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Principal Investigator
Dr. Elrod is the W.W. Smith Chair in Cardiovascular Medicine and founding Director of the Aging + Cardiovascular Discovery Center in the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University.
Dr. Elrod leads a multidisciplinary lab working in the fields of mitochondrial biology, metabolism, fibrosis, and cell death in the context of cardiac injury, heart failure, and neurodegeneration. The lab has made several discoveries in the field of mitochondrial biology. Dr. Elrod has published over 100 peer-reviewed manuscripts and regularly presents the labs’ work at national and international meetings. In 2022, he was among a select group and honored as a Fellow of the International Society of Heart Research (ISHR) for his scientific accomplishments. In addition, he was awarded the Faculty Research Achievement Award, the highest University award for research achievement, and the LKSOM Excellence in Education Mentor Award for his track record of trainee success. He sits on the editorial board of several prestigious journals and is actively involved in leadership roles in the American Heart Association and ISHR.
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Vivarium and Compliance Manager
Jessica received her MS in Biological Science from the University of Genova and completed her PhD in Experimental Oncology at the University of Palermo. Her thesis research, under the supervision of Dr. Renza Vento and Dr. Giovanni Bellipanni, examined the Pygopus 1-2 complex in dorsoventral specification in zebrafish. Jess has been a valuable member to the Center since 2012. Within the Elrod Lab, Jessica manages the large murine colony and all regulatory compliance.
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Associate Scientist
Elena received her BS and MS in physics from Southern Federal University in Russia where she also performed her PhD research in cellular biophysics/neurobiology in Anatoly Uzdensky’s lab. Her thesis focused on the mechanisms of cell death triggered by photo-induced oxidative stress in neurons and glial cells with an emphasis on mitochondrial metabolism. She continued her training as a postdoctoral fellow in Gyorgy Hajnoczky’s lab at Thomas Jefferson University working to define the function and regulation of the mitochondrial uniporter complex with a focus on the role of MICU2 in the brain. Her current research interest is mitochondrial calcium signaling in neurodegeneration.
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Postdoctoral Fellow
Joanne received her B.A. in Biological Sciences from Cornell University and completed her Ph.D. in Molecular & Integrative Physiology at the University of Michigan. Her thesis research, under the mentorship of Professor Daniel E. Michele, investigated mechano-sensitive signaling by the dystrophin-glycoprotein complex and its relevance to heart and skeletal muscle dysfunction in muscular dystrophies. Joanne’s current interests include the physiological role of mitochondrial flux in responses to cardiac stress and the molecular regulation of mitochondrial calcium efflux.
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Awards
Poster Award, TRiMAD 2019
Abstract Travel Grant, AHA Scientific Sessions 2019
Abstract Selected for moderated poster session, AHA Scientific Sessions 2019
New Investigator Travel Award, BCVS 2019
Abstract Selected for Oral Presentation, BCVS 2019
F32 Postdoctoral Fellowship from NHLBI, 2020
The Michael Bristow Trainee Investigator Award, 2021
Postdoctoral Fellow
Tyler received his PhD from The Ohio State University under the mentorship of Dr. Peter Mohler. His thesis research established one of the first humanized animal models to study arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy, where he studied how desmoplakin stabilizes the intercalated disc and maintains cardiac homeostasis. Tyler joined the Elrod Lab in September of 2022 and is currently investigating the pathological changes in neuronal metabolism and bioenergetics in the context of Alzheimer’s disease.
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Postdoctoral Fellow
Marco received his PhD from the University of Padua (Italy) under the mentorship of Prof. Marco Mongillo. His thesis research investigated the mechanisms through which mitochondrial dysfunction and sarcopenia impact autonomic control of the heart, resulting in arrhythmia. Marco joined the Elrod Lab in 2024 and is currently investigating the pathological metabolic changes in the context of heart failure and Alzheimer's disease.
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PhD Student
Nadina received her B.S. in biology and psychology from Baruch College. After completing her undergraduate studies, she earned a master’s degree in biology from Long Island University where her passion for research was ignited. Nadina subsequently joined the lab of Dr. Pablo Peixoto as a research assistant where she investigated alternative roles for Bcl-2 family proteins in mitochondria. During her time as a graduate assistant she also worked as a biology adjunct lecturer.
Her current research is examining new players in mitochondrial - SR contact sites and their regulation in in cardiac physiology.
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MD/PhD Student
Michael Lazaropoulos graduated from Rutgers University with a B.S. in Cell Biology and Neuroscience in 2016. He spent a year as a postbac researcher at the National Institute on Aging before entering the MD/PhD Program at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine. Michael is studying the interplay of metabolism and epigenetics in cardiac fibrosis. Michael has a strong clinical and academic interest in mitochondrial disorders and a strong personal interest in Friedreich’s ataxia.
