Investigators

Please click below to view VBRI’s inaugural Newsletter.

NewsletterSpring2022

Kevin Beck, PhD

kevin_beck

Chief of Staff of Research

Academic Title and School Affiliation:

Associate Professor of Neurology & Neuroscience, Rutgers – New Jersey Medical School

Education:

  • BA La Salle University
  • MA Teachers College, Columbia University
  • PhD Graduate School and University Center of the City University of New York

Areas of Research Interest:

Stress-related mental disorders, sex differences in psychopathology, neural processes associated with neuroplasticity, learning and memory, neurotransmission, psychoimmunology

Personal Statement:

Many of the difficult problems facing our veterans are unique to their experiences and highly influenced by their sociobiological backgrounds. High rates of unexplained illness and psychological disorders exemplify this fact. As a result, our laboratory has focused on delineating biopsychological factors that increase the risk for developing conditions such as Gulf War Illness, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety disorders, substance abuse disorders, and depression. Discovering the unique neural and psychological pathways that confer risk for these disorders will provide critical knowledge for creating more efficient, individualized treatments for these conditions. A similar philosophy is employed for identifying sex differences in these psychophysiological disorders and conducting research to determine whether sex-specific interventions can be developed for these conditions.

Memberships:

  • Society for Neuroscience
  • Organization for the Study of Sex Differences (OSSD)
  • Pavlovian Society
  • Society for Behavioral Neuroendocrinology

Select Publications:

  1. Catuzzi, J.E. & Beck, K.D.; Anxiety vulnerability in women: A two-hit hypothesis; Experimental Neurology, Epub ahead of print, doi: 10.1016/expneurol.2014.01.023, 2014.
  2. Perrotti, L.I., Dennis, T.S., Jiao, X., Servatius, R.J., Pang, K.C.H., & Beck, K.D.; Activation of extracellular signal-related kinase (ERK) and ΔFosB in emotion-associated neural circuitry after asymptotic levels of active avoidance are attained; Brain Research Bulletin, 98C, 102-110, 2013.
  3. Beck, K.D. & Catuzzi, J.E.; Understanding the causes of reduced startle reactivity in stress-related mental disorders; In: New Insights into Anxiety Disorders; F. Durbano ed. InTech (open access): Rijeka, Croatia. 135-169, 2013.
  4. Beck, K.D., Wasserman, M.C., Furst, S.J., Pang, K.C.H., & Servatius, R.J.; Differential effects of progesterone and medroxyprogesterone on delay eyeblink conditioning in ovariectomized rats; Neurobiology of Learning & Memory, 97, 148-155, 2012.
  5. Beck, K.D., Jiao, X., Ricart, T.M., Myers, C.E., Minor, T.R., Pang, K.C.H., & Servatius, R.J.; Vulnerability factors in anxiety: Strain and sex differences in the use of signals associated with non-threat during the acquisition and extinction of active-avoidance behavior; Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology & Biological Psychiatry, 35, 1659-1670, 2011.
  6. Beck, K.D., McLaughlin, J., Bergen, M.T., Cominski, T.P., Moldow, R.L., & Servatius, R.J.; Facilitated acquisition of the classically conditioned eyeblink response in women taking oral contraceptives; Behavioural Pharmacology, 19, 821-828, 2008.
  7. Beck, K.D. & Servatius, R.J.; Stress-induced reductions of sensory reactivity in female rats depend on ovarian hormones and the application of a painful stressor; Hormones and Behavior, 47, 532-539, 2005.
  8. Servatius, R.J. & Beck, K.D; Mild interoceptive stressors affect learning and reactivity to contextual cues: Toward understanding the development of unexplained illnesses; Neuropsychopharmacology, 30, 1483-1491, 2005.

Awards and Recognitions:

Elected Councilor and Treasurer of the OSSD (2007-2012); OSSD 2013 Annual Meeting Organizer and Program Chair; Elected to Pavlovian Society Executive Committee (2012-2015); Member of the National Institute of Justice Community Acceptance Panel on Riot Control Agents (2007); Member of the NASA Decadal Review Working Group Panel: Reproduction and Space (2013); Guest editor, Experimental Neurology Special Issue: Sex and Neurological Disease (2014)

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Victor T. Chang, MD, FACP

victor.chang

Hematology/Oncology,
Medical Service

Academic Title and School Affiliation:

Professor of Medicine, Rutgers University/New Jersey Medical School

Education:

  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology, SB/SM, (1979)
  • New York University School of Medicine, M.D., (1983)
  • Intern, Department of Medicine, The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland, (1983-84)
  • Research Associate, The Howard Hughes Medical Institute, (1984-85)
  • Clinical Fellow in Medicine/Medical Genetics, The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland, (1984-85)
  • Resident, Department of Medicine, The Good Samaritan Hospital of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland. (1985-87)
  • Chief Resident, Department of Medicine, The Good Samaritan Hospital of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland, (1987-88)
  • Fellow, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Cornell University Medical College, New York, New York, (1988-1991)
  • Fellow, Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Cornell University Medical College, New York, New York, (1991-92)
  • Fellow, Pain Service, Department of Neurology, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York, (1992-93)

Areas of Research Interest

  • Symptom Control
  • Palliative Medicine
  • Hematology

Memberships:

  • Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group
  • Palliative Care Research Consortium
  • American Society of Clinical Oncology
  • American Society of Hematology
  • Chinese American Medical Society
  • American Medical Association
  • American College of Physicians, Fellow
  • American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine

Awards and Recognitions:

  • Project Death in America Faculty Scholar, (2000-2002)
  • Co-Chair, ECOG Symptom Management Committee
  • Research Excellence in Trials Award by the National Cancer Institute

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Suzie Chen, PhD

suzie_chenPhysiologist

Academic Title and School Affiliation:

Professor, Rutgers University

Education:

PhD, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY

Areas of Research Interest:

  • Melanoma development using genetic engineered mouse models

Memberships:

  • AAAS
  • AACR
  • Society of Toxicology
  • Society of Melanoma Research
  • PanAmerican Society of Pigment Cell Research

Select Publications:

  1. Pollock, P.M., Cohen-Solal, K.A., Sood, R., Namkoong, J., Martino, J.J., Koganti, A., Zhu, H., Robbins, C., Makalowska, I., Shin, S.S., Marin, Y., Roberts, K.G., Yudt, L.M., Chen, A., Cheng, J., Incao, A., Pinkett, H.W., Graham, C.L., Dunn, K., Crespo-Carbone, S.M., Mackason, K.R., Ryan, K.B., Sinsimer, D., Goydos, J., Reuhl, K.R., Eckhaus, M., Meltzer, P.S., Pavan, W.J., Trent, J.M. and Chen, S. (2003) Melanoma mouse model implicates metabotropic glutamate signaling in melanocytic neoplasia. Nat Genet. 38:108-112. PMID 12704387
  2. Namkoong, J., Shin, S.S., Lee, H.J., Marín, Y.E., Wall, B.A. Goydos, J.S. and Chen, S. (2007) Metabotropic Glutamate Receptor 1 (GRM1) and Glutamate Signaling in Human Melanoma. Cancer Res. 67:2298-2305. PMID 17332361
  3. Yip, D., Le, M., Chan, J., Lee, J., Mehnert, J., Yudd, A., Kempf, J., Shih, W., Chen, S. and Goydos, J. (2009) A phase 0 trial of Riluzole in patients with resectable stage III and IV melanoma. Clin. Can. Res. 15: 3896-3902. PMCID: PMC2812866
  4. Martino, J. J., Wall, B. A., Mastrantoni, E., Wilimczyk, B., La Cava, S., Degenhardt, K., White, E. and Chen, S. (2013) Metabotropic glutamate receptor 1 (Grm1) is an oncogene in epithelial cells. Oncogene 32: 4366-4376.
  5. Wen Y, Li J, Koo J, Shin S-S, Lin Y, Jeong B-S, Cohen-Solal K , Mehnert J. M, Chen S. and Goydos J. S. (2014) Metabotropic glutamate receptor 1 activation leads to downstream pro-angiogenic signaling and enhanced angiogenesis in melanoma. Cancer Res. 74: 2499-2509. pMID:2449180
  6. Wall, B., Wangari-Talbot, J., Shin, S., Schiff, D., Sierra, J., Yu, L. J., Khan, A., Haffty, B., Goydos, J. and Chen, S. (2014) Disruption of GRM1-mediated signaling using riluzole results I DNA damage in melanoma cells. Pigment Cell Melanoma Res. 27: 263-274. PMC3947419
  7. Teh, J., Shah, R., La Cava, S., Dolfi, S., Mehta, M., Kongara, S., Price, S., Ganesan, S., Reuhl, K., Hirshfield, K., Karantza, V. and Chen, S. (2015). Metabotropic glutamate receptor 1 disrupts mammary acinar architecture and initiates malignant transformation of mammary epithelial cells. Breast Cancer Research and Treatment. 151:57-73. PMID: 25859923
  8. Kulkarni, A., Al-Hraishaw, H., Hirshfield, K., Chen, S., Pine, S., Jeyamohan, C., Sokol, L., Slrai, A., Lung, T., White, E., Rodriguez, L., Mehnert, J. and Ganesan, S. (2017) BRAF fusion as a novel mechanism of acquired resistance to vemurafenib in BRAFV600E mutant melanoma. Clin. Can. Res. 23:5631-5638.
  9. Isola, A., Eddy, K., Zembrzuski, K., Goydos, J. and Chen, S. (2017) Oncotarget 9: 1187-1199. PMCID: PMC5787429
  10. Mehner, J., Silk, A., Wen, Y., Lee, J., Dudek, L., Jeong, B., Li, J., Schenkel, J., Sadimin, E., Kane, M., Lin, H., Shih, W., Zloza, A., Chen, S. and Goydos, J. (2018) A phase II trial of riluzole, an antagonist of metabotropic glutamate receptor 1 (GRM1) signaling, in patients with advanced melanoma.Pig. Cell Mel. Res. 31: 534-540.

