Post Doctoral & Graduate Students

Porat M. Erlich, M.Sc. (Ph.D. Candidate, Molecular Medicine) Porat is a Ph.D. candidate in the Molecular Medicine Program. His main research interest is the involvement of vascular mechanisms in the pathophysiology of Alzheimer disease. The focus of his dissertation project is the association of PON gene variants with Alzheimer disease and with MRI measures of brain deterioration. Porat is also interested in computational prediction of eukaryotic origins of replication

Hyunjoo Lee (M.D./Ph.D. Candidate, Molecular Medicine) Pre-Doctoral Fellow Hyunjoo is an M.D./Ph.D. candidate currently in the Graduate Program in Molecular Medicine. Her research is focused on the discovery of genes involved in mammalian sex determination. By using Fluorescence Activated Cell Sorting (FACS) and DNA microarrays, she aims to identify genes expressed in the pre-granulosa cells of embryonic mouse ovaries that may be important for ovarian development. Identification of such genes will help us to better understand the basic processes underlying mammalian sex determination and should provide insight into human gonadal abnormalities as well.

Vikki Nolan Vikki is a doctoral student in the School of Public Health studying for a D.Sc. in Epidemiology. Her current projects include genetic modification of sickle cell disease and genetic epidemiology of metabolic syndrome (GEMS).

Qianli Ma (Ph.D. Candidate, Bioinformatics) Research Assistant Qianli is a doctoral student in the Bioinformatics Graduate Program in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Current projects include exploring genetic modifiers of sickle cell disease and beta-thalassemia via associate analysis and genetic dissection of Metabolic Syndrome ( GEMS study) via linkage analysis.

Yan Meng (Ph.D. Candidate, Bioinformatics) Yan Meng is a graduate student of the Bioinformatics Program. Yan's interest is linkage analysis of complex diseases, using both quantitative and qualitative approaches. Yan's current focus is on linkage analysis of late onset Alzheimer's disease.

Hongjie Pan, Ph.D. Post-doctoral Fellow

Yi Yu (Ph.D. Candidate, Bioinformatics) Research Assistant Yi Yu is a Ph.D. graduate student of the Bioinformatics Program and is now working with Dr. Lindsay Farrer on the GEMS project. Currently, he is using SOLAR to do variance components quantitative trait analysis on metabolic syndrome.