School of Public Health and Health Sciences
Health Informatics And Implementation Science
Biostatistics And Health Services Research
Lab rotations are currently available in this lab. Please contact Dr. Kim.
My research for almost 30 years has focused on obesity, insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes and explores the molecular link between inflammation and insulin resistance using transgenic mice with elegant in vivo metabolic experiments and molecular approaches. My research also investigates the role of inflammation and altered metabolism in diabetic heart disease.
Melvin S. and Sandra L. Cutler Chair in Biomedical Research
William and Doris Krupp Professor in Medicine
Please contact the Human Resources at UMass for openings in Dr. Bergmann's lab.
Worcester Foundation for Biomedical Research Chair III
Please email Kate.Fitzgerald@umassmed.edu if you are interested in rotations.
A postdoctoral position is available to study in this laboratory. Contact Dr. Corvera for additional details.
Rotation Projects Our rotation projects are in the area of diabetes and obesity, and we are interested in basic mechanisms of cell proliferation, differentiation and communication. Diabetes is highly correlated with obesity, but why obesity causes disease in some humans and not others is not understood. Amazingly, we still don’t understand how adipose tissue grows in human adults. A better understanding of this fascinating process can give us insight into basic mechanisms of cell growth, differentiation and communication, as well as mechanisms of disease, not only diabetes but also cancer and developmental defects. During your rotation, you will work on an important piece of a larger project, that has a well-defined outcome. Thus, your successful completion of the rotation project will allow you to be included at the time of publication of the work. Project 1: Adipose tissue is not only formed by adipocytes, but by other cells such as endothelial, mural and immune cells. Also, there are multiple kinds of adipocytes with different functions. We have recently developed conditions to develop adipose tissue from humans in-vitro (adipose tissue “organoids”). From this tissue we have been able to separated single cells, and find that they grow into different kinds of clones. We are now conducting RNAseq on >300 of those clones, to determine how many cell types exist in human adipose tissue, and what their roles are. In this rotation, you will be able to analyze RNAseq data to define what genes characterize these cells, and you will use virus transduction to create immortalized cells for further study. Project 2: Adipose tissue has many functions besides storing and releasing lipids. It also has to coordinate metabolism in the whole body. We have found that human “beige” adipose tissue, which is found in people who are metabolically healthy, expresses genes for secreted factors that communicate with the immune system and the brain. These include IL-33 and enkephalins. In this project you will knockout these genes, and investigate whether this changes the function of adipose tissue when we implant it into immune compromised mice.
Isadore and Fannie Foxman Chair in Medical Research
A postdoctoral position is available to study in this laboratory. Contact Dr. Czech for additional details.
Mentoring……………………………………………………………………………………………………… The Czech laboratory is active in mentoring graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. Many former student and postdoctoral trainees of the Czech laboratory are now internationally recognized professors at major universities and medical schools. These former lab members include: Paul Pilch, Professor of Biochemistry, Boston University School of Medicine Jeffrey Pessin, Professor and Director of the Diabetes Center, Einstein College of Medicine Joan Massague, Director, Sloan Kettering Institute Roger Davis, HHMI investigator and Professor of Molecular Medicine, UMASS Medical School Silvia Corvera, Professor of Molecular Medicine, Co-Director of the MD/PhD Program, UMASS Medical School Carla Greenbaum, Vice Chair and Director of Clinical Research, Benaroya Research Institute Jes Klarlund, Professor of Ophthalmology, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Rob Lewis, Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Eppley Cancer Institute, University of Nebraska Medical Center Richard MacDonald, Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Eppley Cancer Institute, University of Nebraska Medical Center Assia Shisheva, Professor of Physiology, Wayne State School of Medicine. Mark Sleeman, Professor of Physiology, Monash University, Australia John Harris, Associate Professor of Medicine, UMASS Medical School Zhen Jiang, Associate Professor of Pharmacology and Medicine, Boston University Vishu Puri, Professor of Biomedical Sciences, Ohio University Olga Gupta, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Tim Fitzgibbons, Assistant Professor of Medicine, UMASS Medical School Myriam Aouadi, Assistant Professor, Integrated Cardio Metabolic Centre, Karolinska Institute Adilson Guilherme, Associate Professor, University of Massachusetts Medical School Our laboratory currently offers graduate student Rotation Projects (examples below and others available) and Thesis Research Projects for students following a rotation: Developing CRISPR technology for gene editing in adipocytes: Adipocytes function as master regulators of whole body metabolism and deletions of specific adipocyte genes in knockout mice promote dramatic improvements in glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity in diabetic models. Thus the ability to direct gene editing in adipocytes in vivo has great potential in developing therapeutic strategies for obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular complications. Alternatively, an ex vivo approach is also feasible since adipose cells can be genetically altered in vitro prior to implantation into mice with beneficial effects. Such projects are designed to be performed in collaboration with other Czech lab members with the goal of specifically deleting or editing genes in adipose depots that drive increases in fatty acid oxidation, energy expenditure and systemic metabolic activity. Exciting preliminary data at the “proof of principle” stage has been achieved and this project is designed to focus on specific genes of high interest for therapeutics. Signaling by the lipogenesis pathway through Acetyl CoA: A major function of adipocytes is to store calories as triglyceride, in part through the process of fatty acid synthesis (lipogenesis). This metabolic pathway involves a number of metabolites including Acetyl CoA, which is also a substrate for acetylation reactions that modify proteins such as histones. Thus metabolic flux through adipocyte lipogenesis may also function as a signaling pathway to the nucleus to modulate transcription via levels of Acetyl CoA that accumulate during this process. This rotation project is designed to test this idea at the molecular level by monitoring histone acetylations and resultant transcriptional events during changes in Acetyl CoA levels caused by altering physiological conditions such as exercise, obesity and diabetes. If this concept is correct, the project could lead to developing therapeutic strategies for metabolic disease based on targeting lipogenic enzymes.
H. Arthur Smith Chair in Cancer Research
Rotation Projects Laboratory rotations are available to study signal mammalian transduction mechanisms. Several projects are available, including studies of protein kinase cascades, gene expression, the cell cycle, and apoptosis. Targeted gene disruption approaches in mice combined with biochemical and molecular biology studies will be examined.
Dr. Fan's clinical work and research focus on innovative pharmacological and psychosocial treatments for schizophrenia. He has served on the American Psychiatric Association (APA) Scientific Program Committee and the APA Council on International Psychiatry and Global Health. He received the Kun-Po Soo Award from the APA in recognition of his significant contributions towards Asian mental health.
Dr. Henninger is a vascular neurologist with research interest in the neurobiology of axonal injury associated with traumatic brain injury and its contribution to functional outcome.
UMass Chan Medical School Chair in Biomedical Research
A postdoctoral position is available to study in this laboratory. Contact Dr. Rock for additional details.
Potential Rotation Projects <p >Rotations are available in Dr. Rock’s laboratory for graduate students in the GSBS program. The rotation projects will explore various aspects of how the immune system carries out surveillance to detect viral infections and cancers. Among the potential areas of research are: (1) The alarm signals that alert the immune system to potential danger; (2) The initial innate immune and inflammatory response to infection or other dangerous situations; (3) The biology of the sentinel cells (e.g. dendritic cells) that sense danger and report it the adaptive immune system; (4) The mechanisms by which sentinel cells (e.g. dendritic cells) acquire and display antigens to T cells; and, (5) The antigen presentation pathways by which virally infected or cancer cells display a sampling of their expressed gene products to the activated T cells. Specific rotation projects are chosen based on the student’s interests and state/availability of the various projects in the laboratory. The goals of rotations are for the student to gain knowledge in immunology, to learn how to approach experimental problems, to learn new techniques and methods, and to actually generate data that moves our knowledge forward. In addition, the rotation provides the student the opportunity to evaluate the laboratory as a possible place to conduct their thesis research in the future.
Immediate opening! Two postdoctoral positions are available immediately to study cellular andmolecular mechanisms resulting in immunosuppression after alcohol use. Thefocus of this research is the role of monocytes and dendritic cells indecreased antigen-specific T cell activation after alcohol use.Intracellular signalling mechanisms resulting in decreased NF-kBactivation and inflammatory cytokine induction after acute alcoholconsumption are being investigated. Please contact Dr. Szabo for details.
Imoigele P. Aisiku, MD’97 Chair in Health Equity and Diversity
Herman G. Berkman Chair in Diabetes Care Innovation
Barbara Helen Smith Chair in Preventive & Behavioral Medicine
A postdoctoral position is available to study in this laboratory. Contact Dr.Guertin for additional details.