Awards:

  • Rutgers University Board of Trustees Award for Excellence in Research, Piscataway, NJ (2005)
  • Keynote Speaker at Brain Tumor Center Seminar Series MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston TX (2005)
  • Second International Melanoma Congress Best Abstract Award, New York, NY (2007)
  • Invited Speaker at Keystone Symposium on GPCR and Cancer (2015)
  • Invited Speaker at 4th GPCR in Drug Discovery (2016)
  • Invited Speaker at 5th-9th International Meetings on Metabotropic Glutamate Receptors (2005, 2008, 2011, 2014, 2017)

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Yun-Beom Choi, MD-PhD

yun-beom_choi

Staff Neurologist/Neurology Service

Academic Title and School Affiliation:

  • Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Neurology, Rutgers, New Jersey Medical School

Education:

  • AB, Harvard College
  • MD-PhD, Harvard Medical School

Personal Statement:

As an expert in synaptic plasticity, I am bringing a new dimension to the existing research strength in neuroimmunology in the Neurology Service at VA New Jersey Health Care System. My research focuses on novel therapeutic approaches for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia using animal models.

Areas of Research Interest:

  • Dementia

Memberships:

  • Society for Neuroscience
  • American Academy of Neurology

Select Publications:

  1. Kim J, Jung S-Y, Lee YK, Park S, Choi J-S, Lee CJ, Kim H-S, Choi Y-B, Scheiffele P, Bailey CH, Kandel ER, Kim J-H. Neuroligin-1 is required for normal expression of LTP and associative fear memory in the amygdala of adult animals. Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences USA 105:9087-9092. (2008)
    Puthanveettil SV, Monje FJ, Miniaci MC, Choi Y-B, Karl KA, Khandros E, Gawinowicz MA, Sheetz MP, Kandel ER. A new component in long-term synaptic plasticity: Upregulation of kinesin in the neurons of gill-withdrawal reflex. Cell 135:960-073. (2008)
  2. Si K, Choi Y-B, White-Grindley E, Majumdar A, Kandel ER. Aplysia CPEB can form prion-like multimers in sensory neurons that contribute to long-term facilitation. Cell 140:421-435. (2010)
  3. Jung S-Y, Kim J, Kwon OB, Jung JH, An K, Jeong AY, Lee CJ, Choi Y-B, Bailey CH, Kandel ER, Kim J-H. Input-specific synaptic plasticity in the amygdala is regulated by neuroligin-1 via postsynaptic NMDA receptors. Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences USA 107:4710-4715. (2010)
  4. Till SM, Li HL, Miniaci MC, Kandel ER, Choi Y-B. A presynaptic role for FMRP during protein synthesis-dependent long-term plasticity in Aplysia. Learning and Memory 18:39-48. (2011)
  5. Choi Y-B, Li H-L, Kassabov SR, Jin I, Puthenveettil SV, Karl KA, Lu Y, Kim J-H, Bailey CH, Kandel ER. Neurexin-neuroligin trans-synaptic interaction mediates learning-related synaptic remodeling and long-term facilitation in Aplysia. Neuron 70:468-481. (2011)
  6. Kassabov SR, Choi Y-B, Karl KA, Vishwasrao HD, Bailey CH, Kandel ER. A single Aplysia neurotrophin mediated synaptic facilitation via differentially processed isoforms secreted as mature or precursor forms. Cell Reports 3:1213-1227. (2013)
  7. Puthanveettil, SV, Antonov I, Kalchikov S, Rajasethupathy P, Yu F, Choi Y-B, Kohn AB, Citarella M, Yu F, Karl KA, Kinet M, Morozova I, Russo JJ, Ju J, Moroz LL, Kandel ER. A new strategy to capture and characterize the synaptic transcriptome Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences USA 110:7464-7469. (2013)
  8. Choi Y-B, Kadakkuzha BM, Liu XA, Akhmedov K, Kandel ER, Puthanveettil SV. Huntingtin is critical both pre- and postsynaptically for long-term learning-related synaptic plasticity in Aplysia. PLoS One 9(7): e103004. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0103004. (2014)
  9. Kwon OB, Lee JH, Kim HJ, Lee S, Lee S, Jeong MJ, Kim SJ, Jo HJ, Ko B, Chang S, Park SK, Choi Y-B, Bailey CH, Kandel ER, Kim J-H. Dopamine Regulation of Amygdala Inhibitory Circuits for Expression of Learned Fear. Neuron 88:378-389. (2015)
  10. Yang YR, Jung JH, Kim S-J, Hamada K, Suzuki A, Kim HJ, Lee JH, Kwon O-B, Yeon Lee YK, Kim J, Kim E-K, Jang H-J, Kang D-S, Choi J-S, C. Lee J, Marshall J, Koh H-Y, Kim C-J, Seok H, Kim SH, Choi, JH Choi Y-B, Cocco L, Ryu SH, Kim J-H, Suh PG. Forebrain-specific ablation of phospholipase Cγ1 causes manic-like behavior. Molecular Psychiatry 22:1473-1482. (2017)
  11. Kim S-J, Jeong M-J, Jo H-J, Jung, JH, Kaang B-K, Choi Y-B, Kim J-H. Identification of postsynaptic phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) roles for synaptic plasticity using chemically induced dimerization. Scientific Reports 7:3351. (2017)

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Bruce A. Citron, PhD

bruce_citron

Director, Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Research Service

Academic Title and School Affiliation:

  • Professor of Pharmacology, Physiology, & Neuroscience, Rutgers- New Jersey Medical School

Education:

  • BA, Colgate University, Departments of Chemistry and Biology
  • PhD, University of Iowa, Genetics Program
  • Postdoctoral Fellowship, The Rockefeller University, Molecular Cell Biology

Areas of Research Interest:

  • Neuroprotection
  • Traumatic Brain Injury
  • Gulf War Illnesses
  • Alzheimer’s Disease
  • ALS

Personal Statement:

The pursuit of effective treatment strategies for neurodegenerative disorders afflicting Veterans has been my main focus for many years. Neurons are particularly sensitive to insults and we have identified underlying mechanisms responsible for this unusual susceptibility in human samples and model systems. Neuron loss involves a complex interaction between different cell types present in the brain and spinal cord. Through discovery of regulatory mechanisms important to the health of neurons, we have identified factors that are targeted in our development of therapeutic strategies to combat neurodegeneration.

Memberships:

  • American Aging Association
  • American Association for the Advancement of Science
  • American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
  • American Society for Neural Therapy and Repair
  • Genetics Society of America
  • International Society to Advance Alzheimer’s Research and Treatment
  • National Neurotrauma Society, and the
  • Society for Neuroscience

Select Publications:

