tenure Track (Special appointment)
Research Focus: Overcoming docetaxel-mediated resistance mechanism (s) in prostate cancer. We found that LIF/LIFR axis signaling is highly regulated in docetaxel resistance. In addition, literature evidence shows that Docetaxel also causes a transient abnormality in brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) and echocardiogram parameters (E: A ratio) in breast cancer patients (PMID: 11454849). Hence, it is predicted that chronic use of docetaxel can induce heart failure.
Wei Shi, PhD
Internal Medicine - Cardiovascular Medicine
Assistant Professor - Tenure Track
Research Focus: The early stages of heart development, particularly the trabeculation and compaction processes. This process involves abundant extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins, and the components of which have not been fully identified.
Aleen Siddique, MBBS
Surgery
Associate Professor
Research Focus: Coronary artery and valvular disease. Translational research in coronary disease. Transplant related registry research. Clinical research in end stage heart and lung disease.
Paul Sorgen, PhD
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Professor
Research Focus: Advancing understanding of the fundamental mechanisms of gap junction regulation, with particular interest and expertise in protein-protein interactions mediated by the carboxyl terminal (CT) domain of connexins.
Douglas Stoller, MD, PhD
Internal Medicine - Cardiovascular Medicine
Assistant Professor - Non-Tenure Track (Special appointment)
Research Focus : Cardiac genetics, advanced heart failure and cardiac transplant
Ram Kumar Subramanyan, MD, PhD
Surgery
Professor
Research Focus: The developmental mechanisms of congenital heart disease utilizing in vitro and animal models. Also establish disease-in-a-dish models to study the long term outcomes of these hearts following interventions and appropriate therapies.
Vinai Chittezham Thomas, PhD
Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology
Associate Professor
Research Focus: Understanding metabolic and physiological adaptations that allow the bacterial pathogen, Staphylococcus aureus to infect the heart.
Paul Trippier, PhD
Pharmaceutical Sciences
Associate Professor
Research Focus: Small molecule drug discovery. Current cardiovascular focus is discovery of neurolysin activators for ischemic stroke treatment.
Marian Urban, MD, PhD
Surgery
Associate Professor
Research Focus: Organ donation after circulatory determined death.
Avinash Veerappa, PhD
Genetics, Cell Biology and Anatomy
Instructor
Research Focus: Computational genomics and involves the design of new tools and pipelines to model biological systems and to study the complexities of human diseases and disorders.
Saraswathi Viswanathan, PhD
Internal Medicine - Diabetes, Endocrine and Metabolism
Associate Professor
Research Focus: Determine the role of obesity and/or ethanol consumption in altering liver and cardiac injury. In particular, the role of eicosanoid signaling in altering the high fat diet and/or ethanol-induced organ injury.
Shibiao Wan, PhD
Genetics, Cell Biology and Anatomy
Assistant Professor - Tenure Track
Research Focus: Artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), bioinformatics, and computational biology, especially in cancer research, heart failure, and intelligent healthcare.
Hanjun Wang, MD
Anesthesiology
Associate Professor
Research Focus: The roles of the somatic/visceral sensory nervous system in both cardiovascular and neuropathic pain diseases. Particular interests have been primarily, but not limited to, the role of skeletal muscle afferents and cardiopulmonary spinal afferents in experimental chronic heart failure (CHF). Another important research direction, is to explore the novel roles of skeletal muscle afferents in mediating “walking pain” in peripheral arterial diseases.
Dong Wang, PhD
Pharmaceutical Sciences
Professor
Research Focus: Prodrug and nanomedicine development for inflammatory/autoimmune, musculoskeletal, and craniofacial diseases.
John Windle, MD
Internal Medicine - Cardiovascular Medicine
Professor
Research Focus: Clinical and translational informatics focusing on making digital technology more useful and usable for clinicians and patients safer and more satisfied with their care. Specifically, my research deals with usability of technology and artificial intelligence.
Jingwei Xie, PhD
Surgery
Professor
Research Focus: Applying biomaterials, drug delivery, stem cell therapy, and tissue engineering for myocardial infarction repair
Santosh Yadav, PhD
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Instructor
Research Focus: Understand the role of gut barrier proteins in regulating the microbiota-gut-brain axis via controlling gut inflammation and dysbiosis in the mouse model of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Future research in this area will focus on determining the role of gut inflammation and dysbiosis in heart failure.
