Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences

PREP Scholars and Faculty Mentors

Master
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BCM PREP Scholars have the freedom to choose a BCM Faculty Mentor based on their research interests found in the seven GSBS graduate programs:  Cancer & Cell Biology; Chemical, Physical & Structural Biology; Development, Disease Models & Therapeutics; Genetics & Genomics; Immunology & Microbiology; Neuroscience; Quantitative & Computational Biosciences. Select Faculty Lab websites provide information on the focus, projects and people working within them. PREP Scholars and faculty mentors are listed from the past five years.

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22nd-Year Cohort 2024/2025

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Casey

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Casey Baxter

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Undergraduate Institution: University of Virginia
PI: Swathi Balaji, Ph.D.

Libbie

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Libbie Ogilvie

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Undergraduate Institution: East Tennessee State University
PI: Kathryn Patras, Ph.D.

Usosa

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Usosa Too-Chiobi

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Undergraduate Institution: University of Houston
PI: William Lagor, Ph.D.

Amara

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Amara Okoye

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Undergraduate Institution: University of Houston
PI: Glenna Foight, Ph.D.

Ryan

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Ryan Perez

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Undergraduate Institution: University of Nevada
PI: Aleksandar Milosavljevic, Ph.D.

Haleigh

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Haleigh Brownlee

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Undergraduate Institution: Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
PI: Blair Benham-Pyle, Ph.D.

Eskarleth

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Eskarleth Lopez

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Undergraduate Institution: University of California, Santa Cruz
PI: Kara Marshall, Ph.D.

Victor

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Victor Alvarez

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Undergraduate Institution: Rice University
PI: William Hudson, Ph.D.

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21st-Year Cohort 2023/2024

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Marque

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Marque Villareal

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Undergraduate Institution: California State University, Fullerton
Graduate Institution: Baylor College of Medicine
Research Title: Adhesion-GPCR Regulation of Synapse Development and Plasticity
Mentor: Kimberley Tolias, Ph.D.

Brianda

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Brianda (Rubi) Gill

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Undergraduate Institution: McNeese State University
Graduate Institution: McNeese State University
Research Title: Assessing the Impact of Drug Treatments on AML Cell Lines Harboring DNMT3A and NPM1C Mutation
Mentor: Margaret Goodell, Ph.D.

Saida

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Saida Wiltz

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Undergraduate Institution: St. Edward's University
Research Title: Quantifying alloreactive T-cells to evaluate rejection of allogeneic cell products
Mentor: Cliona Rooney, Ph.D.

Terence

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Terence Shaw

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Undergraduate Institution: The University of Texas at San Antonio
Research Title: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Patients Display Lower Functional Connectivity Between the Habenula and the Globus Pallidus
Mentor: Ramiro Salas, Ph.D.

William

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William Whitfield

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Undergraduate Institution: Morehouse College
Research Title: Ameliorating Ventricular Phenotypes in TANGO2 KO Mice Model
Mentor: Na Li, Ph.D.

Elizabeth

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Elizabeth Gaytan

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Undergraduate Institution: Texas Woman's University
Graduate Institution: Cornell University
Research Title: A novel, life-stage specific, role for PUF-8 in maintenance of reproductive capacity
Mentor: Rachel Arey, Ph.D.

Jasmine

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Jasmine Brown

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Undergraduate Institution: Kennesaw State University
Graduate Institution: Baylor College of Medicine
Research Title: Exploring the function of PHF14, a gene implicated in neurodevelopmental diseases, using Drosophila melanogaster
Mentor: Shinya Yamamoto, DVM, Ph.D.

Theresa

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Theresa (Tess) Kelly

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Undergraduate Institution: University of North Carolina Wilmington
Graduate Institution: Oregon Health and Science University
Research Title: Investigating the Role of Bcl-xL in Bone Metastases of ER+ Breast Cancer
Mentor: Yi Li, Ph.D.

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20th-Year Cohort 2022/2023

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Salma

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Salma Elhassa

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Undergraduate Institution: CUNY Hunter College
Graduate Institution: Columbia University Biomedical Engineering
Research Title: Investigating the Effects of DBS Therapy on Mood and Neural Activity
Mentor: Kelly Bijanki, Ph.D.

