Meet the JCI Editorial Board

Sarki A. Abdulkadir, MD, PhD

Sarki Abdulkadir is the John T. Grayhack Professor of Urological Research, professor of Urology and Pathology, director of the Chicago Prostate SPORE, and Associate Director for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center and Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University. Dr. Abdulkadir studies the molecular mechanisms of cancer development and therapeutic resistance, as well as the development of novel cancer therapeutics. He is a member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation (view profile).
Keywords: Prostate cancer, preclinical animal models of cancer, MYC oncogene, small molecule therapeutic development

Maria-Luisa Alegre, MD, PhD

Maria-Luisa Alegre is a professor of Medicine at the University of Chicago. Dr Alegre’s laboratory is interested in T cell responses in settings of transplantation, autoimmunity, and cancer, with an emphasis on mouse models and emerging extensions to clinical translation. Main focuses of the laboratory are T cell tolerance in transplantation; how infections and inflammatory events can affect induction or maintenance of tolerance; and mechanisms by which the microbiota modulates transplant outcomes. Dr. Alegre is a member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation (view profile).
Keywords: Transplantation, tolerance, T cells, acute rejection, Tregs, microbiota, T cell exhaustion

Hossein Ardehali, MD, PhD

Hossein Ardehali is the Thomas D. Spies Professor of Cardiac Metabolism, professor of Medicine – Cardiology, professor of Pharmacology, director of the Medical Scientist Training Program, and director of the Center for Molecular Cardiology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Dr. Ardehali’s research focuses on the role of mitochondria and metabolism in cardiovascular disease, and his laboratory has shown that a disruption in the mitochondrial iron homeostasis leads to cardiomyopathy and that reducing mitochondrial iron can protect against doxorubicin-induced cardiomyopathy. Dr. Ardehali is a member and 2021–2022 President of the American Society for Clinical Investigation (view profile), as well as a member of the Association of American Physicians, the American Heart Association, and BioIron.
Keywords: Mitochondria, metabolism, iron, cardiomyopathy, heart, glucose metabolism, heart failure, fatty acid metabolism, immunology, immunometabolism

Rishi Arora, MD

Rishi Arora is a professor of Medicine; director, Experimental Cardiac Electrophysiology; and co-director, Center for Arrhythmia Research, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Dr. Arora’s research focuses on molecular mechanisms underlying heart rhythm disorders (specifically atrial fibrillation); gene therapy for atrial fibrillation; and large-animal models of cardiac arrhythmias. Dr. Arora is a member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation (view profile).
Keywords: Atrial fibrillation, cardiac arrhythmia, mechanisms, gene therapy, autonomic nervous system, oxidative injury, animal models

Grant D. Barish, MD

Grant Barish is an associate professor, Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Molecular Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Dr. Barish’s research focuses on understanding the role of transcription factors in directing normal physiology and adaption or dysregulation in response to environmental cues. In particular, he studies pathways relevant to obesity-associated pathologies including diabetes and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Dr. Barish is a member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation (view profile).
Keywords: Gene expression, genomics, physiology, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, diabetes, transcription, epigenetics

Joseph Bass, MD, PhD

Joseph Bass is a professor of Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. The primary research focus of Dr. Bass’s group is the molecular integration of circuits coordinating feeding, sleep, and wakefulness in the brain with systems controlling energy balance and nutrient utilization in peripheral tissues. Dr. Bass is a member of the Association of American Physicians and Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society.
Keywords: Circadian rhythms, β cell function, insulin, sirtuin, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, metabolism, appetite

Ankit Bharat, MD

Ankit Bharat is executive director, Canning Thoracic Institute; Harold L. and Margaret N. Method Professor of Surgery; chief, Thoracic Surgery; and director, Lung Transplantation, Northwestern University. His laboratory investigates the immunopathogenesis of lung disease, with a focus on transplant immunobiology. Using single-cell transcriptomics, top-down proteomics, intravital imaging, and multichannel flow cytometry, along with bioinformatics and computational biology, his group seeks to identify clinically actionable mechanisms underlying lung injury and utilize models relevant to human disease. Dr. Bharat is a member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation (view profile).
Keywords: Thoracic cancers, lung transplant, mechanical circulatory support, robotic and lung volume reductive surgery

