I was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and I grew up in Minneapolis, Minnesota. My alma mater is Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute, Indiana where I earned a BS in Chemical Engineering and Biochemistry Molecular Biology with Honors with a concentration in nanomaterials and micro electrical mechanical systems. After that I attended graduate school at University of Cincinnati where I completed a Masters in Biomedical Engineering. My areas of research were therapeutic ultrasound, contrast agents, liquid breathing and stroke with Dr. Kevin Haworth. After my masters I worked for Epic Systems in Verona, Wisconsin on the EpicCare Ambulatory application. During my three years at Epic I was involved in the development of the User Action Log, the Provider Efficiency Profile, and was the senior developer of Signal, an application which benchmarks different physicians, specialties, and hospitals against similar types of groups at other hospitals. I currently work with Dr. Timothy Huerta in the CATALYST center at OSUWMC, the Ohio Equity Institute, the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, and on projects like the Data Core. My research interests are in data science, implementation science, database architecture, electronic medical record use, and patient engagement.

I was born and raised in Bexley, Ohio, located in the Columbus area. I attended the University of Cincinnati, where I studied Biology and earned my Bachelor of Science degree in May 2015. After graduation, I worked for the Department of Surgery at The Ohio State University for Dr. Chanden Sen as a surgical scientist for two years and was involved in several stroke related projects. This experience has motivated me to pursue a career in research. I am particularly interested in cardiovascular research pertaining to atrial fibrillation and myocardial infarction.

My work deals with the use of oncolytic virotherapy in the treatment of malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNSTs). Our lab has shown that our oncolytic version of HSV-I (called C134) is effective in the treatment of roughly half of MPNSTs. My work is concerned with the other half of MPNSTs: those which show resistance to C134 infection. Specifically, I am concerned with the interferon response in resistant cell lines, where I am looking at viral detection by pattern recognition receptors and expression of interferon-stimulated genes

I was born and raised in Zhengzhou, Henan, China. I graduated from the School of Medicine (MD/MS) at Zhengzhou University in 2016 with a research focus on cancer immunology in the laboratory of Dr. Yi Zhang. Specifically, I studied cancer-associated fibroblasts and their contribution to building an immunosuppressive microenvironment in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Since 2016, I have been working in Dr. Zihai Li’s laboratory as a graduate student with the ultimate goals of 1) developing and characterizing an antibody for targeting TGF pathways in the tumor microenvironment and 2) investigating the role of ER stress in T cell biology. This training will allow me to improve my technical and intellectual skills as a biomedical researcher, which is critical for me to achieve my future career goal as a physician scientist. I am confident that OSU will provide an outstanding environment and I am excited to carry out the next phase of my journey here.

I made up my mind to keep studying biology after participating in the 2017 and 2018 International Genetically Engineered Machine competition (iGEM). The giant jamboree held in Boston is a great carnival for all the students and scientists working in synthetic biology. Though it is a really new area, the combination of engineering and biology provides numerous solutions towards different fields of the society and human lives, such as environment, energy and medication. The project of team TU Delft has left me with great impression this year, who provided a great solution of genetic doping. It made me feel excited to see researchers could put theories into practice and solve real problems. Though I believe synthetic biology provides a prospective, natural and efficient answer to these problems, the new area needs a boost. I wish to make contributions to the development of synthetic biology and reveal the mechanism of how our body works together. The four years of study brings me the fundamental knowledge of biology. Now I hope to become a specialist from my graduate study and learn how to become a scientist.

I was born in Mexico City, raised in Los Angeles, California and graduated high school in Newark, Ohio, just east of Columbus. I continued my academic career at The Ohio State University, graduating Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish Linguistics and Bachelor of Science in Microbiology. As an undergraduate I was involved in various organizations supporting the Latino community on campus as well as the greater Columbus area. During the summer of my junior year I participated in Ohio State’s Summer Research Opportunities Program (SROP), whose aim is to introduce underrepresented minority groups to academic scientific research. I worked under the guidance of Dr. Dehua Pei in the Department of Chemistry on recombinant protein production and enzymatic amino acid synthesis. I currently work in the laboratory of Dr. Kristine Yoder studying retroviruses like HIV. Specifically, we focus on the integration step of the retrovirus life cycle, in which the viral cDNA is inserted into the host genome. My project aims to characterize the real time kinetics of this process using a combination of biochemical and single-molecule (sm-) imaging techniques, including sm-magnetic tweezers and sm-Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence Microscopy (TIRF-M). My research has revealed the possibilities of using single molecule techniques to better understand complex biological systems. I look forward to pursuing my interests and gaining fundamental research training from the multitude of expert faculty in this program.

