Entering 2022 // 2nd Year Residents
Shane Kaski, MD, PhD
Primary Clinical Area of Interest: pulmonary/critical care medicine
Priyanka Solanki, MD
Primary Clinical Area of Research: cardiology, preventive medicine
Nate Tolman, MD
Primary Clinical Area of Interest: structural cardiology, preventive cardiology
Entering 2020
Nikhita Chahal
Primary Research Area of Interest: Women’s Health, Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, Infertility
Primary Clinical Area of Interest: Endocrinology
Publications +
Peer-Reviewed Research Manuscripts
- Ghassabian A, Sundaram R, Chahal N, Bell EM, Lawrence DA, Gilman SE, Yeung EH. Concentrations of immune marker in newborn dried blood spots and early childhood development: Results from the Upstate KIDS Study. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 32(4): 337-345. (Epub, 2018 July 4; PMID: 29972605; doi: 10.1111/ppe.12485)
- Ghassabian A, Sundaram R, Chahal N, Bell EM, Lawrence DA, Yeung EH. Determinants of Neonatal Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor and Association with Child Development. Development and Psychopathology 29(4): 1499-1511. (Epub, 2017 May 2; PMID: 28462726; doi: 10.1017/S0954579417000414)
- Vollet K, Ghassabian A, Sundaram R, Chahal N, Yeung EH. Prenatal Fish Oil Supplementation and Early Childhood Development in the Upstate KIDS Study. Journal of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease 8(4): 465-473. (Epub, 2017 Apr 24; PMID: 28434427; doi: 10.1017/S2040174417000253)
- Chahal N, McLain AC, Ghassabian A, Michels KA, Bell EM, Lawrence DA, Yeung EH. Maternal Smoking and Newborn Cytokine and Immunoglobulin Levels. Nicotine and Tobacco Research 19(7): 789-796. (PMID: 28011791; doi: 10.1093/ntr/ntw324)
- Broadney M, Chahal N, Michels KA, McLain AC, Ghassabian A, Lawrence DA, Yeung EH. Impact of Parental Obesity on Neonatal Markers of Inflammation and Immune Response. International Journal of Obesity 41(1): 30-37. (Epub, 2016 Oct 26; PMID: 27780976; doi: 10.1038/ijo.2016.187
Peer-Reviewed Research Manuscripts Submitted
Chahal N, Quinn M, Greenwood EA, Kao CN, Cedars MI, Huddleston H. Comparison of Metabolic Syndrome Elements in Caucasian and Asian Women with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome: Results of a Regional American Cohort Study. Fertility & Sterility Reports.
Linda Jiang
Primary Research Area of Interest: Gastroenterology
Primary Clinical Area of Interest: Gastroenterology
Jonathan Li
Primary Research Area of Interest – Clinical immunology, autoimmunity, interstitial lung disease, medical education, epidemiology
Primary Clinical Area of Interest – Autoimmune disease, lung disease, environmental and occupational medicine
Publications +
- Li, Jonathan C., and Danielle Casher. “The impact of an urban scrapyard fire on respiratory-related pediatric emergency department visits.” Journal of occupational and environmental medicine 62.9 (2020): 764-770.
- Caruana, Dennis L. BS; Huang, Po Hsuan BS; Li, Jonathan C. MD; Cheslack-Postava, Keely PhD; Szema, Anthony M. MD. Allergy and Lung Injury among Rescue Workers Exposed to the World Trade Center Disaster Assessed 17 Years after Exposure to Ground Zero, Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine: May 12, 2020 – Volume Publish Ahead of Print – Issue – doi: 10.1097/JOM.0000000000001903
- Chua A, Nichols J, Li J C, et al. (July 09, 2020) Disseminated Tuberculosis Involving Lung, Peritoneum, and Endometrium in an Immunocompetent 17-Year-Old Patient. Cureus 12(7): e9081. doi:10.7759/cureus.9081
- Li J, Nandiraju D, Jabbour S, Kubey A.Pancytopenia and Lymphoid Organ Hyperplasia in a Patient with Graves’ Disease and response to Antithyroid Drug Therapy. AACE Clinical Case Reports: November/December 2019, Vol. 5, No. 6, pp. e388-e392.