Ying Yan, PhD
Radiation Oncology
Professor
Research Focus: The general areas of cell signaling pathways regulating various biological processes including cell proliferation, apoptosis, differentiation, and pathogenesis.
Qiuming Yao, PhD
Computer Science
Assistant Professor - Tenure Track
Research Focus: Blood disorder, skin carcinoma, gut microbiome and obesity, which are broadly benefited from our computational analysis.
Matthew Zimmerman, PhD
Cellular and Integrative Physiology
Professor
Research Focus: Better understanding the role of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in central neurons in mediating the actions of the brain renin-angiotensin system (RAS) in the setting of various neuro-cardiovascular diseases, particularly hypertension. In particular, interested in the influence of redox signaling mechanisms, inflammatory responses and mitochondrial function on cardiovascular physiology and pathophysiology. Also, investigating the use of nanoformulated antioxidant enzymes and small molecule antioxidants for the improved treatment of cardiovascular diseases.
Irving Zucker, PhD
Cellular and Integrative Physiology
Professor
Research Focus: The role of the central brain mechanisms on neurohormonal adjustments in cardiovascular regulation in the setting of experimental chronic heart failure. Interested in the role of substances such as angiotensin II, ACE2, nitric oxide and reactive oxidant stress as important mediators of sympathetic excitation in the setting of chronic heart failure. Molecular, cellular and whole animal techniques are used to understand abnormal cardiovascular and neural regulation in heart failure. In addition, we are extremely interested in the role of exercise training in ameliorating some of the abnormalities we have found in the central nervous system of animals with heart failure.
Current Members: Non-Faculty
Isaac Adediji, BS, MS
Obstetrics and Gynecology
Graduate Student
Lab: Dr. Lynda Harris
Research Focus: Preeclampsia
Joy Adewumi, MS
Cellular and Integrative Physiology
Graduate Student
Lab: Dr. Rebekah Gundry
Research Focus: Cardiac cells and stem cell models.
Weilun Ai, MBBS, MS
Internal Medicine - Diabetes, Endocrine and Metabolism
Post Doctoral Researcher
Lab: Dr. Saraswathi Viswanathan
Research Focus: Determine the role for TP-R in the pathogenesis of alcohol-associated cardiomyopathy through the metabolic crosstalk between liver and heart.
Anum Akbar, PhD
Internal Medicine - Cardiovascular Medicine
Graduate Student
Lab: Dr. Ann Anderson Berry
Research Focus: The Girls Inc project; what people eat or are trained at Girls Inc and how it affects the CVS of them.
Dorcas Akinuli, MS, BS
Cellular and Integrative Physiology
Graduate Student
Lab: Dr. Rebekah Gundry
Research Focus: Molecules causing heart diseases.
Michael Allen, MS
Health & Kinesiology
Graduate Student
Lab:
Research Focus: Vascular and molecular implications stemming from and contributing to peripheral artery disease using both human and animal models
Christianah Aloba, MS
Cellular and Integrative Physiology
Graduate Student
Lab: Dr. Erika Boesen
Research Focus: Using homing peptides to deliver therapeutic payloads specifically to the ovary. While this primarily targets ovarian function and diseases, it has an indirect relevance to heart and vascular research.
Cody Anderson, BS
Health & Kinesiology
Graduate Student
Lab:
Research Focus: A long-standing interest in the manifestation of vascular dysfunction in aging and disease. Specifically, interested in the mechanisms underlying diseases that include atherosclerosis, such as peripheral vascular diseases.
Syed Muntazir Andrabi, PhD
Surgery
Post Doctoral Researcher
Lab: Dr. Jingwei Xie
Research Focus: The development of new interventions for the treatment of myocardial infraction and vascular grafts using advanced and combinatorial approaches including biomaterials, nanomedicine immunomodulatory agents etc.
Amanda Christensen, BS
Pediatrics
Graduate Student
Lab: Dr. Ann Anderson Berry
Research Focus: Neonatal hypoxic-ischemic brain injury. The vascular system is essential for appropriate brain function, but some perinatal events compromise the circulation to the brain, resulting in cellular damage and death from hypoxia-ischemia. Translational research aims to leverage discoveries of the cellular pathophysiology for advancements in diagnostics and therapeutics.
