Mentors
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The PREP program is a dynamic mentored research experience that offers a supportive environment, outstanding research resources, and a cooperative approach to research. Students and mentors are carefully matched according to research and career interests. Learn more about our 54 research mentors and their research interests.
Jump to: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology • Biomedical Engineering and Physiology • Cardiovascular Diseases • Clinical and Translational Sciences • Immunology • Medicine and Microbiology • Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics • Nephrology and Hypertension • Virology and Gene Therapy
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
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Dr. Cattaneo studies measles and other small enveloped RNA viruses with the primary goal of generating new knowledge. Viruses have evolved to rapidly spread through organisms. They cause disease by targeting sequentially specific cell types and proteins that control cell function. Primary graduate school academic affiliation: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology |
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Lifelong maintenance of skeletal muscle requires muscle stem cells that activate, expand, and self-renew to repair damaged muscle or to replace muscle cells lost due to normal turnover. Dr. Doles lab studies how loss or functional corruption of these cells contributes to diverse muscle pathologies, as well as age-associated muscle atrophy (sarcopenia). Primary graduate school academic affiliation: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology |
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Dr. Ekker's zebrafish genetics laboratory is focused on one major next step in the post-genomics era: assignment of genes and gene sets critical in vertebrate patterning and organogenesis. Primary graduate school academic affiliation: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology |
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The research of Dr. Fernandez-Zapico focuses on the cellular and molecular characterization of epigenetic pathways regulating pancreatic carcinogenesis, a dismal disease with one of the poorest prognoses among all neoplasms. Primary graduate school academic affiliation: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology |
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The research lab of Dr. Harris focuses on genetic diseases of the kidney, especially polycystic kidney disease (PKD). Primary graduate school academic affiliation: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology |
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Dr. Huang's research focuses on regulation of the functions of transcription regulatory proteins by mechanisms such as phosphorlyation, acetylation, ubiquitination and protein-protein interaction and these proteins' roles in initiation and progression of cancer, especially prostate cancer. A new direction in his lab is to investigate the biogenesis and functions of enhancer RNAs (eRNAs) and their role in cancer development and progression. Primary graduate school academic affiliation: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology |
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Dr. Joyner and his team study how the nervous system regulates blood pressure, heart rate, and metabolism in response to forms of stress such as exercise, hypoxia, standing up, and blood loss. Primary graduate school academic affiliation: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and Clinical and Translational Sciences |
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Dr. Lerman directs the Renovascular Disease Research Laboratory, which focuses on the development and application of techniques to study renal and cardiovascular physiology and pathophysiology in animal models and in humans. Primary graduate school academic affiliation: Biochemistry and Biomedical Engineering |
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Dr. Maher's Nucleic Acid Structure and Recognition Lab seeks to understand DNA bending and looping by proteins, explore small folded RNAs and DNAs as artificial tools for regenerative medicine and gene regulation, and understand the biochemistry of metabolite imbalance in cancer. Primary graduate school academic affiliation: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology |
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Marina Ramirez-Alvarado, Ph.D. Dr. Ramirez-Alvarado studies misfolding and amyloid formation in light chain amyloidosis. Primary graduate school academic affiliation: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology |
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Dr. Wijnen and his colleagues are working to improve the current clinical standards of care in orthopedic repair, restoration, and rejuvenation of the skeleton. His research group designs and validates molecular strategies for therapeutic applications that control the ability of mesenchymal stem cells to adopt a defined cellular phenotype or to retain a self-renewing multipotent state. Primary graduate school academic affiliation: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology |
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Dr. Westendorf studies the molecular and epigenetic basis forskeletal formation, the regeneration of bone and cartilage, and the growth of primary and etastatic bone tumors. Visit Dr. Westendorf's Skeletal Development and Regeneration Research Laboratory to learn more about her research. Primary graduate school academic affiliation: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology |
Biomedical Engineering and Physiology
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The research program of Dr. Amadio focuses on the role of fibrosis in human health and disease. Dr. Amadio's current research in his Tendon and Soft Tissue Biology Laboratory addresses the causes and prevention of fibrosis in two tissues:
