Education / Graduate Education / Statistics and Facts / 2020/2021 PhD Recipients Thesis Titles

2020/2021 PhD Recipients Thesis Titles

Alessandra Araujo, B.S. University of South Florida, M.S. Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, M.S. University of Rochester; Microbiology and Immunology

Thesis: IFN--Mediated Death of Metabolically Altered Paneth Cells

Jonathan Bartko, B.S. University of Pittsburgh, M.S. University of Rochester; Pathology

Thesis: Characterizing Context-Specific Roles for CHOP in ER Stress Signaling and Neurodevelopment

Nicholas Battaglia, B.S. Case Western Reserve University, M.S. University of Rochester; Microbiology and Immunology

Thesis: Analysis of the effects of scheduling, dexamethasone co-administration, and NKG2A signaling on the anti-tumor immune response elicited by radiotherapy

Advisor: Dr. Edith Lord

Brandon Berry, B.S. SUNY Geneseo, M.S. University of Rochester; Physiology

Thesis: Optogenetic Control of Mitochondria Alters Cellular Energy Sensing and Hypoxia Resistance

Advisor: Dr. Andrew Wojtovich

Katherine Best, B.S. SUNY Geneseo, M.S. University of Rochester; Pathology

Thesis: Defining Tendon Cell Localization, Functions, and Fate During Acute Flexor Tendon Injury and Repair

Advisor: Dr. Alayna Loiselle

Chapin Cavender, B.S. University Of Alabama At Birmingham, M.S. University of Rochester; Biophysics

Thesis: Capturing the influence of solvent and local structure in a fixed-charge force field for RNA

Advisor: Dr. David Mathews

Si Chen, B.S. China Pharmaceutical University, M.S. SUNY at Buffalo, M.S. University of Rochester; Pharmacology

Thesis: Regulation, function and mechanism of phosphodiesterase 10A in pathological cardiac remodeling and dysfunction

Advisor: Dr. Yan Chen

Fu-Ju Chou, B.S. Taipei Medical University, M.S. National Cheng Kung University, M.S. University of Rochester; Pathology

Thesis: The New Therapeutic Strategies for Improving the Efficacy and Reducing the Adverse Effects of Radiotherapy for Early Stage of Prostate Cancer

Advisor: Dr. Chawnshang Chang

Allison Ciesla, B.S. St. Lawrence University, M.S. Case Western Reserve University; Epidemiology

Thesis: Occupational Contribution to Pesticide Exposure: The General Population and a Survey of Migrant Farmworkers

Advisor: Dr. Edwin van Wijngaarden

Thareendra De Zoysa, B.S. University of Colombo, M.S. University of Rochester, Ph.D. University Of Massachusetts-Lowell; Biochemistry

Thesis: Similarities and differences in tRNA quality control decay pathways in evolutionarily distant yeast species

Advisor: Dr. Eric Phizicky

Lorne Farovitch, B.A. Gallaudet University, B.S. Gallaudet University, M.S. Rochester Institute of Technology; Translational Biomedical Science

Thesis: Surveillance of Global Tick-borne Disease in Ecological Context: Geographic Distribution, Novel Biodiagnostic Testing, and Preventive Strategies for the Deaf Population

Advisor: Dr. Timothy Dye and Dr. Benjamin Miller

Ashley Fields, B.S. Bellarmine College, M.S. University of Rochester; Toxicology

Thesis: Vitamin B6 deficiency during pregnancy: a mouse model to study mechanisms underlying gestational diabetes mellitus

Advisor: Dr. Martha Susiarjo

Elizabeth Greener, B.S. University of Nebraska-Lincoln; Health Services Research and Policy

Thesis: When your Pregnancy is a Crime: How Child Welfare Policy Impacts Healthcare Utilization and Outcomes for Pregnant Women with Substance Use Disorders

Advisor: Dr. Elaine Hill

Booyeon Han, B.A. Princeton University, M.S. University of Rochester; Microbiology and Immunology

Thesis: Characterizing and Targeting the Pancreatic Tumor Draining Lymph Node to Enhance Antitumor Responses in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma

Advisor: Dr. Scott Gerber

Fanfan Hao, B.S. Hunan University, M.S. New York University, M.S. University of Rochester; Biochemistry

Thesis: Identifying Molecular Determinants of the Structure of the Intrinsically Disordered H1.0 Carboxyl-Terminal Domain

Advisor: Dr. Jeffrey Hayes

Denise Herr, B.S. Duquesne, M.S. Duquesne; Toxicology

Thesis: Effects of concentrated ambient ultrafine particulate matter on the progression of Alzheimer’s disease-related pathology in the 3xTgAD mouse model

