FRED 2014-2015 Cohort

Dr. Juarez’s research uses Drosophila melanogaster to identify molecular components that regulate an evolutionarily conserved response to damage and infection. A strong defense against pathogens may require an organism to use innovative strategies to survive an infection. The balance of activating wound repair and inhibiting infection challenges an organism to regulate these distinct processes with precise control. Failure to control wound repair can lead to cell proliferation and scarring. Lack of efficient immune response can cause increased tissue damage. So, discovery of conserved genetic paradigms for response to cellular damage and infection in the Drosophila would directly impact the development of improved strategies for tissue repair in people.

As a basic science faculty in a medical school, her teaching goal is to highlight the scientific method and critical thinking in future health care professionals.

Dr. Juarez is mentored by Renato Aguilera at UTEP.

Dr. Aguilera currently works in the area of cancer research, and is the director of the Cell Culture and High-Throughput Screening Core facility and Program Director of the Border Biomedical Research Center at UTEP. His group has developed high-throughput assays for the screening of chemical libraries on human cancer cells. The ultimate goal of these assays is to discover compounds that can kill specific cancer cell types but have little to no effect on normal cells. In recent years, his group has identified various compounds that are highly active against lymphomas/leukemias and breast cancer cells. The main goal of his laboratory is to characterize the novel compounds that have been identified and to search for additional compounds from chemical libraries and natural sources. The identification and characterization of drugs that are cytotoxic to specific cancer types should lead to the implementation of novel therapeutic agents.

Dr. Aguilera’s research has been continuously funded by federal grants since 1989 by both the NSF and the NIH. In addition, he has been funded by the NIH for the implementation of various research training programs for the past 20 years as PI and co-PI.

Dr. Aguilera mentors Michelle Juarez at CUNY School of Medicine, City College of New York.

Dr. Kelber’s research looks to to characterize the molecular mechanisms and functions of genes that play critical roles in cancer and tissue regeneration. His work integrates molecular/cellular biology, signaling biochemistry, animal models of normal development and disease, and microscopy imaging to answer questions in these fields.

Dr. Kelber likes to get students involved in the planning of experiments for the lab courses that he teaches. He discovers what questions they are interested in knowing the answers to, then he helps them design the experiments that will help them answer these questions. He finds this approach is always more motivating for the students, and he get to ask questions he may have otherwise overlooked.

Dr. Kelber is mentored by JoAnn Trejo at UCSD.

Dr. Trejo’s research is focused on cell signaling and how it regulates vascular endothelial barrier leakage and breast cancer progression. Her group is specifically interested in understanding how G protein-coupled receptors, the largest class of drug targets for FDA-approved therapeutics, regulate endothelial and breast cancer cellular responses. They employ cell and molecular biology, biochemical and microscopy based approaches using cell and animal model systems.

Dr. Trejo has received numerous grants from the NIH, Komen Foundation, UC Tobacco-related Disease Research Program and the American Heart Association (AHA), including the prestigious AHA Established Investigator Award.

Dr. Trejo mentors Jonathan Kelber at CSU Northridge.

Dr. Martínez-Montemayor conducts research in four major areas related to oncology and diabetes. Her research programs are directed to understanding invasion and metastasis processes of breast cancer via genomic and proteomic approaches. One area of Dr. Martínez’s research is focused on the molecular understanding of advanced breast cancers, and on the development of new treatment strategies and therapeutics using natural products for breast cancer and diabetes. She also studies translational regulation in cancer, modulation of inflammatory processes upon natural product treatment and the effects of natural therapies on cancer stem cells in vitro and in vivo. In addition, Dr. Martínez works in a collaborative bioprospection project elucidating the effects of plant decoctions made from commonly-used but less-studied plants frequently used as diabetes adjuvants in the Puerto Rican population. Dr. Martínez has been actively funded by the NIH, where she holds an active NIH-NIGMS grant and has completed projects from the AICR, RCMI, RTRN, NIH-Puerto Rico Clinical and Translational Research Consortium (PRCTRC) and Puerto Rico IDeA Network for Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE).

Dr. Martínez-Montemayor find that teaching courses allows her to better visualize and understand complex biological systems. She strongly believes in encouraging students to find a mentor in and outside of their chosen discipline. She views a mentor as a collaborator/advisor/role model who provides support, counseling, and positive reinforcement to students, enhancing their natural abilities, increasing confidence, and improving decision-making for their academic coursework, future career goals, and life training aspects.

Dr. Martínez-Montemayor is mentored by Robert Schneider at the New York University School of Medicine.

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Ghislaine Mayer is an Assistant Professor (Associate Professor after August 29, 2016) in Biology at Manhattan College. Dr. Mayer earned her PhD in Microbiology and Immunology from Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

Dr. Mayer’s research is focused on the molecular pathogenesis of malaria.

