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The PiTT-CMU MSTP NewSleTTer - University of Pittsburgh :: MSTP

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<strong>The</strong> <strong>PiTT</strong>-<strong>CMU</strong> <strong>MSTP</strong> <strong>NewSleTTer</strong><br />

<strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Pittsburgh</strong> | Carnegie Mellon<br />

Volume IX, No. 1<br />

Fall 2010<br />

Contents<br />

2010 <strong>MSTP</strong><br />

Retreat, 1, 4<br />

Alumni Pr<strong>of</strong>ile:<br />

David Levinthal<br />

(‘06), 2-3<br />

Director’s Corner,<br />

3<br />

Grand<br />

Introductions: <strong>The</strong><br />

Incoming Class <strong>of</strong><br />

2010, 5<br />

Newly Funded<br />

Fellowships and<br />

Recently Awarded<br />

PhDs, 6<br />

2010 <strong>MSTP</strong> Annual Retreat<br />

<strong>MSTP</strong> students, faculty, alumni, and program adminstrators convened for some<br />

great science, fun and relaxation, and quality peer mentorship<br />

<strong>The</strong> 14th annual retreat <strong>of</strong> the <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong><br />

<strong>Pittsburgh</strong>-Carnegie Mellon <strong>University</strong> <strong>MSTP</strong><br />

was held on August 20-22, 2010. <strong>The</strong> retreat<br />

commenced on Friday, August 20th in the<br />

Biomedical Science Tower (BST) at the <strong>University</strong><br />

<strong>of</strong> <strong>Pittsburgh</strong> with an illuminating talk by the<br />

Friday keynote speaker, Laura Niedernh<strong>of</strong>er,<br />

MD, PhD, Associate Pr<strong>of</strong>essor <strong>of</strong> Microbiology<br />

and Molecular Genetics. Dr. Niederh<strong>of</strong>er spoke<br />

about her research on the process <strong>of</strong> aging, while<br />

touching upon her career path, her selection <strong>of</strong><br />

mentors, and the maturation <strong>of</strong> her scientific<br />

interests. <strong>The</strong> keynote speech was followed<br />

by two student scientific talks (meanwhile, the<br />

director <strong>of</strong> the <strong>MSTP</strong>, Clayton Wiley, MD, PhD,<br />

gave an update on the <strong>MSTP</strong> to affiliated faculty).<br />

Aaron Secrest (MS3) presented first, detailing his<br />

graduate studies in epidemiology with a talk titled<br />

“Mortality in Childhood-Onset Type I Diabetes is<br />

Improving”). Following Aaron’s talk, Sam Clanton<br />

(G6) featured his work in the <strong>CMU</strong> Robotics<br />

graduate program with a presentation titled<br />

“Simultaneous 7-Dimensional Cortical Control<br />

<strong>of</strong> an Arm and Hand Robot via Direct Brain<br />

Interface.” Next, James Bales (MS3), Yvonne<br />

Chao (G4), and Vineet Agrawal (G3) gave a<br />

presentation about their recent experience at the<br />

2010 American Physician Scientist Association<br />

national conference. Following the talks, 76<br />

students from the Pitt-<strong>CMU</strong> <strong>MSTP</strong> took over<br />

the first floor lobby <strong>of</strong> the BST to present their<br />

research in written abstract and poster formats to<br />

colleagues and faculty. After the poster session<br />

and lunch, the presentations for the William<br />

E. Brown Outstanding Mentor Award and the<br />

Drs. S. Sutton Hamilton <strong>MSTP</strong> Scholar Award<br />

were given. Satdarshan Pal Singh Monga,<br />

MD, thesis advisor to <strong>MSTP</strong> student Michael<br />

Thompson (MS3), was awarded the Outstanding<br />

Mentor Award, and Corrine Kliment (MS4)<br />

was awarded the <strong>MSTP</strong> Scholar Award for her<br />

outstanding scientific contributions in Dr. Tim<br />

Oury’s laboratory. After a group photograph was<br />

taken within the voluminous foyer <strong>of</strong> the Petersen<br />

Events Center, the retreat attendees dispersed<br />

for the drive to Seven Springs Mountain resort.<br />

<strong>The</strong> Seven Springs portion <strong>of</strong> the retreat<br />

began Friday evening with an indoor/outdoor<br />

barbeque, followed by a friendly team-building<br />

competition. Highlights <strong>of</strong> the team-building<br />

activities included trivia, a faculty-themed variant<br />

<strong>of</strong> “pin the tail on the donkey,” <strong>MSTP</strong>-themed<br />

charades, and a Rock Band finale. Later in<br />

see page 4, Retreat<br />

Student<br />

Announcements, 6<br />

Student<br />

Publications, 7<br />

Upcoming Events,<br />

8<br />

Above: <strong>The</strong> students and staff <strong>of</strong> the Pitt-<strong>CMU</strong> <strong>MSTP</strong>, August 2010. (Photo credit: <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Pittsburgh</strong><br />

CIDDE) Right top: Corrine Kliment (MS4), winner <strong>of</strong> the 2010 Drs. S. Sutton Hamilton <strong>MSTP</strong><br />

Scholar Award (Photo credit: Judd Englert, MS4) Right bottom: Michael Thompson (MS3, left) with<br />

his thesis mentor and winner <strong>of</strong> the William E. Brown Outstanding Mentor Award , Dr. Satdarshan<br />

Monga (right) after Michael’s defense. (Photo courtesy <strong>of</strong> Michael Thompson)<br />

1


Pr<strong>of</strong>iles in Medicine: David Levinthal<br />

An alumnus from the Class <strong>of</strong> 2006 explores the decisions that shaped his path from undergraduate<br />

studies at Cornell <strong>University</strong> to the Pitt-<strong>CMU</strong> <strong>MSTP</strong> and his current fellowship in GI.<br />