Advisor: Dr. Alison Elder

Joshua Hinkle, B.A. SUNY Stony Brook, M.S. University of Rochester; Neuroscience

Thesis: Cranial irradiation causes dendritic spine loss that is microglial complement receptor 3-dependent and associated with cognitive impairment

Advisor: Dr. Kerry O’Banion and Dr. John Olschowka

Ashley Holub, B.S. SUNY at Buffalo, M.A. Medaille College; Epidemiology

Thesis: Stress, Health Behaviors, and Health Outcomes in Caregivers of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Advisor: Dr. Edwin van Wijngaarden

Yeunkyung Kim, B.A. University of Wisconsin-Madison; Health Services Research and Policy

Thesis: Impact of Medicare Shared Savings Program on 30-day Rehospitalization, Post-Acute Care Use, and Variations by Payer Status and Race/Ethnicity

Advisor: Dr. Yue Li

Lianlian Lei, B.A. Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, M.A. Shanghai University of Finance and Economics; Health Services Research and Policy

Thesis: Continuity of Care and Health Care Utilization and Cost among Community-dwelling Older Veterans with Dementia

Advisor: Dr. Orna Intrator

Elizabeth Lindsay, B.S. SUNY Brockport, M.S. University of Rochester; Microbiology and Immunology

Thesis: Dynamic Regulation in Streptococcus mutans by the Transcriptional Regulator TreR

Advisor: Dr. Robert Quivey

Colin Lockwood, B.S. Vanderbilt University, M.S. University of Rochester; Neurobiology and Anatomy

Thesis: Task Modulation of Optic Flow Responses: Neural and Neuronal Mechanisms

Advisor: Dr. Charles Duffy

Lingfeng Luo, B.S. Zhejiang University, M.S. University of Rochester; Biochemistry

Thesis: Roles of Cyclic Nucleotide Phosphodiesterases in Smooth Muscle Cells and the Pathogenesis of Vascular Restenosis

Advisor: Dr. Chen Yan

Luke Marr, B.S. SUNY Geneseo, M.S. University of Rochester; Biochemistry

Thesis: Probing genome-wide native chromatin structure via histone surface accessibilities

Advisor: Dr. Jeffrey Hayes

Philip Meacham, B.S. Rochester Institute of Technology, M.S. Georgetown University; Epidemiology

Thesis: Evaluating the risk of second lymphoid malignancies

Advisor: Dr. David Rich

Monique Mendes, B.S. University of Florida, M.S. University of Rochester; Neuroscience

Thesis: The kinetics of microglial ontogeny and maturation in the adult brain

Advisor: Dr. Ania Majewska

Humberto Mestre Payne, B.S. Anahuac University, M.S. University of Rochester; Neuroscience

Thesis: Fluid transport in the brain

Advisor: Dr. Maiken Nedergaard

Kathleen Miller-Rhodes, B.S. St Lawrence University, M.S. University of Rochester; Neuroscience

Thesis: SOD3 effects on lung-brain coupling and reperfusion injury following acute ischemic stroke

Advisor: Dr. Marc Halterman

Patrick Miller-Rhodes, B.A. SUNY Geneseo, M.S. University of Rochester; Neuroscience

Thesis: The Mixed-lineage Kinase 3 Inhibitor URMC-099 Exhibits Broad-Spectrum Activity in Mouse Models of Perioperative Neurocognitive Disorders

Advisor: Dr. Harris Gelbard

Stephanie Monticelli, B.S. University Of Missouri-Columbia, M.S. University of Rochester, M.P.H. University of Rochester; Microbiology and Immunology

Thesis: Characterization of the Role of the Poxvirus Extracellular Virion-Specific Glycoproteins A33, A34, and B5 for Infectivity and Pathogenesis

Advisor: Dr. Brian Ward

Jessica Orth, B.A. University of Minnesotra-Morris, M.S. University of Iowa, M.P.H. University of North Dakota; Health Services Research and Policy

Thesis: Quality of End-of-Life Care among Nursing Home Residents with Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementia: Impact of Patient Safety Culture and State Regulations

Advisor: Dr. Helena Temkin-Greener

Laura Owlett, B.S. SUNY Geneseo, B.S. SUNY Geneseo, M.S. University of Rochester; Neurobiology and Anatomy

Thesis: Modulation of acute inflammation and Alzheimer’s disease pathology by Gas6-Axl interaction

Advisor: Dr. Kerry O’Banion

Rohith Palli, B.S. University of Pittsburgh, M.S. University of Rochester; Biophysics