Carolina

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Paola Gonzalez

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Undergraduate Institution: Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico
Graduate Institution: Indiana University
Research Title: Defining The Anti-osteogenic Function Of Adiponectin Lineage Cells In Bone Marrow Medullary Cavity Reshaping During Fracture Healing
Mentor: Dongsu Park, Ph.D.

Ashlyn

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Ashlyn Laidman

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Undergraduate Institution: Texas Christian University
Graduate Institution: University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill
Research Title: Using an in vitro model of genetic mosaicism to investigate the effect of Dnmt3a loss on mESC behavior
Mentor: Margaret Goodell, Ph.D.

Ken

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Ken Nguyen

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Undergraduate Institution: Rice University
Graduate Institution: Washington University in St. Louis
Research Title: Bilateral Lesions of the Cerebellar Outflow Tracts Produce a Posterior Fossa Syndrome-like Motor Phenotype in Adolescent Mice
Mentor: Roy Sillitoe, Ph.D.
 

Carolina

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Carolina Ortiz

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Undergraduate Institution: University of Puerto Rico – Humacao Campus
Research Title: Altered regulation of posttranslational modifications causes sterility and disrupted ovarian development in aging female mice
Mentor: Stephanie Pangas, Ph.D.

Dylen

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Dylen Penny

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Undergraduate Institution: Trinity University
Graduate Institution: UT Southwestern University
Research Title: Investigating cholesterol-binding motifs in TMEM106b
Mentor:  Joanna Jankowsky, Ph.D.

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19th-Year Cohort 2021/2022

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Benjamin

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Benjamin Gephart

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Undergraduate Institution: Nebraska Wesleyan University
Graduate Institution: University of Nebraska - Lincoln
Research Title: Modulation in a Murine Model of High-Risk Neuroblastoma
Mentor: William Decker, Ph.D.
Bench mentor: Giselle De La Tore Pinedo

Tia

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Tia Gordon

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Undergraduate Institution: Kennesaw State University
Research Title: Overcoming Tucatinib Resistance in HER2+ Breast Cancer
Mentor: Rachel Schiff, Ph.D.
Bench Mentor: Jamunarani Veeraraghavan, Ph.D., Fu-Tien Liao, Ph.D.

Anthony

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Anthony Grichuk

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Undergraduate Institution: University of Houston Clear Lake
Graduate Institution: UT Southwestern University
Research Title: Bio-ID Screen for Novel Protein Interactors with the Telomerase Catalytic Component hTERT
Mentor:  Alison Bertuch, M.D., Ph.D.
Bench Mentor: Danna Morris, Ph.D.

Karina

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Karina Moreno

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Undergraduate Institution: St. Edwards University
Research Title: Laser Interstitial Thermal Therapy for Brain Tumors
Mentor: Ganesh Rao, M.D.
Bench mentor: Anantha Marisetti, Ph.D.

Nathaniel

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Nathaniel Smith

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Undergraduate Institution: Arizona State University
Research Title: The AD Associated Protein SMOC1 is Expressed in Glia and Primarily around Drosophila Neurons
Mentor: Josh Shulman, M.D., Ph.D.
Bench Mentor: David Li-Kroger, Ph.D.

Karen

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Karen Zuniga

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Undergraduate Institution: University of Houston - Victoria
Graduate Institution: University of Houston
Research Title: The Role of TCOF1 as Caspase 2 substrate
Mentor: Lisa Bouchier-Hayes, Ph.D.
Bench mentor: Alexandra Brown

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18th-Year Cohort 2020/2021

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Estephanie Balbuena

Undergraduate Institution: Hunter College
Graduate Institution: University of Rochester
Research Title: The Role of AP1G1 in Regulating APP Levels and Processing
Mentor: Huda Zoghbi, M.D.

Katie Brandel-Ankrapp

Undergraduate Institution: Michigan State University
Graduate Institution: Baylor College of Medicine
Research Title: Parsing State-Dependent Neuronal Activity in the Basal Forebrain
Mentor: Benjamin Arenkiel, Ph.D.

Peter Cruz Parrilla 

Undergraduate Institution: Haverford College
Graduate Institution: University of Wisconsin-Madison
Research Title Improving the Structure of Nuclear Receptor Full-Length Complexes by Cryo-EM.
Mentor: Steven Ludtke, Ph.D.

