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Principal Investigator
Dr. John Elrod is the 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 his work has been cited over 16,700 times. 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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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
Candice obtained her BA in biology with a minor in chemistry and graduated summa cum laude from Caldwell University. She received her PhD in biomedical sciences from Temple University where her thesis focused on the role of macrophage polarization in metabolically-healthy obesity individuals. Her current work is defining how gating of the mitochondrial calcium uniporter impacts heart failure pathogenesis.
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Awards
T32 Cardiovascular Training Fellowship
Best Poster CAAC - AHA ATVB Conference 2017
NIH NHLBI Diversity Award 2016-2019
Future Faculty Fellowship 2014-2015
Postdoctoral Fellow
Tyler received his Ph.D. 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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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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Undergraduate Student
Anna is a Biology major and Nutrition minor at Temple University, from which she will graduate in 2024. She joined the Elrod Lab in May of 2022, after being awarded the Frances Velay Research Fellowship. She is currently assisting in research concerned with the mitochondrial calcium exchanger NCLX, and the role it has on human disease.
Undergraduate Student
Abheya (Class of 2025 at Temple University) is Biology major with a minor in Spanish on the pre-med track. She joined the lab in May 2022, as a student worker and then as a part of the Undergraduate Research Program. Abheya is studying how metabolites can contribute to epigenetic changes in myofibroblasts and affect cardiac fibrosis.
Undergraduate Student
Luke (Class of 2024 at Temple University) is majoring in Biology with a minor in Healthcare Management and certification in Italian and on the pre-med track. Luke joined the lab in May 2022 as a student in the Undergraduate Research Program. Luke is learning pathological changes in neuronal metabolism and bioenergetics in the context of Alzheimer’s disease
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.
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 - 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