I was born and raised in Columbus, Ohio and graduated from the Ohio State University with my bachelor’s degree in biomedical science (Summa cum laude, with honors research distinction) in 2016. As an undergraduate student, I spent 3.5 years studying the post-translational regulation of the PTEN tumor suppressor in breast and endometrial cancer in the lab of Dr. Gustavo Leone and completed an honors thesis during my time in the lab. I also had the opportunity to present several posters at research forums to share my findings with a larger audience. Specifically, I studied how the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway leads to degradation of PTEN and then characterized the downstream effects resulting from loss of this protein in both cells and mice. During my senior year in the lab I was awarded a Pelotonia fellowship to support my research efforts. Despite being heavily invested in the basic science components of my project, the clinical implications of my research never escaped me. I was fortunate to be able to arrange for shadowing opportunities at the hospital with surgical oncologist collaborators. This experience is what solidified my interest in pursuing a joint MD/PhD following graduation. I ultimately decided to remain at OSU and join the MSTP. I am completing my graduate training in the lab of Dr. Michael Caligiuri and Dr. Aharon Freud. The focus of my current project is to understand how viruses (specifically HSV and CMV) interact with the innate immune system (with an emphasis on natural killer cells and ILCs). I ultimately would like to be a pathologist with both an active research lab and clinical practice. Outside of research, I am heavily involved in the music community in Columbus. I have played baritone in the Dublin Silver Band (a British Style Brass Band) since 2012. As a member of this group, I have toured internationally in the UK and also domestically for various competitions. I have also served on the executive board of the Professional School Orchestra at OSU, which is comprised of students enrolled in a professional program (law, vet med, med, optometry, etc.) who want to keep playing their instruments. My other leadership roles at OSU include being President of the Pathology Student Interest Group and former Vice President of the Oncology Interest Group.

While born in Ukraine, I was raised in the American Midwest and attended the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota, where I received my Bachelor of Arts in biology in May 2016. In June 2013, I became a research assistant under Dr. Jayna Ditty in the Biology Department at the university, and I studied motility of the soil bacterium Pseudomonas putida in response to aromatic acids. My project contributed to expanding the known repertoire of compounds that P. putida can use as an energy source and respond to with movement. Simultaneously, my interest in medicine was maintained through work at a private internal medicine clinic in St. Paul, as well as volunteer experience at a local hospital. Following graduation, I began a full-time position in medical devices as a Product Analyst at Abbott (formerly St. Jude Medical). My education and professional experience have incited my curiosity in how laboratory bench work can influence health outcomes. I am interested in the research areas of immunology and microbial pathogenesis, and I am eager to continue my scientific training under the guidance of faculty and current students involved in the Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program.

I was born over the Atlantic in the country of Belarus, and I moved to the Hamilton, New Jersey at the age of 10. Three years later, I relocated to the greater Philadelphia area, where I stayed to complete high school and to obtain both a Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Chemistry from Drexel University. Throughout my undergraduate education, I consistently explored medical volunteering and shadowing opportunities; these experiences have proved to cement my interests in medicine as a whole. Alongside all of this, I conducted research at Drexel under Dr. Reinhard Schweitzer-Stenner - a biomolecular spectroscopist - for five years, studying the structural dynamics of cytochrome c on mitochondrial membrane surfaces. My experiences thus far have inspired me to pursue medical research as a career. With my interests laying in the biophysical side of things, I am excited to join the BSGP as a part of MSTP program.

I graduated in 2010 from the Univ. of Central Arkansas. During that time, I conducted research investigating possible pH regulatory proteins exploited by cancer cells in the tumor microenvironment. After graduation, I joined the Zimniak lab at the Univ. of Arkansas for Med. Sci. to gain practical experience before pursuing graduate school. I have been fortunate to work on a diverse range of projects including aging, oxidative stress, obesity, and a mechanism conferring resistance to doxorubicin-induced cardiac toxicity. This experience has allowed the mastery of several biochemical, molecular, and cellular techniques that will prove invaluable during graduate studies. What I find most intriguing, and most applicable to future therapies, is deciphering the processes by which a cell or tissue becomes "aware" of its physiological state and how this awareness is communicated to elicit a response. An understanding of these mechanisms will offer the best chance for fighting disease and increasing health span.

