ASCEND Trainees and Mentors

Position:

Institution: University of Utah

Research

Keith Neeves, PhD

Position: Professor, Departments of Biomedical Engineering and Pediatrics 

Institution: University of Colorado Anschutz

Research: 

Our research groups uses biophysical and computational approaches to discover mechanisms that regulate blood disorders and to exploit those mechanisms to new develop diagnostic and drug delivery technologies.

Christian Mosimann, PhD

Position: Associate Professor, The Helen & Arthur E. Johnson Chair for the Cardiac Research Director

Department of Pediatrics, Section of Developmental Biology

Institution: University of Colorado Anschutz

Research: The Mosimann lab studies the developmental mechanisms of cell fate emergence from the lateral plate mesoderm, including cardiovascular, hematopoietic, and kidney lineages. The lab uses zebrafish as principal model, applying and developing latest approaches for genetic lineage tracing, gene-regulatory element discovery, transgenesis, and live imaging towards uncovering disease-relevant developmental mechanisms.

Eric Pietras, PhD

Position: Associate Professor, Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology

Institution: University of Colorado Anschutz

Research: The overall goal of my laboratory is to identify targetable mechanisms by which blood-forming hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPC) contribute to disease pathogenesis. We seek to understand how the pathogenic interplay between inflammation and metabolism contributes to leukemogenesis and autoimmunity. We use these studies to identify ways to disrupt this interplay, thereby promoting healthy blood system function and reducing disease risk and/or progression. Altogether, our mission is to make clinically translatable discoveries that positively impact human health.

Tom Greene, PhD

Position:

Institution: University of Utah

Research:

Position:  

Institution: University of Utah

Research:

Position: Professor of Pathology 

Institution: University of Utah

Research: The major focus of our lab is on innate immunity and inflammation, with projects ranging from molecular mechanisms of signal transduction to translational aspects of hematopoiesis and drug development. We explore how innate immune cells differentiate under various conditions, how they recognize and respond to pathogens, how genetic mutations in innate immunity contribute to inflammatory and auto-immune diseases, and how obtained information can be used to develop novel therapeutic strategies.

Kerrie Moreau, PhD

Position: Professor, Geriatrics

Institution: University of Colorado Anschutz

Research:

Position: Professor of Medicine, Renal Diseases and Hypertension

Institution: University of Colorado Anschutz

Research: I am trained as a physiologist with an interest in lifestyle interventions to reduce risk of cardiovascular disease and kidney disease progression in patients with kidney diseases, including autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) and chronic kidney disease (CKD). I conduct research on the mechanisms of vascular dysfunction in kidney diseases, as well as on novel therapeutics to alleviate such dysfunction. I have unique expertise in identifying integrative physiological mechanisms mediating vascular dysfunction, as well as in epidemiology (Master of Public Health). I direct the clinical vascular physiology laboratory for the Division of Renal Diseases and Hypertension. My research efforts over the past five years have also largely focused on examining and manipulating diet, obesity, and metabolic dysfunction as important mediators of cyst growth in patients with ADPKD. I have been funded since the pre-doctoral level, including a pre-doctoral fellowship, postdoctoral fellowship, K01, and R03, and three active R01 awards. Throughout my training, I have also gained extensive experience mentoring trainees, including as Co-Director of the CCTSI K12 program, and I am absolutely committed to mentorship of young investigators. Finally, I co-chair panel B of the Colorado Multiple Institutional Review Board.

Position: Assistant Professor, Renal Diseases and Hypertension

Institution: University of Colorado Anschutz

Research: