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Past Trainees: Post-Doctoral

(includes all postdoc trainees, starting from 1993)

Lisette Acevedo

Appointment Period: 2008-2009 / Grant Year: [24]
Research advisor during training: Dr. David Cheresh
Project during training: A Role for Semaphorin 3A, a Novel Vascular Permeability Factor in Tumor Cell Extravasation and Metastasis.
Current position/institution: Director of Clinical Science, Orexigen Therapeutics

Ronald Aimes

Appointment Period: 1996-1997 / Grant Year: [11]
Research advisor during training: Dr. Susan Taylor
Project during training: Cloning, expression and characterization of a chicken matrix metalloproteinase and its inhibitor.
Current position/institution: Associate Director of Research & Development, Peregrine Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Tustin, CA

Bryce Alves

Appointment Period: 2010-2012, Grant Years: [26,27]
Research advisor during training: Dr. Alexander Hoffmann
Research project: Investigation of IkB functional roles in T cell and B cell proliferation.
Current position/institution: Senior Research Scientist, Active Motif

Phillip Aoto

Appointment Period: 2016-2018, Grant Year: [31, 32]
Advisor during training: Susan Taylor
Research project: Conformational Disease Landscape of DNAJB1-PRKACA
Current position/institution: Currently in training in the Taylor Lab.

Aaron Aslanian

Appointment Period: 2005-2007 / Grant Years: [21,22]
Research advisor during training: Dr. Tony Hunter
Project during training: Identification of protein interactions and post-translational modifications by mass spectrometry that characterize.
Current position/institution: Scientist II, Illumina

Beth Baber-Furnari

Appointment Period: 1999-2000 / Grant Year: [15]
Research advisor during training: Dr. Tony Hunter
Project during training: A possible link between the DNA damage checkpoint & chromatin remodelling factors.
Current position/institution: Postdoc, The Salk Institute, La Jolla, CA

Elizabeth Barnes

Appointment Period: 2002-2003, Grant Year: [18]
Research advisor during training: Dr. Daniel Donoghue
Project during training: Interaction between cyclin B1/CRS domain and the tumor suppressor Ptc1.
Current position/institution: Research Scientist, Stanford University

Tiffany Barrows Yano

Appointment Period: 2005-2007 / Grant Years: [21,22]
Research advisor during training: Dr. Mike Burkart
Project during training: Cloning, mechanistic study, and inhibition of polyketide synthase thioesterase domains as anti-cancer agents.
Current position/institution: Scientist, Invitrogen

Rebecca Bowers-Gentry

Appointment Period: 2003-2004 / Grant Year: [19]
Research advisor during training: Dr. Ed Dennis
Project during training: Phosphorylation of Phospholipase A2 in Cell Proliferation.
Current position/institution: Professor, Miramar College

Cristina Branco-Price

Appointment Period: 2011-2011 / Grant Years: [27] (Minority Supplement Slot)
Research advisor during training: Dr. Randy Johnson
Project during training: Effect of hypoxia and hypoxia inducible factor in breast cancer progression and mestastasis.
Current position/institution: Fellow, Cambridge University, UK

John Brognard

Appointment Period: 2007-2008 / Grant Years: [23]
Research advisor during training: Dr. Tony Hunter
Project during training: Functional Consequences of Driver Mutations in Novel Cancer-Associated Kinases.
Current position/institution: Investigator, National Cancer Institute
Dr. Brognard's NCI page

Eduardo Caro

Appointment Period: 2017-2018 / Grant Year: [31]
Research advisor during training: Wiliam Gerwick
Project during training: Synthesis of Majusculamide D and Structural Analogs for Pancreatic Cancer
Current position/institution: In training at UC San Diego

Andrea Carrano

Appointment Period: 2002-2003 / Grant Year: [18]
Research advisor during training: Dr. Tony Hunter
Project during training: Role of Nedd4 family of HECT/WW domain E3 ubiquitin ligases in cell growth and differentiation.
Current position/institution: Scientist, Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine

Aaron (Yun) Chen

Appointment Period: 2012-2013, Grant Years: [28]
Research advisor during training: Dr. O'Shea
Research project: Functional Roles of enhancer RNAs in Transcriptional Regulation.
Current position/institution: Founder, Genenius Genetics

Yijun Chen

Appointment Period: 1997-1998 / Grant Year: [13]
Research advisor during training: Dr. Ed Dennis
Project during training: Expression and mechanistic study on a novel group V phospholipase A2.
Current position/institution: Professor and Director, Laboratory of Chemical Biology, China Pharmaceutical University

Yong-Qing Chen

Appointment Period: 1995-1996 / Grant Year: [10]
Research advisor during training: Dr. Joe Kraut
Project during training: Crystal structures of E. coli and DHFR.
Current position/institution: Sr. Software Engineer / Lion Bioscience, Inc.