I am from Wilmington, Ohio which is a small town located between Cincinnati and Dayton. I will graduate with a Bachelor’s Degree in Biology from the University of Dayton in May 2019. During my undergraduate studies, I conducted research in Dr. Yvonne Sun’s lab studying Listeria monocytogenes and environmental effects on its antibiotic susceptibility and virulence. I also spent a summer at the University of Iowa in Dr. Mary Weber’s lab researching Chlamydia trachomatis and the role of secreted effector proteins on its ability to infect different cell types. My research interests include infectious disease and immunology. My research experiences have ignited my passion for biomedical research and I am excited to begin graduate studies here at OSU.

A native Ohioan from the small town of Dover, I graduated from Dover High School in 2013 and began a six year combined BS/MD program through Kent State University and Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED) to pursue my longtime desire to become a physician. In 2015, I graduated from Kent State with a bachelor’s degree in Integrated Life Sciences and entered my first year of medical school at NEOMED. As a first year medical student, I became increasingly interested in the field of aerospace medicine, particularly the research aspect of the field looking at degenerative biological processes seen in extreme/unique environments. Beginning in my first year, I began conducting clinical research in the pediatric orthopedics department at Akron Children’s Hospital to gain more experience in the musculoskeletal system. Working with pediatric orthopedic surgeons and research directors Dr. Dennis Weiner and Dr. Mark Adamczyk, I examined a novel surgical intervention aimed at treating genu varum in pediatric achondroplasia patients. Achondroplasia is the most common form of dwarfism with the etiology and treatment of genu varum in this population being largely unknown to date. This research experience solidified my desire to become a clinician scientist by pursuing a PhD in the Biomedical Science Graduate Program at OSU between my second and third years of medical school. I am excited at the opportunity to work with the exceptional faculty and students at OSU in pursuing my research interests in the human musculoskeletal system.

I started my pursuit of translational research a decade ago during my undergraduate at University of Waterloo, Canada, as we learned about failed clinical and public health initiatives supported by solid basic research. This observation led Dr. Ward and I to planning a personalized education and work plan, which would expose me to multiple sectors that must work together for basic research to yield public health benefits. Since then, I have worked and learned from a dozen clinical research teams specializing in 10 medical disciplines across two countries, while attaining my graduate education in public relations and pharmacology. Dr. Joseph Kitzmiller’s background, research in pharmacogenomics, and vision of translational research resonates with mine thus, making his lab the ideal place for me to learn. I will be working in the field of pharmacogenomics, specifically with statin myopathies and utilizing biomedical informatics to set the stage for new clinical trials.

I am from San Diego, California. I went to the University of California San Diego, where I earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry and Cell Biology in June 2017. During my time at UCSD I worked in Dr. John Yates III’s lab at the Scripps Research Institute. I worked in the field of proteomics, studying fruit fly hybrid proteomes as well as developing a method for accurate quantification at protein levels. I also volunteered at UCSD Moore’s Cancer Center where I worked with newly diagnosed patients. My senior year at UCSD, I worked briefly in a lab at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography studying deep sea sediment samples. Since graduation, I have been working as a lab manager for Dr. Derek Welsbie at UCSD Health studying glaucoma and neuron degeneration. Through both my experiences in research labs as well as my time volunteering at the cancer center, I have found my interest in medical research.

I was born and raised in Kolkata, which is a huge metropolitan city and also the hub of cultural activity and learning in eastern India. I attended Heritage Institute of Technology, and obtained my bachelors in Biotechnology. Thereafter I moved to the US and completed my master’s degree in Microbiology from The Ohio State University. I briefly worked for as a Microbiologist at a pharmaceutical company here in Columbus, Ohio, before returning to research as I joined the Griffen-Leys lab in OSU’s College of Dentistry as a research associate. My project was to develop a suitable molecular technique and bioinformatic pipeline for high-resolution amplicon-sequencing based analysis of complex microbial communities. Inspired by my interest in this field and a passion for discovery, I decided to pursue a career in research and joined the Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program in 2016 and continued my research in the field of microbial genomics with the Griffen-Leys lab. My current research goals are to apply the high-resolution, high-throughput sequencing approach that I have developed to better understand host-microbiome relations. Specifically, I am studying the role of genetics in acquisition of the oral microbiome, by tracking transmission from mothers to their child, at a resolution of individual strains. I am also attempting to determine if specific strains of disease/health associated bacterial species can be used as marker for onset and progression of severe early childhood caries. Collectively these findings will have major implications in determining disease susceptibility and risk assessment, and help develop highly targeted and personalized therapeutic strategies.