Thesis: Executable models of signaling pathways and application to HIV

Advisor: Dr. Juilee Thakar

Daphne Pariser, B.S. Flagler College, M.S. University of Rochester; Microbiology and Immunology

Thesis: Lung Megakaryocytes are a Novel Immune Modulatory Cell and Present Antigen to CD4+ T

Advisor: Dr. Craig Morrell

Sarah Phelan, B.S. Roberts Wesleyan College, M.S. University of Rochester; Toxicology

Thesis: The Off-Target Effects of the Ultraviolet Radiation Filter Octinoxate in Skin

Advisor: Dr. Lisa DeLouise

Jonathan Pinney, B.A. Hamilton College, M.S. University of Rochester; Microbiology and Immunology

Thesis: Discovery of macrophage hypophagia as a critical regulator of antibody mediated cellular cytotoxicity

Advisor: Dr. Michael Elliott

Priyanka Saminathan, B.S. VIT University, M.S. SUNY College at Buffalo, M.S. University of Edinburgh; Microbiology and Immunology

Thesis: An Investigation Into The Effects Of URMC-099 On Peripheral Immune Cells In Neuroinflammatory Disease Models

Advisor: Dr. Harris Gelbard

Jerry Saunders, B.S. Brandeis University, B.A. Brandeis University, M.S. Mount Sinai School of Medicine, M.S. University of Rochester; Pathology

Thesis: 16, 16-Dimethyl prostaglandin E2 (dmPGE2) and lisinopril cooperatively improve survival and mitigate injury in hematopoietic-acute radiation syndrome (H-ARS)

Advisor: Dr. James Palis

Sydney Simpson, B.S. University of Rochester, M.S. University of Rochester; Microbiology and Immunology

Thesis: Characterization of Two Disparate Modes by which Viruses Exploit Hostfactors to Promote their own Dissemination and Replication

Advisor: Dr. Stephen Dewhurst

Louis Smith, B.S. University of Chicago, M.S. University of Rochester; Biophysics

Thesis: RNA Molecular Interactions Studied Through Simulation and Experiment

Advisor: Dr. David Mathews

Jiatong Sui, B.S. Xiamen University, M.A. University of Rochester; Statistics

Thesis: Generalized Reduced Rank Correlation Structure in Statistical Inference and Multi-Type Data Integration

Advisor: Dr. Xing Qiu

Matthew Tanner, B.S. University of Oregon, M.S. University of Rochester; Genetics

Thesis: mRNA splicing is a marker of molecular pathology and response to therapeutics in myotonic muscular dystrophy

Advisor: Dr. Charles Thornton

Janelle Veazey, B.S. Messiah College, M.S. University of Rochester; Microbiology and Immunology

Thesis: Protein Kinase D- A Key Regulator of Pulmonary Barrier and Early Innate Immunity in the Lung

Advisor: Dr. Steve Georas

Denisse Vega Ocasio, B.S. University of Puerto Rico, M.P.H. Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science; Translational Biomedical Science

Thesis: Psychosocial distress and its impact on immune modulation of arbovirus infection in Machala, Ecuador

Advisor: Dr. Timothy Dye and Dr. Craig Morrell

Jesse Wang, B.S. University Of Connecticut; Translational Biomedical Science

Thesis: A Patient-Centered Digital Scribe

Advisor: Dr. Henry Kautz

Ronghao Wang, B.S. Xiamen University, M.S. Xiamen University, M.S. University of Rochester; Pathology

Thesis: The roles of AR variants in Enzalutamide resistant prostate cancer

Advisor: Dr. Chawnshang Chang

Sijiu Wang, B.S. Peking University, M.S. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor; Health Services Research and Policy

Thesis: The Impact of Medicaid HCBS Generosity On Transitions from Skilled Nursing Facilities to Community and Beyond

Advisor: Dr. Shubing Cai

Emily Weber, B.S. Augustana College, M.S. University of Rochester; Microbiology and Immunology

Thesis: Investigating the Role of Tetherin in Monocyte Derived Microparticle Regulation during HIV Infection

Advisor: Dr. Stephen Dewhurst

Candace Wong, B.S. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, M.S. University of Rochester; Toxicology

Thesis: The Effect of Alzheimer’s Disease State and Environmental Exposures on Nanoparticle Biodistribution

Advisor: Dr. Alison Elder

Chao Xue, B.S. Peking University Health Science Center, M.S. University of Rochester; Pathology

Thesis: Cyclophilin A is a Novel Mediator of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension

Advisor: Dr. Bradford Berk