College
College of Life Sciences
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy
Campus
Center City
Format
On Campus
Duration
4 - 5 Years
Contact Information
Program
233 South 10th Street
Bluemle Life Sciences Building, Suite 506
Philadelphia, PA 19107
Program Coordinator
1020 Locust Street
M-46 JAH
Philadelphia, PA 19107
Current Students
Samantha Barnada
Samantha.Barnada@students.jefferson.edu
Laboratory: Steven McMahon, PhD
Project: TBD
Robert Carlson
Robert.Carlson@students.jefferson.edu
Laboratory: Adam Snook, PhD
Project: Development of novel adoptive cellular therapies (CAR-T, CAR-NK, etc.) targeting universally overexpressed tumor-associated antigens in solid cancers.
Brittiny Dhital
Brittiny.Dhital@students.jefferson.edu
Laboratory: Veronica Rodriguez-Bravo, PhD
Project: The Role of the Nuclear Pore Protein TPR in the Pathogenesis of Lethal Prostate Cancer
Tyler Fenstermaker
Tyler.Fenstermaker@students.jefferson.edu
Laboratory: Alexander Mazo, PhD
Project: TBD
Jessica Kopenhaver
Jessica.Kopenhaver@students.jefferson.edu
Laboratory: Scott Waldman, MD, PhD
Project: TBD
Michael Lawler
Michael.Lawler@students.jefferson.edu
Laboratory: Sara Meyer, PhD
Project: I focus on the effects of innate immune signaling on differentiation in acute myeloid leukemia. My work will look to reveal the phenotypic and signaling consequences of TLR2 activation on DNMT3A-mutant AML and look to provide the first single cell map of innate immune signaling in AML cells, which will reveal genes and/or pathways that can be leveraged therapeutically for AML treatment.
Douglas Ralph
Douglas.Ralph@students.jefferson.edu
Laboratory: Qiaoli Li, PhD
Project: Investigating the genotype-phenotype correlation of genetic calcification disorders, as well as the relationship between calcification and cancer progression.
Alexandra Redding
Alexandra.Redding@students.jefferson.edu
Laboratory: Elda Grabocka, PhD
Project: Mechanisms regulating Stress Granule formation
Ross Staudt
Ross.Staudt@students.jefferson.edu
Laboratory: Adam Snook, PhD
Project: Investigating the use of GUCY2C-directed CAR-T cells as a therapeutic for upper-GI cancers.
Francis Waltrich
Francis.Waltrich@students.jefferson.edu
Laboratory: Andrew Aplin, PhD
Project: Identifying new therapeutic strategies for melanomas harboring both GNAQ and GNA11 mutations.
Haley Wilson
Haley.Wilson@students.jefferson.edu
Laboratory: Andrew Aplin, PhD
Project: Utilize 3D culture to elucidate the mechanisms of drug tolerant persister cells in cutaneous melanoma
Recent Graduates
2022/2023
Stephanie Renna
Thesis Title: “Guanylyl Cyclase C Vaccines for Secondary Prevention of Metastatic Colorectal Cancer”
Advisor: Steven McKenzie, MD, PhD
2021/2022
Tess Cherlin
Thesis Title: “Identifying, Characterizing, and Exploring Profiles of Ribosomal RNA Fragments (rRFs) and their Implications for Personalized Medicine Contexts”
Advisor: Isidore Rigoutsos, PhD
Marina Domingo Vidal
Thesis Title: “Metabolic compartmentalization as a driver of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma aggressiveness”
Advisor: Ubaldo Martinez-Outschoorn, MD
Rachel Hodge
Thesis Title: “Human Sex-Specific Synaptic Adhesion Proteins NLGN4X and NLGN4Y Regulate the Dual Innervation of Dendritic Spines”
Advisor: Matthew Dalva, PhD
Current Position: Postdoctoral Fellow, Thomas Jefferson University
Amir Hossein Saeidian
Thesis Title: “Investigating the Molecular Genetics and Viral Repertoire of Patients with Epidermodysplasia Verruciformis”
Advisor: Jouni Uitto, MD, PhD
Alison Shupp
Thesis Title: “The Role of “Educated” Osteoblast-Derived Small Extracellular Vesicles in Regulating Breast Cancer Proliferation”
Advisor: Karen Bussard, PhD
2020/2021
Lebaron Agostini
Thesis Title: “Targeting Poly (ADP) Ribose Glycohydrolase as a Combinatorial Strategy to Enhance DNA Damage in Gastrointestinal Cancers”
Advisor: Jonathan Brody, PhD
Alex Haber
Thesis Title: “Pre-Clinical Investigations Of The Second-Generation Polymeric Fluoropyrimidine, AraC-FdUMP[10] (CF10), For The Treatment of Gastrointestinal Cancers”
Advisor: Jonathan Brody, PhD
Amanda Pattison
Thesis Title: “Reactivating the GUCY2C signaling axis for colorectal cancer chemoprevention”
Advisor: Scott Waldman, MD, PhD