2<br />

Dr. David Levinthal graduated from<br />

the Pitt <strong>MSTP</strong> in 2006. Accepted into the<br />

<strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> Michigan’s gastroenterology<br />

fast-track program, he completed two<br />

years <strong>of</strong> Internal Medicine Residency<br />

in Ann Arbor, before returning to Pitt to<br />

pursue a post-doctoral year <strong>of</strong> research<br />

with Dr. Peter Strick in the Department <strong>of</strong><br />

Neurobiology. Dr. Levinthal continued to<br />

do full-time research with Dr. Strick during<br />

the first year <strong>of</strong> his GI Fellowship and is<br />

now entering his second fellowship year.<br />

Below, he shares his candid thoughts<br />

on his career path and advice for future<br />

physician-scientists.<br />

Q: How did you decide on a career as<br />

an MD-PhD?<br />

A: I have known from an early age that I<br />

wanted to pursue a career in the sciences.<br />

That interest became more specifically<br />

targeted to neuroscience by the time I<br />

completed college and began medical<br />

school. I had a tremendous research<br />

experience in my undergraduate lab at<br />

Cornell <strong>University</strong>, working on vitamin A<br />

metabolism, intracellular trafficking, and<br />

nuclear receptor interaction. Although this<br />

experience prepared me well for the reality<br />

and frustrations <strong>of</strong> laboratory science, I<br />

loved it and was hooked. In retrospect,<br />

I realize that my mentor gave me a lot <strong>of</strong><br />

responsibility and an actual, publishable<br />

project – my data ended up in a JBC<br />

publication! I had a solid two years with<br />

that group, and I felt a bit like a graduate<br />

student by the end. After that experience,<br />

there was no question in my mind that I<br />

wanted to be a scientist.<br />

Cornell has a very strong premed<br />

curriculum and I had a few good<br />

experiences shadowing physicians, as<br />

well as doing a hospital-based research<br />

project, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to<br />

pursue medicine at first. I thought I had to<br />

make a choice, and although I really liked<br />

the idea <strong>of</strong> being a physician, I would have<br />

pursued a PhD program if I’d been forced<br />

to decide between the two.<br />

<strong>The</strong>n I learned about MD/PhD<br />

programs. What a perfect fit! You can do<br />

BOTH? What a cool way to synthesize<br />

patient care, basic science, and the<br />

potential for translational research. When<br />

the time came to apply to medical school,<br />

I applied to mostly MD/PhD programs.<br />

Q: How did you pick your thesis lab<br />

and mentor?<br />

A: I think the main drives for choosing<br />

my thesis lab were: 1) to actually like my<br />

mentor as a person (and potential friend)<br />

2) finding a mentor with a good reputation<br />

as a advisor/teacher, and 3) being<br />

presented with a clear idea about my<br />

research project from the very beginning.<br />

I interviewed with many advisors, but<br />

ultimately when I met Don DeFranco we<br />

just clicked. He had a great idea for a<br />

research project dealing with oxidative<br />

stress and cell death in neurons, and so I<br />

signed on. I think it’s really important that a<br />

thesis project have discernable research<br />

goals and publishable experimental units<br />

that are designed to answer a question no<br />

matter what the result. Dr. DeFranco had<br />

a clear sense <strong>of</strong> my thesis project pretty<br />

much from the start, and he laid it all out<br />

when we first met. I decided to join the lab<br />

because the project appeared interesting<br />

and feasible. We applied for an F-30 and<br />

it was funded in the first round <strong>of</strong> review,<br />

largely because he had already put a lot<br />

<strong>of</strong> thought into the project before we even<br />

got started. That helped me get through<br />

my PhD in a timely manner (3.5 years)<br />

even with the anticipated research snags<br />

and inevitable technical problems.<br />

Q: How did you choose your specialty?<br />

A: Like most medical students, I didn’t<br />

know which direction I was going in<br />

until sometime during third year. By the<br />

time I’d nearly finished graduate school,<br />

I had developed an interest in pain<br />

research, so I thought about how best to<br />

pursue that – anesthesiology? neurology?<br />

internal medicine? After I started third<br />

year rotations, it became clear to me that<br />

internal medicine really was the best fit.<br />

<strong>The</strong>n I had to come up with a specialty.<br />

So I did rotations in gastroenterology,<br />

endocrine, and critical care. After reflecting<br />

and speaking with faculty, I realized that<br />

my interests were directed toward a<br />

procedure-based specialty that required<br />

a broad scope <strong>of</strong> medical knowledge. For<br />

me, that specialty was gastroenterology.<br />

GI deals with multiple organs, complex<br />

physiology, manifestations <strong>of</strong> disease<br />

secondary to systemic illness, among other<br />

things – in total, a complex and varied field.<br />

Perfect for me. <strong>The</strong>n how does GI relate to<br />

neuroscience? Well one <strong>of</strong> the fascinating<br />

aspects <strong>of</strong> GI is the mind-body connection<br />

that likely plays a role in functional bowel<br />

disorders. While intuitively connected, the<br />

neurophysiologic basis <strong>of</strong> CNS control<br />

over GI function is poorly understood.<br />

As you may imagine, there are not many<br />

neuro-gastroenterologists, so my interest<br />

in neuroscience seemed like a natural fit<br />

to fill this gap in knowledge. In addition,<br />

from a funding standpoint, it’s always a<br />

good thing to study an incredibly prevalent<br />