Before beginning the BSGP program at Ohio State I obtained my B.S. and M.S. degrees in Biotechnology from Indiana University. Upon entering the BSGP program I joined the lab Dr. Christin Burd, where my research began to focus on melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer. Melanoma has been recently categorized into four broad subtypes based on its oncogenic driver: BRAF, NRAS, NF-1, or triple wild-type. My research specifically focuses on NRAS –driven melanomas, attempting to determine the selection for specific NRAS mutations in melanoma. While, NRAS is known to be mutated at three ‘hotspot’ codons: 12, 13, and 61, only a subset of codon 61 mutations are selected for in melanoma. This differs from other NRAS-driven malignancies, such as acute myeloid leukemia, where mutations 12 and 13 mutations are more prevalent. To determine what drives the selectivity for NRAS codon 61 mutations in melanoma we are using a combination of in vitro and in vivo approaches to identify functions unique to these mutations to highlight pathways necessary for melanoma formation and proliferation.

I was born and raised in Belvidere, New Jersey, a small town near the Delaware Water Gap, just over an hour outside of New York City. As an undergraduate, I first attended Seton Hall University, where I had the opportunity to work on a research project in an organic chemistry laboratory under Dr. Cecilia Marzabadi. This project focused on synthesizing low molecular weight saccharides for potential use as immunological adjuvants in anti-epileptic drugs. Following my freshman year, I transferred to the University of South Carolina (USC) where I earned my Bachelor of Science degree in Biological Sciences in May of 2019. At USC I worked in the neurobiology lab of Dr. Deanna S Smith, under whom I worked to elucidate the roles of cytoplasmic dynein and its kinase regulator GSK-3β in regenerative axon growth. I am inspired to pursue research in the biomedical sciences, particularly in the field of neuroscience, by both family history and personal amazement with the complexity of nervous systems, and am excited to continue this as a student in the Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program at The Ohio State University.

I was raised in Avon, OH, a Cleveland suburb. I received my bachelor’s degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences from The Ohio State University in May 2017. After graduation, I began volunteering and later working as a research assistant in Dr. Terence Williams’ laboratory group in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the Wexner Medical Center. While in the Williams lab, I studied the effects of Caveolin expression in tumors on response to albumin-bound therapy, caveolae-mediated resistance to doxorubicin treatment, and synergism and antagonism of late-stage pancreatic cancer combination chemotherapy as a result in changes of timing of drug administration. I aspire to contribute to the biomedical research community during my time in the Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program and beyond, and hope to see my work positively impact the health of patients. While in the graduate program, I hope to work on translational or preventative therapies. I am excited to join Ohio State’s College of Medicine and anticipate that I will grow both as a research scientist and as a compassionate member of society.

I grew up in Carmel, Indiana and earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Notre Dame, where I completed a major in chemistry and a minor in theology. As an undergraduate student, I conducted research in immunology and synthetic organic chemistry. I completed an honors thesis for my project that investigated the total synthesis of biologically active polyketide natural products. I am currently enrolled in the Medical Scientist Training Program at Ohio State. After finishing my first two years of medical school, I joined Dr. Michael Caligiuri’s lab at the OSU Comprehensive Cancer Center. Our lab studies NK cell biology, particularly how the processes of human NK cell development are regulated. My project seeks to determine the mechanisms for development that occur within the tissue microenvironment. We are interested in applying our knowledge of immune development toward novel therapies for hematologic cancers. After completing my PhD, I plan to return to medical school to continue my clinical training and prepare for a career as a physician scientist.