  1. Murray, K. E., Delic, V., Ratliff, W. A., Beck, K. D., and Citron, B. A., Acute gene expression changes in the mouse hippocampus following a combined Gulf War toxicant exposure. Life Sci. 284: doi: 10.1016/j.lfs.2021.119845 (2021).
  2. Ratliff, W. A., Saykally, J. N., Keeley, K. L., Driscoll, D. C., Murray, K. E., Okuka, M., Mervis, R. F., Delic, V., and Citron, B. A., Sidestream smoke affects dendritic complexity and astrocytes after model mild closed head traumatic brain injury. Cell Mol. Neurobiol. doi: 10.1007/s10571-020-01036-5 (2021).
  3. Festoff, B.W. and Citron, B.A. Thrombin and the Coag-Inflammatory Nexus in Neurotrauma, ALS and other Neurodegenerative Disorders. Frontiers in Neurology 10(59):1-20 (2019).
  4. Saykally, J. N., Ratliff, W. A., Keeley, K. L., Pick, C. G., Mervis, R. F., and Citron, B. A., Repetitive mild closed head injury alters protein expression and dendritic complexity in a mouse model. J. Neurotrauma 35:139-48 (2018).
  5. Ratliff, W.A., Saykally, J. N., Kane, M. J., and Citron, B. A., Neuromuscular junction morphology & gene dysregulation in the wobbler model of spinal neurodegeneration. J. Mol. Neurosci. 66:114-20 (2018).
  6. Saykally, J. N., Hatic, H., Keeley, K. L., Jain, S. C., Ravindranath, V. R., and Citron, B. A., Withania somnifera extract protects model neurons from in vitro traumatic injury. Cell Transplant. 26:1193-201 (2017).
  7. Saykally, J.N., Rachmany, L., Hatic, H., Shaer, A., Rubovitch, V., Pick, C.G., and Citron, B.A. The Nrf2 Activator, tert-Butylhydroquinone (tBHQ), Improves Cognitive Performance in Mice after Mild Traumatic Brain Injury. Neuroscience 223:305-14 (2012).
  8. Dennis, J. S. and Citron, B. A., Wobbler mice modeling motor neuron disease display elevated Transactive Response DNA binding protein. Neuroscience 158:745-50 (2009).
  9. Citron, B. A., SantaCruz, K., Davies, P. J. A., and Festoff, B. W., Intron-exon swapping of transglutaminase mRNA and neuronal tau aggregation in Alzheimer’s disease. J. Biol. Chem. 276:3295-301 (2001).
  10. Festoff, B. W., Ameenuddin, S., Arnold, P. M., Wong, A. A., SantaCruz, K. S., and Citron, B. A., Minocycline neuroprotects, reduces microgliosis, and inhibits caspase protease expression early after spinal cord injury. J. Neurochem. 97:1314-26 (2006).
  11. Citron, B. A., Kaufman, S., Milstien, S., Naylor, E. W., Greene, C. L., and Davis, M., Mutation in the 4a-carbinolamine dehydratase gene leads to mild hyperphenylalaninemia with defective cofactor metabolism. Amer. J. Hum. Genet. 53:768-74 (1993)
  12. Citron, B. A., Falck-Pedersen, E., Salditt-Georgieff, M., and Darnell, J. E.  Jr., Transcriptional termination occurs within a 1000 base pair region downstream from the poly(A) site of the mouse b-globin (major) gene. Nucl. Acids Res. 12:8723-8731 (1984).
  13. Citron, B. A., Feiss, M., and Donelson, J. E., Expression of the yeast galactokinase gene in Escherichia coli. Gene 6:251-264 (July 1979).

Awards and Recognitions

  • Editorial board of the American Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementias
  • Associate Editor, BMC Neuroscience- section on Neurobiology of Disease
  • Associate Editor, Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease

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Monica L. Clement, PhD

monica_clement

Neuropsychologist/SCI/D

Academic Title and School Affiliation:

Clinical Assistant Professor, Rutgers the State University of New Jersey New Jersey Medical School, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

Education:

  • PhD, Clinical Psychology, The Ohio State University, 2005
  • BS, Psychology, Summa Cum Laude, Stony Brook University, 1999

Areas of Research Interest:

  • Adjustment to chronic illness and disease
  • Mental health of racial/ethnic minorities

Personal Statement:

Dr. Clement is a licensed psychologist and practices clinical psychology and clinical neuropsychology. She obtained a bachelor’s degree summa cum laude in psychology from Stony Brook University in 1999, where she was an NIH Minority Access to Research Careers (MARC) Fellow and NSF Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) Scholar. She obtained a doctorate in psychology from The Ohio State University in 2005, where she was an American Psychological Association Minority Fellowship Program (APA/MFP) Fellow. She completed an APA accredited psychology internship at the Northport Veterans Affairs Medical Center followed by a two-year post-doctoral fellowship in pediatric and adult clinical neuropsychology in a private practice affiliated with the Rutgers New Jersey Medical School.

She currently serve as the Rehabilitation Neuropsychologist for the Department of Veterans Affairs New Jersey Health Care System (NJHCS) Spinal Cord Injury and Disorders Center. She is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Rutgers, New Jersey Medical School, a guest editor for the Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation and actively mentors and trains students in various health care fields. She is a member of the American Psychological Association, including the Society for Clinical Neuropsychology, the Association of VA Psychology Leaders and a lifetime member of the Association of Black Psychologists.

As a practicing psychologist, she sees clinical care informed by evidence based practices as an essential component of optimal health care delivery. Relatedly, she also believes that research informed by real life clinical problems is of great benefit to all. Throughout her career she has participated in the execution and utilization of research as part of her work. This includes her work in the field of rehabilitation, which began over 16 years ago. Present day, she collaborates with the SCI/D Center interdisciplinary team to identify ways to enhance care via novel and impactful research.

Memberships:

  • American Psychological Association
  • Society for Clinical Neuropsychology
  • Association of VA Psychology Leaders
  • Association of Black Psychologists

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Vedad Delic, PhD

vedad_delic

Research Scientist, Research and Development

Education:

  • University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine, Molecular Medicine M.S. (2011)
  • University of South Florida, CMMB Department, Cell and Molecular Biology Ph.D. (2015)
  • University of Alabama at Birmingham, Neurology Department, Postdoctoral Fellowship (2018)

Areas of Research Interest:

  • Mechanisms of Traumatic Brian Injury
  • Parkinson’s Disease
  • Neurodegeneration

Personal Statement:

Mild and repetitive traumatic brain injury (r-mTBI) predisposes the brain to neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson’s Disease (PD). Due to our incomplete understanding of the r-mTBI and PD disease pathology, treatments remain only palliative. To better treat and to prevent PD, which is unfortunately over represented in the Veteran population we aim to understand the mechanisms of r-mTBI that cause PD later in life. We will employ the most advanced pre-clinical models of r-mTBI and PD to help develop treatments and preventative strategies for our Veterans.

Memberships:

  • 2015: The American Society for Neural Therapy and Repair (ASNTR)
  • 2015: Advisory Council for Charles Claybaker D.U.S.T.O.F.F Foundation
  • 2015: University of Alabama Postdoctoral Association
  • 2017: Society for Neuroscience (SFN)

Select Publications:

  1. Delic V, Noble K, Zivkovic S, Phan TA, Reynes C, Zhang Y, Phillips O, Claybaker C, Ta Y, Dinh VB, Cruz J, Prolla TA, Bradshaw PC. The effects of AICAR and rapamycin on mitochondrial function in immortalized mitochondrial DNA mutator murine embryonic fibroblasts. Biol Open. 2018 Sep 3. pii: bio.033852. doi:10.1242/bio.033852. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 30177551.
  2. Delic V, Chandra S, Abdelmotilib H, Maltbie T, Wang S, Kem D, Scott HJ, Underwood RN, Liu Z, Volpicelli-Daley LA, West AB. Sensitivity and specificity of phospho-Ser129 α-synuclein monoclonal antibodies. J Comp Neurol. 2018 Aug 15;526(12):1978-1990. doi: 10.1002/cne.24468. PubMed PMID: 29888794; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6031478.
  3. Delic V, Kurien C, Cruz J, Zivkovic S, Barretta J, Thomson A, Hennessey D, Joseph J, Ehrhart J, Willing AE, Bradshaw P, Garbuzova-Davis S. Discrete mitochondrial aberrations in the spinal cord of sporadic ALS patients. J Neurosci Res. 2018 Aug;96(8):1353-1366. doi: 10.1002/jnr.24249. Epub 2018 May 6. PubMed PMID: 29732581.
  4. Harms AS, Delic V, Thome AD, Bryant N, Liu Z, Chandra S, Jurkuvenaite A, West AB. α-Synuclein fibrils recruit peripheral immune cells in the rat brain prior to neurodegeneration. Acta Neuropathol Commun. 2017 Nov 21;5(1):85. doi:10.1186/s40478-017-0494-9. PubMed PMID: 29162163; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5698965.
  5. Zhao HT, John N, Delic V, Ikeda-Lee K, Kim A, Weihofen A, Swayze EE, Kordasiewicz HB, West AB, Volpicelli-Daley LA. LRRK2 Antisense Oligonucleotides Ameliorate α-Synuclein Inclusion Formation in a Parkinson’s Disease Mouse Model. Mol Ther Nucleic Acids. 2017 Sep 15;8:508-519. doi: 10.1016/j.omtn.2017.08.002. Epub 2017 Aug 10. PubMed PMID: 28918051; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5573879.
  6. Abdelmotilib H, Maltbie T, Delic V, Liu Z, Hu X, Fraser KB, Moehle MS, Stoyka L, Anabtawi N, Krendelchtchikova V, Volpicelli-Daley LA, West A. α-Synuclein fibril-induced inclusion spread in rats and mice correlates with dopaminergic Neurodegeneration. Neurobiol Dis. 2017 Sep;105:84-98. doi:10.1016/j.nbd.2017.05.014. Epub 2017 May 30. PubMed PMID: 28576704; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5701756.
  7. Delic V, Griffin JWD, Zivkovic S, Zhang Y, Phan TA, Gong H, Chaput D, Reynes C, Dinh VB, Cruz J, Cvitkovic E, Placides D, Frederic E, Mirzaei H, Stevens SM Jr, Jinwal U, Lee DC, Bradshaw PC. Individual Amino Acid Supplementation Can Improve Energy Metabolism and Decrease ROS Production in Neuronal Cells Overexpressing Alpha-Synuclein. Neuromolecular Med. 2017 Sep;19(2-3):322-344. doi: 10.1007/s12017-017-8448-8. Epub 2017 Jun 15. PubMed PMID: 28620826.
  8. Sawmiller D, Li S, Mori T, Habib A, Rongo D, Delic V, Bradshaw PC, Shytle RD, Sanberg C, Bickford P, Tan J. Beneficial effects of a pyrroloquinolinequinone-containing dietary formulation on motor deficiency, cognitive decline and mitochondrial dysfunction in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease. Heliyon. 2017 Apr 4;3(4):e00279. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2017.e00279. eCollection 2017 Apr. PubMed PMID: 28413833; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5384415.
  9. Delic V, Brownlow M, Joly-Amado A, Zivkovic S, Noble K, Phan TA, Ta Y, Zhang Y, Bell SD, Kurien C, Reynes C, Morgan D, Bradshaw PC. Calorie restriction does not restore brain mitochondrial function in P301L tau mice, but it does decrease mitochondrial F0F1-ATPase activity. Mol Cell Neurosci. 2015 Jul;67:46-54. doi:10.1016/j.mcn.2015.06.001. Epub 2015 Jun 3. PubMed PMID: 26048366.
  10. Dragicevic N, Delic V, Cao C, Copes N, Lin X, Mamcarz M, Wang L, Arendash GW, Bradshaw PC. Caffeine increases mitochondrial function and blocks melatonin signaling to mitochondria in Alzheimer’s mice and cells. Neuropharmacology. 2012 Dec;63(8):1368-79. doi: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2012.08.018. Epub 2012 Sep 1. PubMed PMID: 22959965.
  11. Kane MJ, Hatic H, Delic V, Dennis JS, Butler CL, Saykally JN, Citron BA. Modeling the pathobiology of repetitive traumatic brain injury in immortalized neuronal cell lines. Brain Res. 2011 Nov 24;1425:123-31. doi: 10.1016/j.brainres.2011.09.047. Epub 2011 Sep 29. PubMed PMID: 22018688.
  12. Dragicevic N, Smith A, Lin X, Yuan F, Copes N, Delic V, Tan J, Cao C, Shytle RD, Bradshaw PC. Green tea epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) and other flavonoids reduce Alzheimer’s amyloid-induced mitochondrial dysfunction. J Alzheimers Dis. 2011;26(3):507-21. doi: 10.3233/JAD-2011-101629. PubMed PMID: 21694462.