Harim Delgado-Seo

Undergraduate Institution: Universidad Ana G. Mendez
Graduate Institution: Baylor College of Medicine
Research Title: Investigating the behavioral hallmarks of teneurin dysfunction in flies and mice.
Mentors: Hsiao-Tuan Chao, M.D., Ph.D. & Minghsan Xue, Ph.D.

Gabriela Gryc

Undergraduate Institution: Grinnell College
Graduate Institution: University of Iowa
Research Title: Neural Activity Governs Purkinje Cell Survival in the Adult Brain.
Mentor: Joanna Jankowski, Ph.D.

Brianna Lopez

Undergraduate Institution: Arizona State University
Graduate Institution: Johns Hopkins University
Research Title: Anti-Spike IgG antibody levels are associated with neutralization of SARS-CoV-2
Mentor: Jason Kimata, Ph.D.

Katherine Perks

Undergraduate Institution: University of Texas Austin
Graduate Institution: University of Washington
Research Title: Optimal Cue Integration Explains Bimanual Touch Encoding in the Human Brain
Mentor: Jeffrey Yau, Ph.D.

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17th-Year Cohort 2019/2020 

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Yonaida Valentine

Undergraduate Institution: Binghamton University
Graduate Institution: The Ohio State University
Research Title: Is the Spectrin Cytoskeleton Required for Axon Regeneration?
Mentor: Matthew Rasband, Ph.D.

Sumayyah Khan

Undergraduate Institution: University of Houston
Graduate Institution: The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center UT Health Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
Research Title: Quantifying alpha dynamics in human visual cortex: an intracranial study
Mentor: Brett Foster, Ph.D.

Garrett Lindsay

Undergraduate Institution: University of California, Santa Barbara 
Graduate Institution: Scripps Research Institute 
Research Title: A Novel Therapeutic Approach for Treatment-Resistant Prostate Cancer
Mentor: Damian Young, Ph.D.

Anayah Ferris

Undergraduate Institution: University of the Virgin Islands
Graduate Institution: University of Iowa
Research Title: The Role of RNA Splicing in Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition
Mentor: Chonghui Cheng, M.D., Ph.D.

Jayso’n Davidson

Undergraduate Institution: Hampton University
Graduate Institution: University of California, San Francisco
Research Title: Gene Therapy Treatment for Catecholaminergic Polymorphic Ventricular Tachycardia.
Mentor: Xander Wehrens, M.D., Ph.D.

Miranda Torres

Undergraduate Institution: University of Texas at Dallas
Graduate Institution: Northwestern University
Research Title: Reproducible Behavioral and Cellular Deficits in a Rat Model of Contactin-Associated Protein-Like 2 Deficiency
Mentor: Rodney Samaco, Ph.D.

Joe Martinez

Undergraduate Institution: Carnegie Mellon University
Graduate Institution: California Institute of Technology
Research Title: Engineering Lactobacillus reuteri for probiotic delivery of therapeutics.
Mentor: Robert Britton, Ph.D. 

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16th-Year Cohort 2018/2019 

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Brooke Hull

Undergraduate Institution: University of Georgia
Graduate Institution: Princeton University
Research Title: Zika virus proteins interact with host cellular pathways in Drosophila
Mentor: Shinya Yamamoto, Ph.D.

Zevin Condiotte

Undergraduate Institution: Washington University
Graduate Institution: California Institute of Technology
Research Title: γ-glutamylcysteine Synthases Increase Lactobacillus reuteri Anti-inflammatory Properties
Mentor: James Versalovic, M.D., Ph.D. 

Grace Adeniyi-Ipadeola

Undergraduate Institution: Texas A & M, College Station
Graduate Institution: Baylor College of Medicine
Research Title: Ascaris Larvae Excretory-Secretory Products Are Potential Targets for Vaccine Development
Mentor: Jill Weatherhead, M.D.

Azaria Anderson

Undergraduate Institution: University of Nevada
Graduate Institution: University of Massachusetts - Amherst
Research Title: Seizures increase ∆FosB expression in brain areas related to psychiatric comorbidities in Alzheimer’s disease
Mentor: Jeannie Chin Medina, Ph.D.

