Professional Activities

Teaching:  University of Georgia

 

1995, 1996         Graduate Teaching Assistant.  Nutrition 100.  Introduction to Human Nutrition

 

Teaching:  University of Pittsburgh

2002 – 2007        Administrator for a Journal Club focusing on Immunological aspects of autoimmune diabetes

 

2003 – 2007        INTBP2005 “Foundations of Biomedical Science Conference”

 

2004                   Chemistry 1710  “Undergraduate Research”

 

2005 – 2007        IMM 3240  “Immunology Grant Writing Course”

 

2005 – 2007        MSCMP2740 “Molecular Pathobiology”

 

Teaching:  University of Florida

2008-Present      ANG6532/ANT4531 “Molecular Genetics of Disease”

 

2008-Present      GMS5905 “Immunology & Microbiology Grant Writing” Course Director

 

2008-Present      GMS 6140 “Principles of Immunology”

 

2009                   GMS 6006 “Fundamentals of Immunology & Microbiology”

 

2009-Present      Co-Director of the Immunology and Microbiology Concentration, University of Florida Interdisciplinary Program in Biomedical Sciences

 

2012                   GMS6382 “Advanced Cellular & Molecular Immunology” Course Director

 

Graduate Student Committees:

2002 – 2004        Thesis Committee, Grace Olshansky, Program of Immunology

MS Conferred January of 2004, University of Pittsburgh

 

2003 – 2006        Dissertation Committee, Maria Soledad Santos, Program of Molecular Pharmacology

Ph. D. Conferred February of 2006, University of Pittsburgh

 

2006 – 2010        Dissertation Committee, Terri Thayer, Program of Immunology

Committee Chair.  Ph. D. Conferred October, 2010, University of Pittsburgh

 

2008 – 2012        Dissertation Committee, Yaima Luzardo, Program of Immunology and Microbiology,

Committee Chair, Ph. D. Conferred May, 2012, University of Florida

 

2008 – 2012        Dissertation Committee, Alex Cuenca, Program of Immunology and Microbiology,

Committee Chair, Ph. D. Conferred May, 2012, University of Florida

 

2008 – 2011        Dissertation Committee, Daniel Perry, Program of Immunology and Microbiology

Ph. D. Conferred June, 2011, University of Florida

 

2008 – 2012        Dissertation Committee, Dana Catalfamo, Program of Immunology and Microbiology

Ph. D. Conferred July 2012, University of Florida

 

2009 – Present    Dissertation Committee, Sindhu Arivazhagan, Program of Immunology and Microbiology

 

2009 – Present    Dissertation Committee, Allison Sang, Program of Immunology and Microbiology

 

2009 – Present    Dissertation Committee, Benjamin Looney, Program of Immunology and Microbiology

 

2009-Present      Dissertation Committee, Young Mee Yoon, Program of Immunology and Microbiology

 

2010 – Present    Dissertation Committee, Chao Liu, Program of Immunology and Microbiology

Committee Chair

 

2010 – Present    Dissertation Committee, Sofia Appleberg, Program of Immunology and Microbiology

 

2010 – Present    Dissertation Committee, Yiming Yin, Program of Immunology and Microbiology

 

2011-Present      Dissertation Committee, Ramya Sivakumar, Program of Immunology and Microbiology

 

2011-Present      Dissertation Committee, Robert Whitener, Program of Immunology and Microbiology

 

2012-Present      Dissertation Committee, Brittney Newby, UF MD/PhD Program, Committee Chair

 

Mentorship of Students/Fellows:

2012-Present         Brittney Newby, MD/PhD Scholar.  University of Florida College of Medicine

Project Title:

 

2010 – Present       Chao Liu.  Graduate Student.  University of Florida College of Medicine.

Project Title:  Role of Free Radicals in Diabetogenic Immune Activation

 

2003 – 2008           Aaron M. Gusdon.  Undergraduate Student, University of Florida.  Project Title:

 

2008 – 2012           Yaima Luzardo. Graduate Student.  University of Florida College of Medicine.

Project Title: Transformed human beta cells as targets of autoimmune effectors

 

2008-2010             Lisa Gallo.  Fellow in Pediatric Endocrinology.

Research Fellow of the Lawson Wilkins Pediatric Endocrine Society

Project Title:  Role of adhesion molecules in pathogenesis of T1D

 

2006 – 2010           Terri Thayer.  Graduate Student.  University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

Project Title:  Identification of Susp and the role of Susp in T1D-Resistance

 

2005 – 2007           Jing Chen.  Post-Doctoral Fellow.  University of Pittsburgh.  Project Title:  Generation of and Study of Cybrid Cell Lines to Define the Mechanism of T1D Resistance Imparted by a Single Nucleotide Polymorphism in mt-Nd2.

 

2004 – 2007           Diego Ize-Ludlow.  Fellow in Pediatric Endocrinology.

Project 1:  Role of solute carrier family 7, member 2 in arginine-induced insulin secretion.

Project 2:  Accelerator hypothesis and T1D development of the NOD mouse.

 

2003 – 2008           Aaron M. Gusdon.  Undergraduate Student, University of Pittsburgh.  Project Title:  Contributions of the mt-Nd2 alleles to Type 1 Diabetes Susceptibility/Resistance

 

2003                      Aaron Gusdon. Senior Thesis (Seneca Valley High School).  Project Title:  Use of Pyrosequencing to Precisely Determine Levels of Mitochondrial Heteroplasmy

 

1999                      Brian D. Dunn.  The Jackson Laboratory Undergraduate Summer Program.  Project Title:  Genetic Similarities of Free Radical Dissipation and IDDM Resistance in ALR/Lt Mice.

 

1998                      Jason W. Caldwell.  Burroughs Wellcome Medical Student Research Fellowship.  Project title:  Reducing Potential And Peripheral Glucose Uptake.  Mechanisms Of Free Radical Induced Glucose Intolerance.