When she’s teaching, she strives to encourage her students to think critically about science and biology within the context of their own lives, and to develop an appreciation for the scientific method.

Dr. Mayer is mentored by Johanna Porter-Kelley at Winston Salem State University.

Johanna Porter-Kelley is an Associate Professor of Microbiology in the Department of Biological Sciences at Winston Salem State University. Dr. Porter-Kelley earned her PhD in Microbiology from Meharry Medical College, preceded by a BS in Biology from UNC Chapel Hill. She expects to complete her MBA from East Carolina University soon.

Dr. Porter-Kelley is interested in understanding microRNAs in Leishmania. She also works collaboratively in diagnostics. Dr. Porter-Kelley has held several grants from various sources such as Department of Defense, Thurgood Marshall, etc.

Dr. Porter-Kelley mentors Ghislaine Mayer from Manhattan College.

The long-term goal of Dr. Allen’s research is to find and better understand factors involved in reproduction, particularly gametogenesis, using C. elegans. Even though the process of reproduction has been studied for many years, the molecular underpinnings of both gametogenesis and fertilization are still not completely understood. She studies oocyte meiotic maturation, meiotic cell cycle regulation, fertilization and early embryonic development. This research could potentially help individuals faced with infertility issues.

Dr. Allen’s teaching philosophy is centered upon actively engaging her students in the content. She works to provide multiple opportunities for students to incorporate research activities into their academic curriculum in order to enhance their learning experiences.

Dr. Allen is mentored by Erin Cram at Northeastern University.

Erin J. Cram is an Associate Professor of Biology at Northeastern University. Dr. Cram earned her PhD in Cell and Molecular Biology from UC Berkeley, and before that, a BS in Biology from UNC Chapel Hill.

Dr. Cram’s group uses use C. elegans as a model system to understand how biological tube and valve systems form and function. The nematode reproductive system is a single-cell layered tube composed of smooth-muscle like and myoepithelial cells that work together in concert to promote germ line development, ovulation, and transit of oocytes and fertilized embryos through the system. They study the formation and stretch-sensitive and -responsive function of this tissue.

Dr. Cram has been supported by the NIH for the past 8 years (2 R01 grants) and she is the Co-I on two NSF grants.

Dr. Cram mentors Anna Allen at Howard University.

Karl E. Miletti-Gonzalez is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Delaware State University. Dr. Miletti-Gonzalez earned his PhD in Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, from Rutgers University.

Dr. Miletti-Gonzalez studies gamma secretase-dependent CD44-mediated signal transduction in cancer and neurobiology.

In his teaching, Dr. Miletti-Gonzalez uses Problem-based learning (PBL) and active-learning approaches.

Dr. Miletti-Gonzalez is mentored by Jerry Schatten at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Dr. Allen is mentored by Erin Cram at Northeastern University.

Jerry Schatten is a Professor and Director at University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine with appointments in Cell Biology and Ob-Gyn-Repro Sci., Bioengineering, and the Cancer Institute. Dr. Schatten earned his PhD in Cell Biology from UC Berkeley.

Dr. Schatten’s 300+ papers on stem cells, regeneration, fertilization, cell biology, development, infertility, and assisted reproductive technologies have appeared in premier journals including Nature and Science.

Dr. Schatten has extensive funding from the NIH starting in 1977, including a Research Career Development Award, a MERIT award and numerous other NIH Research, Program and Training grants. He was honored by the Czech Academy of Sciences with their Purkinje Medal of Science and elected as a Fellow and Delegate of the AAAS, among many other named lectureships and other honors.

Dr. Schatten mentors Karl Miletti-Gonzalez at Delaware State University.

Mario Izaguirre-Sierra is an Assistant Professor of Biology at Northern New Mexico College. He earned his PhD in Cell and Developmental Biology from the John Innes Centre in the UK, preceded by a BS in Biology from National Autonomous University of Mexico,Mexico City.

The long-term goal of the Izaguirre-Sierra lab is to study the role of nuclear architecture in normal plant development and stress conditions. They use a combination of genetics, cell biology and microscopy techniques to understand the basic biology of the cell nucleus. They use Arabidopsis and the moss Physcomitrella to study the biogenesis of non-coding RNAs in land plants. Specifically, they are using a collection of mutants to study the Cajal body and SUMO.

Because plants are a very is a simple and inexpensive tool to teach undergraduates basic cell and developmental biology concepts, Dr. Izaguirre-Sierra uses these living tools in the laboratory to engage and excite young generations into the fascinating field of cell biology.

Dr. Izaguirre-Sierra is mentored by Steve Wolniak at the University of Maryland.

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Dr. Steed’s research aims to understand the dynamic role of Matrix Metalloproteinase in mediating cerebrovascular remodeling in response to hypertension.

In her teaching, Dr. Steed’s goal is to remove the unknown.

Dr. Steed is mentored by Sandra Murray at University of Pittsburgh.

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