Ksenya Cohen Katsenelson

Appointment Period: 2016-2017 / Grant Year: [31]
Research advisor during training: Alexandra Newton
Project during training: Tumor Suppressor Phosphatase PHLPP Regulates Gene Expression
Current position/institution: In training at UC San Diego

Gabriela Coutinho-Mansfield

Appointment Period: 2004-2005 / Grant Year: [20]
Research advisor during training: Dr. Xiang-Dong Fu
Project during training: Regulation of Alternative Splicing by the EGF-Signalling Pathway.
Current position/institution: Professor, Southwestern Comm College

Daniel Drolet

Appointment Period: 1993-1994 / Grant Year: [09]
Research advisor during training: Dr. Michael G. Rosenfeld
Project during training: A novel TEF factor cloned.
Current position/institution: Research Scientist / Nexagen - Boulder, CO

Jenny DuRose

Appointment Period: 2010-2011 / Grant Year: [26]
Research advisor during training: Dr. Deborah Spector
Project during training: Role of Cytomegalovirus induced Inflammation and Cell Adhesion in Tumorigenesis.
Current position/institution: Chief Strategist, DuRose Consulting

Chris Eggers

Appointment Period: 2003-2004 / Grant Year: [19]
Research advisor during training: Dr. Susan Taylor
Project during training: A-Kinase Anchoring Proteins and Regulation of Nuclear Transport and Gene Expression.
Current position/institution: Scientist, Promega

Celso Espinoza

Appointment Period: 2009-2012, Grant Years: [25,26,27] (Minority Supplement Slot)
Research advisor during training: Dr. Bing Ren
Project during training: Understanding the architectural roles of CTCF genome-wide.
Current position/institution: Senior Scientist II, AbbVie

Ray Fox

Appointment Period: 2012-2013, Grant Years: [28]
Research advisor during training: Dr. Tannishtha Reya
Research project: The Role of Musashi Proteins in Solid Cancer.
Current position/institution: Research Scientist, Orphagen Pharm.

Kristi Fox-Walsh

Appointment Period: 2008-2010 / Grant Years: [24,25]
Research advisor during training: Dr. X. -D. Fu
Project during training: Translocated in Liposarcoma (TLS): A Multifaceted Regulator of Gene Expression.
Current position/institution: Adjunct Professor, Diablo Valley College

Pascal Gagneux

Appointment Period: 1998-1999 / Grant Year: [14]
Research advisor during training: Dr. Ajit Varki
Project during training: Comparative study of sialic acids in humans and chimpanzees.
Current position/institution: Associate Professor, UC San Diego
Dr. Gagneux's Lab website

Matthew Gentry

Appointment Period: 2003-2005 / Grant Years: [19,20]
Research advisor during training: Dr. Jack Dixon
Project during training: Understanding the Molecular Etiology of Lafora Disease
Current position/institution: Associate Professor, University of Kentucky
Dr. Gentry's website

Jacob M. Gonzalez

Appointment Period: 2015-2016, Grant Year: [29]
Advisor during training: David A. Cheresh
Research project: Exploring the functional role of Oct4/Nanog in a non-canonical integrin β3-driven pathway in epithelial carcinomas
Current position/institution: STEM Advisor Wesleyan

Sara Gorjestani

Appointment Period: 2012-2013, Grant Years: [28]
Research advisor during training: Dr. Judy Varner
Research project: Roles of PI3-Kinase Gamma and its Effectors in Inflammation, Immunosuppression and Fibrosis Associated with Pancreatic Cancer.
Current position/institution: Research Analyst, Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP

Brent Hamaoka

Appointment Period: 2006-2008 / Grant Years: [22,23]
Research advisor during training: Dr. Partho Ghosh
Project during training: The Role of Met in Malignancy and Invasiveness of Tumor Progression.
Current position/institution: Project Scientist, UC San Diego

Claudia Han

Appointment Period: 2017-2018, Grant Year: [31]
Research advisor during training: Christopher Glass
Research project: Myeloid Lineage in Gliomas
Current position/institution: In training at UC San Diego

David Hartley

Appointment Period: 1996-1997 / Grant Year: [12]
Research advisor during training: Dr. Bart Sefton
Project during training: Herpes virus transformation.
Current position/institution: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of South Alabama

Niña Hartman (Caculitan)

Appointment Period: 2011-2013, Grant Years: [27,28]
Research advisor during training: Dr. David Cheresh
Research project: Cross Talk between Integrins and KRAS in Epithelial Cancers.
Current position/institution: Researcher, Genentech

Ken Humphries

Appointment Period: 2000-2001 / Grant Year: [16]
Research advisor during training: Dr. Susan Taylor
Project during training: The role of PKA anchoring and localization in mitochondria.
Current position/institution: Research Scientist, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, OK

Kristen Jepsen

Appointment Period: 2002-2003 / Grant Year: [18]
Research advisor during training: Dr. Michael G. Rosenfeld
Project during training: Molecular mechanisms involved in the nuclear receptor corepressor (N-CoR), and implications for normal proliferation and tumor organogenesis.
Current position/institution: Director, IGM Genomics Center UC San Diego

Jung-whan Kim

Appointment Period: 2010-2011 / Grant Year: [26]
Research advisor during training: Dr. Randall Johnson
Project during training: The Role of Stromal Fibroblast Hypoxic Response in Mammary Tumor Progression and Metastasis.
Current position/institution: Assistant Professor, UT Dallas

Peter Kjellen

Appointment Period: 2000-2001 / Grant Year: [16]
Research advisor during training: Dr. Bart Sefton
Project during training: Regulation of Lck activity by the Herpes virus saimiri Tip484 and Tip488 proteins.
Current position/institution: Assistant Professor, Orebro Life Sciences Center, Orebro University, Sweden

Michael Kuchinskas

Appointment Period: 2007-2009 / Grant Year: [23,24]
Research advisor during training: Dr. Susan Taylor
Project during training: Structural Analysis and Crystallographic Studies of the Novel Protein AKIP1: Interactions with SRPK1 and Implications as a Tumor Suppressor.
Current position/institution: Director of Protein Engineering at Ginkgo Bioworks

Maya Kunkel

Appointment Period: 2001-2002 / Grant Year: [17]
Research advisor during training: Dr. Alexandra Newton
Project during training: Regulation of Akt signaling.
Current position/institution: Postdoc, The University of California San Diego, CA

Brandon Lamarche

Appointment Period: 2009-2011 / Grant Years: [25,26,27]
Research advisor during training: Dr. Matt Weitzman
Project during training: Repair of Protein-linked DNA Double Strand Breaks: Biochemical Characterization Using Adenovirus as a Model System.
Current position/institution: Research Scientist, ACEA Biosciences

Shaun Lee

Appointment Period: 2004-2006 / Grant Years: [20,21]
Research advisor during training: Dr. Jack Dixon
Project during training: Cell Motility, Membrane Ruffling and Cell Death
Current position/institution: Associate Professor, Notre Dame
Dr. Lee's Lab Website

Joel Leverson

Appointment Period: 1998-1999 / Grant Year: [14]
Research advisor during training: Dr. Tony Hunter
Project during training: Regulation of the anaphase promoting complex (APC) in mitosis and meiosis.
Current position/institution: Scientist, Abbott Research Labs

Sean X. Li

Appointment Period: 1998-1999 / Grant Year: [13]
Research advisor during training: Dr. Michael G. Rosenfeld
Project during training: Role of Prop1 in pituitary development.
Current position/institution: Assistant Professor, Harvard Boston's Children's Hospital

Kun Ping Lu

Appointment Period: 1993-1994 / Grant Year: [09]
Research advisor during training: Dr. Tony Hunter
Project during training: Cell cycle regulation.
Current position/institution: Assistant Professor, Beth Israel Hospital - Harvard University
Dr. Lu's faculty website

Katya Melnik-Martinez

Appointment Period: 2008-2010 / Grant Years: [24,25]
Research advisor during training: Dr. Amy Pasquinelli
Project during training: let-7 MicroRNA - A Master Regulator of Cellular Differentiation.
Current position/institution: Assistant Professor, Univ Central del Caribe

Chris Murriel
Appointment Period: 2005-2006 / Grant Years: [21]
Research advisor during training: Dr. Steve Dowdy
Project during training: Alternative Splicing of Cyclin E in Breast Cancer.
Current position/institution: Associate Director, OncoMed Pharm

Michael Musci

Appointment Period: 2003-2004 / Grant Year: [19]
Research advisor during training: Dr. Geoff Wahl
Project during training: Wnt-Dependent Stem Cell Populations in Breast Tissue.
Current position/institution: Chief Medical Officer, New Ocean Health Solutions

Charles Naman

Appointment Period: 2015-2017 / Grant Year: [29, 30]
Research advisor during training: William H. Gerwick
Project during training: Anticancer drug discovery from marine Cyanobacteria
Current position/institution: Associate Professor Ningbo Univ. (China)

Marceen Newlon

Appointment Period: 1999-2000 / Grant Year: [15]
Research advisor during training: Dr. Alexandra Newton
Project during training: Role of the C2 domain in protein kinase C enzyme function.
Current position/institution: Lecturer, Ursuline College, Cleveland, OH

Dennis Otero

Appointment Period: 2003-2005 / Grant Year: [19,20]
Research advisor during training: Dr. Michael David
Project during training: Radioresistance of B Cells in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL).
Current position/institution: Staff Scientist, Sanford Burnham Prebys Discovery Institute

David Pagliarini

Appointment Period: 2009-2009 / Grant Year: [25]
Research advisor during training: Dr. Jack Dixon
Project during training: Proteomic Analyses of Mitochondrial Biogenesis and Biochemistry
Current position/institution: Associate Professor, University of WI, Madison
Dr. Pagliarini's Lab website.

Irene Pedersen

Appointment Period: 2006-2007 / Grant Year: [22]
Research advisor during training: Dr. Michael David
Project during training: Interferon's involvement in viral infection and cancer.
Current position/institution: Asst. Professor of Molecular Biology, UC Irvine

Lorena Puto

Appointment Period: 2012-2013, Grant Years: [28]
Research advisor during training: Dr. Tony Hunter
Research project: Evaluation of the Role of DAXX in Autophagy and Pathogenesis of Prostate Cancer.
Current position/institution: Faculty Member, Dept. of Medicine, Cedars-Sinai

Juliati (Yuli) Rahajeng

Appointment Period: 2014-2016, Grant Years: [29, 30]
Research advisor during training: Seth J. Field
Research project: Understanding How the GOLPH3 Pathway Links the Golgi to Cancer.
Current position/institution: Scientist, CATO Research

Eric Rogers

Appointment Period: 2005-2006 / Grant Year: [21]
Research advisor during training: Dr. Dan Donoghue
Project during training: FGFR3 and SH2-B Interactions in Breast Cancer.
Current position/institution: Patent Attorney, Molecular Templates

Melinda Roy

Appointment Period: 1996-1996 / Grant Year: [11]
Research advisor during training: Dr. Patricia Jennings
Project during training: Investigation of native state of plasticity of interleukin 1-beta.
Current position/institution: Assistant Project Scientist, UC San Diego

Aimee Ryan

Appointment Period: 1994-1995 / Grant Year: [10]
Research advisor during training: Dr. Michael G. Rosenfeld
Project during training: Brn-1, Brn-2 biology.
Current position/institution: Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics and Human Genetics, McGill University, Quebec
Dr. Ryan's Faculty Profile

Michal Schwartz

Appointment Period: 2008-2009 / Grant Year: [24]
Research advisor during training: Dr. Michael G. Rosenfeld
Project during training: Investigations of underlying molecular mechanisms of tumor translocation events.
Current position/institution: Scientist, Weizmann Institute of Science

Tiffany Seagroves 

Appointment Period: 1999-2000 / Grant Year: [15]
Research advisor during training: Dr. Randy Johnson
Project during training: Conditional gene deletion mouse models.
Current position/institution: Assistant Professor, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN
Dr. Seagroves Lab Website

Jameel Shah

Appointment Period: 2000-2001 / Grant Year: [16]
Research advisor during training: Dr. Tony Hunter
Project during training: Mitotic regulation of ribosomal protein S6 kinases.
Current position/institution: Scientist, Abbott Research Labs

Andrea Smallwood

Appointment Period: 2009-2011 / Grant Year: [25,26]
Research advisor during training: Dr. Bing Ren
Project during training: HP1-Mediated Epigenetic Regulation of Cell Differentiation and Cancer Progression.
Current position/institution: Scientist II, Aptose Biosciences

Tim Smith

Appointment Period: 2001-2002 / Grant Year: [17]
Research advisor during training: Dr. Ed Dennis
Project during training: Regulation of the group VI Ca2+ -independent PLA2.
Current position/institution: Research Technician, Novartis