disease, and to be uniquely trained to do<br />

so.<br />

Q: Can you tell me what a typical day<br />

for you right now is like?<br />

A: Right now, my days are spent on<br />

inpatient consults, performing procedures,<br />

and spending half a day a week in<br />

continuity clinic. I’m on-call once every<br />

eight to nine days, and during that time,<br />

I cover the VA, Magee, and Montefiore/<br />

Presby. It can get very busy. Our fellowship<br />

program has an impressive educational<br />

component with lectures/conferences<br />

throughout the week, typically starting<br />

at 7:30 a.m. So a typical day could be:<br />

conference from 7:30-8:30 a.m., see<br />

follow-up patients in the hospital, get new<br />

consults, do some procedures, finish<br />

see page 3, Levinthal


On June 1, 2010 we matriculated<br />

a new class <strong>of</strong> 14 students (13 new<br />

students in addition to one internal<br />

second year medical student). As in<br />

past years, the new students hail from<br />

outstanding undergraduate schools<br />

where they excelled in both academics<br />

and research. With an average GPA <strong>of</strong><br />

3.73 and an average MCAT <strong>of</strong> ~35 they<br />

demonstrate the continued success <strong>of</strong><br />

our <strong>MSTP</strong> to matriculate the best and the<br />

brightest. All <strong>of</strong> the first years completed<br />

their first pr<strong>of</strong>essional development<br />

course (molecular medicine) in addition<br />

to a lab rotation from which they compiled<br />

their Retreat posters.<br />

For the rising second year<br />

students, this was the inaugural year <strong>of</strong><br />

the summer pr<strong>of</strong>essional development ii<br />

course (methods and analysis) taught by<br />

Dr. Ge<strong>of</strong>f Murdoch and myself. In addition<br />

to learning about their classmates’<br />

summer research, the students were<br />

given ample opportunity to formally<br />

present their data and begin to create<br />

their “elevator spiel” for use in future<br />

networking. To keep them “<strong>of</strong>f their toes,”<br />

the students sampled a variety <strong>of</strong> red<br />

wines throughout the course and then<br />

were rigorously grilled in a blind tasting.<br />

Only one student correctly matched all<br />

the wines to grapes, so while Neil Kelly<br />

has a potential additional career as a<br />

sommelier, the rest will have<br />

to buckle down to science<br />

and medicine.<br />

This fall begins our<br />

<strong>MSTP</strong> workshops, a yearlong<br />

series <strong>of</strong> eight discussions<br />

over dinner. <strong>The</strong>se workshops<br />

are designed to maximize interactions<br />

between students across different<br />

stages <strong>of</strong> training. Groups <strong>of</strong> eight<br />

students (one student from each class)<br />

will analyze research, training, medical<br />

and ethical cases germane to the<br />

training <strong>of</strong> all physician scientists. Each<br />

class, in turn, will have the opportunity<br />

to contribute to the case discussed,<br />

Director’s Corner<br />

A Message From Clayton Wiley, MD, PhD<br />

Associate Dean, Director <strong>of</strong> <strong>MSTP</strong><br />

lead the discussion at their respective<br />

tables, and to summarize the outcome<br />

<strong>of</strong> the dinner discussion and potentially<br />

present it in a written form such as in<br />

future newsletters. Like all other aspects<br />

<strong>of</strong> our <strong>MSTP</strong>, the workshops are an<br />

experiment and represent our continued<br />

efforts to push the edge <strong>of</strong> the envelope<br />

in training physician scientists.<br />

from page 2, Levinthal<br />

documentation, go home by about 6:30-7<br />

p.m. Repeat.<br />

But the past two years I was doing<br />

100 percent research during a post-doc<br />

period <strong>of</strong> training built into my fast-track<br />

pathway in GI. <strong>The</strong> fast-track is a relatively<br />

new training path in internal medicine<br />

designed for MD/PhDs who have a very<br />

good sense <strong>of</strong> what specialty they wish to<br />

pursue. For GI, the pathway is two years<br />

residency plus four years fellowship (two<br />

and a half years <strong>of</strong> which can be spent<br />

doing research).<br />

Q: How do you balance family time<br />

and career or how do you see yourself<br />

balancing these in the future?<br />

A: My wife, Sarah, and I have found a<br />

balance that works for us. It was really<br />

hard to have quality time with her during<br />

my internship – I was a walking zombie for<br />

most <strong>of</strong> the year. But she was so wonderful<br />

and supportive – I don’t think I could have<br />

made it through it without her. <strong>The</strong> best<br />

advice is to really make the most <strong>of</strong> the time<br />

you have with your family. We tend to plan<br />

little day trips or outings for my days <strong>of</strong>f.<br />

That makes them memorable and special.<br />

Our son was born last August<br />

and I was very fortunate to have a flexible<br />

schedule last year. Now it’s much harder<br />

that I’m back in the clinic full-time. Again,<br />

the days <strong>of</strong>f are precious and my first<br />

priority is to spend time with the family.<br />

<strong>The</strong>re is no question that pursuing a<br />

medical career puts a strain on family life.<br />

But the silver lining is that an academic<br />

medicine career, once well established,<br />

may present some opportunities for a<br />

more flexible schedule. Someday. Maybe.<br />

Q: Where do you see yourself in ten<br />

years?<br />

A: By then I will certainly be on the faculty<br />

somewhere, likely here at the <strong>University</strong><br />

<strong>of</strong> <strong>Pittsburgh</strong> if all works out. I hope to<br />