I was born and raised in the city Sirsi in the state of Karnataka of India. I earned a degree of Bachelor of Engineering in Biotechnology in September 2014 from People’s Education Society Institute of Technology (PESIT) in Bangalore. In PESIT, I had the opportunity of working as an undergraduate research assistant under Dr. Shantha Lingaiah where I worked on micropropagation and biochemical analysis of the plant Averrhoa bilimbi. I completed my bachelors with my major project on ‘Structural elucidation of Humic and Fulvic acids’, under the guidance of my academic mentor, Dr. V Krishnamurthy. Following this, I had the privilege of working as an undergraduate research assistant during the summer of 2014 in Michigan State University under Dr. Phanikumar Mantha on identifying parsimonioius statistical models for E coli levels at fresh water beaches in Lake Michigan . My past experience in research has motivated me to continue research by becoming a doctoral student. I have joined the Strohecker lab where I am working on understanding the role of novel autophagy regulators in lung cancer using advanced microscopy and mouse genetics. I look forward to increasing my knowledge in autophagy and cancer biology. I am proud to be a part of Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program.

I was born and raised in a village in Ghana. My interest of becoming a medical doctor led me to undertake science major at the high school. Even though, circumstances beyond my control did not land me into medical school, my dreams of studying medicine was reincarnated when I did my MSc in Germany. During the first semester of the MSc program, I undertook a course in management of genetic resources as part of my compulsory modules. It was here that I realized I still can go into biomedical science research; a twin brother of medicine. I did my MSc thesis in molecular genetics – to prepare myself towards a degree in biomedical science - where I studied the expression of toll-like receptors (TLRs) in PBMCs in response to lipopolysaccharides (LPS) stimulation. To further enhance my research experience, I joined the Postbaccalaureate Research Experience Program (PREP) of the Ohio State University and prepared myself for graduate studies in biomedical sciences. During the PREP, I was attached to Dr Amy Lovett-Racke’s lab where I joined her team of researchers in characterizing the encephalitogenic T cells that mediate the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (MS). My work specifically involved studying the role of B lymphocyte induced maturation protein-1 (Blimp-1) in regulating encephalitogenic T cells in CNS autoimmunity. My work in Amy’s lab contributed to the publication of two impactful papers in scientific journals. Upon entering the Biomedical Science Graduate Program (BSGP), I decided to enhance my knowledge in the field so I rotated in several labs including Drs. Chepes, Biesiadecki and Parvin where I worked on various projects using molecular and cell biology techniques. I studied the impact of type 2 cytokines on Chlamydia growth and the mechanism of action of type 2 cytokine during my stay in Dr Chepes lab. Here we used life cell imaging techniques to determine impact of type 2 cytokines on the exchange of lipids between inclusions of Chlamydia and the Golgi apparatus of the host cell.In Dr Parvin’s lab, I utilized various molecular biology techniques to research the roles of SUMOylation in the regulation of mRNA biogenesis. During this time, I also published a review paper on the roles of SUMOylation in pre-mRNA processing. Having acquired in-depth and diverse knowledge in the field of biomedical sciences, I decided to join Dr Zhang’s lab to build myself in the areas of infectious diseases and immunology – the fields I have desired since infancy. My main research project here, involves understanding host-pathogen interactions using Candida albicans in a mouse model. While in Dr Zhang’s lab, I continued to take classes in areas necessary for my specialization and work concurrently on my research project. I have now successfully fulfilled the course requirement of the BSGP and successfully passed my candidacy exams. I am currently working on implementing my specific aims to elucidate the regulation of the anti-fungal innate immune response by Ubiquitin ligase, Nedd4. It is my desire to graduate in the coming year after which I envisage to run my independent lab in academia, government or industry, focusing on infectious diseases and vaccine development.

I grew up in Boiling Springs, a town in south central Pennsylvania. I attended Bucknell University for undergrad, where I studied Cell Biology/ Biochemistry. My major activities at Bucknell included Army ROTC, outdoor education, and my sorority. Over my three free summers in undergrad I completed research internships at the Harvard Stem Cell Institute with Dr. Frank Slack, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital with Dr. Ryan Potts, and the National Cancer Institute with Dr. Alan Perantoni. My first project focused on microRNA regulation involved in aging and cancer. My second project centered around characterizing the effect of phosphorylation on a WNT signaling regulator. My final project aimed to characterize chondrocyte fate in bone development and the role of Stat3 in this process. I have wide ranging and ever growing interests, in women's and children's health, nutrition, obesity, social determinants of health, and underprivileged health. I am excited to learn from and work with the enthusiastic and accomplished faculty of the program.