Faculty
Praveen Bhoopathi, Ph.D.
Instructor
Praveen Bhoopathi, Ph.D.
Instructor
Department of Human and Molecular Genetics
Research interests: Molecular basis of cancer development and progression, neuroblastoma and animal models of cancer
Email: praveen.bhoopathi@vcuhealth.org
Daniel C. Bullard, Ph.D.
Professor
Daniel C. Bullard, Ph.D.
Professor
Department of Human and Molecular Genetics
Research interests: Mac-1-mediated mechanisms regulating the development and progression of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and other inflammatory diseases
Email: Daniel.Bullard@vcuhealth.org
Swadesh Das, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Swadesh Das, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Human and Molecular Genetics
Research interests: Genomic changes in the development of cancer, with a specific focus on melanoma
Email: swadesh.das@vcuhealth.org
Luni Emdad, M.B.B.S., Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Luni Emdad, M.B.B.S., Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Human and Molecular Genetics
Research interests: Astrocyte elevated gene-1 (AEG-1) interacting molecules involved in cancer progression, possible cancer stemness and angiogenesis toward developing novel therapeutic strategies to inhibit cancer progression
Email: luni.emdad@vcuhealth.org
Paul B. Fisher, M.Ph., Ph.D., FNAI
Professor
Paul B. Fisher, M.Ph., Ph.D., FNAI
Professor
Department of Human and Molecular Genetics
Director of the VCU Institute of Molecular Medicine
Research interests: Molecular basis of cancer and neurodegeneration, development of improved diagnostics and therapeutics for related diseases
Email: paul.fisher@vcuhealth.org
Zheng Fu, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Zheng Fu, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Human and Molecular Genetics
Research interests: Molecular mechanisms of cell cycle control and genome stability as they relate to carcinogenesis; development of novel, targeted cancer therapies
Email: Zheng.Fu@vcuhealth.org
Rajan Gogna, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Rajan Gogna, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Human and Molecular Genetics
Email: Rajan.Gogna@vcuhealth.org
Michael Grotewiel, Ph.D.
Professor and Interim Chair
Michael Grotewiel, Ph.D.
Professor and Interim Chair
Department of Human and Molecular Genetics
Associate Dean for Graduate Education
Research interests: Molecular-genetic basis for ethanol-related behaviors in the fruit fly genetic model, Drosophila melanogaster
Email: Michael.Grotewiel@vcuhealth.org
Suyun Huang, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor
Suyun Huang, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor
Department of Human and Molecular Genetics
Research interests: Molecular and cellular mechanisms of tumor progression, invasion and metastasis, genetic and epigenetic mechanisms of gene expression including histone methylation and ubiquitination, and RNA m6A methylation, and their impacts on cancer cell resistance to therapeutics
Email: suyun.huang@vcuhealth.org
Joseph W. Landry, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Joseph W. Landry, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Human and Molecular Genetics
Research interests: Chromatic remodeling complexes and histone modifying enzymes in the structural regulation of chromatin and ultimately gene expression; identification of small molecule therapeutics for inhibiting metastasis and immune system avoidance by tumor cells
Email: joseph.landry@vcuhealth.org
Dana Lapato, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Dana Lapato, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Human and Molecular Genetics
Research interests: Contribution of epigenetic mechanisms to complex trait etiology, risk liability and pathophysiology; open science and reproducible methodology; developmental trajectories of child and adolescent psychopathology; multi-omic data integration
Email: dana.lapato@vcuhealth.org
Zheng Liu, Ph.D.
Instructor
Zheng Liu, Ph.D.
Instructor
Department of Human and Molecular Genetics
Research interests: Pattern recognition scavenger receptors and the immune modulating roles in liver injury; Development of novel immunotherapies for solid tumors and metastases
Email: zheng.liu@vcuhealth.org
Joyce A. Lloyd, Ph.D.
Professor
Joyce A. Lloyd, Ph.D.
Professor
Department of Human and Molecular Genetics
Vice Chair of Education
Research interests: Developmental regulation of the globin genes in erythroid cells and in the genes controlling erythroid development
Email: joyce.lloyd@vcuhealth.org
Hermine H. Maes, Ph.D.
Professor
Hermine H. Maes, Ph.D.