Derek Solum

Appointment Period: 2001-2002 / Grant Year: [17]
Research advisor during training: Dr. Michael G. Rosenfeld
Project during training: Role of co-regulators in cell growth and gene expression.
Current position/institution: Postdoc Fellow, NIH

Benjamin Spike

Appointment Period: 2009-2012, Grant Years: [25,26,27]
Research advisor during training: Dr. Geoff Wahl
Project during training: Functional Molecular Characterization of Mammary and Cancer Stem Cells.
Current position/institution: Assistant Professor, University of Utah
Dr. Spike's Lab Website

Kyle Spinler

Appointment Period: 2015-2017/ Grant Year: [29,30]
Research advisor during training: Tannishtha Reya
Project during training: Understanding drug resistance in pediatric and adulty Acute Myeloid Leukemia.
Current position/institution: In training at UC San Diego

Joshua Stender

Appointment Period: 2008-2010 / Grant Year: [25,25]
Research advisor during training: Dr. Chris Glass
Project during training: Epigenetic Control of Inflammatory Responses.
Current position/institution: Senior Scientist II, AbbVie

E. Paige Stout

Appointment Period: 2011-2013, Grant Years: [27,28]
Research advisor during training: Dr. Tadeusz Molinski
Research project: Drug Discovery using Cell-Free 'Meta-biosynthesis' of Pyrrole-Imidazole Alkaloids.
Current position/institution: Group Leader, Sirenas

Vincent Tagliabracci

Appointment Period: 2011-2013, Grant Years: [27,28]
Research advisor during training: Dr. Jack Dixon
Research project: Regulation of Growth Factor Signaling by a Novel Family of Secreted Protein Kinases.
Current position/institution: Assistant Professor, Molecular Biology, UT Southwestern Medical Center
Dr. Tagliabracci's Lab Website

Zhihua Tao

Appointment Period: 2010-2012, Grant Years: [26,27]
Research advisor during training: Dr. Gourisankar Ghosh
Research project: Structural and mechanistic studies of NF-kB2/p100.
Current position/institution: Senior Scientist, BPS Bioscience

Amy Thorne

Appointment Period: 2015-2016, Grant Years: [29,30]
Research advisor during training: Frank B. Furnari
Research project: Role of FOXP1 in glioblastoma multiforme
Current position/institution: Scientist, Inovio Pharm.

Kevin Tidgewell

Appointment Period: 2008-2010 / Grant Year: [25,25]
Research advisor during training: Dr. Bill Gerwick
Project during training: Natural Products for the Treatment of Complex Disease States: From Plant to Cyanobacteria, From Pain to Cancer.
Current position/institution: Assistant Professor, Duquesne University
Dr. Tidgewell's Lab Website

Ty Troutman

Appointment Period: 2015-2017 / Grant Year: [29, 30]
Research advisor during training: Christopher T. Glass
Project during training: Non-coding enhancer RNA as a cell/tissue specific therapeutic target
Current position/institution: In training at UC San Diego

Stephanie Truhlar

Appointment Period: 2004-2005 / Grant Year: [20]
Research advisor during training: Dr. Betsy Komives
Project during training: Structural Features of the IkappaB-alpha as Determinants of Biological Activity.
Current position/institution: Principal Research Scientist, Eli Lilly

Melanie Webster

Appointment Period: 1996-1997 / Grant Year: [12]
Research advisor during training: Dr. Dan Donoghue
Project during training: FGFR regulation in human developmental disorders.
Current position/institution: Patent Scientist, Campbell & Flores LLP, San Diego, CA

Dominic Yee

Appointment Period: 2006-2008 / Grant Year: [22,23]
Research advisor during training: Dr. Roger Tsien
Project during training: Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) of Protease-Associated Human Diseases for Detection and Treatment of Carcinogenesis.
Current position/institution: Associate, Jones Day

Kay Yeung

Appointment Period: 2016-2017 / Grant Year: [30]
Research advisor during training: Jing Yang
Project during training: Defining the molecular mechanisms of breast cancer metastasis dormancy
Current position/institution: In training at UC San Diego

Wenlai Zhou

Appointment Period: 2007-2008 / Grant Year: [23]
Research advisor during training: Dr. Michael G. Rosenfeld
Project during training: Epigenetic Mechanisms in Prostate Cancer Progression.
Current position/institution: VP Jacobio