- Dang, S. , Duffy, A. , Li, J. C., Gandee, Z. , Rana, T. , Gunville, B. , Zhan, T. , Curry, J. , Luginbuhl, A. , Cottrill, E. and Cognetti, D. (2019), Postoperative opioid‐prescribing practices in otolaryngology: A multiphasic study. The Laryngoscope. doi:10.1002/lary.28101
- Li J, Wilson J, Lau W, 2019, ‘A case report of case report pursuit by medical student’, MedEdPublish, 8, [2], 3, https://doi.org/10.15694/mep.2019.000073.1
- Rose DR, Li J, Berk MA. Rheumatoid Meningitis with Elevated Cyclic Citrullinated Peptide Antibodies and No Evidence of Arthritic Disease (P1.2-028). Neurology Apr 2019, 92 (15 Supplement) P1.2-028;
- Lin D., Li J., Razi R., Qamar N., Levine L., Zimmerman T., Hamidi S.A., Schmidt M., Golightly M.G., Rueb T., Harrington A., Garnett M., Antonawich F., McClain S., Miller E., Cox C., Hsuan P.H., & Szema A.M. (2018) Rux largely restores lungs in Iraq PM-exposed mice, Up-regulating regulatory T-cells (Tregs), Experimental Lung Research, DOI: 10.1080/01902148.2018.1459957
- Szema AM, Forsyth E, Ying B, Hamidi SA, Chen JJ, Hwang S, Li JC, Sabatini Dwyer D, Ramiro-Diaz JM, Giermakowska W, Gonzalez Bosc LV. NFATc3 and VIP in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. Zhao Y-Y, ed. PLoS ONE. 2017;12(1):e0170606. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0170606.
- Mbuthia, J., Szema, A. M., Li, J. (2015). Allergic airway disease and deployment to the Middle East. In Baird, C., Harkins, D. (Eds.), Airborne hazards related to deployment (pp. 131-138). Fort Sam Houston, TX: Borden Institute.
Tarryn Tertulien
Primary Research Area of Interest: Health disparities, Social determinants, Cardiology
Primary Clinical Area of Interest: Cardiology
Entering 2019
Fei-Pi (Phoebe) Lin
Primary Research Area of Interest: Liver Transplant, frailty, cardiac-liver axis
Primary Clinical Area of Interest: Gastroenterology/Transplant Hepatology
Research Project Title:
- Etiology of Cirrhosis and Comorbidities Contribute to Risk of Frailty in Advanced Liver Disease
- Usefulness of cardiopulmonary exercise testing for cardiovascular risk estimation and frailty assessment in liver transplant candidates
Mentor: Dr. Andres Duarte-Rojo, Dr. Michael A. Dunn
Timothy Suyong Kim
Primary Research area of Interest: Heart Failure Outcomes, Cardiac Imaging
Primary Clinical Area of Research: Pulmonary Hypertension
Research Project Title: Defining Alterations of Brain Connectivity in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension
Jingxiao Jin
Primary Research Area of Interest: Cancer immunotherapy outcomes
Primary Clinical Area of Interest: Solid tumors, Hematology/Oncology
Entering 2018
Tiffany Brazile
Primary Research Area of Interest: Cardiology, Medical Technology
Primary Clinical Area of Interest: Cardiology
Research Project Title: 1. Association of mortality and BMI in patients with cardiomyopathy of any etiology; 2. Analysis of modifiable risk factors contributing to morbidity and mortality in patients with myocardial infarction; 3. Evaluation and characterization of cardiac involvement via cardiac magnetic resonance in patients with sarcoidosis
Mentor: Dr. Saba, Dr. Nouraie
Jennifer Rodriguez
Primary Research Area of Interest: Gastroenterology
Primary Clinical Area of Interest: Gastroenterology (IBD, Hepatology, Pancreaticobiliary)
Research Project Title: After-Hours Patient Phone Calls to GI Fellows within an IBD Medical Home
Mentor: Dr. Yadav
Bailey Sparks
Primary Research Area of Interest: Hospital Medicine
Primary Clinical Area of Interest: Critical Care, End of life decision making
Research Project Title: Physician Prognostication of Future Disability for Critically Ill Patients
Mentor: Doug White, MD, MAS
Publications +
Sparks, B. E., Cavarocchi, N. C., & Hirose, H. (2017). Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation with multiple-organ failure: Can molecular adsorbent recirculating system therapy improve survival?. The Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation, 36(1), 71-76.