Professor
Department of Human and Molecular Genetics
Research interests: Genetic Epidemiology Methodology; Relationships between Mental and Physical Health; Health Risk Factors: Obesity & Smoking; Substance Use & Abuse
Email: hermine.maes@vcuhealth.org
Devanand Sarkar, M.B.B.S., Ph.D
Professor
Devanand Sarkar, M.B.B.S., Ph.D
Professor
Department of Human and Molecular Genetics
Research interests: Key molecules regulating development and progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and the development of therapeutic strategies to treat HCC
Email: devanand.sarkar@vcuhealth.org
Rita Shiang, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Rita Shiang, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Human and Molecular Genetics
Graduate Program Director and Chair of Admissions
Research interests: Studying the genes that cause craniosynostosis in humans and zebrafish
Email: rita.shiang@vcuhealth.org
Mark Subler, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Mark Subler, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Human and Molecular Genetics
Research interests: Mammary tumorigenesis in mouse models
Email: mark.subler@vcuhealth.org
Xiang-Yang (Shawn) Wang, Ph.D.
Professor
Xiang-Yang (Shawn) Wang, Ph.D.
Professor
Department of Human and Molecular Genetics
Research interests: Stress responses/proteins and pattern recognition scavenger receptors, particularly their roles in immune modulation and host response, along with the development of novel immune-based cancer therapies
Email: xiang-yang.wang@vcuhealth.org
Jolene Windle, Ph.D.
Professor
Jolene Windle, Ph.D.
Professor
Department of Human and Molecular Genetics
Eminent Scholar and Director of the Massey Cancer Center Transgenic Mouse Core
Research interests: Role of oncogenes in mouse mammary tumorigenesis and the development of new transgenic mouse technologies
Email: jolene.windle@vcuhealth.org
Timothy York, Ph.D.
Professor
Timothy York, Ph.D.
Professor
Department of Human and Molecular Genetics
Assistant Director of Graduate Education
Research interests: Identification of genetic and environmental risk factors in complex disease and the use of biomarkers to elucidate disease subtypes
Email: timothy.york@vcuhealth.org
Affiliate Faculty
Hind Al Saif, M.D.
Department of Pediatrics
Research interests: Genetics
Ananda B. Amstadter, Ph.D.
Department of Psychiatry
Research interests: Post-traumatic stress disorder, genetics, trauma and stress-related drinking
Jill Bettinger, Ph.D.
Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology
Research interests: Synaptic transmission and behavior related to the physiological effects of alcohol in C. elegans
Tahnee N. Causey, M.S., CGC
Department of Pediatrics
Charles V. Clevenger, M.D., Ph.D.
Department of Pathology
Research interests: Prolactin and human breast cancer
Heather Creswick, M.S., LCGC
Department of Pediatrics
Andrew Davies, Ph.D.
Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology
Research interests: Molecular targets of drugs of abuse, in particular alcohol, in the C. elegans nervous system
Amanda J.G. Dickinson, Ph.D.
Department of Biology
Research interests: Developmental biology and orofacial development in zebrafish and frogs
Kelley Dodson, M.D.
Department of Otolaryngology
Research interests: Pediatric genetic hearing loss, otology and pediatric otolaryngology
Gordon D. Ginder, M.D.
Department of Internal Medicine
Research interests: Transcriptional regulation of globin genes during erythroid differentiation and interferon regulation of class I gene expression in human tumors
Steven Grant, M.D.
Department of Internal Medicine
Research interests: Modulation of apoptosis to treat leukemia, myeloma and lymphoma
Colleen Jackson-Cook, Ph.D.
Department of Pathology
Research interests: Cancer-related chromosomal aberrations in prostate cancer and the cause(s) of constitutional and acquired aneuploidy in humans
Nicholas E. Johnson, M.D.
Department of Neurology
Research interests: Translational program to understand the RNA splicing changes associated with myotonic dystrophy, genetic modifiers associated with the muscular dystrophies, and therapeutic development in the muscular dystrophies
Alaattin Kaya, Ph.D.
Department of Biology
Research interests: Biology of aging, genes and environmental factors that strongly interact to modulate observed aging patterns among different organisms
Kenneth S. Kendler, M.D.
Department of Psychiatry
Research interests: Genetics of schizophrenia, depression and anxiety; the interrelationship between psychiatric disorders and substance abuse
Jennifer Koblinski, Ph.D.
