Faculty

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.

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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.

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Tao Che, PhD

Associate Professor

Program affiliation
Biochemistry Biophysics and Structural Biology
Molecular Cell Biology
Neurosciences

Research summary
Characterizing and dissecting the molecular mechanisms of opioid receptor signaling

Key words
GPCRs, Analgesics, Side effects, opioid receptors, opioids, opioid alternatives

Chun-Kan Chen, PhD

Assistant Professor

Program affiliation
Molecular Cell Biology
Biochemistry Biophysics and Structural Biology
Molecular Genetics and Genomics

Research summary
The Chen lab utilizes multi-omic and high-throughput screening approaches to investigate the regulation and function of circRNA and uncover the molecular mechanisms of circRNA-mediated disease.

Key words
Circular RNA, Oxidative Stress, RNA Translation, Cancer Vaccine

David Chen, MD,PhD

Assistant Professor

Program affiliation
Cancer Biology
Developmental Regenerative and Stem Cell Biology
Molecular Genetics and Genomics

Research summary
Defining drivers of premalignant states in skin

Key words
epigenetics, aging, cancer, premalignancy, dermatology, melanoma, nevi, squamous cell carcinoma

Feng Chen, PhD

Professor

Program affiliation
Developmental Regenerative and Stem Cell Biology
Cancer Biology

Research summary
Molecular genetic studies of kidney diseases and cancer

Key words
Molecular genetics, kidney diseases, cancer, single cell omics, spatial omics

Haobin Chen, MD, PhD

Assistant Professor

Program affiliation
Cancer Biology
Molecular Cell Biology
Molecular Genetics and Genomics

Research summary
Identifying new therapeutic targets of small cell lung cancer

Key words
Lung cancer, DNA damage repair, immunology, drug resistance, genetic screening, translational research, drug development, targeted therapy, precision therapy

Hong Chen, PhD

Associate Professor

Program affiliation
Molecular Cell Biology
Neurosciences
Cancer Biology

Research summary
Advances the field of NeuroSonics by integrating breakthroughs in neuroscience and ultrasonics to deepen our understanding of brain function and transform the diagnosis and treatment of neurological diseases.

Key words
Brain, neuroscience, cancer biology, imaging, ultrasound

Li-Shiun Chen, PhD

Professor

Program affiliation
Biomedical Informatics and Data Science

Research summary
I am a physician scientist with research interest in precision medicine and implemenation science. My research areas include tobacco treatment, pharmacogenomics, precision prevention, health informatics, and vulnerable populations.

Key words
Precision Medicine, Implementation Science, Health Informatics, Addiction, Tobacco

Shiming Chen, PhD

Dr. Bernard and Janet R. Becker Distinguished Professor

Program affiliation
Molecular Genetics and Genomics
Developmental Regenerative and Stem Cell Biology
Neurosciences

Research summary
Molecular mechanisms regulating photoreceptor gene expression in healthy and diseased retinas

Key words
Gene expression regulation, transcription factors, epigenetic regulators, photoreceptor development and degeneration, mouse models, gene therapy

Yao Chen, PhD

Assistant Professor

Program affiliation
Neurosciences
Molecular Cell Biology
Biochemistry Biophysics and Structural Biology
Molecular Genetics and Genomics
Computational and Systems Biology

Research summary
Understanding the function of neuromodulators and sleep through the spatiotemporal dynamics of molecular signals

Key words
neuromodulator, sleep, dynamics, sensors, actuators, signaling, G protein coupled receptors, imaging, microscopy, learning, plasticity, engineering

Ying Chen, MD, PhD

Assistant Professor

Program affiliation
Molecular Genetics and Genomics
Biochemistry Biophysics and Structural Biology
Molecular Cell Biology

Research summary
Understanding the molecular mechanisms of primary nephrotic syndrome (NS)

Key words

Wayland Cheng, MD, PhD

Assistant Professor

Program affiliation
Biochemistry Biophysics and Structural Biology
Neurosciences
Molecular Cell Biology

Research summary
I am interested in the structure and function of neuronal ligand-gated ion channels, and the mechanism of channel modulation by endogenous lipids or exogenous drugs such as general anesthetics.

Key words

Milan Chheda, MD

Associate Professor

Program affiliation
Molecular Genetics and Genomics
Cancer Biology
Immunology
Developmental Regenerative and Stem Cell Biology

Research summary
Cancer stem cells, oncolytic viruses, and functional genomics of brain tumors

Key words
Cancer stem cells, oncolytic viruses, and functional genomics of brain tumors

ShiNung Ching, PhD

Associate Professor

Program affiliation
Neurosciences
Biochemistry Biophysics and Structural Biology

Research summary
The interface between systems and control engineering, neuroscience and neural medicine

Key words
Control of neural dynamics; Biophysical modeling of multiscale brain networks;

Jaehyung Cho, PhD

Professor

Program affiliation
Molecular Cell Biology
Immunology
Biochemistry Biophysics and Structural Biology

Research summary
Understanding the mechanism mediating intravascular cell-cell interactions and vascular occlusion under thromboinflammatory conditions, including thrombosis, ischemia/reperfusion injury, and sickle cell disease

Key words
Platelet, Neutrophil, Thrombosis, Inflammation, Sickle Cell Disease, Intravital microscopy

Jaebok Choi, PhD

Assistant Professor

Program affiliation
Immunology
Molecular Cell Biology
Cancer Biology

Research summary
Understanding T cells and immunoregulatory networks in GvHD and GvL for the treatment of hematopoietic malignancies.

Key words
graft-versus-host disease (GvHD), graft-versus-leukemia (GvL), JAK-STAT, immune cell trafficking, transplant immunology, CRISPR/Cas9

Kyunghee Choi, PhD

Professor

Program affiliation
Developmental Regenerative and Stem Cell Biology
Immunology
Cancer Biology
Molecular Cell Biology

Research summary
Angioimmune interface in development, tissue regeneration, and cancer

Key words
Cell fate, transcription factors, hematopoiesis, vascular, development, regeneration, stem cells, tumor angiogenesis, tumor immunity

Malay Choudhury, PhD

Assistant Professor

Program affiliation
Molecular Cell Biology
Biochemistry Biophysics and Structural Biology

Research summary
Our current research focuses on delineating the cellular, molecular, and metabolic processes involved in the development of fibrotic disorders such as Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and how these metabolic adaptations may in turn be targeted therapeutically for IPF.

Key words
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), metabolic networks, targetable mechanisms driving fibroblast function and fibrosis

Matthew Christopher, MD, PhD

Assistant Professor

Program affiliation
Cancer Biology
Molecular Cell Biology
Developmental Regenerative and Stem Cell Biology

Research summary
Improve outcomes for patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and other hematopoietic malignancies utilizing genomic and molecular biology techniques

Key words

Matthew Ciorba, MD

Associate Professor

Program affiliation
Cancer Biology
Molecular Microbiology and Microbial Pathogenesis
Immunology

Research summary
Tryptophan metabolism and probiotic bacteria as modifiers of intestinal cancer and inflammation

Key words
tryptophan metabolism, intestinal inflammation, colitis associated cancer, colon cancer, mucositis, tryptophan, crohn, colitis, inflammatory bowel disease, radiation enteritis

John Cirrito, PhD

Associate Professor

Program affiliation
Neurosciences

Research summary
Relationship between synaptic activtity and amyloid-beta metabolism in Alzheimer`s disease

Key words
Alzheimer’s disease, drug and target discovery, endocytosis, in vivo microdialysis, synaptic transmission

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