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Awards
The ISHR Michael Bristow Trainee Investigator Award, 2021
MD/PhD Student
Henry earned his B.A. in Applied Mathematics and his M.S. in Biomedical Engineering from Washington University in St. Louis in 2018. Prior to joining the MD/PhD program at Temple, Henry worked in the lab of Dr. Massimo Trucco and Dr. Yong Fan studying mechanisms of autoimmunity. Henry’s current work focuses on novel regulatory mechanisms of mitochondrial calcium exchange in neurodegenerative diseases.
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PhD Student
Oniel received his B.S. from Ursinus College in Biology with minors in Chemistry and Health Science. During his time at Ursinus, Oniel studied the effects of Wnt pathway activation on inflammation and endothelial permeability in skeletal muscle injury with Dr. April Carpenter. His current research is focused on identifying and characterizing novel regulators of the mitochondrial sodium/calcium exchanger in the context of both heart and neurodegenerative diseases.
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Master Student
Jordan earned her B.S. in Biochemistry and her B.A. in Spanish at Temple University in 2024. Currently, Jordan is obtaining a Professional Science Master's degree in Bioinformatics. Prior to joining the Elrod lab, Jordan worked with Dr. Spiridoula Matsika in her computational chemistry lab. Jordan's current research involves examining the interactomes of mitochondrial proteins/complexes and their role in the regulation of metabolism.
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Undergraduate Student
Anya (Class of 2026) is a Genomic Medicine major in the Honors Program at Temple University. She joined the lab in January 2023 as part of the Science Scholar’s Program. Anya is currently working on identifying the role of the MICU3 gene (Mitochondrial Calcium Uptake Family Member 3) within the mitochondrial calcium uniporter complex, in regards to the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.
Undergraduate Student
Adyson (Class of 2025) is majoring in Biology with minors in Chemistry and Business Administration. He joined the Elrod team in May 2024 through the Temple University Research Scholars Program. Currently, he is assisting in research that focuses on mitochondrial calcium homeostasis and its involvement in human disease.
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Undergraduate Student
Liam (Class of 2025) is majoring in Neuroscience and is on the pre-med track. Liam joined the lab in May 2024 as an undergraduate student researcher and is currently assisting on projects relating to mitochondrial calcium signaling in the nervous system.
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Undergraduate Student
Danny (Class of 2026) is a Genomic Medicine major and Computer Science minor. He joined the lab in May 2024 through the Temple University Research Scholars Program. Danny is currently assisting in research that focuses on mitochondrial biology and novel targets in Alzheimer’s disease.
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Luke Sauers, BS - Thomas Jefferson University Hospital - Patient Care Technician in Immediate Neuro ICU
Anna Schmidt, BS - Temple University - MD student at Lewis Katz School of Medicine
Abheya Nair, BS - Temple University - MD student at Lewis Katz School of Medicine
Andrew Gibb, PhD - University of Louisville - Assistant Professor - Center for Cardiometabolic Science
Alycia Hildebrand, BS - Temple University - Manager of the Aging + Cardiovascular Discovery Center at LKSOM
Jacob Cox, BS - University of Colorado - MD/PhD student at School of Medicine
Dima Khalil, BS - Temple University - MD student at Lewis Katz School of Medicine
Trevor Tierney, MBA (departed) - University of Pennsylvania - Associate Director of the Gene Therapy Program
Pooja Jadiya, PhD - Wake Forest University - Assistant Professor for Department of Internal Medicine at Wake Forest University School of Medicine
Dhanendra Tomar, PhD - Wake Forest University - Assistant Professor for Department of Internal Medicine at Wake Forest University School of Medicine
Emma Murray, PhD - Rajant Health Inc. - Senior VP of Operations
Adam Mangold, BS - Rowan University - MD student at Cooper Medical School
Ryan McGregor, BS - University of Pennsylvania - MD student at Perelman School of Medicine
Anh Huynh, BS - Mercer University- Pharm.D. Program
Manfred Thomas, BS - Temple University Hospital - Medical Scribe
Alyssa Lombari, MD/PhD - Temple University Hospital - Emergency Medicine Resident
Jonathan Lambert, PhD - Padua University - EMBO Postdoctoral Fellow (Lab of Dr. Luca Scorrano)
Devin Kolmetzky, BS - Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine - Medical School
Neil Shah, BS - Rutgers Medical School
Tim Luongo, PhD - University of Pennsylvania - Postdoctoral Fellow (Lab of Dr. Joe Baur), Preclinical Research Lead at Spark Therapeutics, Inc.
Anita Mehta, MD - Cooper University Hospital - Internal Medicine
Esther Kim, MD - David Geffen School of Medicine - UCLA - Resident in the Dept. of Pediatrics
Mary Nwokedi - Howard University - Pharm.D. Program graduate - Global Regulatory Affairs: US and International Policy and Strategy Fellow at Eli Lilly and Company
Ehtesham Arif, PhD - Medical University of South Carolina - Assoc. Professor