have my second R01 grant by then and<br />

have made it to the rank <strong>of</strong> associate<br />

pr<strong>of</strong>essor with a successful tenure. My<br />

ideal balance would be to have about 80<br />

percent <strong>of</strong> my time devoted to research<br />

with 20 percent clinical effort. I’d also like<br />

to be involved in national GI organizations<br />

like the AGA by serving on committees,<br />

as well as beginning to be invited to give<br />

presentations at outside institutions. I’d<br />

also like to have an independent lab, with<br />

graduate students, post-docs, and possibly<br />

fellows working with me. <strong>The</strong> coolest thing<br />

would be to begin to translate some <strong>of</strong> my<br />

research into actual therapeutic trials. A tall<br />

order, but one can dream.<br />

Q: What advice do you have for current<br />

<strong>MSTP</strong> students?<br />

A: ASK QUESTIONS! Navigating this<br />

career path is very difficult. It is easy to<br />

lose time. Before making any <strong>of</strong> the major<br />

decisions, ask lots and lots <strong>of</strong> questions<br />

– <strong>of</strong> the alumni, <strong>of</strong> students further<br />

along in the program, <strong>of</strong> PhD program<br />

students, post-docs, everyone. Don’t<br />

forget about your original class <strong>of</strong> medical<br />

students that went straight through to<br />

residency. <strong>The</strong>y are seasoned, veteran<br />

residents/fellows, maybe even attending<br />

physicians, by the time you are applying<br />

to residency programs. <strong>The</strong>ir input is<br />

invaluable because they are your friends<br />

and they’ll give you the honest truth about<br />

specific residencies and career paths.<br />

Q: Final thoughts?<br />

A: I couldn’t have made a better decision<br />

for my career. Every year that goes by, I<br />

love practicing medicine more and more.<br />

It becomes a part <strong>of</strong> your self-image and<br />

at this point, after being involved in patient<br />

care to some degree since 1998, it’s pretty<br />

hard-wired into me. Of course, research<br />

has always been something that I have<br />

loved from the start.<br />

Interview conducted by Niyathi Hegde<br />

(G1)<br />

Alunni Relations Chair<br />

Dr. David Levinthal can be reached at<br />

dlevinth@pitt.edu<br />

3


from page 1, Retreat<br />

the evening, there was free time and<br />

students enjoyed a poker tournament,<br />

various jam sessions, and the Rock Band<br />

video game. At the end <strong>of</strong> the evening,<br />

David Wheeler (G3)led the incoming<br />

<strong>MSTP</strong> students on the traditional hike to<br />

the top <strong>of</strong> the Seven Springs mountain.<br />

Saturday morning started<br />

<strong>of</strong>f with the classic Seven Springs<br />

hearty breakfast buffet followed by<br />

the “State <strong>of</strong> the Program” address<br />

given by Dr. Clayton Wiley. Dr. Wiley<br />

introduced the newest members <strong>of</strong><br />

the <strong>MSTP</strong> before discussing issues<br />

ranging from medical school reentry to<br />

USMLE Step 1 board exam changes.<br />

Following Dr. Wiley’s address,<br />

graduating MS4 students imparted<br />

pearls <strong>of</strong> wisdom garnered through<br />

their years <strong>of</strong> training in PowerPoint<br />

form. This year junior students listened<br />

to insightful presentations by Mandar<br />

Aras, Mehret Birru, Frank Cackowski,<br />

Judd Englert, Melanie Ruffner, Corrine<br />

Kliment, Jeremy Tilstra, Pete Vosler, and<br />

Genevieve Woodard. Retreat attendees<br />

were also honored to hear a presentation<br />

on alternative career options for <strong>MSTP</strong><br />

graduates by Pedram Afshar, MD, PhD,<br />

who graduated from the Pitt-<strong>CMU</strong> <strong>MSTP</strong><br />

in 2009.<br />

This year, four workshops were<br />

prepared for the Saturday afternoon<br />

session instead <strong>of</strong> the traditional three<br />

to address the interests <strong>of</strong> students at<br />

all different levels <strong>of</strong> training. For the<br />

incoming first years, <strong>MSTP</strong> co-directors<br />

Richard Steinman, MD, PhD, and<br />

George Stetten, MD, PhD, introduced<br />

the scientific community in <strong>Pittsburgh</strong><br />

and discussed using scientific resources<br />

here to advance a translational research<br />

agenda. Second year students were<br />

treated to a presentation covering study<br />

tips for their upcoming USMLE Step<br />

1 board exam later in the school year.<br />

For junior graduate students, Michelle<br />

Kienholz, a pr<strong>of</strong>essional science writereditor<br />

at the <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Pittsburgh</strong>,<br />

spoke about communication in science<br />

through manuscripts, oral presentations,<br />

and other avenues. For senior graduate<br />

students, Dr. Wiley and alumnus Brian<br />

Shirts, MD, PhD (Class <strong>of</strong> 2006) gave<br />

a presentation about interviewing for<br />

residency, a departure from previous<br />

years in which the topic was negotiating<br />

your first job after residency. Following<br />

the workshops, students were able to<br />

relax and enjoy the resort’s various<br />

outdoor recreational activities, including<br />

volleyball, swimming, tennis, and bicycling<br />

(organized by Mike Leibowitz, G5).<br />

Evening brought along a candlelit<br />

dinner featuring the entrees New<br />

York Strip Steak, Broiled Crabcakes,<br />

and Eggplant Tower. <strong>The</strong> Saturday<br />

night keynote speaker was alumnus<br />

Robert Labadie, MD, PhD (Class<br />

<strong>of</strong> 1996), Associate Pr<strong>of</strong>essor <strong>of</strong><br />

Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery<br />

& Bioengineering from Vanderbilt<br />

<strong>University</strong>. He spoke about his career<br />

trajectory and research while pausing<br />

to <strong>of</strong>fer various “pearls” <strong>of</strong> wisdom<br />

along the way regarding successfully<br />

navigating a career as a physician<br />

scientist. Following the completion <strong>of</strong><br />

<strong>of</strong>ficial activities, students enjoyed an<br />

evening <strong>of</strong> social activities, including<br />

another jam session. On Sunday, many<br />

students opted to participate in the<br />

<strong>MSTP</strong>-sponsored golf and whitewater<br />

rafting outings (organized by Gaurav<br />

Shukla (G5) and Dani Simmonds (G1),<br />

respectively).<br />

by John Kang (G2)<br />

2010 Retreat Co-chair<br />

4<br />

Above Top Left: Dr. Laura Niedernh<strong>of</strong>er talks about her career path and current research program at the Keynote Address. (Photo credit: David Svilar, G3) Above Top Middle:<br />

Jeff Koenitzer (G3), Maxx Horowitz (G4) and Daniel Roh (G4) raise the ro<strong>of</strong> with their jazzy tune. (Photo credit: Liang-I Kang, G3) Above Top Right: <strong>MSTP</strong> students present their<br />

latest data to their peers and to faculty at the poster sessions on Friday. (Photo credit: David Svilar) Above left: During the Friday night team-building activities, a blindfoleded<br />

Dr. Clayton Wiley cautiously attempts to “pin the glasses on the Murdoch” using only his teammates’ shouted insrtuctions to guide him. (Photo credit: Liang-I Kang) Above Right:<br />

MS1s and accompanying upperclassmen stand triumphantly on the peak <strong>of</strong> the ski slope after the notoriously symbolic hike. (Photo credit: Liang-I Kang)


Grand Introductions: the incoming<br />

Class <strong>of</strong> 2010<br />

THE BAD (as in good) BOYS<br />

Up first…Matthew Hedberg: Matt hails from the <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong><br />

Utah. He is interested in the BMG graduate program. Mr. Hedberg<br />

enjoys going out (agoraphobics have less fun), watching movies,<br />

and going to concerts. In a single word, his entire essence can be<br />

summed up as cogent. I suppose he convinced the right people to<br />

let him join our ranks.<br />

Runner up…Benjamin Rothrauff: Ben attended Northwestern<br />

<strong>University</strong>. He plans to join the bioengineering program. In his<br />

free time Ben likes exercising, learning biomechanics, and reading.<br />

Fortunately he can exercise his brain while reading about biomechanics<br />

to maximize his time. Mr. Rothrauff can be described<br />

as simply urbane, bringing class and sophistication to the city <strong>of</strong><br />

<strong>Pittsburgh</strong>.<br />

Third, but not third-rate…Brian Ahn: Brian joins us from<br />

the <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> California, Berkeley. Just like our other Brian<br />

(Rosborough), he will be joining the immunology graduate program.<br />

For fun, Mr. Ahn enjoys outdoor activities like rock climbing<br />

and hiking as well as playing guitar and anything physical. Guys<br />

that are musically, mentally, and physically gifted can only be described<br />

as versatile.<br />

Connect Four…Xuan Ding: Mr. Ding will ring your bell. Joining us<br />

from Duke <strong>University</strong>, he plans to study bioengineering/biomedical<br />

engineering. In his spare time, he plays basketball, watches<br />

TV, and participates in outdoor activities. Like most scientists, he<br />

considers himself to be a pragmatist.<br />

Favorite (#) Five…Bo Wang: Bo is anything but Bo-ring. He likes<br />

to split his time among school, soccer, Starcraft II, and badminton.<br />

Mr. Wang is going into the bioengineering program. He went to<br />

the <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Pittsburgh</strong> for his undergraduate degree and is<br />

staying with us. Bo describes himself as a meanderer, but faithful<br />

seems more fitting.<br />

Sizzling Six…Daniel Chung: Dan went to Johns Hopkins <strong>University</strong><br />

for undergrad and is looking forward to joining CNUP for<br />

graduate education. Like his fellow first-year Bo, he enjoys Starcraft<br />

in addition to most video games and watching movies. Don’t<br />

be fooled--Daniel is no couch potato, but describes himself plainly<br />

as moderate.<br />

<strong>The</strong> Flavorful First Year…Matthew Geramita: Coming from the<br />

<strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> Michigan, Matt is planning on joining the neuroscience<br />

graduate program. Mr. Geramita enjoys running, grilling, and<br />

exploring used book stores. As a grill king, Matt’s fundamental nature<br />

can only be described as hickory-smoked.<br />

Knock. Knock. Who’s there?…Jared Moreines: Joining us from<br />

the South, Jared attended Emory <strong>University</strong>. This Southern gentleman<br />

is planning to join the neuroscience graduate program. Mr.<br />

Moreines enjoys cooking, skiing, and tennis. In addition to his skills<br />

inside and outside <strong>of</strong> the kitchen, Jared is humorous. Who knew<br />

we had a jokester on our hands?<br />

Last but not least…James (Randall) McAuley: Randall, like his<br />

fellow first-year Bo, just can’t get enough <strong>of</strong> Pennsylvania. He attended<br />

Swarthmore College and is keeping an open mind about<br />

graduate programs at Pitt. Mr. McCauley likes to fence, hike, and<br />

play the cello. With his courtly ways, he’ll be playing our heart<br />

strings in no time.<br />

THE PHENOMENAL FEMALES<br />

Numero Uno…Adrienne Taren: Adrienne graduated from<br />

Middlebury College in 2009. She plans to study neuroscience/psychology<br />

at <strong>CMU</strong> during her graduate school years.<br />

She enjoys biking, running, and dancing. As a true physical<br />

activity enthusiast, she can be described as enigmatic.<br />

Dueces wild…Beth Oczypok: Beth is joining the ranks <strong>of</strong><br />

our fellow “<strong>Pittsburgh</strong> lifers,” hailing from the <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong><br />

<strong>Pittsburgh</strong>. She’s looking forward to joining the BMG program.<br />

Beth enjoys reading, baking, and traveling. Perhaps<br />

her nurturing persona will score us some baked goods at the<br />

monthly <strong>MSTP</strong> workshops.<br />

Triple threat…Julie Boiko: Julie excels on land, water, and<br />

air! Joining us from Stanford <strong>University</strong>, Julie has landed herself<br />

in the first year <strong>MSTP</strong> class. She enjoys swimming and<br />

traveling, and describes herself as aquatic. However, she<br />

plans to join the immunology program (a rather dry field).<br />

Julie also enjoys reading about theology in her spare time.<br />

Fantastic Four…Rachael Gordon: Rachael attended the<br />

<strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> Pennsylvania for undergraduate education.<br />

She plans to join the immunology graduate program here<br />

at Pitt. Beware! Miss Gordon practices martial arts, so you<br />

don’t want to come across her path in a dark alley. She also<br />

enjoys cooking and home-brewing. Just like a bittersweet<br />

beer, Rachael can be described as hoppy.<br />

(Note: Rank according to order <strong>of</strong> email response.)<br />

by Natasha Corbitt (G2)<br />

2010-2011 Peer Mentorship/Welcoming Chair<br />

Above: (back row, left to right) Matthew Geramita, Jared<br />

Moreines, Matthew Hedberg, Benjamin Rothrauff, (front row, left<br />

to right) Brian Ahn, Xuan Ding, J. Randall McAuley, Julie Boiko,<br />

Elizabeth Oczypok, Adrienne Taren, Bo Wang, D. Wonjae Chung,<br />

Rachael Gordon (Photo credit: <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Pittsburgh</strong> CIDDE)<br />

5


Student Accolades<br />

Congratulations to our newly funded Fellowships!<br />

Vineet Agrawal<br />

ECM Degradation and Macrophage Polarization in<br />

Endogenous Stem Cell Recruitment (F30, Mentor:<br />

Stephen Badylak, MD, PhD)<br />

Natasha Corbitt<br />

<strong>The</strong> Role <strong>of</strong> Gut Bacteria in Kupffer Cell Developmental<br />

and Function (F31, Mentor: A. Jake Demetris,<br />

MD)<br />

Gil H<strong>of</strong>tman<br />

Developmental Trajectories <strong>of</strong> Prefrontal Cortical<br />

GABA Neurons and Schizophrenia (F30, Mentor:<br />

David Lewis, MD)<br />

Max Horowitz<br />

GATA2 as a <strong>The</strong>rapeutic Target in Parkinson’s Disease<br />

(F30, Mentor: J. Timothy Greenamyre, MD,<br />

PhD)<br />

Benjamin Mantell<br />

Metabolic Crosstalk Between Cells and the Liver in<br />

Obesity (F30, Mentor: Robert O’Doherty, PhD)<br />

Jason Sanders<br />

Epidemiology <strong>of</strong> Lens Aging in Older Women (F30,<br />

Mentor: Anne Newman, MD, MPH)<br />

Congratulations, Doctor! Recently Awarded PhDs<br />

James Bales<br />

Dopamine and Camp Regulated Phosphoprotein, 32 KDA: A novel therapeutic target in traumatic brain injury,<br />

Advisor: Edward Dixon, PhD (Neuroscience, Pitt)<br />

Christin Glorioso<br />

Between Destiny and Disease: Genetics and Molecular Pathways <strong>of</strong> Human Central Nervous System Aging,<br />

Advisor: Etienne Sibille, PhD (Neuroscience, Pitt)<br />

Carl Johnson<br />

Preclinical Biocompatibility Assessment <strong>of</strong> Pediatric Ventricular Assist Devices, Advisor: William Wagner, PhD<br />

(Bioengineering, Pitt)<br />

Gerald Nora<br />

Processing <strong>of</strong> Alternative DNA Structures in the Human Telomere, Advisor: Patricia Opresko, PhD (Molecular<br />

Biophysics/Structural Biology, Pitt)<br />

Aaron Secrest<br />

Mortality Trends in a Population-based Type 1 Diabetes Cohort, Advisor: Trevor Orchard, MBBCh, MMedSci<br />

(Epidemiology, Pitt)<br />

Michael Thompson<br />

β-cantenin: A friend or foe in liver pathobiology, Advisor: Satdarshan Monga, MD (Cellular & Molecular<br />

Pathology, Pitt)<br />

Student Announcements<br />

6<br />

David Wheeler (G3) and Amir Faraji (G4) attended the 2010<br />

Nobel Laureate Meeting at Lindau (Germany) from June 27-<br />

July 2, 2010. Amir was sponsored by the NIH and David was<br />

sponsored by the Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU).<br />

Lola Grace Grimm Secrest (6 lb<br />

11 oz, 19.5 inches) was born to<br />

Aaron (MS3) and Katie Secrest<br />

on June 26, 2010.