Awards:

  • 2012: Fred L & Helen M Tharp stipend. Fred L & Helen M Tharp endowment
  • 2012: Certificate of Appreciation for research and mentorship: United States Army 3rd Ranger Battalion
  • 2014: Outstanding CMMB T.A. Award University of South Florida CMMB Dept.
  • 2015: Travel award Society for Neural Therapy and Repair

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Michael J. Falvo, PhD

michael_falvo

Health Sciences Specialist,
War Related Illness and Injury Study Center (WRIISC)

Academic Title and School Affiliation:

  • Assistant Professor, Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences – New Jersey Medical School; Newark, New Jersey
  • Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmacology & Physiology, Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences – Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences; Newark, New Jersey

Education:

  • The College of New Jersey, B.S. in Exercise Science, Ewing, New Jersey, (2004)
  • University of Memphis, M.S. in Kinesiology, Memphis, Tennessee, (2006)
  • Washington University in St. Louis, Ph.D. in Kinesiology, St. Louis, Missouri, (2010)
  • VA New Jersey Health Care System, Postdoctoral Fellowship in Integrative Physiology, East Orange, New Jersey, (2010 – 2012)

Areas of Research Interest:

  • Dyspnea
  • Exercise Intolerance
  • Clinical Exercise Physiology
  • Cardiopulmonary Function and Assessment
  • Environmental and Occupational Exposure

Memberships:

  • American Thoracic Society
  • American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM)
  • ACSM Clinical Exercise Physiology Association

Select Publications:

  1. Salcedo PA, Lindheimer JB, Klein-Adams JC, Sotolongo AM, Falvo MJ. Effects of Exercise Training on Pulmonary Function in Adults With Chronic Lung Disease: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2018 Apr 17. pii: S0003-9993(18)30223-5. doi: 10.1016/j.apmr.2018.03.014. Review. PubMed PMID: 29678450.
  2. Chen Y, Meyer JN, Hill HZ, Lange G, Condon MR, Klein JC, Ndirangu D, Falvo MJ. Role of mitochondrial DNA damage and dysfunction in veterans with Gulf War Illness. PLoS One. 2017 Sep 14;12(9):e0184832. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0184832. eCollection 2017. Erratum in: PLoS One. 2017 Oct 16;12 (10 ):e0186711. PubMed PMID: 28910366; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5599026.
  3. Falvo MJ, Helmer DA, Klein JC, Osinubi OY, Ndirangu D, Patrick-DeLuca LA, Sotolongo AM. Isolated diffusing capacity reduction is a common clinical presentation in deployed Iraq and Afghanistan veterans with deployment-related environmental exposures. Clin Respir J. 2018 Feb;12(2):795-798. doi: 10.1111/crj.12552. Epub 2016 Sep 27. PubMed PMID: 27614096.
  4. Falvo MJ, Lindheimer JB, Serrador JM. Dynamic cerebral autoregulation is impaired in Veterans with Gulf War Illness: A case-control study. PLoS One. 2018 Oct 15;13(10):e0205393. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0205393. eCollection 2018. PubMed PMID: 30321200.
  5. Falvo MJ, Abraham JH, Osinubi OY, Klein JC, Sotolongo AM, Ndirangu D, Patrick-DeLuca LA, Helmer DA. Bronchodilator Responsiveness and Airflow Limitation Are Associated With Deployment Length in Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans. J Occup Environ Med. 2016 Apr;58(4):325-8. doi: 10.1097/JOM.0000000000000675. PubMed PMID: 27058470.
  6. Falvo MJ, Chen Y, Klein JC, Ndirangu D, Condon MR. Abnormal rheological properties of red blood cells as a potential marker of Gulf War Illness: A preliminary study. Clin Hemorheol Microcirc. 2018;68(4):361-370. doi: 10.3233/CH-170262. PubMed PMID: 29660926.

Awards:

  • Meritorious Achievement Award in Applied Muscle Physiology, University of Memphis (2006)
  • Melvin Humphrey Student Research Award, University of Memphis (2006)
  • Alumni Wall of Fame, Department of Health and Exercise Science, The College of New Jersey (2013)
  • Outstanding Alumni, Department of Health and Sport Sciences, University of Memphis (2014)

Recognitions:

American College of Sports Medicine Registered Clinical Exercise Physiologist® (RCEP®)

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Carol Gibson-Gill, MD, MSCS, VHA-CM

carol.gill

Chair, Spinal Cord Injury/ Disorders Department; Director, MS Center of Excellent- East NJ Region; Director, VANJHCS ALS Program

Academic Title and School Affiliation:

Faculty, PM&R Department, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School

Education:

  • Associates Degree, American College of Switzerland
  • B.Sc., McGill University, Montreal, Canada
  • MD, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Newark NJ
  • Residency/Fellowship, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Newark NJ

Personal Statement:

All of my career has been devoted to caring for Veterans with spinal cord injury and disorders (SCI/D), Multiple Sclerosis and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. I provide direct care to Veterans living with these conditions, caring for them across the continuum in clinic, when admitted to the inpatient service and in their homes where I make clinical visits in person and via virtual care technologies (clinical video technology, Secure Messaging, MyHealtheVet, Home Telehealth). I am the Chair of the Spinal Cord Injury & Disorders Dept at the VA New Jersey Health Care System and serve as Director of the VHA Multiple Sclerosis Center of Excellence – East New Jersey Regional Hub and the Director of VANJHCS ALS Program. For successful community living for our Veterans, timely proper education on their disease and injuries provided to them and their Caregivers is crucial. This led to the development of the model of care we use called the “Triangle of Healthy Caregiving”. We continue to expand our services focusing on providing evidence-based interdisciplinary comprehensive care, education to the Veterans and their Caregivers, increasing and improving access to care for the Veterans we serve and developing a strong clinical research program focused on SCI/D.

