Edward Auyang, MD (2007-2009) - Mentors: Nathaniel J. Soper,  Eric Hungness
Dr. Auyang’s research is focused on minimally invasive surgery, surgical simulations, and instrumentation development. Located in the Northwestern Center for Advanced Surgical Education (N-CASE), his research includes development of new techniques and instrumentation in the emerging field of Natural Orifice Translumenal Endoscopic Surgery (NOTES), validation of surgical simulations, development of new instrumentation for open and laparoscopic surgery, and developing training tools for surgical education. He also has an interest in the biomechanics and ergonomics of surgery and surgical instrumentation.

Melissa Hogg, MD (2007-2009) - Mentor: Melina R. Kibbe, MD

Dr. Hogg and and the lab focuses on the effects on nitric oxide on neoinitmal hyperplasia which leads to restenosis after vascular injury. Specifically Dr. Hogg is looking into the effects of gender and hormone status on vascular injury in general and after nitric oxide-based therapies have been applied.  Dr. Hogg is looking at systemic sex hormone status, estrogen and androgen receptor pathways in the vascular system, and aromatase expression in endothelial and vascular smooth muscle cells and whether variations in these pathways affect vascular injury.

Tammy Lyn Kindel, MD (2007-2009)
Dr. Kindel's research interests include studying the mechanisms underlying the rapid resolution of type 2 diabetes in patients undergoing roux-en-y gastric bypass (RYGB) procedures for the treatment of morbid obesity.  Using Rodent models of type 2 diabetes,  Dr. Kindel studies the effects of both RYBG and duodenal-jejunal exclusion independent of weight loss on the secretion of gut hormones involved in meal-related glucose homeostasis.

Colleen Jay  (2008-Present)
Dr. Colleen Jay is currently completing a two-year NRSA T32 training fellowship with the Division of Organ Transplantation focusing on outcomes research.  Dr. Jay is focusing on identifying important risk predictors for post-liver transplant outcomes with a special interest in extended criteria grats including Donation after Cardiac Death and living donor liver transplants.  She also engaged in several studies evaluating the cost-effectiveness of these alternative grafts.

Mehul V. Raval, MD (2007-2009) - Mentors: Mark Talamonti, David Bentrem, Clifford Ko, Marleta Reynolds     
Dr. Raval's research interests include outcomes research and establishing practice guidelines in pediatric surgery.  Dr. Raval is involved in several projects at the ACS which includes as assessment of the multi-specialty representation in the NSQIP program as well as participating in alpha testing with the pediatric  NSQIP module.  Dr. Raval also started projects with the National Cancer Data Base (NCDB) including an assessment of overall pediatric representation and a study of nodal evaluation in pediatric Wilms' Tumors.  Other projects using the NCDB include topics in pediatric thyroid cancer including prognostic factors associated with medullary thyroid cancer and trends in treatment of papillary and follicular thyroid cancers. 

Jonathan Rink, PhD Candidate (2004-Present)
Jonathan Rink, is currently a Graduate Student in Northwestern University's Integrated Graduate Program in the Life Sciences (IGP).

Matt Strouch, MD (2007 – 2009) - Mentors: David J. Bentrem, Paul J. Grippo
Dr. Strouch and the lab focuses on investigating novel therapeutics against pancreatic cancer. Currently they are working with a Kras knockout mouse model which develops precancerous pancreatic lesions.  Together they are studying the effects that omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acid diets have on progression of precancer. Further, the mechanisms by which omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids affect pancreatic cancer are being evaluated in vitro. In addition Dr. Strouch's is evaluating novel genetic and prognostic markers for pancreatic cancer using their human pancreas tumor bank.

Vinit Varu, MD (2007 – 2009) – Mentor: Melina R. Kibbe, MD
Diabetes leads to an increase in morbidity and mortality following vascular procedures secondary to neointimal hyperplasia and subsequent restenosis and failure. Reactive oxygen species play a significant role in the pathogenesis of vascular disease in the diabetic environment and has been shown to play a prominent part in neointimal hyperplasia formation. Dr. Varu and the lab have recently shown that nitric oxide reduces neointimal hyperplasia more effectively in a diabetic environment, but it is unclear what the etiology of this is.   Dr. Varu plans to investigate how exactly nitric oxide exerts its effect on neointimal hyperplasia greater in diabetes, with a focus on the role of its interaction with reactive oxygen species.

Ashley Vavra, MD (2007-2009) - Mentor: Melina R. Kibbe, MD
Atherosclerosis is the leading cause of death and disability in the United States. Therapeutic modalities for arterial atherosclerosis include balloon angioplasty and stenting, endarterectomy, or bypass grafting.  Unfortunately, the long term patency of these interventions is limited by high incidence of restenosis secondary to the development of neointimal hyperplasic.   Dr. Vavra's research and the lab focuses on the role of Nitric Oxide (NO) in preventing the process of neointimal hyperplasia.   Specific projects include development of NO-based therapies through the use of gels, powders and films as well as the development of an ePTFE grafted lined with endothelial cell progenitor cells for use in arterial bypass.

Jonathan Rink, (2004-Present, Graduate Student, Northwestern University Integrated Graduate Program in the Life Sciences (IGP) -  Mentor: Dixon Kaufman, MD PhD Transplantation of pancreatic islets to the liver exposed the islets to a number of harmful factors, including proinflammatory cytokines.  These cytokines cause beta cell dysfunction and death, leading to the loss of half of the transplanted islet mass within a few days post transplantation. Jonathan Rink's research is aimed at preventing this loss of islet mass through inhibition of the transcription factor NF-kappaB, which mediates some of the negative effects of the proinflammatory cytokines in pancreatic beta cells.