Entering 2017
Dustin McCurry
Primary Research Area of Interest: Cancer Immunotherapy
Primary Clinical Area of Interest: Hematology Oncology and Critical Care
Research Project Title: Tumor Burden and Metabolic Dysregulation in Sentinel Lymph Nodes of Melanoma Patients
Mentor: Dr. Yana Najjar
Publications +
McCurry DB*, Pathangey LB*, Gendler SJ, Dominguez AL, Gorman JE, Pathangey G, Mihalik LA, Dang Y, Disis ML, and Cohen PA. Surrogate in vitro activation of innate immunity synergizes with interleukin-7 to unleash rapid antigen-driven outgrowth of CD4+ and CD8+ human peripheral blood T-cells naturally recognizing MUC1, HER2/neu and other tumor-associated antigens. Oncotarget, 2016 Dec 11. (*Co-first authors)
Lakshminarayanan V, Supekar NT, Wei J, McCurry DB, Dueck AC, Kosiorek HE, Trivedi PP, Bradley JM, Madsen CS, Pathangey LB, Hoelzinger DB, Wolfert MA, Boons GJ, Cohen PA, and Gendler SJ. MUC1 vaccines, comprised of glycosylated or non-glycosylated peptides or tumor-derived MUC1, can circumvent immunoediting to control tumor growth in MUC1 transgenic mice. PLoS One, 2016 Jan 20;11(1):e0145920
Cohen PA, Ko JS, Storkus WJ, Spencer CD, Bradley JM, Gorman JE, McCurry DB, Zorro-Manrique S, Dominguez AL, Pathangey LB, Rayman PA, Rini BI, Gendler SJ, and Finke JH. Myeloid-derived suppressor cells adhere to physiologic STAT3- vs STAT5- dependent hematopoietic programming, establishing diverse tumor-mediated mechanisms of immunologic escape. Immunol Invest, 2012;41(6-7):680-710.
Pardee AD, McCurry D, Alber S, Hu P, Epstein AL, and Storkus, WJ. A Therapeutic OX40 Agonist Dynamically Alters Dendritic, Endothelial and T Cell Subsets Within the Established Tumor Microenvironment. Cancer Research, 2010 Nov 15;70(22):9041-52.
Elizabeth Oczypok
Primary Research Area of Interest: General Medicine
Primary Clinical Area of Interest: General Internal Medicine
Research Project Title: The role of serum Wnt modulators on metabolism and body composition
Mentor: Dr. Erin Kershaw
Jo Pi
Primary Research Area of Interest: Cardiology
Primary Clinical Area of Interest: Pulmonary Hypertension, Cardiac Imaging
Research Project Title: Management of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension in a Designated Comprehensive Care Center (CCC) Is Associated with Better Outcomes Compared to non-CCC Hospitals; Free-Breathing, Motion-Corrected Late Gadolinium Enhancement is a Valuable Tool for Predicting Outcomes in High Risk Cardiac Patients
Mentor: Dr. Stephen Chan, Dr. Eric Schelbert
Entering 2016
Sumedha Chablani
Primary Research Area of Interest: GI malignancies, Quality of life, Mindfulness meditation
Primary Clinical Area of Interest: Gastroenterology
Research Project Title: Biomarkers associated with the development of colorectal cancer among IBD patients
Mentor: Dr. David Binion
Publications +
Chablani SV, Cohen N, White D, Itzkowitz SH, DuHamel K, Jandorf L. Colorectal cancer screening preferences among black and Latino primary care patients. Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health: 2016. DOI: 10.1007/s10903-016-0453-8.
Carluccio A, Sundaram NK, Chablani S, Amrock LG, Lambert JK, Post KD, Geer EB. Predictors of quality of life in 102 patients with treated Cushing’s Disease. Clinical Endocrinology 82(3): 404-11, 2015. DOI: 10.1111/cen.12521.
Natalie Klar
Primary Research Area of Interest: Hematology-Oncology
Primary Clinical Area of Interest: Hematology-Oncology
Research Project Title: Comparison of Extracardiac Tracer Activity Between Standard Regadenoson and Regadenoson on the Treadmill Stress Protocols.” And “Outcomes of TAVI in patients with concomitant Mitral Stenosis and Pulmonary Hypertension. An analysis of valve calcium burden
Mentor: Dr. Adam Brufsky
Ricardo Nieves
Primary Research Area of Interest: Cardiology and Critical Care
Primary Clinical Area of Interest: Cardiology
Research Project Title: Comparison of Extracardiac Tracer Activity Between Standard Regadenoson and Regadenoson on the Treadmill Stress Protocols; Investigation of SPECT imaging in Flow Quantification of Myocardial Perfusion; Affect of Syringe Type in Radiotracer delivery for SPECT Myocardial Perfusion Imaging; Outcomes of TAVI in patients with concomitant Mitral Stenosis and Pulmonary Hypertension. An analysis of valve calcium burden
Mentor: Drs. Robert Schoen and David Binion
Entering 2015
Debbie Cheng
Primary Research Area of Interest: Inflammatory Bowel Disease, GI Malignancy
Primary Clinical Area of Interest: Gastroenterology
Research Project Title: Quality Improvement in Management of Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Mentor: Dr. David Binion
Publications +
IH Wei, CM Harmon, M Arcerito, D Cheng, RM Minter, DM Simeone. “Tumor-Associated Macrophages Are a Useful Biomarker to Predict Recurrence After Surgical Resection of Nonfunctional Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors.” Annals of Surgery, pending publication.
