College
College of Life Sciences
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy
Campus
Center City
Format
On Campus
Duration
4 - 5 Years
Contact Information
Program Director
900 Walnut Street, Suite 400
Philadelphia, PA 19107
Program Director
900 Walnut Street, Suite 400
Philadelphia, PA 19107
Program Coordinator
1020 Locust Street
M-46 JAH
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19107
Current Students
Alexandra Ciuciu
Alexandra.Ciuciu@students.jefferson.edu
Laboratory: Ryan Tomlinson, PhD
Project: TBD
Stanley Conaway
Stanley.Conaway@students.jefferson.edu
Laboratory: Deepak Deshpande, PhD
Project: My studies are focused on elucidating the mechanism of action within the bitter taste receptor signaling pathway and its effects on airway smooth muscle tone. Our goal is to study the potential for bitter taste compounds as novel therapeutics for the treatment of obstructive airway disorders.
Moriah Cunningham
Moriah.Cunningham@students.jefferson.edu
Laboratory: Matt Schiewer, PhD
Project: TBD
Ariana Entezari
Ariana.Entezari@students.jefferson.edu
Laboratory: Scott Waldman, MD, PhD
Project: TBD
Rifah Gheyas
Rifah.Gheyas@students.jefferson.edu
Laboratory: Sue Menko, PhD
Project: I am studying the mechanisms and signaling pathways involved in the formation of the lens Organelle Free Zone, the region in the center of the lens where organelles and nuclei are removed in development.
Colleen Isabelle (MD/PhD)
Colleen.Isabelle@students.jefferson.edu
Laboratory: Anjali Mishra, PhD
Project: TBD
Selin Isguven (MD/PhD)
Selin.Isguven@students.jefferson.edu
Laboratory: Noreen Hickok, PhD; Flemming Forsberg, PhD
Project: TBD
Shira Johnston
Shira.Johnston@students.jefferson.edu
Laboratory: Makarand Risbud, PhD
Project: Elucidating the role of Hypoxia Inducible Factors (HIFs) in the intervertebral disc.
Hattanas Kumchai, DMD
Hattanas.Kumchai@students.jefferson.edu
Laboratory: Ryan Tomlinson, PhD
Project: NGF-TrkA Signaling in Dental Implant Osseointegration
Lauren Langbein
Lauren.Langbein@students.jefferson.edu
Laboratory: Haifeng Yang, PhD
Project: Studying the tumor suppressor functions of BAP1 and the type I interferon pathway in kidney cancer.
Elizabeth Magno (MD/PhD)
Elizabeth.Magno@students.jefferson.edu
Laboratory: Karen Bussard, PhD
Project: TBD
Alexandra Manchel
Alexandra.Manchel@students.jefferson.edu
Laboratory: Rajanikanth Vadigepalli, PhD
Project: TBD
Olivia Ottone (they/them)
Olivia.Ottone@students.jefferson.edu
Laboratory: Makarand Risbud, PhD
Project: My work uses mouse models to better understand the role of senescence in and transcriptional basis of intervertebral disc degeneration.
Grace Tartaglia
Grace.Tartaglia@students.jefferson.edu
Laboratory: Andrew South, PhD
Project: My thesis project is about repurposing FDA-approved compounds for fibrotic extracellular matrix inhibition in the disease Recessive Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa. I utilize both primary patient fibroblasts and a hypomorphic mouse model to elucidate the mechanism of action of these compounds and their efficacy in mitigating fibrotic phenotypes.
Maria Tsingas
Maria.Tsingas@students.jefferson.edu
Laboratory: Makarand Risbud, PhD
Project: Investigating the role of pyruvate & lactate metabolism in the intervertebral disc
Recent Graduates
2023/2024
Weelic Chong (MD/PhD)
Laboratory of Hushan Yang, PhD
Now: Sidney Kimmel Medical College, SKMC 3
Neil Zhao (MD/PhD)
Laboratory of Noreen Hickok, PhD
Now: Sidney Kimmel Medical College, SKMC 3
2022/2023
Carolyn Chen (MD/PhD)
Laboratory of Renato Iozzo, MD, PhD
Now: Sidney Kimmel Medical College, SKMC 4
Jeffrey Rappaport (MD/PhD)
Laboratory of Scott Waldman, MD, PhD
Now: Sidney Kimmel Medical College, SKMC 4
Megan Roche
Laboratory of Ubaldo Martinez-Outschoorn, MD
Now: Scientific Writer, Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center
2021/2022
Alexus Kolb
Laboratory of Karen Bussard, PhD
Now: Associate Medical Writer, Caudex
Noor Shaik (MD/PhD)
Laboratory of Ulhas Naik, PhD
Now: Residency, University of Pennsylvania
2020/2021
Deborah Gorth (MD/PhD)
Laboratory of Makarand Risbud, PhD
Now: Residency, Temple University
Emanuel José Magalhães Novais (MD/PhD)
Laboratory of Makarand Risbud, PhD
emanueljosenovais@gmail.com
2019/2020
Sara Bisetto
Laboratory of Nancy Philp, PhD
Now: PostDoc, Cambridge Stem Cell Institute at the University of Cambridge
Hyowon Choi (MD/PhD)
Laboratory of Makarand Risbud, PhD
Now: Residency, Psychiatry at Jefferson
Stephen Hurst
Laboratory of Shey-Shing Sheu, PhD
Now: Post-Doc, Gyorgy Csordas, PhD Laboratory, MitoCare Service Center at Jefferson
Elham Javed
Laboratory of Boopathi Ettickan, PhD
Now: Post-Doc, Raymond Penn, PhD Laboratory, Jefferson
Michael Vido (MD/PhD)
Laboratory of Andrew Aplin, PhD
Now: Residency, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP)
2018/2019
Frederick (Eric) Arnold III
Laboratory of Diane Merry, PhD
Now: Post-Doc, Duke University School of Medicine
Victoria Gennaro
Laboratory of Steve McMahon, PhD
Now: TBD
Elizabeth Silagi
Laboratory of Makarand Risbud, PhD
Now: Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Harvard Medical School / Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Aditi Swarup
Laboratory of Nancy Philp, PhD
Now: Postdoctoral Ophthalmology Researcher, Stanford University
2017/2018
Velina Atanasova
Laboratory of Jouni Uitto, MD
Now: Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Medical University Vienna
2016/2017
Maria Gubbiotti (MD/PhD)
Laboratory of Renato Iozzo, MD, PhD
Now: Residency, University of Pennsylvania
Caitlin Logan (MD/PhD)
Laboratory of Sue Menko, PhD
Now: Residency, Stanford
Zariel Johnson
Laboratory of Makarand Risbud, PhD
Now: Licensing Manager, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Christopher McNair
Laboratory of Karen Knudsen, PhD
Now: Assistant Professor, Director of Cancer Informatics, Associate Director for Data Science, Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson
Anil Antony, PhD
Laboratory of Joannes Hoek, PhD
Now: Assistant Director, Corporate Alliances at American Association for Cancer Research
Annabel Torres, PhD
Laboratory of Renato Iozzo, MD, PhD
Now: Scientist, The Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson
Gregory Omerza, PhD
Laboratory of Edward Winter, PhD
Now: The Jackson Laboratories