Neha Dhyani, PhD
Cellular and Integrative Physiology
Post Doctoral Researcher
Lab: Dr. Irving Zucker
Research Focus: The role of the ubiquitous transcription factor Nrf2 and its cytosolic inhibitor Keap1 enzymes in skeletal muscle and cardio protection. Nrf2 is a transcription factor responsible for the activation of hundreds of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory genes. In this study, We are evaluating the role of Nrf2 in the control of vascular tone at rest and during vascular stress.
Ming Ding, MS
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Graduate Student
Lab: Dr. Paul Sorgen
Research Focus: Connexin43 (Cx43) is an integral membrane protein that forms gap junction channels.
Muhammet Enes Erol, MS
Exercise Physiology, Bioenergetics
Graduate Student
Lab:
Research Focus: Regulating mitochondrial function and its efficiency in human skeletal muscle or cardiac muscle by using either non-invasive magnetic resonance spectroscopy or ex vivo approaches. Also interested in working on cardiovascular disease and findings therapeutic approaches.
Luis Daniel Estrella, BS
Neurological Sciences
Graduate Student
Lab:
Research Focus: Understanding the role that Parkin, an E3 ubiquitin ligase protein involved in Mitochondrial quality control, has in regards to Tau-induced pathology. This relates to one of the major hallmarks of Alzheimer's Disease. Overall, we are trying to understand the relationships that exist between mitochondrial physiology and neurodegeneration. Other interests include brain vasculature research and Blood-Brain-Barrier disruptions.
Colman Freel, BS
Cellular and Integrative Physiology
Graduate Student
Lab: Dr. Ann Anderson Berry
Research Focus: The molecular mechanisms underlying cardiovascular disease risk in children from diabetic pregnancies.
Devashri Gandhi, MS
Genetics, Cell Biology and Anatomy
Graduate Student
Lab:
Research Focus: Quantitative proteomics analysis for Drug inhibitory effects on the hear failure model
Julian Garcia, BS
Pharmacology & Experimental Neuroscience
Graduate Student
Lab: Dr. Keshore Bidasee
Research Focus: To uncover the mechanism and interactions between HIV infections and molecular/physiological mechanisms in the heart, brain, vascularization, etc., as well as explore therapeutics.
Flobater Gawargi, BS
Cellular and Integrative Physiology
Post Doctoral Researcher
Lab: Dr. Harold Schultz
Research Focus: Understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying diabetic cardiomyopathy (DMCM) and developing a novel therapeutic strategy for diabetic cardiomyopathy.
Samuel Gillman, MS, BA
Genetics, Cell Biology and Anatomy
Graduate Student
Lab:
Research Focus: Respiratory physiology. Within this area, interested in investigating the contribution of vagal afferents in both pathological and non-pathological conditions. Addtionally, interested in the inter-organ crosstalk between heart and lung, specifically in the context of modulating lung afferents and off-target effects that may occur to the heart.
Aliya Haas, BS
Cellular and Integrative Physiology
Research Staff
Lab: Dr. Rebekah Gundry
Research Focus: Bioinformatics to better understand heart data and to improve cardiovascular disease research.
Taija Hahka, PhD
Cellular and Integrative Physiology
Graduated Student
Lab:
Research Focus: Omega-3 Fatty Acid Derived Specialized Pro-resolving mediators effects on trophoblast (Human Placenta) mitochondrial function.
Farzad Hayati, PhD, DVM
Surgery
Post Doctoral Researcher
Lab: Dr. Roslyn Mannon
Research Focus: Working with animals and have a good experience with neurosurgeries on animals and I performed many animal model surgeries. Worked as a veterinary surgeon since 2011 in different clinics. Good experience with skin wound healing and short-term repeated fasting. Worked on some IHC markers like S-100, P53, BCl2, and TUNNEL.Familiar with antioxidative stress techniques like measuring MDA, TAC, and cells such as fibroblasts.
Hannah Johnson, BS
Internal Medicine - Rheumatology
Graduate Student
Lab: Dr. Geoffrey Thiele
Research Focus: The effects of citrulline- and malondialdehyde-acetaldehyde (MAA)-adducted proteins on the heart, specifically relating to heart failure in rheumatoid arthritis.
Marjina Akter Kalpana, PhD
Genetics, Cell Biology and Anatomy
Graduate Student
Lab:
Research Focus: To develop a polymer-based nanoparticle that can deliver therapeutic mRNA to the liver and is effective against liver fibrosis associated with alcohol consumption.