Primary graduate school academic affiliation: Biomedical Engineering and Orthopedics |
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The objective of Dr. Ehman's program is to expand the range of tissue, organ, and system characteristics that can be noninvasively evaluated with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques. Primary graduate school academic affiliation: Biomedical Engineering and Physiology |
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The research interests of Dr. Erickson include computer-aided diagnosis and the use of computer technologies to extract information from medical images for diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic purposes. Primary graduate school academic affiliation: Biomedical Engineering and Physiology |
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Naureen Javeed, Ph.D. The overall research objectives in the Javeed lab is to advance understanding of the molecular underpinnings of the pathogenesis of both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. She takes a novel approach to understanding the importance of pancreatic islet cell communication mediated by the exchange of circulating nanovesicles termed extracellular vesicles (EVs), and the ways in which EVs can impart deleterious effects on the pancreatic islet milieu. Primary graduate school academic affiliation: Biomedical Engineering and Physiology, Endocrinology |
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Dr. Johnson's interests center around heart and lung interactions under various conditions (hypoxia, high altitude, exercise) and in various populations (heart failure, health, lung disease, aging). Primary graduate school academic affiliation: Biomedical Engineering and Physiology |
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J. Luis Lujan, Ph.D., M.S. Dr. Lujan's research focuses on neuroprosthetics and neuromodulation techniques for restoring neurologic function following neural injury and disease. In particular, he is interested in using computational modeling and image analysis techniques for understanding the mechanisms of action of deep brain stimulation (DBS) in the treatment of neurologic and psychiatric disorders. Dr. Lujan is also interested in the development of brain machine interfaces (BMI) and neural control algorithms. Primary graduate school academic affiliation: Biomedical Engineering and Physiology |
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The research of Dr. Manduca focuses on the application of mathematical methods to biomedical problems, particularly imaging problems. His research has involved all aspects of medical imaging, from image reconstruction to image processing and analysis, and has spanned many modalities. Some current efforts focus on novel image reconstruction methods in MRI, to accelerate image acquisition and improve image quality; image denoising in computerized tomography (CT), to aid in the interpretation of clinical scans acquired with lower radiation dose; and processing algorithms for magnetic resonance elastography and ultrasound elastography, to image the viscoelastic properties of tissues. Primary graduate school academic affiliation: Biomedical Engineering and Radiology |
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Dr. Mantilla studies the control of breathing in humans. The long-term goal of Dr. Mantilla's research team is to develop rational and effective therapies for the treatment of diseases that impair the ability to breathe independently. Primary graduate school academic affiliation: Anesthesiology and physiology |
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As an anesthesiologist, physiologist, and electrical/biomedical engineer, Dr. Prakash's longstanding interest has been in lung diseases, with the intent of developing novel therapies and approaches to treat diseases such as asthma in children and adults (especially in women), and more recently pulmonary hypertension. Primary graduate school academic affiliation: Biomedical Engineering and Physiology |
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Dr. Riederer's overall research interest is in the technical development of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). This includes addressing fundamental limitations and considering new applications. Primary graduate school academic affiliation: Biomedical Engineering and Physiology |
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Dr. Romero's laboratory studies ion-solute movements across cell membranes. Membrane transporters, particularly in the kidney, account for about 10% of mammalian genomes and 50% of current drug targets. We want to understand and exploit this portion of the genome. Primary graduate school academic affiliation: Biomedical Engineering and Physiology |
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Dr. Sieck studies the neural control of breathing muscles, including the diaphragm and airway smooth muscle. Primary graduate school academic affiliation: Biomedical Engineering and Physiology |
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Dr. Sussman focuses on pathogenic alterations in kidney development and maintenance leading to cyst formation and polycystic kidney disease (PKD). Primary graduate school academic affiliation: Biomedical Engineering and Physiology |
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Michael Yaszemski, M.D., Ph.D. Dr. Yaszemski investigates bone, cartilage, and spinal cord regeneration using synthetic polymeric scaffolds, cells, and controlled delivery of bioactive molecules. Dr. Yaszemski's Tissue Engineering and Biomaterials Laboratory is equipped to perform polymer synthesis and characterization, and scaffold fabrication utilizing injectable techniques and solid freeform fabrication techniques. Primary graduate school academic affiliation: Biomedical Engineering and Orthopedics |
Cardiovascular Diseases
