Alumni and Collaborators

 

Vanessa A. Leone PhD

Asst Professor at UW Madison

Ashley M. Sidebottom, PhD 2016-2021

Former Postdoctoral Scholar

Ashley is the Metabolomics Platform Director of the Host-Microbe Metabolomics Facility (HMMF) in the UChicago Duchossois Family Institute (DFI).

Mora Puertolas, MD 
Pediatric Gastroenterologist, Northwestern Hospitals, Chicagoland

Katharine Harris, PhD 2015-2020
Former Postdoctoral Scholar
Katie became an Assistant Professor of Biology with Franklin College in Franklin, Indiana.

Sonny Lee, PhD 2018-2019
Former Postdoctoral Scholar
Sonny is now as Assistant Professor at Kansas State.

Diana La Torre, PhD 2017-2019
Former Postdoctoral Scholar
Diana has since moved to Switzerland where she works as a Senior Scientist.

Kristina Martinez, RD, PhD 2012-2017
Former Postdoctoral Scholar
Title of Project: ‘The effect of soybean oil supplementation on inflammatory bowel disease through changes in gut microbiota.
Kristina is now an Assistant Professor at Midwestern University in Downers Grove, IL.

Joe Pierre, PhD 2013-2017
Former Postdoctoral Scholar
Joe worked on regulation of intestinal metaplasia by microbiome signaling.
Joe is now an Assistant Professor at the University of Wisconsin, Madison

Mark Musch, PhD 1982-2017
Professor and former lab leader
Mark was a scientific power house and Chang lab super star for over 25 years.
He has recently retired from the University.

Ketrija Touw, PhD 2011-2015
Former Postdoctoral Scholar
Ketrija’s research focused on the role of intestinal motility in shaping the gut microbiome, understanding the mechanisms through which the host and microbiome interact, and how these relationships can be applied for future interventions to treat gastrointestinal dysmotility.
Ketrija has since moved on to Abbott Molecular as a Senior R&D Biologist in GI Research.

Daina Ringus, PhD 2012-2016
Former Postdoctoral Scholar
Daina studied the gut virome and its interaction with the gut microbiota and how they alter bacterial community structure and function.
Daina received a medical degree at Northwestern University.

Kyle Dolan, PhD 2012-2016
Former Postdoctoral Scholar
Kyle studied the interactions between gut microbes and host epigenomes, with a primary focus on DNA methylation and hydroxymethylation.
Kyle has since moved on to become the Head of Science and Innovation at British Consulate-General in Chicago.

Emma Liechty, DVM 2015-2016
Former Postdoctoral Scholar
Emma studied Bacteriodes in the development of pouchitis.
She has since moved over to Northwestern University to become a clinical veterinarian.

Jun Miyoshi, MD, PhD 2014-2019
Former Visiting Scholar
Jun has returned to Japan and is currently a Senior Assistant Professor in the Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Kyorin University Medical School.

Xitao (Larry) Xu, PhD 2018-2019
Former Visiting Scholar
Larry is currently an Assistant Professor at Shanghai University.

Jeannette Messer DVM, PhD 2009-2018
Former Instructor
Jeannette is currently an Assistant Professor at the Cleveland Clinic.

Chai Chuan Chang, PhD 2017-2018
Former Visiting Scholar
Chai is currently an Associate Professor at National Taiwan University.

Zhanghan Dai, MD 2017-2018
Former Visiting Scholar
Zhanghan is currently at Shanghai Renji Hospital.

Yingying Lu, MD 2016-2017
Former Visiting Scholar
Yingying is currently at Shanghai Renji Hospital.

Kentaro Nobutani, MD 2014-2016
Former Visiting Scholar
Title of Project: Effect of long-term TU-100 on microbiome and drug metabolism.
Kentaro has returned to his clinical practice in Japan

Yuqi Qiao, MD 2015-2016
Former Visiting Scholar
Title of Project: The role of HSP25 in the colon epithelial cells.
Yugi has since traveled the world and then returned to his practice in China.

Patty Ojeda 2015-2016
Former Howard Hughes Fellow
Working closely with Dr. Kristina Martinez, Patty worked on a project focused on the interactions of the gut microbiome and the constitutive androstane receptor (CAR), a nuclear receptor which plays a significant role in xenobiotic and lipid metabolism. Using CAR knockout mice, she examined changes in development, lipogenomics, and microbiome in various settings.
Patty completed a medical degree.

Jinlu Tong MD, PhD 2015-2016
Former Visiting Scholar
Jinlu worked on characterizing the role of HSP 25 in inflammatory bowel disease before heading back to his home institution in China.

Yue (Carrie) Zeng MD 2015-2016
Former Visiting Scholar
Carrie is currently an Assistant Professor at Shanghai Medical College/Fudan University.

Xiang Zhong PhD 2014-2015
Former Visiting Scholar
Xiang is currently a Professor at Nanjing Agricultural University in China.

Takumu Hasbe, MD, PhD 2012-2014
Former Visiting Scholar
After his tenure in the lab, Tak has returned to the Division of Gastroenterology and Hematology/Oncology at Asahikawa Medical University in Japan.

Alex Bobe, PhD 2013-2017
Former Graduate Student
Title of Project: Mechanisms underlying the role of gut microbiota in the etiology of Type 1 diabetes.
Alex is currently a Science Writer at Tempus, Inc.

Noelle Patno, PhD 2013-2017
Former Graduate Student
Title of Project: The impact of Microbial Metabolites on Colon Cancer.
Noelle has returned to her native California to work as a Digestive Nutrition Scientist at Metagenics.

Edmond Huang, PhD 2008-2013
Former Graduate Student
Edmond’s research focused on the dietary and pharmacologic regulation of the intestinal microbiome.
Edmond is currently a Scientist for Celgene in San Francisco.

Megan Kennedy PhD
Medical Scientist Training Program, UChicago

Mary Frith PhD
MSTP, return to UChicago Pritzker

Katya Frazier, PhD 
Merck

Katherine Carroll
Princeton University Undergraduate

Sumeed Manzoor
MSTP, University of Michigan

Tyler Long
MSTP, UMass

David Velasquez
Medical student, UChicago

Thilinie Bandera
Ph.D. student, UIC

Martin Kalski
Medical student, Loyola Univ Stritch

Alan Tan
Medical student, UIC

Jacie Bissell
Law student, UMich

Margaret Meghan O’Shea
MPH Student, Columbia University

Julian Silva, MD 

Hugo Ceccato, MD

Julia Yun Tao 
Laboratory of Shabaana Khader, UChicago

Manjing (Maggie) Zhang, PhD 2018-2022
Scientific Analyst, Morrison Foerster (patent law)

Megan Kennedy PhD
Medical Scientist Training Program, UChicago

Sawako Miyoshi, MD 2015-2019
Former Laboratory Technician
Sawako has returned to Japan and is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of General Medicine at Kyorin University Medical School.