Department of Pathology
Research interests: Molecular basis of breast cancer metastasis to the brain
Larisa Litovchick, M.D., Ph.D.
Department of Internal Medicine
Research interests: Mechanisms of tumor suppression, DREAM complex, retinoblastoma family, cell cycle, quiescence, DNA repair, ovarian cancer
Michael F. Miles, M.D., Ph.D.
Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology
Research interests: Functional genomics of substance use disorders and the development of comorbid psychopathology
Michael C. Neale, Ph.D.
Department of Psychiatry
Research interests: Behavioral genetics including schizophrenia and alcohol dependence, the epidemiology of mood, anxiety and alcohol disorders, cognition and aging
Elizabeth C. Prom-Wormley, Ph.D.
Department of Family Medicine and Population Health
Research interests: Genetic epidemiology of cigarette and e-cigarette use, smoking cessation, genetic epidemiology of alcohol use and reduction and public health genomics
John Quillin, Ph.D.
Department of Pediatrics Research interests: Cancer prevention and screening behaviors, disparities in cancer care, familial cancer risk and risk perceptions
Senthil Radhakrishnan, Ph.D.
Department of Pathology Research interests: Protein degradation pathways in cancer and neurodegeneration
Brien P. Riley, Ph.D.
Department of Psychiatry
Research interests: Molecular genetics of schizophrenia, depression, autism and alcohol dependence
Roxann Roberson-Nay, Ph.D.
Department of Psychiatry
Research interests: Environmental factors that precipitate epigenetic modifications that may play a role in gene expression regulation in the brain and contribute to persistent changes in neurobiology and behavior of adolescents/young adults
Administrative staff
Jodi Humpage
Operations Administrator
jodi.humpage@vcuhealth.org
804-828-0104
Matthew Daniel
Fiscal Tech
matthew.daniel@vcuhealth.org
804-827-2132
Linda Downes-Piazza
Executive Assistant
linda.downes-piazza@vcuhealth.org
804-628-3506
C. Suzanne Finley
HR and Graduate Program Coordinator
catherine.finley@vcuhealth.org
804-628-3265
Roberta (Nancy) Fogg
Fiscal Administrator
roberta.fogg@vcuhealth.org
804-828-9729
Research Staff
Devon Farrar
Lab and Research Technician, Fisher Lab
(804) 628-3337
devon.farrar@vcuhealth.org
Michael Healy
Lab and Research Technician, Grotewiel Lab
(804) 628-3287
michael.healy@vcuhealth.org
Padmanabhan Mannangatti, Ph.D.
Lab and Research Manager, Fisher Lab
(804) 628-3337
padmanabhan.mannangatti@vcuhealth.org
Rachel Gredler Mendoza
Lab and Research Manager, Sarkar Lab
(804) 827-2358
rachel.mendoza@vcuhealth.org
Antonio Palma
Lab and Research Technician, Gogna Lab
(804) 628-3337
Antonio.Palma@vcuhealth.org
Daniel Sanchez De La Rosa
Lab Technician, Fisher Lab
(804) 628-3337
Daniel.SanchezDeLaRosa@vcuhealth.org
Brandon Shell
Lab Manager, Grotewiel Lab
(804) 628-3287
brandon.shell@vcuhealth.org
Postdoctoral Trainees and Fellows
- Hallie Blevins
Mentor: Xiang-Yang (Shawn) Wang, Ph.D. - Jinyang Cai, Ph.D.
Mentor: Xiang-Yang (Shawn) Wang, Ph.D. - Ali Gawi Ermi
Mentor: Devanand Sarkar, M.B.B.S., Ph.D. - Amit Kumar, Ph.D.
Mentor: Paul B. Fisher, M.Ph., Ph.D., FNAI - Li Li, Ph.D.
Mentor: Suyun Huang, M.D., Ph.D. - Santanu Maji, Ph.D.
Mentor: Paul B. Fisher, M.Ph., Ph.D., FNAI - Debashri Manna, Ph.D.
Mentor: Devanand Sarkar, M.B.B.S., Ph.D. - Suchismita Raha
Mentor: Devanand Sarkar, M.B.B.S., Ph.D. - Shijun Yu, Ph.D.
Mentor: Suyun Huang, M.D., Ph.D.