Areas of Research Interest:

Spinal cord injury and disorders; ALS; MS; Increasing access to care using Virtual Care Technologies; Caregiving; infectious disease prevention and management; patient centered whole health care

Memberships:

  • American Spinal Cord Injury Professionals
  • American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine
  • Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers
  • Infectious Diseases Society of New Jersey
  • North Jersey Medical Society
  • Circle of Red, Go Red For Women, AHA/ASA

Publications:

Neurogenic Bladder. American Academy of Spinal Cord Injury Professionals, Aug, 2011

Woo, Guihan, Frick, Gill, Ho What’s happening now! Telehealth management of spinal cord  injury / disorders .Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine, vol 34(2)2011

Claffey,K, Farrell,K,Gill,C, et al. One VA’s Spinal Cord Injury Center’s Experience with Telehealth for Wound  Management;  International Journal of Wound Technology; Issue 20; April,2013

Gill, CM, Woo, C, Torres, J: Managing SCI/D Patients Using Virtual Care: A “How To” Symposium. Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine, Vol 37, No 4, September 2014

Gibson-Gill, et all. Urologic Issues in Multiple Sclerosis Educational You Tube Video created by NJ Regional Hub of the VHA’s Multiple Sclerosis Center of Excellence- East and VHA’s Employee Educational System. June, 2015

Zanca, J, Morris, J, Gibson-Gill, C, Dijkers, M. Development of the TEAM Tool: An Assessment of Skills in Directing Care and Caregiving. American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine Annual Conference, Progress in Rehabilitation Research, Oct, 2017.

Bartolo, K, Farag, A, Enyaosa, C, Gibson-Gill, C. Central Diabetes Insipidus in a Patient with Neuromyelitis Optica: A Case Report. Association of Academic Physiatrist, Feb,2018. Atlanta, Ga

Williams, J, Gibson-Gill, C, McMillion, T, Zanca,J, Morris, J, Dijkers, M. Thriving vs Surviving: Learning to Direct Care After Spinal Cord Injury. Paralyzed Veterans of America Summit 2018; August; Dallas, Texas

Gibson-Gill, C M, Fyffe, DC, Williams, J, Ebanks, Y, Jones, N. Identifying Unspoken Challenges of Using Clinical Video Technology For SCI Veterans & Caregivers. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation;2019-12-01, Volume 100, Issue 12, Pages e182-e182

Gibson-Gill C, Williams J, Fyffe DC. Triangle of Healthy Caregiving for Spinal Cord Injured Veterans. JMIR Research Protocols. 2020 May; 9(5): e14051,1-11

Sharma R, Gibson-Gill CM, Lal S, Baddoura P, Varughese D. Tracheostomal Myiasis: A Case Report; Association of Academic Physiatrists Conference; Feb, 2021

Fyffe D, Gibson-Gill, CM, Williams, J.  Effective Research Engagement Strategies with   Veterans Living with SCI and their Caregivers in a Study of Veterans Disability Benefits and Healthcare Utilization Patterns. American Congress on Rehabilitation Medicine; Sept, 2021

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Grace L. Guo, MBBS, PhD

grace_guo

Staff Urologist,
Surgical Service

Academic Title and School Affiliation:

Research Scientist/Research and Development Service, VA New Jersey Health Care System

Education:

  • 2001-2004 Post-doctoral fellow, Laboratory of Metabolism, NCI, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
  • 1997-2001 Ph.D., Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Therapeutics, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA
  • 1995-1997 M.S., Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Little Rock, AR, USA
  • 1993-1995 M.P.H. program and medical resident, Occupational Medicine Hospital, West China University of Medical Sciences, Chengdu, China
  • 1987-1993 M.B.B.S (Bachelor of Medicine). West China University of Medical Sciences (now West China Medical Center of Sichuan University), Chengdu, China

Areas of Research Interest:

Our laboratory has been focusing to determine the underlying molecular mechanism(s) for the development of non-alcoholic liver diseases, alcoholic liver diseases, and liver cancer. The pathway that we have elucidated and is critical for the liver function and diseases is the intestine-liver axis composed of the bile acids-FXR-FGF19/15, which regulates bile acid homeostasis, lipid metabolism, and inflammation. The scientific finding from our laboratory has been instrumental to provide scientific basis in developing biomarkers and future treatment for these liver diseases.

Memberships:

  • American Association of the Study of Liver Diseases
  • Society of Toxicology
  • American Society of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics

Select Publications:

  1. Kong B, Sun X, Huang M, Chow MD, Zhong XB, Xie W, Lee YH, Guo GL, A novel fibroblast growth factor 15 dependent- and bile acid-independent promotion of liver regeneration in mice. 2018, Hepatology (accepted)
  2. Kong B, Zhu Y, Li G, Williams JA, Buckley K, Tawfik O, Luyendyk JP, Guo GL. Hepatic specific deletion of FXR in liver tumor formation, Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol. 2016: 310: G295-302
  3. Shuang Q, Guo GL, Saumoy M, Honda A, Salen G, Xu G. Bile acid flux through portal but not peripheral veins inhibits CYP7A1 expression without involvement of ileal FGF19 in rabbits. Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol. 2014 Aug 15;307(4):G479-86.
  4. Kong B, Wang L, Chiang JY, Zhang Y, Klaassen CD, Guo GL. Mechanism of tissue-specific farnesoid x receptor in suppressing the expression of genes in bile-acid synthesis in mice. Hepatology 2012.56:1034-43.
  5. Thomas A, Hart S, Kong B, Fang J, Zhong X, and Guo GL. Genome-wide tissue specific FXR binding in mouse liver and intestine. Hepatology 2010, 51:1410-9.
  6. Maran RRM, Thomas A, Roth M, Sheng Z, Esterly N, Pinson D, Gao X, Zhang Y, Ganapathy V, Gonzalez FJ, Guo GL. FXR-deficiency in mice leads to increased intestinal epithelial cell proliferation and tumor development. J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 2009, 328:469-77. (Highlighted by the journal)
  7. Kong B, Luyendyk JP, Tawfik O, Guo GL. FXR-deficiency induces non-alcoholic steatohepatitis in LDLr-knockout mice fed a high-fat diet. J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 2009, 328:116- 22. (Highlighted by the journal)

Awards and Recognitions:

  • 2005 BIRCWH/NIH scholar
  • 2009-2012, and 2015: AASLD Presidential Poster Awards

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Alejandro Interian, PhD

alejandro_interian

Clinical Psychologist,
Mental Health & Behavioral Sciences

Academic Title and School Affiliation:

Adjunct Assistant Professor

Education:

  • Nova Southeastern University (APA Accredited Program), Clinical Psychology, Ph.D., Fort Lauderdale, Florida, (2001)
  • Nova Southeastern University (APA Accredited Program), Clinical Psychology, M.S., Fort Lauderdale, Florida, (1997)
  • University of Florida, Psychology, B.S. with Honors, Gainesville, Florida, (1995)

Areas of Research Interest:

  • Suicide
  • Telehealth
  • Mental health challenges in Parkinson’s disease

Select Publications:

  1. Dobkin, R., Interian, A., Durland, L., Gara, M., & Menza, M. (in press). Personalized Telemedicine for Depression in Parkinson’s disease: A Pilot Trial. Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry and Neurology.
  2. Lewis-Fernández, R., Coombs, A.A., Balán, I.C., Interian, A. Motivational Interviewing: Overcoming disparities in pharmacotherapy engagement. (in press). Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.
  3. Interian, A., King, A., St. Hill, L., Robinson, C., & Damschroder, L. (2017). Evaluating the implementation of home-based videoconferencing for providing mental health services. Psychiatric Services, 69(1), 69-75.
  4. Interian, A., Megan, C., Kline, A., Miller, R., St. Hill, L., Latorre, M., Shcherbakov, A., King, A., & Stanley, B. (in press). Use of the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS) to Classify Suicidal behaviors. Archives of suicide research, 22(2), 278-294.
  5. Interian, A., Kline, A., Perlick, D., Dixon, L., Feder, A., Weiner, M.D., Goldstein, M.F., Hennessy, K., St. Hill, L., & Losonczy, M. (2016). A Randomized Controlled Trial of a Brief Internet-Based Intervention for Families of Veterans. Journal of Rehabilitation Research and Development, 53, 629-640.
  6. Kline, A., Chesin, M., Latorre, M., Miller, R., Hill, L. S., Shcherbakov, A., King, A., Stanley, B., Weiner, M. D. & Interian, A. (2016). Rationale and study design of a trial of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for preventing suicidal behavior (MBCT-S) in military veterans. Contemporary Clinical Trials, 50, 245-252.
  7. Kline, A., Weiner, M. D., Interian, A., Shcherbakov, A., & St Hill, L. (2016). Morbid thoughts and suicidal ideation in Iraq war veterans: the role of direct and indirect killing in combat. Depression and Anxiety, 33(6), 473-482.
  8. Chesin, M., Interian, A., Kline, A., Benjamin-Phillips, C., Latorre, M., & Stanley, B. (2016). Reviewing Mindfulness-Based Interventions for Suicidal Behavior. Archives of Suicide Research, 20, 507-527.
  9. Durland, L., Interian, A., Pretzer-Aboff, I., & Dobkin, R. D. (2014). The Effect of Telehealth-to-Home Interventions on Quality of Life for Individuals with Depressive and Anxiety Disorders. Smart Homecare Technology and TeleHealth, 2, 105–119.
  10. Interian, A., Kline, A., Janal, M., Glynn, S., & Losonczy, M. (2014). Multiple deployments and combat trauma: Do homefront stressors increase the risk for post-traumatic stress symptoms? Journal of Traumatic Stress, 27, 90-97.
  11. Kline, A., Weiner, M.D., Ciccone D.S., Interian, A., Hill, L., & Losonczy, M. (2014). Increased risk of alcohol dependency in a cohort of National Guard Troops with PTSD: A longitudinal study,” Journal of Psychiatric Research , 50, 18–25.
  12. Interian, A., Lewis-Fernández, R., Gara, M. A., & Escobar, J. I. (2013). A Randomized-Controlled Trial of An Intervention to Improve Antidepressant Adherence among Latinos with Depression. Depression and Anxiety, 30, 688-696.
  13. Kline, A., Ciccone D.S., Weiner, M.D., Interian, A., St. Hill, L., Falca-Dodson, M., Black, C., Losonczy, M. (2013). Gender differences in the risk and protective factors associated with PTSD: A prospective study of National Guard troops deployed to Iraq. Psychiatry, 73, 256-272.
  14. Interian, A., Lewis-Fernandez, R., & Dixon, L. (2013). Interventions to Improve Mental Health Treatment Engagement among Underserved Racial-Ethnic Minority Populations: A Systematic Review of Recent Literature. Psychiatric Services, 64, 212–222.