New <strong>MSTP</strong> Student Publications through September 2010<br />

Kaczorowski, D.J., Afrazi, A., Scott, M.J., Kwak, J.H., Gill, R., Edmonds, R.D., Liu, Y.,<br />

Fan, J., and T.R. Billiar. (2010). Pivotal Advance: <strong>The</strong> pattern recognition receptor<br />

ligands lipopolysaccharide and polyinosine-polycytidylic acid stimulate factor<br />

B synthesis by the macrophage through distinct but overlapping mechanisms. J<br />

Leukoc Biol.Oct; 88(4):609-18. [PMID: 20413727]<br />

Richardson, W.M., Sodhi, C.P., Russo, A., Siggers, R.H., Afrazi, A., Gribar, S.C.,<br />

Neal, M.D., Dai, S., Prindle, T. Jr, Branca, M., Ma, C., Ozolek, J., Hackam DJ.<br />

(2010). Nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-2 inhibits toll-like receptor-4<br />

signaling in the intestinal epithelium. Gastroenterology. Sep; 139(3):904-17, 917.<br />

e1-6. [PMID: 20580721]<br />

Bales, J.W., Ma, X., Yan, H.Q., Jenkins, L.W., and C.E. Dixon. (2010). Alterations in<br />

calcineurin subunit B is<strong>of</strong>orm expression in rat hippocampus following a traumatic<br />

brain injury. Brain Res. Oct 28; 1358:211-20. [PMID: 20713027]<br />

Bridges, J.P., Ikegami, M., Brilli, L.L., Chen, X., Mason, R.J., and J.M. Shannon.<br />

(2010). LPCAT1 regulates surfactant phospholipid synthesis and is required<br />

for transitioning to air breathing in mice. J. Clin. Invest. May 3; 120(5):1736-48.<br />

[PMID: 20407208]<br />

Chan, V., Starr, P.A., and R.S. Turner. (2010). Bursts and oscillations as independent<br />

properties <strong>of</strong> neural activity in the parkinsonian globus pallidus internus. Neurobiol.<br />

Dis. Aug 18 [Epub ahead <strong>of</strong> print; PMID: 20727974]<br />

Chao, Y.*, Shepard, C.R.*, and A. Wells. (2010). Breast carcinoma cells re-express<br />

E-cadherin during mesenchymal to epithelial reverting transition. Mol Cancer. Jul<br />

7; 9(1):179. [PMID: 20609236]<br />

Rajagopalan, M.S., Stone, B., Rwigema, J.C., Salimi, U., Epperly M.W., G<strong>of</strong>f, J.,<br />

Franicola, D., Dixon, T., Cao, S., Zhang, X., Buchholz, B.M., Bauer, A.J., Choi,<br />

S., Bakkenist, C., Wang, H., and J.S. Greenberger. (2010). Intraesophageal<br />

Manganese Superoxide Dismutase-Plasmid Liposomes Ameliorates Novel Total-<br />

Body and Thoracic Radiation Sensitivity <strong>of</strong> NOS1(-/-) Mice. Radiat Res. Sep;<br />

174(3):297-312. [PMID: 20726721]<br />

White, J.S., Choi, S., and C.J. Bakkenist. (2010). Transient ATM kinase inhibition<br />

disrupts DNA damage induced sister chromatid exchange. Sci Signal. Jun 1;<br />

3(124):ra44. [PMID: 20516478]<br />

Choi, S., Gamper, A.M., White, J.S., and C.J. Bakkenist. (2010). Inhibition <strong>of</strong> ATM<br />

kinase activity does not phenocopy ATM protein disruption: implications for the<br />

clinical utility <strong>of</strong> ATM kinase inhibitors. Cell Cycle. Oct 15; 9(20):4052-7. [PMID:<br />

20953138]<br />

Frank, G.M.*, Divito, S.J.*, Maker, D.M., Xu, M., and R.L. Hendricks. (2010). A novel<br />

p40-independent function <strong>of</strong> IL-12p35 is required for progression and maintenance<br />

<strong>of</strong> herpes stromal keratitis. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. Jul;51(7):3591-8. [PMID:<br />

20207959] *Co-first authors<br />

Divito, S.J., Wang, Z., Shufesky, W.J., Liu, Q, Tkacheva, O.A., Montecalvo, A., Erdos,<br />

G., Larregina, A.T., and A.E.Morelli. (2010). Endogenous dendritic cells mediate<br />

the effects <strong>of</strong> intravenously injected therapeutic immunosuppressive dendritic cells<br />

in transplantation. Blood. Oct 14;116(15):2694-705. [PMID: 20576812]<br />

Divito, S.J. and L.K. Ferris. (2010). Advances and short-comings in the early detection<br />

<strong>of</strong> melanoma. Melanoma Res. Dec; 20(6):450-8. [PMID: 20856147]<br />

Marenco, S., Savostyanova, A., van der Veen, J.W., Geramita, M., Stern, A., Barnett,<br />

A.S., Kolachana, B., Radulescu, E., Zhang, F., Callicott, J.H., Straub, R.E., Shen,<br />

J. and D.R. Weinberger. (2010). Genetic modulation <strong>of</strong> GABA levels in the anterior<br />

cingulate cortex by GAD1 and COMT. Neuropsychopharmacology. Jul;35(8):1708-<br />

17. [PMID: 20357758]<br />

Glorioso, C., Oh, S., Duillard, G. and E. Sibille. (2010). Brain molecular aging, promotion<br />

<strong>of</strong> neurological disease and modulation by Sirtuin5 longevity gene polymorphism.<br />

Neurobiol Dis. Sep 29. [Epub ahead <strong>of</strong> print; PMID: 20887790]<br />

Wang, L, Gordon, R.A., Huynh, L., Su, X., Park Min, K.H., Han, J., Arthur, J.S., Kalliolias,<br />

G.D., and L.B. Ivashkiv. (2010). Indirect inhibition <strong>of</strong> Toll-like receptor and<br />

type I interferon responses by ITAM-coupled receptors and integrins. Immunity.<br />

Apr 23; 32(4):518-30. [PMID: 20362473]<br />

Gupta, A.S., van der Meer, M.A.A., Touretzky, D.S., and A.D. Redish. (2010). Hippocampal<br />

replay is not a simple function <strong>of</strong> experience. Neuron. Mar 11; 65(5):695-<br />

705. [PMID: 20223204]<br />

Haldar, M., Hedberg, M.L., Hockin, M.F., and M.R. Capecchi. (2009). A CreER based<br />

random induction strategy for modeling translocation-associated sarcomas in mice.<br />

