Faculty Profiles

Tasuku Akiyama, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Dermatology and Cutaneous Surgery
Publications
Biography: Tasuku Akiyama, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in the Dr. Phillip Frost Department of Dermatology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. He obtained his Ph.D. in Pharmacology from Toyama University and pursued postdoctoral training in the Department of Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior at UC Davis. Dr. Akiyama was a JSPS Postdoctoral Fellow and the...
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Himanshu Arora

Research Assoc. Professor
Clinical Profile
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Rene Barro-Soria, Ph.D.

Professor of Medicine
Publications
Biography: Rene Barro-Soria received his Ph.D. degree from the University of Regensburg, Germany, where he worked on identifying the molecular entity of the Ca2+activated Cl channel in epithelia. Thereafter, he studied chemosensory transduction in taste buds and ion channel function in the retina and cerebellum. In 2011, he joined the lab of Dr. H. Peter Larsson to study conformational...
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Susan Halloran Blanton, Ph.D.

Professor, Dr. John T. Macdonald Foundation Department of Human Genetics

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Holly N. Cukier, Ph.D.

Research Assistant Professor
Publications
Biography: Dr. Cukier received her Doctoral degree from Baylor College of Medicine in the Department of Human and Molecular Genetics where she generated a novel fruit fly model of Rett syndrome, a disorder on the autism spectrum, and was awarded a Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award from the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Cukier returned to the University of Miami...
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Gennaro D’Urso, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Molecular & Cellular Pharmacology
Clinical Profile
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Derek Dykxhoorn, Ph.D.

Research Professor
Publications
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Maria E. Figueroa, M.D.

Professor
Publications
Biography: Dr. Figueroa received her MD from Universidad del Salvador, School of Medicine in Buenos Aires, and a Degree in Hematology from University of Buenos Aires, Argentina. She completed her postdoctoral training in the field of epigenetics of myeloid malignancies at Weill Cornell Medicine under the mentorship of Dr. Ari Melnick. Dr. Figueroa’s research seeks to understand the...
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Anthony J. Griswold, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, Dr. John T. Macdonald Foundation Department of Human Genetics
Publications
Biography: Dr. Griswold is an Assistant Professor in the Dr. John T. MacDonald Department of Human Genetics at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and in the John P. Hussman Institute for Human Genomics (HIHG). He received a BS degree in Biology from the University of Notre Dame and his PhD in Genetics from The George Washington University where he did his dissertation...
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Abigail S. Hackam, Ph.D.

Professor of Ophthalmology
Publications
Biography: Abigail Hackam, Ph.D. is a Professor at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, Director of Laboratory Research at Bascom Palmer, and Associate Director of the Master’s of Science in Vision Science and Investigative Ophthalmology at the University of Miami. Her PhD training was in Human Genetics at Johns Hopkins University, followed by post-doctoral positions in Medical Genetics...
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Joshua M. Hare, M.D., F.A.C.C., F.A.H.A.

Director, Donald Soffer Endowed Program in Regenerative Medicine, Cardiovascular Medicine
Clinical Profile
Biography: Dr. Hare graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and has a medical degree from Johns Hopkins University. He did his residency at Hopkins and fellowships at Hopkins, Harvard University and The Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. Dr. Hare was Professor of Medicine and Biomedical Engineering and director of cardiac transplantation at Johns Hopkins, leading their...
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Jennifer J. Hu, Ph.D.

Professor of Epidemiology
Publications
Biography: As a trans-disciplinary cancer researcher, Dr. Hu has training in basic sciences and cancer epidemiology. Her research mainly focuses on the molecular and genetic mechanisms of breast cancer etiology and survival disparities as well as implication of DNA repair in precision medicine.
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Brian W. Kunkle, Ph.D., M.P.H.

Research Assistant Professor, Dr. John T. Macdonald Foundation Department of Human Genetics
Publications
Biography: Dr. Kunkle is a genetic epidemiologist whose research primarily focuses on investigating the genetic factors involved in the development of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). His studies apply a combination of genomic, epidemiology and biostatistical techniques to large-scale genome-wide genotyping and sequencing datasets. He is an Assistant Professor in the Dr. John T. Macdonald...
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Stefan Kurtenbach, Ph.D.

Research Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology
Publications
Biography: Dr. Kurtenbach has studied Biochemistry at the Ruhr-University in Bochum, Germany, where he also graduated in Biology as part of the International Max Plank Research Program. Following a post-doctoral period at York University in Toronto, Canada, he completed his postdoc at the Harbour Ocular Cancer Laboratory withing the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center (SCCC) at...
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Sandra K. Lemmon, Ph.D.

Professor of Molecular & Cellular Pharmacology
Clinical Profile | Publications
Biography: Degrees
B.A. University of Rochester (1973)
Ph.D. Washington University (1982)

Positions
Postdoctoral Fellow, Carnegie Mellon University (1983-1985)
Research Assistant Professor, Carnegie Mellon University (1985-1988)
Assistant Professor, Case Western Reserve University...
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David Benner Lombard, M.D., Ph.D.

Clinical Professor
Publications
Biography: Dr. Lombard received his MD from Harvard Medical School, and his PhD at MIT, where he studied Werner syndrome and related progerias. After Pathology residency at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Dr. Lombard pursued postdoctoral work in the area of sirtuin biology, supported by an NIA/NIH K08 award. Dr. Lombard was the first to describe a central role for the...
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Xue Zhong Liu, M.D., Ph.D., FACS

Leonard M. Miller Professor of Otolaryngology, Otology
Clinical Profile
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Eden R. Martin, Ph.D.

Professor, Dr. John T. Macdonald Foundation
Publications
Biography: Professor, Dr. John T. Macdonald Foundation Department of Human Genetics and Department of Public Health Sciences
Director, The Center for Genetic Epidemiology and Statistical Genetics, John P. Hussman Institute for Human Genomics

Eden R. Martin, Ph.D., is Director of the Center for Genetic Epidemiology and Statistical Genetics at the John P....
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Jacob L. McCauley Ph.D.

Professor, Dr. John T. Macdonald Foundation Department of Human Genetics
Publications
Biography: Jacob L. McCauley, Ph.D., is a Professor of Human Genetics and Pathology and the Director of the Center for Genome Technology and Biorepository Facility at the John P. Hussman Institute for Human Genomics. Dr. McCauley is a genetic epidemiologist whose research focuses on the use of molecular techniques, bioinformatics, and statistical methods to identify genetic variation...
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Eric A. Mellon, M.D., Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Radiation Oncology
Clinical Profile | Publications
Biography: Dr. Mellon decided to become a doctor after watching the struggles of several family members with cancer and other serious medical illnesses. He approaches every patient with the promises he made to his sick parents: explain everything clearly to non-doctors, take as much time as needed to answer all questions, and treat patients as if they were family.

Shortly...
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Carlos T. Moraes, Ph.D.

Professor of Neurology, Neuromuscular
Publications
Biography: My independent group at the University of Miami was established in 1993 and one of its main focuses in the last decade has been the study of mitochondrial defects and neurodegenerative processes. We have used patients' cells and genetically modified mice to create models of mitochondrial disorders associated with defects in either nuclear or mitochondrial DNA. We are...
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Lluis Morey, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Human Genetics
Publications
Biography: Dr. Morey is a tenured associate professor at the Human Genetics Department at University of Miami (UM) and member of the Cancer Epigenetics Program at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center. He received his degree in Biology from Universidad de Barcelona in 2003. He completed his PhD studies in the laboratory of Dr. Luciano Di Croce, where he studied the role of the chromatin-remodeling...
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Amanda Myers, Ph.D.

Professors of Cell Biology
Publications
Biography: Amanda J Myers, PhD is the Principle Investigator of the Laboratory of Functional Neurogenomics at the University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine. She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and performed work there mapping the connections of retina midget and bipolar cells as well as mapping dopaminergic pathways in the midbrains of Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s...
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Karen Nuytemans, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, Dr. John T. Macdonald Foundation Department of Human Genetics
Publications
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Margaret Pericak-Vance, Ph.D

Director, John P. Hussman Institute for Human Genomics, Clinical and Translational Genetics

Biography: Dr. Pericak-Vance is Director of the John P. Hussman Institute for Human Genomics and Executive Vice Chair of the Dr. John T. Macdonald Foundation Department of Human Genetics at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. Board certified by the American Board of Medical Specialties in Medical Genetics, she is a founding fellow of the American College of Medical...
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Stephan C. Schürer, Ph.D.

Professor of Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology
Publications
Biography: Dr. Schürer studied chemistry at Humboldt University of Berlin and University of California Berkeley. Following his PhD from the Technical University Berlin, he built and directed the international operations to the develop life science information technology and scientific content products at Libraria and Eidogen-Sertanty Inc, two technology startups in San Jose...
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William K. Scott, Ph.D.

Professor of Human Genetics
Publications
Biography: William K. Scott, Ph.D. is Professor and Vice-Chair for Education & Training in the Dr. John T. Macdonald Foundation Department of Human Genetics, and Professor of Neurology and Public Health Sciences at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. He is a core faculty member of the John P. Hussman Institute for Human Genomics and Executive Director of the UM...
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Ramin Shiekhattar, Ph.D.

Professor
Publications
Biography: Dr. Shiekhattar serves as the Cancer Epigenetics Program Co-Leader at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center. His own laboratory has been interested in understanding the mechanisms by which protein-coding genes are regulated and how disruption of such regulatory mechanisms may lead to neoplasia. Recent evidence has implicated changes in chromatin structure as an essential...
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Rivka Stone, MD, PhD

Associate Professor of Dermatology and Cutaneous Surgery
Clinical Profile | Publications
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Justin Taylor, M.D.

Associate Professor, Hematology
Publications
Biography: Justin Taylor, MD, is a physician-scientist devoted to improving outcomes for patients with hematologic malignancies. The Taylor lab studies the role of recurrent mutations in hematologic malignancies and how to target them with novel therapeutics using animal modeling, molecular biology, and single-cell genomic techniques. Dr. Taylor holds a faculty position in the Department...
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Mustafa Tekin, M.D.

Chair, Dr. John T. Macdonald Foundation Department of Human Genetics, Clinical and Translational Genetics
Clinical Profile | Publications
Biography: Dr. Mustafa Tekin is chair of the Dr. John T. Macdonald Foundation Department of Human Genetics and chief of the Division of Clinical and Translational Medicine. He graduated from Ankara University School of Medicine in 1992 and completed residency training in pediatrics at the same university and in clinical genetics at Virginia Commonwealth University. Dr. Tekin completed...
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Aristeidis G. Telonis, Ph.D.

Research Assistant Professor
Publications
Biography: Dr Telonis is a Research Assistant Professor at the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. He is a Biologist by training, graduating from the University of Patras, Greece with a B.Sc. in Biology. As an undergraduate researcher, he conducted research in behavioral and molecular neurobiology. He holds a M.Sc....
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Marjana Tomic-Canic, Ph.D.

Professor of Dermatology and Cutaneous Surgery

Biography: Dr Tomic-Canic is internationally recognized scientist, inventor and leader in a field of skin biology, with particular focus on understanding mechanisms that control tissue repair and regeneration. She has over 25 years of experience and has authored over 150 peer-reviewed papers in her fields of research. Dr Tomic-Canic completed her doctoral and postdoctoral training...
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Luis M. Tuesta, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Publications
Biography: By way of my training, my career started at the University of Miami Miller School of medicine (2006-2008) where I worked on leveraging the neuroregenerative properties of Schwann cells to achieve functional recovery following spinal cord injury. Then, at The Scripps Research Institute (2008-2013), I worked on mechanisms of addiction and pharmacology and identified the...
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Jeffery M. Vance, M.D., Ph.D.

Professor of Human Genetics
Publications
Biography: Jeffery M. Vance, M.D., Ph.D. is a Professor in the Dr. John T. Macdonald Foundation Department Human Genetics (founding Chairman, 2008-2012) and a Professor of Neurology at the University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine. He is boarded by both the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and the American College of Medical Genetics and is an elected member of the...
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Kevin Van der Jeught, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Microbiology & Immunology
Publications
Biography: Dr. Kevin Van der Jeught was born and raised in Brussels, Belgium. In 2012 he graduated Magna Cum Laude in Biomedical Sciences at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium. He started a PhD in Medical Sciences on the topic « use of mRNA-based adjuvants to stimulate cancer-specific immune responses » at the Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Therapy under the...
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Claes Wahlestedt, M.D., Ph.D.

Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Publications
Biography: Claes Wahlestedt is Leonard M. Miller Professor and Director of the Center for Therapeutic Innovation at the University of Miami where he also serves as Associate Dean for Therapeutic Innovation. A native of Sweden, Dr. Wahlestedt obtained his MD and PhD degrees from Lund University. Prior to joining the University of Miami, Dr. Wahlestedt was a founding Professor and...
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Katherina Walz, Ph.D.

Research Associate Professor, Dr. John T. Macdonald Foundation Department of Human Genetics
Publications
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Gaofeng Wang, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Human Genetics
Publications
Biography: Gaofeng Wang, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor with tenure in the Dr. John T. Macdonald Foundation Department of Human Genetics, an Associate Professor (secondary appointment) at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, a primary member of the John P. Hussman Institute for Human Genomics, and a member of Cancer Epigenetics Research Program in the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer...
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Lily Wang, Ph.D.

Professor
Publications
Biography: Dr. Wang moved to Miami to join the faculty of the University of Miami in 2015. Prior to that, she was a tenured Associate Professor at Vanderbilt University in Nashville. Since then, she has successfully led several NIH sponsored projects, utilizing data science approaches to improve our understanding of complex diseases.

For more information, please...
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Liyong Wang, Ph.D.

Research Associate Professor, Dr. John T. Macdonald Foundation Department of Human Genetics
Publications
Biography: Dr. Wang obtained her Ph.D. degree in molecular biology at Purdue University and her postdoctoral training in the Center of Human Genetics at Duke University. Her research has focused on understanding the biological basis for common, complex human diseases using ever evolving genomic technologies. She has mapped susceptibility loci for cardiovascular diseases and neurodegenerative...
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Juan I. Young, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Human Genetics
Publications
Biography: Young is a neurobiologist interested in identifying epigenetic signatures of human genetic diseases and in establishing animal models of neurological diseases. He has a longstanding interest in neurodevelopmental disorders in general and in understanding the pathogenesis of Rett Syndrome in particular. His work includes the identification of RNA-related functions of MeCP2,...
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Stephan Züchner, M.D., Ph.D.

Professor of Human Genetics and Neurology, Dr. John T. Macdonald Foundation Department of Human Genetics
Publications
Biography: Dr. Zuchner is a trained neurologist and molecular geneticist with research interests in identifying genetic variation associated with disease. His lab has identified several genes for Mendelian neurodegenerative disorders and also evaluated risk factors for complex genetic conditions, including Alzheimer disease, Parkinson disease, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. His...
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Kevin McCracken, Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Biology, Marine Biology & Ecology
Kushlan Chair Waterbird Biology & Conservation

Biography: My research interests are in evolutionary genetics and physiology of hypoxia resistance. Methods from a variety of different disciplines including population genomics, physiology, and protein chemistry are being used to address questions about the process of adaptation and phenotypic plasticity, at both the molecular level and in whole organisms. Populations inhabiting high-altitude regions such as the Andes and Himalayas, including humans, are of particular interest, as are birds.
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Mitsunori Ogihara, Ph.D.

Professor, Computer Science
Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Director of Data Mining, Center for Computational Sciences
Associate Dean, Digital Library Innovation

Biography: Dr. Mitsunori Ogihara joined the University of Miami in 2007 as Professor in the Department of Computer Science and as Program Director of the Big Data Analytics & Data Mining Program for the Center for Computational Science (now IDSC). More recently, he served as Associate Dean for Digital Library Innovation in the College of Arts and Sciences. He is currently the Director of IDSC Workforce Development and Education, and Site Director for NSF University of Miami CARTA. Dr. Ogihara holds secondary appointments in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering in the College of Engineering and the Department of Music Media and Industry in the Frost School of Music...
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Nicholas Tsinoremas, Ph.D.

Professor, Medicine
Professor, Computer Science
Professor, Health Informatics
Director, Center for Computational Science

Biography: Nicholas F. Tsinoremas, PhD | Dr. Tsinoremas is the Vice Provost for Research Computing and Data and Founding Director of the University of Miami Institute for Data Science and Computing which was established to catalyze data-intensive research in fields ranging from medicine to earth sciences, urban planning, digital humanities, and business. He also holds faculty appointments in the Miller School of Medicine and the College of Arts and Sciences. Dr. Tsinoremas received his B.A. in Chemistry from the University of Athens, Greece, and his Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the University of Leeds, UK.
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