Awards/Recognitions:

  • Young Investigator Award, National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression (NARSAD), (2003)
  • Mentored Career Development Award, National Institute of Mental Health, (2005)

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Steven W. Levison, PhD

steven_levison

Health Science Specialist,
Research Service

Academic Title and School Affiliation:

Research Physiologist

Education:

  • Undergraduate Education: University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, BS in Neuroscience
  • Graduate Education: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, Ph.D. in Neurobiology.
  • Postdoctoral Fellowship: Dept. of Pathology, Columbia University, College of
    Physicians and Surgeons, NY, NY

Areas of Research Interest:

  • Traumatic brain injury
  • Astrogliosis
  • Microgliosis
  • Neurotrophic factors
  • Neural stem cells
  • Regenerative medicine

Personal Statement:

Two broad themes have run concurrently through my research career – one being the study of glial reactions to injury and the other the study of the neural stem cells and progenitors of the subventricular zone in development. Over the course of my 20+ year career, I have gained extensive research experience in studies of normal brain development, the role of neuroinflammation in gliosis, as well as the regenerative response elicited by injuries to the brain. Moreover, my lab has used a variety of animal models of CNS injury and disease for our studies. I have been funded by the NIH since establishing my independent laboratory in 1993 and have collaborated extensively during my career. A longstanding interest of my lab is in elucidating the roles of IL-6 family cytokines in CNS injury, which extend back to collaborative studies that I performed in 1993 as a post-doc, where we evaluated the role of CNTF in astrogliosis. Since then my lab has studied other members of the IL-6 family and most recently we have focused on LIF. More specifically, we have been evaluating the roles of IL-6 family members in neural stem cell and progenitor cell self-renewal and how neural stem cells and progenitors are acutely and chronically affected by perinatal hypoxia-ischemia, pre-term brain injury and traumatic brain injury. We assess molecular, cellular and behavioral parameters and our experiments are performed on rats and on genetically engineered mice to elucidate the roles of specific signaling molecules in the responses of specific cell types. I have been consistently productive, having published over 95 peer reviewed articles to date with an h-index of 41.

Memberships:

  • Society for Neuroscience
  • American Society for Neurochemistry
  • International Society for Developmental Neuroscience
  • International Society for Neurochemistry
  • International Society for Stem Cell Research

Select Publications:

  1. Goodus MT, Kerr NA, Talwar R, Buziashvili D, Fragale JE, Pang KC, Levison SW. Leukemia Inhibitory Factor Haplodeficiency Desynchronizes Glial Reactivity and Exacerbates Damage and Functional Deficits after a Concussive Brain Injury. J Neurotrauma. 2016 Aug 15;33(16):1522-34. PubMed PMID: 26541248.
  2. Clausi MG, Kumari E, Levison SW. Unmasking the responses of the stem cells and progenitors in the subventricular zone after neonatal and pediatric brain injuries. Neural Regen Res. 2016 Jan;11(1):45-8. PubMed PMID: 26981076; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4774221.
  3. Goodus MT, Guzman AM, Calderon F, Jiang Y, Levison SW. Neural stem cells in the immature, but not the mature, subventricular zone respond robustly to traumatic brain injury. Dev Neurosci. 2015;37(1):29-42. PubMed PMID: 25377490.
  4. Yang Z, Covey MV, Bitel CL, Ni L, Jonakait GM, Levison SW. Sustained neocortical neurogenesis after neonatal hypoxic/ischemic injury. Ann Neurol. 2007 Mar;61(3):199-208. PubMed PMID: 17286251.
  5. Felling RJ, Snyder MJ, Romanko MJ, Rothstein RP, Ziegler AN, Yang Z, Givogri MI, Bongarzone ER, Levison SW. Neural stem/progenitor cells participate in the regenerative response to perinatal hypoxia/ischemia. J Neurosci. 2006 Apr 19;26(16):4359-69. PubMed PMID: 16624956.
  6. Guardia Clausi M, Levison SW. Delayed ALK5 inhibition improves functional recovery in neonatal brain injury. J Cereb Blood Flow Metab. 2017 Mar;37(3):787-800. PubMed PMID: 26984936; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5363459.
  7. Buono KD, Goodus MT, Guardia Clausi M, Jiang Y, Loporchio D, Levison SW. Mechanisms of mouse neural precursor expansion after neonatal hypoxia-ischemia. J Neurosci. 2015 Jun 10;35(23):8855-65. PubMed PMID: 26063918; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4461690.
  8. Basu A, Lazovic J, Krady JK, Mauger DT, Rothstein RP, Smith MB, Levison SW. Interleukin-1 and the interleukin-1 type 1 receptor are essential for the progressive neurodegeneration that ensues subsequent to a mild hypoxic/ischemic injury. J Cereb Blood Flow Metab. 2005 Jan;25(1):17-29. PubMed PMID: 15678109.
  9. Basu A, Krady JK, O’Malley M, Styren SD, DeKosky ST, Levison SW. The type 1 interleukin-1 receptor is essential for the efficient activation of microglia and the induction of multiple proinflammatory mediators in response to brain injury. J Neurosci. 2002 Jul 15;22(14):6071-82. PubMed PMID: 12122068.
  10. Buono KD, Vadlamuri D, Gan Q, Levison SW. Leukemia inhibitory factor is essential for subventricular zone neural stem cell and progenitor homeostasis as revealed by a novel flow cytometric analysis. Dev Neurosci. 2012;34(5):449-62. PubMed PMID: 23258129; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3583360.
  11. Levison SW, Goldman JE. Both oligodendrocytes and astrocytes develop from progenitors in the subventricular zone of postnatal rat forebrain. Neuron. 1993 Feb;10(2):201-12. PubMed PMID: 8439409.
  12. Levison SW, Chuang C, Abramson BJ, Goldman JE. The migrational patterns and developmental fates of glial precursors in the rat subventricular zone are temporally regulated. Development. 1993 Nov;119(3):611-22. PubMed PMID: 8187632.

Awards and Recognitions:

  • 1983- Graduated with High Distinction, University of Rochester
  • 1995- Fellowship, Winter Conference on Brain Research
  • 2002- Service Award, Central PA Chapter, National Multiple Sclerosis Society
  • 2005- Medical Student Teaching Award, Penn State College of Medicine
  • 2007- Traveling Lecturer, Grass Foundation
  • 2008- Medical Excellence Award, Foundation of UMDNJ
  • 2010- Excellence in Research Award, Foundation of UMDNJ
  • 2013- Excellence in Teaching Award, Foundation of UMDNJ
  • 2015- Dean’s Outstanding Educator Award, Rutgers Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences

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Lisa M. McAndrew, Ph.D.

lisa_mcandrew

Director of Research, Fellowship Director, War Related Illness and Injury Study Center

Academic Title and School Affiliation:   Associate Professor, University at Albany

Education: PhD. Clinical Psychology

Brief Statement: The goal of Dr. McAndrew’s translational and patient-centered research is to improve the functioning of veterans with medically unexplained symptoms (e.g., Gulf War Illness, chronic pain) including to: (1) understand the impact of deployment on physical symptoms and functioning, (2) determine veterans’ beliefs about medically unexplained symptoms and functioning (3) use veterans’ beliefs to develop behavioral interventions veterans want to receive (4) discover how to implement these interventions in the VA healthcare system. Dr. McAndrew’s research has been translated and disseminated through-out the VA Healthcare System. She is regularly invited to provide national trainings for providers of veterans with complex post-deployment health concerns, including being faculty at the 2019 Training Conference for VA Environmental Health Clinicians and Coordinators and speaking at the national Research Advisory Committee for Gulf War Illness. She regularly is sought as an expert in GWI including being on the committee updating the VA/DoD Clinical Practice Guidelines for Chronic Multisymptom Illness (CMI). Her research has lead to over 45 peer-reviewed publications and over 6 years in continuous funding including the second largest clinical trial for GWI and the first implementation clinical trial for GWI.