JE Roger, A Hiriyanna, N Gotoh, H Hao, D Cheng, R Ratnapriya, MA Kautzmann, B Chang, A Swaroop. “OTX2 loss causes rod differentiation defect in CRX-associated congenital blindness” The Journal of Clinical Investigation, 124 (2): 2014 Feb.
S Cai, K Vijayan, D Cheng, EM Lima, DE Discher. “Micelles of Different Morphologies – Advantages of Worm-like Filomicelles of PEO-PCL in Paclitaxel Delivery,” Pharmaceutical Research, 13 June 2007.
Jennifer Rodriguez
Primary Research Area of Interest: Gastric and pancreatic cancers, Palliative Medicine
Primary Clinical Area of Interest: Hematology-Oncology, Palliative Medicine
Entering 2014
Jonathan Arnold
Primary Research Area of Interest: Computer aided clinical decision making and the intersection of medical information technology and clinical medicine
Primary Clinical Area of Interest: General Internal Medicine
Research Project Title: Maintaining Activity and Nutrition through Technology-Assisted Innovation in Primary Care (MAINTAIN-PC); Comparison of physician and automated prediction of clinical deterioration on the general medicine floors; Evaluation of vancomycin loading vs non-loading doses on the general medicine floors
Mentor: Molly Conroy,MD, MPH, FACSM; Janel Hanmer, MD, PhD; Kathleen Sheridan, DO
Woody Chang
Primary Clinical Area of Interest: Hematology Oncology and Critical Care
Mentor: Dr. Steven Handler
Emily Guhl
Primary Research Area of Interest: Cardiology outcomes
Primary Clinical Area of Interest: Cardiology
Research Project Title: Efficacy of Cryoballoon Pulmonary Vein Isolation in Patients with Persistent Atrial Fibrillation
Mentor: Dr. Sandeep Jain
Publications +
Attanasio S., Mithani A., Appis A., Guhl E., Nathan S. Long-term Safety And Efficacy Of Drug-eluting Stents (DES) Versus Bare Metal Stents (BMS) in Public Health System Patients Stratified By Presentation Acuity At The Time Of Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) J Am Coll Cardiol Intv. 2013 6:10
Mithani A., Attanasio S., Appis A., Guhl E., Polonsky T., Nathan S. Lower socioeconomic status predicts major adverse cardiac events (MACE) and increased mortality post-percutaneous intervention (PCI): Independent hazard vs. intersection of modifiable risk factors?. TCT Abstracts – J Am Coll Cardiol 2012 60:17
O’Connor AR., Guhl E., Cox J., Dobbins IG. Some Memories are Odder than Others: Judgments of Episodic Oddity Violate Known Decision Rules. Journal of Memory and Language(2011) 64 (4), 299-315
Entering 2013
George Cater
Primary Research Area of Interest: Cardiology
Primary Clinical Area of Interest: Cardiology
Research Project Title: Cardiac MRI extracellular volume expansion and pulmonary hypertension: Associations of a novel cardiac biomarker
Mentor: Dr. Timothy Wong
Publications +
Coronary Artery Plaque Volume and Obesity in Patients with Diabetes: The Factor-64 Study. Kwan AC, May HT, Cater GM, Sibley CT, Rosen BD, Lima JA, Rodriguez K, Lappe DL, Muhlestein JB, Anderson JL, Bluemke DA. Radiology. 2014 May 17:140611.PMID: 24754493
Beyond Coronary Stenosis: Coronary Computed Tomographic Angiography for the Assessment of Atherosclerotic Plaque Burden. Kwan AC, Cater G, Vargas J, Bluemke DA. Curr Cardiovasc Imaging Rep. 2013 Apr 1;6(2):89-101. PMID: 23524381
3.0-T whole-heart coronary magnetic resonance angiography: comparison of gadobenate dimeglumine and gadofosveset trisodium. Raman FS, Nacif MS, Cater G, Gai N, Jones J, Li D, Sibley CT, Liu S, Bluemke DA. Int J Cardiovasc Imaging. 2013 Jun;29(5):1085-94. PMID: 23515949