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Dr. Griffiths is a veterinary cardiologist, cardiovascular surgeon, and research scientist focused on identifying and overcoming immunological barriers in organ transplantation, and leveraging such insights toward cardiovascular regenerative medicine and tissue engineering. Primary graduate school academic affiliation: Cardiovascular Diseases |
Clinical and Translational Sciences
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Lewis Roberts, M.B., Ch.B, Ph.D. The major goal of my laboratory is to understand the mechanisms by which liver cancers develop, grow, and spread; with the goal of identifying the critical pathways needed for the growth of individual cancers and eventually being able to provide the necessary information so that a doctor treating a patient with liver cancer can select specific treatments targeted at the growth signaling pathways which are most critical for that individual patient's cancer and can tailor the treatment design to most effectively control or eliminate that specific cancer. Primary graduate school academic affiliation: Clinical and Translational Sciences |
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Dr. Schimmenti works on the genetics of hearing loss. Her laboratory studies zebrafish models of deafness with the goal of identifying novel drugs that could potentially improve hearing, first in the fish and, hopefully, one day in people. In the lab, you will learn how to develop a research plan, use zebrafish as a model organism, and learn genetics, molecular biology techniques, and microscopy. Primary graduate school academic affiliation: Clinical and Translational Sciences |
Immunology
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Dr. Barry is working to use genes and viruses to treat a set of very difficult diseases. Because these agents are as adaptable as DNA itself, Dr. Barry and his team can apply these "drugs" against a variety of diseases by fine-tuning which cells they target and avoiding or activating the immune system. This work falls into three areas: gene therapy, gene-based vaccines and anticancer virotherapy. Primary graduate school academic affiliation: Immunology |
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The research of Haidong Dong, M.D., Ph.D., is focused on defining regulatory mechanisms that influence anti-tumor immunity. The long-term goal of his laboratory is to understand the molecular and cellular regulatory mechanisms in tumor-immune cell interactions and translate basic research observations into effective cancer immunotherapies. Primary graduate school academic affiliation: Immunology |
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Dr. Hedin's research program aims to characterize the molecular mechanisms and biological impact of chemokine receptor signaling. Primary graduate school academic affiliation: Immunology and Molecular Medicine |
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Dr. Johnson's laboratory is interested in neuroimmunology. Disruption of the Blood Brain Barrier (BBB) is a common pathologic feature of numerous neurological diseases as diverse as glioblastoma, multiple sclerosis, acute hemorrhagic leukoencephalitis (AHLE), epilepsy, HIV dementia, stroke, cerebral malaria, and viral hemorrhagic fevers. Primary graduate school academic affiliation: Immunology |
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Dr. Khazaie's lab studies immune responses that help tumors grow and spread as well as immune responses that protect against cancer. A major focus is on regulatory T cells (Tregs), their subsets, and their diverse functions in regulating inflammation and immunity in the gastrointestinal tract. In this context, there is interest in the role of microbiota and circadian rhythm. Primary graduate school academic affiliation: Immunology |
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Dr. Mohni is interested in virus-host interactions as they relate to human herpesviruses (HHVs). The nine HHVs are ubiquitous pathogens, with 90% of the U.S. population infected with three or more. HHVs are large, double-stranded DNA viruses that establish lifelong infections in those affected. DNA replication is an essential step of the virus life cycle and represents an appealing target for antiviral treatments. The goal of Dr. Mohni's lab is to determine the host factors required for HHV DNA replication and restriction using novel proteomic and genetic approaches. Primary graduate school academic affiliation: Molecular Medicine |
Medicine and Microbiology
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Dr. Patel is the director of the Infectious Diseases Research Laboratory. In the research laboratory, she and her colleagues focus on biofilms. Biofilms cause a large number of infections in modern clinical practice, such as prosthetic joint infection and endocarditis. Primary graduate school academic affiliation: Medicine and Microbiology |
Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
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Dr. Ackerman studies genomics and genotype-phenotype relationships in heritable cardiovascular diseases predisposing to sudden death. In the Mayo Clinic Windland Smith Rice Sudden Death Genomics Laboratory. Dr. Ackerman and his colleagues have research interests that include genomics, mutational analysis, and novel gene discovery related to the cardiac channelopathies such as long QT syndrome, catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia and sudden unexplained death, including sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), and inherited sarcomere diseases such as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. In addition, as director of the Long QT Syndrome Clinic, Dr. Ackerman has active clinical and translational research efforts devoted to identifying individuals at greatest risk of sudden death. These projects include autonomic nervous system studies and overnight sleep studies. Primary graduate school academic affiliation: Pediatrics and Pharmacology |