Areas of Research Interest:   health psychology, behavior change, Veterans, chronic pain, medically unexplained symptoms, Gulf War Illness, post-deployment health, implementation, provider training, patient-provider communication, risk communication, suicide prevention

Memberships: American Psychological Association, Society of Behavioral Medicine

Select Publications:

Winograd, D. M., Fresquez, C. L., Egli, M., Peterson, E. K., Lombardi, A., Megale, A., Cabrera Tineo, Y. A., Verile, M. G., Phillips, L. A., Breland, J. Y., Santos, S., & McAndrew, L. M.* (2021). Rapid review of virus risk communication interventions: Directions for COVID-Patient Education and Counseling.

Kimber, J., Sullivan, N., Anastasides, N., Slotkin, S., & McAndrew, L.M.* (2020).  Illness beliefs of Veterans with persistent physical symptoms. International Journal of Behavioral Medicine.

Breland, J., Wong, J., & McAndrew, L.M.,* (2020). Are Common Sense Model constructs and self-efficacy simultaneously correlated with self-management behaviors and health outcomes: A systematic review. Health Psychology Open. https://doi.org/10.1177/2055102919898846

Haibach, J.P., Hoerster, K.D., Dorflinger, L, McAndrew, L.M., Cassidy, D.G., Goodrich, D.E., Bormann, J.E., Lowery, J., Asch, S.M., Raffa, S.D., Moin, T., Peterson, A.L., Goldstein, M.G., Neal-Walden, T., Talcott, G.W., Hunter, C.L., & Knight, S.J.. (in press). Research translation for military and veteran health. Research, Practice, Policy. Translational Behavioral Medicine.

Brunkow, A., Cannon, M., Graff, F.S., Martin, J.L., Hausmann, L.R.M., & McAndrew, L.M.* (2020). Doctor recommendations are related to patient interest and use of behavioral treatment for chronic pain and addiction. Journal of Pain. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpain.2019.12.008

Fried, D., McAndrew, L.M., Helmer, D.A., & Quigley, K.S. (2020). Physical symptoms with greater functional limitations predict more frequent healthcare utilization in a prospective longitudinal study of soldiers. BMC Family Practice.

Sullivan, N., Phillips, L.A., Pigeon, W.R., Quigley, K.S., Graff, F., Litke, D., Helmer, D.A., Rath, J.F., & McAndrew, L.M.* (2019). Coping with medically unexplained physical symptoms: The role of illness beliefs and behaviors. International Journal of Behavioral Medicine. 26. 665-672. http://doi: 10.1007/s12529-019-09817-z.

McAndrew, L.M., Slotkin, S., Kimber, J., Maestro, K., Phillips, L.A., Martin, J.L., Crede, M., & Eklund, A. (2019). Cultural congruity of student Veterans predicts academic success. Journal of Counseling Psychology. 66(6). 678-689. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/cou0000363

McAndrew, L.M., Lu, S., Phillips, A. Maestro, K., & Quigley, K.S., (2019). Mutual maintenance of PTSD and physical symptoms for Veterans returning from deployment. European Journal of Psychotraumatology. 10, 1608717. https://doi.org/10.1080/20008198.2019.1608717

McAndrew, L.M., Friedlander, M., Litke, D.A., Phillips, L.A., Kimber, J., & Helmer, D.A.  (2019). Medically unexplained physical symptoms: What they are and why counseling psychologists should care about them. The Counseling Psychologist. 47(5) 741 –769.     http://doi.org/10.1177/0011000019888874

Phillips, L.A., & McAndrew, L.M. (2019). An empirical evaluation of Veterans’ perceived non concordance with the provider regarding medically unexplained symptoms. The Counseling Psychologist. 47(5) 770 –795. https://doi.org/10.1177/0011000019890317

Friedlander, M.L., Kangos, K., Maestro, K., Muetzelfeld, H., Wright, S., Da Silva, N., Kimber, J., Helmer, D.A., & McAndrew, L.M. (2019). Introducing the system for observing medical alliances (SOMA): A tool for studying concordance in patient-physician relationships. The Counseling Psychologist. 47(5) 796 –819.  https://doi.org/10.1177/0011000019891434

McAndrew, L.M., Crede, M., Maestro, K., Slotkin, S., Kimber, J., & Phillips, L.A. (2019). Using the common-sense model to understand outcomes for medically unexplained illlness: A meta-analysis. Health Psychology Review. 13(4). 427-446.  https://doi.org/10.1080/1743719.2018.1521730

Anastasides, N., Chiusano, C., Gonzalez, C., Graff, F., Litke, D., McDonald, E., Presnall-Shvorin, J., Sullivan, N., Quigley, K.S., Pigeon, W., Helmer, D.A., Santos, S.L., & McAndrew, L.M.* (2019). Helpful ways providers can communicate about medically unexplained symptoms. BMC Family Practice, 20, 13.  https://doi: 10.1186/s12875-018-0881-8

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Catherine E. Myers, PhD

catherine_myers

Health Science Specialist,
Research Service

Academic Title and School Affiliation:

Professor, Department of Neurology and Neurosciences, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School

Education:

  • University of Delaware, Cognitive and Computer Science, B.S. with Distinction, Newark, Delaware, (1987)
  • University of London, Imperial College, Electrical Engineering, Ph.D., London, United Kingdom, (1990)

Areas of Research Interest:

  • Experimental neuropsychology (brain bases of learning and memory)
  • Vulnerability to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
  • Early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease
  • Prediction of Risk for Suicidal Behavior
  • Computational neuroscience

Memberships:

  • Society for Neuroscience
  • Pavlovian Society
  • Association for Psychological Science

Select Publications:

  1. Sinha, N., Reagh, Z. M., Tustison, N. J., Shaw, A., Myers, C. E., Hill, D., Yassa, M. A. & Gluck, M. A. (2018/in press). ABCA7 risk variant in healthy older African Americans is associated with a functionally isolated entorhinal cortex mediating deficient generalization of prior discrimination training. Hippocampus, to appear.
  2. Caulfield, M. D. & Myers, C. E. (2018). Post-traumatic stress symptoms are associated with better performance on a delayed match-to-position task. PeerJ, 6:e4701.
  3. Petok, J. R., Myers, C. E., Pa, J., Hobel, Z., Wharton, D., Medina, L. D., Casado, M., Coppola, G., Gluck, M. A. & Ringman, J. R. (2018). Impairment of memory generalization in preclinical autosomal dominant Alzheimer’s disease mutation carriers. Neurobiology of Aging, 65:149-157.
  4. Allen, M. T., Jameson, M. M. & Myers, C. E. (2017). Beyond behavioral inhibition: A computer avatar task designed to assess behavioral inhibition extends to harm avoidance. Frontiers in Psychology, 8:1560.
  5. Sheynin, J., Shind, C., Radell, M., Ebanks-Williams, Y., Gilbertson, M. W., Beck, K. D., & Myers, C. E. (2017). Greater avoidance behavior in individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms. Stress, 20(3):285-293.
  6. Radell, M. L., Beck, K. D., Gilbertson, M. W. & Myers, C. E. (2017). Post-traumatic stress disorder symptom burden and gender each affect contextual generalization in a reward- and punishment-learning task. PLOS ONE, 12(2):e017244.
  7. Myers, C. E., Radell, M. L., Shind, C., Ebanks-Williams, Y., Beck, K. D. & Gilbertson, M. W. (2016). Beyond symptom self-report: Use of a computer “avatar” to assess post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in veterans. Stress, 19(6):593-598.
  8. O’Connell, G., Myers, C. E., Hopkins, R. O., McLaren, R. P., Gluck, M. A. & Wills, A. J. (2016). Amnesic patients show superior generalization in category learning. Neuropsychology, 30(8):915-919.
  9. Scharfman, H. E. & Myers, C. E. (2016). Corruption of the dentate gyrus by “dominant” granule cells: Implications for dentate gyrus function in health and disease. Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, 129:69-82.
  10. Myers, C. E., Kostek, J. A., Ekeh, B., Sanchez, R., Ebanks-Williams, Y., Krusznis, A. L., Weinflash, N., & Servatius, R. (2016). Watch what I do, not what I say I do: Computer-based “avatars” to assess behavioral inhibition, a vulnerability factor for anxiety disorders. Computers in Human Behavior, 55:804-816.

