School of Public Health and Health Sciences
College of Social and Behavioral Sciences
Health Informatics And Implementation Science
Biostatistics And Health Services Research
Cutler Chair in Vascular and Endovascular Surgery
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
Timothy S. and Elaine L. Peterson Chair in Rheumatology
William and Doris Krupp Professor in Medicine
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.
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.
Additional information about lab rotations within the CPHR program can be found athttp://www.umassmed.edu/cphr/program/rotations.aspx
Imoigele P. Aisiku, MD’97 Chair in Health Equity and Diversity
Barbara Helen Smith Chair in Preventive & Behavioral Medicine
I am a physician-researcher and educator in the Division of Rheumatology. My interests are rheumatoid arthritis, musculoskeletal sonography, and clinical informatics. I am the founding co-director of the UMass Inflammatory Arthritis Program, focused on leveraging digital technology to optimize patient capture and developing innovative care models, specifically remote patient monitoring.
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
Obstetrics and Gynecology at UMass Chan - Baystate
Myles J. McDonough Chair in Rheumatology
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
Joseph D. Early Chair in Biomedical Research