PREP Scholars research alongside our highly skilled faculty on their NIH supported programs. Our mentors possess backgrounds of outstanding research and their programs are supported by the National Institutes of Health.
If accepted to the program, you will be assigned a mentor who matches your personality and your research interests. PREP Scholars have engaged in a variety of research areas.
PREP mentors have a history of training diverse students. A PREP mentor will have:
- Outstanding research program supported by the National Institutes of Health
- Strong record of scientific productivity (Productive labs are energetic and include many other scientists at various levels, providing a dynamic research environment)
- Experience in training (All mentors are trainers in Case Western Reserve's biomedical PhD programs and are thus familiar with the demands of graduate study)
- Active participation in the PREP (Only investigators committed to the goals of the PREP serve as faculty trainers; faculty are expected to provide mentorship in the lab and participate in meetings)
- An attractive and relevant research plan for a PREP Scholar
Research
PREP research mentors and their students cover a wide range of fields and interests. Some recent examples include:
| Mentor | Research Field |
|---|---|
| The interface of chemistry and biology to identify new drug targets and lead molecules for the treatment of neurodegenerative and other diseases. | |
| Robert Bonomo, MD | Structure-function relationships of clinically important beta-lactamases using microbiological and biochemical testing, medicinal chemistry, structural biology, pharmacological analyses, genetics and molecular epidemiology. |
| Protein-Protein Interactions in Cell Signaling of small GTPases, Plexin and Eph receptors. | |
| Neurodegenerative disease, microbiome, immunity, stem cell biology. | |
| Understanding the functional impact of genetic variation, developing statistical and bioinformatics approaches for integrating functional genomics knowledge into genetic analysis, and the use of electronic medical records for translational research. | |
| Catherine Collins, PhD | Understanding the cellular mechanisms of plasticity that allow the nervous system to adapt to impairments in axons. |
| Mitchell Drumm, PhD | Research on genetics of cystic fibrosis and mouse models to study its patho-physiology. |
| George Dubyak, PhD* | Research on cellular signal transduction processes during inflammation, vascular damage, and regulated cell death. |
| Agata Exner, PhD* | Research on drug delivery systems and image-guided interventions for cancer treatment, and multifunctional ultrasound contrast agent development. |
| Understanding the elucidation principles of eye physiology at the molecular level, discerning mechanisms of their regulation, and pathophysiological consequences of their malfunction for ocular health. | |
| Alex Huang, MD, PhD* | Immune activation and tolerance in the pathogenesis of cancer. |
| Mark Jackson, PhD* | Genetics of breast cancer, gene discovery techniques, oncogene signaling, tumor suppressors. |
| Emmitt Jolly, PhD | Research on transcriptional and translational regulation in parasitic worms. |
| Efstathios Karathanasis, PhD | Cancer nanotechnology. |
| Understanding tobacco-related health disparities in populations with socioeconomic disadvantage. | |
| Alan Levine, PhD | Regulation of intestinal immunity, via cross-talk between mucosal T cells, the epithelium, and the microbiome. |
| Jason Mears, PhD* | Structural and functional studies of macromolecular complexes driving mitochondrial fission and how these are misregulated in neurodegeneration and cancer. |
| Understanding the hormonal interactions that control the process and timing of human birth. | |
| Understanding the cell autonomous and non-cell autonomous molecular events involved in spinal bulbar muscular atrophy and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis using induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) models. | |
| Monica Montano, PhD | Factors involved in ER-dependent growth of breast cancer cells. |
| Parameswaran Ramakrishnan, MS, PhD | Inflammation and Autoimmunity |
| Understanding the general principles involved in neuronal identity and synaptic specificity and advance our understanding of how neural circuits emerge during development. | |
| Arne Rietsch, PhD | Virulence mechanisms of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. |
| Understanding the mechanisms that regulate cell fates and states; and developing innovative, multidisciplinary technologies to map the functional states of enteric glial cells in health and across a range of conditions. | |
| Ashleigh Schaffer, PhD | Understanding the unique functions of ubiquitously expressed proteins in human brain development and pediatric neurological disease. |
| Deciphering the inherited genetic architecture of complex traits, assessing the shared genetic etiology of complex phenotypes to elucidate the underlying biology, and ascertaining the clinical impact of inherited genetics. | |
| Carlos Subauste, MD* | Role of CD40 and autophagy in host- pathogen interactions. CD40 signaling in inflammatory disorders. |
| Derek Taylor, PhD* | Structure and molecular interactions of telomeres and telomerase. |
| Paul Tesar, PhD | Molecular regulation of cell identity and development. |
| Erika Trapl, PhD | Research focuses on multiple levels of determinants to prevent and reduce chronic disease. |
| Johannes von Linting, PhD | Research on the metabolism and functions of carotenoids and retinoids. |
| Horst von Recum, PhD | Renewable drug delivery for recurrent or chronic disease. |
| David Wald, MD, PhD | Identification and development of novel therapeutic strategies for cancer with a particular focus on Acute myeloid leukemia (AML). |
| Anthony Wynshaw-Boris, MD, PhD | The molecular genetic basis of social behavior and autism. |
| Understanding the cellular and transcriptional mechanisms regulating the development of oligodendrocyte lineage and the extra cellular matrix during development. |