DBBS mentors and educators are key to our training mission. Those who serve as primary mentors are DBBS Program Members, and others who participate in the educational mission are General Members. Learn about DBBS Faculty Membership »
To provide a supportive learning environment for our trainees, many DBBS-affiliated faculty have completed eight or more hours of CIMER-based mentorship training with a trained facilitator, as indicated below with a profile badge.

Find faculty of interest by entering a name, program or expertise keyword in the search bar; selecting a PhD program from the drop-down menu; or selecting the last name initial from the A-Z filter.
Joanna Abraham, PhD
Associate Professor
- Email: joannaa@wustl.edu
Program affiliation
Biomedical Informatics and Data Science
Research summary
Improving collaborative practices in healthcare using principles and techniques from informatics to promote patient safety, quality and care continuity
Key words
Communication, Decision support, mental health, telemedicine
Yousef Abu-Amer, PhD
J. Albert Key Professor
- Email: abuamery@wustl.edu
Program affiliation
Molecular Cell Biology
Developmental Regenerative and Stem Cell Biology
Research summary
Investigating molecular mechanisms underlying inflammation-induced degenerative skeletal diseases including joint degeneration, inflammatory arthritis and osteolysis
Key words
Musculoskeletal, inflammatory osteolysis, degenerative, bone biology, Signal transduction, NF-kB, Osteoclast, Bone Metabolism, Joint
Nada Abumrad, PhD
Robert C. Atkins Professor of Obesity Research in Medicine
- Email: nabumrad@wustl.edu
Program affiliation
Molecular Cell Biology
Biochemistry Biophysics and Structural Biology
Research summary
Fatty acids regulate energy balance and tissue renewal. Dysfunction of this regulation causes disease
Key words
fatty acid, transport, disease risk
Joseph Ackerman, PhD
William Greenleaf Eliot Professor
- Email: ackerman@wustl.edu
Program affiliation
General
Research summary
Magnetic resonance spectroscopy and imaging of intact functioning biological systems
Key words
biophysics, cancer, imaging, mathematical modeling, neurobiology
Sarah Ackerman, PhD
Assistant Professor
- Email: sarah.ackerman@wustl.edu
Program affiliation
Neurosciences
Developmental Regenerative and Stem Cell Biology
Molecular Genetics and Genomics
Research summary
Understanding how glia shape developmental and pathological plasticity
Key words
astrocytes, plasticity, circuits, development, myelination
Ramesh Agarwal, PhD
William Palm Professor
- Email: rka@wustl.edu
Program affiliation
General
Research summary
Modeling and simulations of systems and devices involving fluid flow
Key words
Computational Fluid Dynamics, fluid flow, stenosis, cardiovascular modeling, fluid mechanical modeling
Arpana Agrawal, PhD
Associate Professor
- Email: arpana@wustl.edu
Program affiliation
Human and Statistical Genetics
Research summary
Genetic and environment studies of addictions
Key words
Gustav Akk, PhD
Associate Professor
- Email: akk@wustl.edu
Program affiliation
Neurosciences
Molecular Cell Biology
Research summary
Function and modulation of transmitter-gated ion channels
Key words
GABA, ion channel, neurophysiology, nicotinic receptor, pharmacology, structure-function relations
Ream Al-Hasani, PhD
Assistant Professor
- Email: al-hasanir@wustl.edu
Program affiliation
Neurosciences
Molecular Cell Biology
Biochemistry Biophysics and Structural Biology
Research summary
Understanding the endogenous opioid systems to defeat addiction, ameliorate affective disorders, and relieve chronic pain.
Key words
Matthew Albrecht, PhD
Assistant Curator of Conservation Biology
- Email: matthew.albrecht@mobot.org
Program affiliation
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Research summary
Ecology and conservation of rare plants
Key words
plant conservation; reintroduction biology; plant population dynamics; rare plant ecology; restoration ecology; seed and seedling ecology; ex situ conservation
Jennifer Alexander-Brett, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor
- Email: jalexand@wustl.edu
Program affiliation
Immunology
Developmental Regenerative and Stem Cell Biology
Biochemistry Biophysics and Structural Biology
Research summary
Respiratory immunobiology, with particular interest in cytokine pathways associated with lung epithelial progenitors
Key words
Gaya Amarasinghe, PhD
Alumni Endowed Professor
- Email: gamarasinghe@wustl.edu
Program affiliation
Immunology
Biochemistry Biophysics and Structural Biology
Molecular Microbiology and Microbial Pathogenesis
Research summary
Molecular mechanisms at the host-pathogen interface
Key words
biochemistry, structural biology, signaling, virology, host pathogen interactions, immunology
Hongyu An, DSc
Associate Professor
- Email: hongyuan@wustl.edu
Program affiliation
Neurosciences
Research summary
Develop novel imaging methods to deepen our understanding on pathophysiology and improve clinical diagnosis and patient management
Key words
Beau Ances, MD, PhD
Daniel J. Brennan Professor
- Email: bances@wustl.edu
Program affiliation
Neurosciences
Molecular Microbiology and Microbial Pathogenesis
Biomedical Informatics and Data Science
Research summary
Characterization of Dementia (HIV associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND) and Alzheimer`s Disease (AD) using functional magnetic resonance imaging
Key words
Alzheimer’s disease, blood flow, brain mapping, dementia, HIV, MRI
Alison Antes, PhD
Assistant Professor
- Email: aantes@wustl.edu
Program affiliation
General
Research summary
Study of ethical, social, and professional issues that affect patients, researchers, and health care providers
Key words
Rajendra Apte, MD, PhD
Paul A. Cibis Distinguished Professor
- Email: apte@vision.wustl.edu
Program affiliation
Developmental Regenerative and Stem Cell Biology
Neurosciences
Research summary
Innate immunity and immune effector mechanisms in the retina; oxidative stress and cell death; models of developmental angiogenesis and neovascularization; inflammation and photoreceptor survival; macular degeneration
Key words
aging, Angiogenesis, macular degeneration, diabetes, innate immunity, macrophage, retinal degeneration, vascular biology
Maxim Artyomov, PhD
Associate Professor
- Email: martyomov@wustl.edu
Program affiliation
Immunology
Computational and Systems Biology
Biochemistry Biophysics and Structural Biology
Research summary
Systems immunology using high-throughput next-generation sequencing in conjunction with mathematical and statistical modeling approaches rooted in statistical physics
Key words
systems immunology, systems biology, computational biology, RNA-seq
Ghazaleh Ashrafi, PhD
Assistant Professor
- Email: ghazaleh@wustl.edu
Program affiliation
Neurosciences
Molecular Cell Biology
Research summary
Uncovering novel regulators of glycolytic and mitochondrial metabolism at the synapse and their role in the pathology of Alzheimer’s disease
Key words
John Atkinson, MD
Professor
- Email: j.p.atkinson@wustl.edu
Program affiliation
Immunology
Molecular Microbiology and Microbial Pathogenesis
Human and Statistical Genetics
Research summary
Complement activation and regulation in innate and adaptive immunity
Key words
immunology, inflammation, autoimmunity, complement system, innate immunity
Michael Avidan, MBBCh
Dr. Seymour and Rose T. Brown Professor and Head of the Department of Anesthesiology
- Email: avidanm@wustl.edu
Program affiliation
Neurosciences
Research summary
His research interests include intraoperative awareness, postoperative cognitive alteration, brain monitoring during surgery, and postoperative outcomes.
Key words