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Dr. Choi's research focuses on neurobehavioral and addictive disorders, which cause a substantial socio-economic burden to society. His laboratory utilizes a combination of genetics, pharmacology, proteomics, metabolomics, brain imaging, and behaviors to identify clinically useful therapeutic targets of a variety of addiction and other psychiatric disorders such as depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorders. Primary graduate school academic affiliation: Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics |
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The Kaufmann laboratory studies what happens when cancer cells are treated with putative anticancer drugs. The resulting investigations focus on two major questions:
Within the context of these broad questions, the lab applies a wide range of biochemistry, cell biology, and molecular biology techniques to a series of projects. Primary graduate school academic affiliation: Pharmacology and Medical Oncology |
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The research of Dr. Nelson focuses on cardiovascular regeneration using bioengineered stem cells. His work is directed at improving scientists' ability to discover, diagnose, and ultimately treat mechanisms of degenerative diseases such as cardiomyopathy that weaken the heart muscle and lead to progressive heart failure. Primary graduate school academic affiliation: Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics |
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Dr. Robertson's research focuses on determining how epigenetic marks, especially DNA methylation, are established and maintained in normal cells. He is also interested in how these marks become disrupted and lead to common human diseases such as cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and neurologic disorders. Primary graduate school academic affiliation: Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics |
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Dr. Wang's research program is focused on the pharmacogenomics of anti-cancer drugs. Pharmacogenomics is a study of the role of genetic variation in drug response. Primary graduate school academic affiliation: Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics |
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Dr. Weinshilboum studies pharmacogenomics — the role of inheritance and individual variation in DNA sequence or structure in drug response. The goal is to develop safer and more effective drug therapy to treat diseases that range from cancer to depression. Primary graduate school academic affiliation: Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics |
Neuroscience
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Dr. Scarisbrick's research program broadly focuses on the roles of proteolysis in development, plasticity, and pathogenesis within the CNS. She is currently studying the nature of proteolytic cascades which mediate the pathophysiology of CNS demyelinating disorders, such as multiple sclerosis (MS), and those which contribute to secondary degenerative events following traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI). Primary graduate school academic affiliation: Neurobiology of Disease |
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Dr. Windenbank seeks to understand cellular mechanism underlying neuronal death and factors governing regeneration in the nervous system. These mechanisms are studied in cellular, drosophila, and rodent model systems. Primary graduate school academic affiliation: Neorobiology of Disease, Clinical and Translational Sciences |
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Dr. Wu is interested in studying the role of microglia, the highly dynamic immune cells in the central nervous system, in clinically relevant pathologies such as epilepsy, neuropathic pain, and ischemic stroke. Dr. Wu's Neuroimmune Interaction in Health and Disease Laboratory is focused on microglia-neuron communication in normal and diseased brain tissue. In particular, he and his team study the molecular mechanism underlying microglial sensing and regulation of neuronal activities. Primary graduate school academic affiliation: Neurology and Neuroscience |
Nephrology and Hypertension
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Dr. Hickson's research mission, as a clinician engaged in research, is to advance clinical translation of promising, novel therapeutics for diabetic kidney disease, the most common cause of kidney failure in the United States. Her research program focuses on:
Dr. Hickson is the Principal Investigator of the Mayo Translational and Regenerative Nephrology Research Laboratory in Jacksonville, Florida. Bringing research from the bench to the bedside, she also leads Investigational New Drug (IND)-enabled clinical trials testing mesenchymal stem cell therapy and senolytic drugs in individuals with chronic kidney disease. Primary graduate school academic affiliation: Nephrology and Hypertension |
Virology and Gene Therapy
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Dr. Russell's research centers on demonstrating the value of oncolytic virotherapy for the treatment of cancer. Primary graduate school academic affiliation: Virology and Gene Therapy |
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Dr. Winham is a statistical geneticist interested in the genetic etiology of common, complex diseases. She develops statistical methods to identify genetic risk factors for diseases in high-dimensional data and applies those analysis methods to studies of psychiatric genetics, breast cancer, and ovarian cancer. Primary graduate school academic affiliation: Genetics and Bioinformatics |
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Becoming a PREP scholar at Mayo Clinic was one of the greatest decisions that I have made in my career. I have enjoyed every moment in the program, achieved my personal goals, and developed invaluable skill sets that I will be able to further in graduate school.
Delaney Liskey
PREP student, 2018-2021