Downstream coronary effects of drug-eluting stents. Krasuski RA, Cater GM, Devendra GP, Wolski K, Shishehbor MH, Nissen SE, Oberti C, Ellis SG. Am Heart J. 2011 Oct;162(4):764-771.e1. PMID: 21982671
The effect of gemfibrozil, niacin and cholestyramine combination therapy on metabolic syndrome in the Armed Forces Regression Study. Krasuski RA, Devendra GP, Cater G, Whitney EJ. Am J Med Sci. 2011 May;341(5):378-82. PMID: 21358314
Engineering liver tissue spheroids with inverted colloidal crystal scaffolds. Lee J, Cuddihy MJ, Cater GM, Kotov NA.Biomaterials. 2009 Sep;30(27):4687-94. PMID: 19524294
Leigh Klaus
Primary Research Area of Interest: Hematology/Oncology
Primary Clinical Area of Interest: Hematology/Oncology
Research Project Title: Dendritic Cell-Based Vaccines in the Treatment of Recurrent Prostate Cancer
Matthew Klinge
Primary Research Area of Interest: Gastroenterology
Primary Clinical Area of Interest: Gastroenterology
Research Project Title: Is Routine Colonoscopy Following Acute Diverticulitis Necessary? Challenging the Standard of Care
Publications +
Kundavaram C, Gomella P, Healy K, Klinge, M., Hubosky SG. Laparoscopic Nephroureterectomy Despite a Circumaortic Left Renal Vein. Canadian Journal of Urology. Vol. 19(6), (2012), p.6584-6586
Korenblit, K., Burkart, A., Frankel, R., Klinge, M., Greenbaum, L., Goldstein, S., Kastenberg, D. Refractory Pancolitis: A Unique Presentation of Idiopathic Myointimal Hyperplasia of Mesenteric Veins, Gastroenterology & Hepatology. Vol. 8(10), (2012), p.696-700
Lavu, H., Klinge, M., Nowcid, L., Cohn, H., Grenda, D., Sauter, P., Leiby, B., Croker, S., Kennedy, E., Yeo, C. Perioperative Surgical Care Bundle Reduces Pancreaticoduodenectomy Wound Infections, Journal of Surgical Research. Vol. 174, (2012), p. 215-221
Lavu, H., Nowcid, L., Klinge, M., Mahendraraj, K., Grenda, D., Sauter, P., Rosato, E., Kennedy, E., Yeo, C. Reoperative Completion Pancreatectomy for Suspected Malignant Disease of the Pancreas, Journal of Surgical Research. Vol. 170, (2011), p. 89-95.
Leogane, O., Lebel, H. Checked by: Brummond, K., Painter, T., Klinge, M. Mild and Efficient One-Pot Curtius Rearrangement: Preparation of N-tert-Butyl Adamantanyl-1-yl-Carbamate. Organic Syntheses. Vol. 86, (2009), p.113.
Zachary Rhinehart
Primary Research Area of Interest: Cardiology
Primary Clinical Area of Interest: Cardiology
Research Project Title: Quality of Life Outcomes after PCI
Mentor: Dr. Suresh Mulukutla
Entering 2012
Da Jin
Primary Clinical Area of Interest: Cardiology, pulmonary critical care, and oncology.
Jane Lee
Primary Research Area of Interest: Interaction Between Intramuscular Adipose Tissue, Autonomic Control as Measured by Heart Rate Variability, and Markers of Cardiovascular Disease
Primary Clinical Area of Interest: Cardiology
Research Project Title: The Role of Ectopic Adiposity in Autonomic Control and Subclinical Cardiovascular Disease
Mentor: Dr. Molly Conroy
Siobhan Proksell
Primary Research Area of Interest: Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Primary Clinical Area of Interest: Gastroenterology
Research Project Title: Longitudinal Patterns of CRP Elevation and Crohn’s Disease Severity
Mentor: Dr. Jana Al Hashash
Contact Us
Institute for Clinical Research Education
Program Coordinator
Clinical Scientist Track for Residents
Parkvale Building
200 Meyran Avenue, Suite 300
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
E-mail: cstpres@pitt.edu