Richard M. Haidack Professor in Medicine
Dr. John Meyers Professor in Primary Care Medicine
Population and Quantitative Health Sciences
UMass Worcester Prevention Research Center
Prevention Research Center at UMass Chan
National Mouse Metabolic Phenotyping Center
Tweets by @DrSherryPagoto
Healthcare Delivery and Population Sciences at UMass Chan - Baystate
Preventing Osteoarthritis After an ACL Injury
Preventing Osteoarthritis After an ACL Injury Playing the Long Game: Consensus for Preventing OA
Preventing Osteoarthritis After an ACL Injury Playing the Long Game: Consensus for Preventing OA Characteristics of Accelerated Hand Osteoarthritis
Preventing Osteoarthritis After an ACL Injury Playing the Long Game: Consensus for Preventing OA Characteristics of Accelerated Hand Osteoarthritis Earlier Than Early Osteoarthritis (OA): Pre-OA Illness
Preventing Osteoarthritis After an ACL Injury Playing the Long Game: Consensus for Preventing OA Characteristics of Accelerated Hand Osteoarthritis Earlier Than Early Osteoarthritis (OA): Pre-OA Illness The Inverse OARSI-OMERACT Criteria for Knee OA
Preventing Osteoarthritis After an ACL Injury Playing the Long Game: Consensus for Preventing OA Characteristics of Accelerated Hand Osteoarthritis Earlier Than Early Osteoarthritis (OA): Pre-OA Illness The Inverse OARSI-OMERACT Criteria for Knee OA Current State of the OAI & Intro to the Knowledgebase
Preventing Osteoarthritis After an ACL Injury Playing the Long Game: Consensus for Preventing OA Characteristics of Accelerated Hand Osteoarthritis Earlier Than Early Osteoarthritis (OA): Pre-OA Illness Current State of the OAI & Intro to the Knowledgebase The Inverse OARSI-OMERACT Criteria for Knee OA
Preventing Osteoarthritis After an ACL Injury Playing the Long Game: Consensus for Preventing OA Characteristics of Accelerated Hand Osteoarthritis Current State of the OAI & Intro to the Knowledgebase Earlier Than Early Osteoarthritis (OA): Pre-OA Illness The Inverse OARSI-OMERACT Criteria for Knee OA
Preventing Osteoarthritis After an ACL Injury Playing the Long Game: Consensus for Preventing OA Current State of the OAI & Intro to the Knowledgebase Characteristics of Accelerated Hand Osteoarthritis Earlier Than Early Osteoarthritis (OA): Pre-OA Illness The Inverse OARSI-OMERACT Criteria for Knee OA
Preventing Osteoarthritis After an ACL Injury Current State of the OAI & Intro to the Knowledgebase Playing the Long Game: Consensus for Preventing OA Characteristics of Accelerated Hand Osteoarthritis Earlier Than Early Osteoarthritis (OA): Pre-OA Illness The Inverse OARSI-OMERACT Criteria for Knee OA
Preventing Osteoarthritis After an ACL Injury Current State of the OAI & Intro to the Knowledgebase Playing the Long Game: Consensus for Preventing OA Earlier Than Early Osteoarthritis (OA): Pre-OA Illness Characteristics of Accelerated Hand Osteoarthritis The Inverse OARSI-OMERACT Criteria for Knee OA
Current State of the OAI & Intro to the Knowledgebase Preventing Osteoarthritis After an ACL Injury Playing the Long Game: Consensus for Preventing OA Earlier Than Early Osteoarthritis (OA): Pre-OA Illness Characteristics of Accelerated Hand Osteoarthritis The Inverse OARSI-OMERACT Criteria for Knee OA
Current State of the OAI & Intro to the Knowledgebase Preventing Osteoarthritis After an ACL Injury Earlier Than Early Osteoarthritis (OA): Pre-OA Illness Playing the Long Game: Consensus for Preventing OA Characteristics of Accelerated Hand Osteoarthritis The Inverse OARSI-OMERACT Criteria for Knee OA
Current State of the OAI & Intro to the Knowledgebase Earlier Than Early Osteoarthritis (OA): Pre-OA Illness Preventing Osteoarthritis After an ACL Injury Playing the Long Game: Consensus for Preventing OA Characteristics of Accelerated Hand Osteoarthritis The Inverse OARSI-OMERACT Criteria for Knee OA
Joseph D. Early Chair in Biomedical Research