Minerva Solis

Undergraduate Institution: University of St. Thomas
Graduate Institution: Baylor College of Medicine
Research Title: Vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM1) is a novel theca cell specific androgen regulated gene in the ovary
Mentor: JoAnne Richards, Ph.D.

Thomas Fair

Undergraduate Institution: Winston Salem State University
Graduate Institution: Baylor College of Medicine
Research Title: Novel Nuclear Localization of JPH2 C-Terminal Fragment in Heart Failure
Mentor: Xander Wehrens, M.D., Ph.D.

Madelyn Szilagyi-Jones

Undergraduate Institution: Case Western Reserve University
Graduate Institution: Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Research Title: Loss of Magel2 alters anxiety-like behavior in the rat.
Mentor: Rodney Samaco, Ph.D.

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15th-Year Cohort 2017/2018 

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Barbara Nassif

Undergraduate Institution: University of Houston
Graduate Institution: University of Texas Health MD Anderson Cancer Center
Research Title: Role of the androgen receptor in estrogen receptor mutant breast cancer
Mentor: Suzanne Fuqua, Ph.D.

Kelsey Heavener

Undergraduate Institution: Simmons College
Graduate Institution: Columbia University Medical
Research Title: Modeling breast cancer through CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing
Mentor: Yi Li, Ph.D.

Markia Smith

Undergraduate Institution: University of Delaware
Graduate Institution: University of North Caroline Chapel Hill
Research Title: Generation of broader repertoire Epstein-Barr virus specific T cells for EBV+ lymphomas
Mentor: Clio Rooney, Ph.D.

Giovanni Monterroso

Undergraduate Institution: Northeastern Illinois University
Graduate Institution: Michigan State University
Research Title: Possible target for treating metabolic disorders?
Mentor: Atul Chopra, M.D., Ph.D.

Elizabeth Borneman

Undergraduate Institution: Georgetown University
Graduate Institution: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Research Title: Seeing to See: Visualizing concepts for better understanding in neuroscience and machine learning
Mentor: Xaq Pitkow, Ph.D.

Kenneth Guzman Rodriquez

Undergraduate Institution: University of Puerto Rico-Cayey
Graduate Institution: University of North Caroline Chapel Hill
Research Title: Synthesis of (+)JQ1 analogs with enhanced metabolic stability
Mentor: Damian Young, Ph.D.

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14th-Year Cohort 2016/2017 

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David Cardenas 

Undergraduate Institution: University of Houston Downtown
Graduate Institution: University of Houston School of Medicine
Research Title: Activation of epigenetically silenced genes to target aggressive breast cancer phenotypes
Mentor: Jeff Rosen, Ph.D.

Taylor Jefferson 

Undergraduate Institution: Baylor University
Graduate Institution: Northwestern University
Research Title: Abnormal Purkinje cell firing during development in Car8wdl mice
Mentor: Roy Sillitoe, Ph.D.

Faith Joseph 

Undergraduate Institution: Xavier University of Louisiana
Graduate Institution: Baylor College of Medicine
Research Title: The role of CD5 in T-Reg Induction
Mentor: Maria Bettini, Ph.D.

Dakari McCoy

Undergraduate Institution: University of New Mexico
Graduate Institution: University of Southern California
Research Title: Virtual reality manipulations of visual and non-visual cues for proprioception
Mentor: Jeffrey Yau, Ph.D.

Dominique Thompson

Undergraduate Institution: Northwestern State University
Graduate Institution: Baylor College of Medicine
Research Title: Examining biomarkers of environmental polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in placental and cord blood samples
Mentor: Melissa Suter, Ph.D.

Antonio Valentin-Acevedo

Undergraduate Institution: University of Puerto Rico at Aguadilla
Graduate Institution: Baylor College of Medicine
Research Title: HIV-1 replication block autophagy by preventing cleavage of GAG-LC3
Mentor: Sue Crawford, Ph.D.

Justin Branch

Undergraduate Institution: The University of North Carolina at Pembroke
Research Tech, Baylor College of Medicine
Research Title: Validating splice altering variants in Leber congenital amaurosis patients 
Mentor: Rui Chen, Ph.D.