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Fengming Zhong, MD, PhD

Hematologist/Oncologist,
Medical Service

Academic Title and School Affiliation:

Assistant Professor of Medicine, Rutgers University, New Jersey Medical School

Education:

  • Cornell University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Molecular Biology, PhD, New York, New York
  • Zhejiang University Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, P.R. China, MD

Areas of Research Interest:

Clinical research involving phase II and III ECOG and pharmaceutical clinical trials (gastrointestinal cancer, hepatocellular Carcinoma, pancreatic cancer, prostate cancer, lung cancer, head and neck cancer, and etc)

Memberships:

  • American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO)
  • Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG)
  • VISN 3 hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) team

Awards and Recognitions:

Clinical Research of Excellence by the National Cancer Institute

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Mark Zimering, MD, PhD

mark_zimering

Chief, Endocrine and Diabetes Section,
Medical Service

Academic Title and School Affiliation:

Associate Professor of Medicine, Co-Terminous, Rutgers University – Robert Wood Johnson Medical School

Education:

  • Harvard College, (1977)
  • Albert Einstein College of Medicine, (1983)

Areas of Research Interest:

  • Fibroblast Growth Factors
  • Diabetes Mellitus
  • Vascular Complications
  • Neurodegenerative disorders
  • Autoimmunity

Memberships:

  • Endocrine Society
  • American Diabetes Association

Select Publications:

  1. Zimering MB. Circulating Neurotoxic 5-HT2A Receptor Agonist Autoantibodies in Adult Type 2 Diabetes with Parkinson’s Disease. J Endocrinol Diabetes. 2018;5(2). doi: 10.15226/2374-6890/5/2/01102
  2. Zimering MB. Diabetes Autoantibodies Mediate Neural- and Endothelial Cell- Inhibitory Effects Via 5-Hydroxytryptamine- 2 Receptor Coupled to Phospholipase C/Inositol Triphosphate/Ca2+ Pathway. J Endocrinol Diabetes. 2017;4(4). doi: 10.15226/2374-6890/4/4/00184.
  3. Zimering MB, Knight J, Ge L, Bahn G; VADT Investigators. Predictors of Cognitive Decline in Older Adult Type 2 Diabetes from the Veterans Affairs Diabetes Trial. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2016; 7:123. doi: 10.3389/fendo.2016.00123
  4. Zimering MB, Behnke JA, Thakker-Varia S, Alder J. Autoantibodies in Human Diabetic Depression Inhibit Adult Neural Progenitor Cells In vitro and Induce Depressive-Like Behavior in Rodents. J Endocrinol Diabetes. 2015;2(2). doi: 10.15226/2374-6890/2/2/00119.
  5. Zimering MB, Zhang JH, Guarino PD, Emanuele N, McCullough PA, Fried LF; Investigators for the VA NEPHRON-D. Endothelial cell autoantibodies in predicting declining renal function, end-stage renal disease, or death in adult type 2 diabetic nephropathy. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2014; 5:128. doi: 10.3389/fendo.2014.00128
  6. Zimering MB, Moritz TE, Donnelly RJ. Anti-neurotrophic effects from autoantibodies in adult diabetes having primary open angle glaucoma or dementia. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2013; 4:58. doi: 10.3389/fendo.2013.00058
  7. Zimering MB, Anderson RJ, Ge L, Moritz TE, Duckworth WC; Investigators for the VADT. Basic fibroblast growth factor predicts cardiovascular disease occurrence in participants from the veterans affairs diabetes trial. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2013;4:183. doi: 10.3389/fendo.2013.00183.
  8. Zimering MB, Alder J, Pan Z, Donnelly RJ. Anti-endothelial and anti-neuronal effects from auto-antibodies in subsets of adult diabetes having a cluster of microvascular complications. Diabetes Res Clin Pract. 2011 Jul;93(1):95-105.
  9. Zimering MB. Recurrent macular edema and stroke syndrome in Type 1 diabetes with potent endothelial cell inhibitory autoantibodies. Endocr Pract. 2010; 16(5): 842-850.
  10. Zimering MB, Anderson RJ, Moritz TE, Ge L; Investigators for the VADT. Endothelial cell inhibitory autoantibodies are associated with laser photocoagulation in adults from the Veterans Affairs Diabetes Trial. Metabolism. 2009;58(6):882-7.
  11. Zimering MB, Anderson RJ, Moritz TE, Ge L; Investigators for the VADT. Low plasma basic fibroblast growth factor is associated with laser photocoagulation treatment in adult type 2 diabetes mellitus from the Veterans Affairs Diabetes Trial. Metabolism. 2009;58(3):393-400.
  12. Zimering MB, Pan Z. Autoantibodies in type 2 diabetes induce stress fiber formation and apoptosis in endothelial cells. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2009;94(6):2171-7.

Awards and Recognitions:

  • Arthur S. Flemming Award, (2003)
  • Inventor, US Patent Number 7,972,798

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Hai-Hui (Howard) Xue, M.D.&Ph.D.

howard.xue

Research Health Science Specialist

Academic Title and School Affiliation:

Member, Center for Discovery and Innovation, Hackensack University Medical Center and Professor, Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine

Education:

  • M.D. China Medical University, Shenyang, China (1991)
  • Master of Medical Sciences, China Medical University, Shenyang, China (1994)
  • Ph.D. Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu, Japan (2000)

Areas of Research Interest:

  • T cell biology, hematopoietic and leukemic stem cell biology

Memberships:

  • AAAS (American Association of Advanced Sciences)
  • AAI (American Association of Immunologists)

Select Publications:

  1. Shan Q, Hu S, Zhu S, Chen X, Badovinac VP, Peng W, Zang C, Xue HH. (2022) Tcf1 preprograms the mobilization of glycolysis in central memory CD8+ T cells in recall responses. Nat. Immunol. 23, 386-398. (PMID: 35190717; PMCID: PMC8904300).
  2. Zhao X, Shan Q, and Xue HH. (2021) Tcf1 in T cell immunity: a broadened frontier. Nature Review Immunology, 22, 147-157 (PMID: 34127847).
  3. . Li F, Zhao X, Zhang Y, Shao P, Ma X, Paradee WJ, Liu C, Wang J, Xue HH. (2021) TFH cells depend on Tcf1-intrinsic HDAC activity to suppress CTLA4 and guard B-cell help function. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 118, e2014562118 (PMID:33372138; PMCID:PMC7812797).
  4. Zhao X, Shao P, Gai K, Li F, Shan Q, Xue HH. (2020) b-catenin and g-catenin are dispensable for T lymphocytes and AML leukemic stem cells. eLife. 9, e55360 (PMID:32820720; PMCID: PMC7462606).
  5. Xing S, Gai K, Li X, Shao P, Zeng Z, Zhao X, Zhao XD, Chen X, Paradee WJ, Meyerholz DK, Peng W, Xue HH. (2019) Tcf1 and Lef1 are required for the immunosuppressive function of regulatory T cells. J. Exp. Med. 216, 847-866. (PMID: 30837262; PMCID: PMC6446865).
  6. Li F, He B, Ma X, Yu S, Bhave RR, Lentz SR, Tan K, Guzman ML, Zhao C, Xue HH. (2017) Prostaglandin E1 and its analog misoprostol inhibit human CML stem cell self-renewal via EP4 receptor activation and repression of AP-1.*#@ Cell Stem Cell. 21, 359-373 (PMID: 28844837; PMCID: PMC5678929).
  7. Shan Q, Zeng, Z, Xing, S, Li F, Hartwig S, Gullicksrud JA, Kurup SP, Van Braeckerl-Budimir N, Su Y, Martin MD, Varga SM, Taniuchi I, Harty JT, Peng W, Badovinac VP, Xue HH. (2017) The transcription factor Runx3 guards cytotoxic CD8+ effector T cells against deviation toward follicular helper T cell lineage. Nat. Immunol. 18, 931-939. (PMID: 28604718; PMCID: PMC5564218)
  8. He B, Xing S, Chen C, Gao P, Teng L, Shan Q, Gullicksrud JA, Martin MD, Yu S, Harty JT, Badovinac VP, Tan K, Xue HH. (2016) CD8+ T cells utilize highly dynamic enhancer repertoires and regulatory circuitry in response to infections. Immunity 45, 1341-1354. (PMID: 27986453; PMCID: PMC5304416)
  9. Xing S, Li F, Zeng Z, Zhao Y, Yu S, Shan Q, Li Y, Philips FC, Maina PK, Qi HH, Liu C, Zhu J, Pope RM, Musselman CA, Zeng C, Peng W, Xue HH. (2016) Tcf1 and Lef1 transcription factors establish CD8+ T cell identity through intrinsic HDAC activity. Nat. Immunol. 17: 695-703. (PMID: 27111144; PMCID: PMC4873337)
  10. Zhou X, Yu S, Zhao DM, Harty JT, Badovinac VP, Xue HH. (2010) Differentiation and persistence of memory CD8 T cells depend on T cell factor 1. Immunity 33, 229-240. (PMID: 20727791; PMCID: PMC2928475)

Awards and Recognitions:

2005 Lenfant Biochemical Fellow Award, NHLBI, NIH

2011    American Cancer Society Research Scholar

2017    Donald D. Dorfman Research Award for Outstanding Publication in Leukemia or Lymphoma Research