Cancer Res. Apr 15; 69 (8):3657-64. [PMID: 19351831]<br />

Marcu, J.P., Christian, R.T., Lau, D., Zielinski, A.J., Horowitz, M.P., Lee, J., Pakdel, A.,<br />

Allison, J., Limbad, C., Moore, D.H., Yount, G.L., Desprez, P.Y., and S.D. McAllister.<br />

(2010). Cannabidiol enhances the inhibitory effects <strong>of</strong> Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol<br />

on human glioblastoma cell proliferation and survival. Mol Cancer <strong>The</strong>r. Jan;<br />

9(1):180-9. [PMID: 20053780]<br />

Horowitz, M.P. and J.T. Greenamyre. (2010). Mitochondrial iron metabolism and<br />

its role in neurodegeneration. J Alzheimer’s Dis. 20 Suppl. 2: S551-68. [PMID:<br />

20463401]<br />

Horowitz, M.P. and J.T. Greenamyre. (2010). Gene-environment interactions in Parkinson’s<br />

disease: <strong>The</strong> importance <strong>of</strong> animal modeling. Clin Pharmacol and <strong>The</strong>r.<br />

Oct; 88(4):467-74. [PMID: 20811350]<br />

Bosch, J.J., Iheagwara, U.K., Reid, S., Srivastava, M.K., Wolf, J., Lotem, M., Ksander,<br />

B.R., and S. Ostrand-Rosenberg. (2010). Uveal melanoma cell-based vaccines<br />

express MHC II molecules that traffic via the endocytic and secretory pathways<br />

and activate CD8(+) cytotoxic, tumor-specific T cells. Cancer Immunol Immunother.<br />

Jan; 59(1):103-12. [PMID: 19557412]<br />

Johnson, C.A. Jr., Vandenberghe, S., Daly, A.R., Woolley, J.R., Snyder, S.T., Verkaik,<br />

J.E., Ye, S.H., Borovetz, H.S., Antaki, J.F., Wearden, P.D., Kameneva, M.V., and<br />

W.R. Wagner. (2010). Biocompatibility assessment <strong>of</strong> the first generation Pedia-<br />

FlowTM Pediatric Ventricular Assist Device. Artif Organs. Jul 9 [Epub ahead <strong>of</strong><br />

print; PMID: 20626737]<br />

Ye, S.Ho., Johnson, C.A. Jr., Woolley, J.R., Murata, H., Gamble, L.J., Ihsihara, K., and<br />

W.R. Wagner. (2010). Simple surface modification <strong>of</strong> a titanium alloy with silanated<br />

zwitterionic phosphorylcholine or sulfobetaine modifiers to reduce thrombogenicity.<br />

Colloids Surf B Biointerfaces. Sep 1; 79(2):357-64. [PMID: 20547042]<br />

Zhong, Z., Chang, S.A., Kalinowski, A., Wilson, K.L., and K.N. Dahl. (2010). Stabilization<br />

<strong>of</strong> the spectrin-like domains <strong>of</strong> nesprin-1alpha by the evolutionarily conserved<br />

“adaptive” domain. Cell Mol Bioeng. Jun 1; 3(2):139-150. [PMID: 20563238]<br />

Dahl, K.N., Kalinowski, A., and K. Pekkan. (2010). Mechanobiology and the microcirculation:<br />

cellular, nuclear and fluid dynamics. Microcirculation. Apr; 17(3):179-91.<br />

[PMID: 20374482]<br />

Kliment, C.R., and T.D. Oury. (2010). Oxidative stress, extracellular matrix targets,<br />

and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Free Radic Biol Med. Sep 1; 49(5):707-17.<br />

[PMID: 20452419]<br />

Houghton, A.M., Rzymkiewicz, D.M., Ji, H., Gregory, A.D., Egea, E.E., Metz, H.E.,<br />

Stolz, D.B., Land, S.R., Marconcini, L.A., Kliment, C.R., Jenkins, K.M., Beaulieu,<br />

K.A., Mouded, M., Frank, S.J., Wong, K.K., and S.D. Shapiro. (2010). Neutrophil<br />

elastase mediated degradation <strong>of</strong> IRS-1 accelerates lung tumor growth. Nat Med.<br />

Feb; 16(2):219-23. [PMID: 20081861]<br />

Koenitzer, J.R., and B.A. Freeman. (2010). Redox signaling in inflammation: interactions<br />

<strong>of</strong> endogenous electrophiles and mitochondria in cardiovascular disease. Ann<br />

NY Acad Sci. Aug; 1203:45-52. [PMID: 20716282]<br />

Polk, A.A., Maul, T.M., McKeel, D.T., Snyder, T.A., Lehocky, C.A., Pitt, B., Stolz, D.B.,<br />

Federspiel, W.J., and W.R. Wagner. (2010). A biohybrid artificial lung prototype<br />

with active mixing <strong>of</strong> endothelialized microporous hollow fibers. Biotechnol Bioeng.<br />

Jun 15; 106(3):490-500. [PMID: 20091735]<br />

Tottey, S., Corselli, M., Jeffries, E.M., Londono, R., Peault, B., and S.F. Badylak. (2010).<br />

Extracellular matrix degradation products and low oxygen conditions enhance the<br />

regenerative potential <strong>of</strong> perivascular stem cells. Tissue Eng Part A. Sep 6. [Epub<br />

ahead <strong>of</strong> print; PMID: 20653348]<br />

Ho, A.W., Shen, F., Conti, H.R., Patel, N., Childs, E.E., Peterson, A.C., Hernandez-<br />

Santos, N., Kolls, J.K., Kane, L.P., Ouyang, W., and S.L. Gaffen. (2010). IL-17RC<br />

Is required for immune signaling via an extended SEF/IL-17R signaling domain in<br />

the cytoplasmic tail. J Immunol. Jul 15; 185(2):1063-70. [PMID: 20554964]<br />

Ruffner, M.A., and P.D. Robbins. (2010). Dendritic cells transduced to express IL-4<br />

prevent diabetes onset in both normoglycemic and prediabetic nonobese diabetic<br />

mice. PLoS ONE. Jul 29; 5(7):e11848. [PMID: 20686610]<br />

Sanders, J.L., Cappola, A.R., Arnold, A.M., Boudreau, R.M., Chaves, P.H., Robins,<br />

J., Cushman, M., and A.B. Newman. (2010). Concurrent change in dehydroepiandrosterone<br />

sulfate (DHEAS) and functional performance in the oldest old: results<br />

from the Cardiovascular Health Study All Stars Study. J Gerontol A Biol Med Sci.<br />

Sep; 65(9):976-81. [PMID: 20466773]<br />

Orchard, T.J., Secrest, A.M., Miller, R.G., and T. Costacou. (2010). In the absence<br />

<strong>of</strong> renal disease, 20-year mortality risk in type 1 diabetes is comparable to that<br />

<strong>of</strong> the general population: A report from the <strong>Pittsburgh</strong> Epidemiology <strong>of</strong> Diabetes<br />

Complications Study. Diabetologia. Nov; 53(11):2312-9. [PMID: 20665208]<br />

Secrest, A.M., Becker, D.J., Kelsey, S.F., LaPorte, R.E., and T.J. Orchard. (2010).<br />

Cause specific mortality trends in a large population-based cohort with longstanding<br />

childhood-onset type 1 diabetes: <strong>The</strong> Allegheny County Type 1 Diabetes Registry.<br />

Diabetes. Aug 25. [Epub ahead <strong>of</strong> print; PMID: 20739685]<br />

Stetten, G., Horvath, S., Galeotti, J., Shukla, G., and B. Chapman, (2010). Image<br />

segmentation using the student’s ttest on adjacent spherical populations <strong>of</strong> pixels.”<br />

SPIE Medical Imaging, paper #7623-125, poster presentation 12/14-15/2010.<br />

Galeotti, J., Sajjad, A., Wang, B., Kagemann, L., Shukla, G., Siegel, M., Wu, B.,<br />

Klatzky, R., Wollstein, G., Schuman, J., and G. Stetten. (2010). <strong>The</strong> OCT penlight:<br />

In-situ image guidance for microsurgery. SPIE Medical Imaging, paper #7625-1,<br />

oral presentation 12/14/2010.<br />

Svilar, D., Goellner, E.M., Almeida, K.H., and R.W Sobol. (2010). Base Excision Repair<br />

and lesion-dependent sub-pathways for repair <strong>of</strong> oxidative DNA damage. Antioxid<br />

Redox Signal. Oct 28. [Epub ahead <strong>of</strong> print; PMID: 20649466]<br />

Drowley, L., Okada, M., Beckman, S., Vella, J., Keller, B., Tobita, K., and J. Huard.<br />

(2010). Cellular antioxidant levels influence muscle stem cell therapy. Mol <strong>The</strong>r.<br />

Oct; 18(10):1865-73. [PMID: 20664528]<br />

Stetler, R.A., Gao, Y., Zukin, R.S., Vosler, P.S., Zhang, L., Zhang, F., Cao, G., Bennett,<br />

M.V.L. and J. Chen. (2010). Apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease APE1 is required<br />

for PACAP-induced neuroprotection against global cerebral ischemia. Proc Natl<br />

Acad Sci. Feb 16; 107(7) 3204-9. [PMID: 20133634]<br />

Romero, G., Sneddon, W.B., Yang, Y., Wheeler, D.S., Blair, H.C., and P.A. Friedman.<br />

(2010). Parathyroid hormone receptor directly interacts with dishevelled<br />

to regulate beta-Catenin signaling and osteoclastogenesis. J Biol Chem. May 7;<br />

285(19):14756-63. [PMID: 20212039]<br />

Wheeler, D.S., Barrick, S.R., Grubisha, M.J., Brufsky, A.M., Friedman, P.A., and G.<br />

Romero. (2010). Direct interaction between NHERF1 and Frizzled regulates betacatenin<br />

signaling. Oncogene. Aug 30. [Epub ahead <strong>of</strong> print; PMID: 20802536]<br />

Jiao, J.A., Kelly, A.B., Marzec, U.M., Nieves, E., Acevedo, J., Burkhardt, M., Edwards,<br />

A., Zhu, X.Y., Chavaillaz, P.A., Wong, A., Wong, J.L., Egan, J.O., Taylor, D., Rhode,<br />

P.R., and H.C. Wong. (2010). Inhibition <strong>of</strong> acute vascular thrombosis in chimpanzees<br />

by an anti-human tissue factor antibody targeting the factor X binding site.<br />

Thromb Haemost, Jan; 103(1):224-33. [PMID: 20062929]<br />

7


Medical Scientist Training Program<br />

526 Scaife Hall<br />

3550 Terrace Street<br />

<strong>Pittsburgh</strong>, PA 15261<br />

8<br />

Upcoming Events<br />

December 2010<br />

2, 6: <strong>MSTP</strong> Interview Days<br />

20–30: Pitt SOM Winter Recess<br />

January 2011<br />

4: Pitt <strong>University</strong> and <strong>of</strong>fices reopen<br />

18: <strong>MSTP</strong> Workshop, 5 p.m. (S100A BST)<br />

20: <strong>MSTP</strong> Second Look Dinner<br />

21–22: SOM and Neuroscience graduate programs’ recruitment<br />

weekend<br />

February 2011<br />

3: <strong>MSTP</strong> Second Look Dinner<br />

4–5: SOM and Neuroscience graduate programs’ recruitment<br />

weekend<br />

15: <strong>MSTP</strong> Workshop, 5 p.m. (S100A BST)<br />

March 2011<br />

3: <strong>MSTP</strong> Second Look Dinner<br />

4–5:SOM and Bioengineering graduate programs’ recruitment<br />

weekend<br />

11: Spring Holiday, Pitt <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong>fices closed<br />

15: <strong>MSTP</strong> Workshop, 5 p.m. (S100A BST)<br />

17: Match Day 2011<br />

April 2011<br />

30: Spring Term Ends (Pitt)<br />

<strong>The</strong> <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Pittsburgh</strong> and Carnegie<br />

Mellon <strong>University</strong>’s <strong>MSTP</strong> Newsletter<br />

Program Staff<br />

Director: Clayton Wiley, MD, PhD<br />

Co-Directors: Richard Steinman, MD, PhD<br />

George Stetten, MD, PhD<br />

Administrative Director: Manjit Singh, MBA, PhD<br />

Program Manager: Justin Markuss<br />

Newsletter Staff<br />

Layout Editor: Liang Kang (G3)<br />

Article Editor: Alanna Peterson (G2)<br />

Visit our Web site for more details about the<br />

program, including information about students<br />

and alumni:<br />

www.mdphd.pitt.edu<br />

Comments and submissions are encouraged!<br />

This newsletter is written and assembled by<br />

students <strong>of</strong> the <strong>MSTP</strong>. <strong>The</strong> views represented in<br />

this newsletter do not necessarily reflect those<br />

<strong>of</strong> the <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Pittsburgh</strong>, the <strong>University</strong><br />

<strong>of</strong> <strong>Pittsburgh</strong> School <strong>of</strong> Medicine, or Carnegie<br />

Mellon <strong>University</strong>.

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