Daniel J. Brat, MD, PhD

Daniel Brat is Magerstadt Professor and chair, Department of Pathology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Dr. Brat’s laboratory studies mechanisms of glioma progression using mouse and Drosophila models, as well as patient-derived samples. Their work focuses on tumor microenvironmental alterations in gliomas that result from the development of severe hypoxia and necrosis, including glioma stem cell (GSC) enrichment; glioma quiescence and radiation resistance; and macrophage influx and polarization. Dr. Brat is a member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation (view profile).
Keywords: Glioma, tumor microenvironment, genetics, hypoxia, stem cells

G.R. Scott Budinger, MD

G.R. Scott Budinger is the Ernest S. Bazley Professor of Airway Diseases and chief of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Dr. Budinger’s laboratory seeks to understand the mechanisms that prevent recovery from viral pneumonia in older individuals, focusing on macrophage populations in the lung and other tissues. Dr. Budinger is a member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation (view profile) and American Thoracic Society.
Keywords: Pneumonia, alveolar macrophage, lung fibrosis, particulate matter air pollution, influenza, SARS-CoV-2, aging

Serdar Bulun, MD

Serdar Bulun is chair and John J. Sciarra Professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Dr. Bulun researches the roles of aromatase, steroid hormone receptors, signaling pathways, and somatic stem cells in the pathogenesis of various endocrine-related disorders, including skeletal muscle fibrosis, fibrosis in breast cancer, uterine fibroids, and endometriosis. Dr. Bulun is a member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation (view profile), National Academy of Medicine, Association of American Physicians, and American Gynecological and Obstetrical Society.
Keywords: Estrogen, progesterone, aromatase inhibitor, uterine fibroids, endometriosis, skeletal muscle atrophy, fibrosis, infertility, progesterone resistance, mesenchymal stem cells, breast cancer, ovarian biology

Navdeep S. Chandel, PhD

Navdeep Chandel is the David W. Cugell, MD, Professor of Medicine and professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Dr. Chandel’s laboratory has contributed to the understanding of the function of mitochondria, which had been primarily viewed as biosynthetic and bioenergetic organelles generating metabolites for the production of macromolecules and ATP, respectively. Dr. Chandel’s group has elucidated a third distinct role, whereby mitochondria participate in cellular signaling processes through release of ROS and metabolites to control physiology and disease.
Keywords: Mitochondria, cancer, immunology, neurodegeneration, metabolic diseases

Eugene B. Chang, MD

Eugene Chang is the Martin Boyer Distinguished Professor of Medicine and director of Microbiome Medicine, University of Chicago. Dr. Chang’s research focuses on studies of host-microbe interactions and disease mechanisms of the gut — primarily digestive health and diseases, including IBD and metabolic disorders. Dr. Chang applies expertise in intestinal epithelial biology/pathobiology, cultivation-dependent and -independent approaches to the study of gut microbiota, and mucosal immunology to define specific mechanisms of action relevant to states of the gut microbiota and to intestinal epithelial, immune, and metabolic homeostasis. He is a member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation (view profile).
Keywords: Gut microbiome, host-microbe interactions, inflammatory bowel diseases, gastroenterology (basic/translational), mucosal immunology, circadian rhythms (relevant to the gut microbiome)

Jaehyuk Choi, MD, PhD

Jaehyuk Choi is an associate professor of Dermatology and of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Dr. Choi’s laboratory studies the genetics and cell biology of skin-homing lymphocytes in physiological settings and disease, with a particular emphasis in cancer. Dr. Choi is a member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation (view profile), American Society of Hematology, Society for Investigative Dermatology, and American Association for Cancer Research.
Keywords: Dermatology, precision medicine, cancer genomics, cancer immunology

Richard T. D’Aquila, MD

Richard D’Aquila is director of the Third Coast Center for AIDS Research and the Northwestern University Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute. Dr. D’Aquila’s research helped develop lifespan-extending triple combinations of antiretroviral medicines and has contributed to the adoption of HIV drug resistance testing as standard practice in HIV care — the first application of DNA sequencing for personalized medicine. His laboratory is now studying APOBEC3s, aiming to leverage them for sustaining remission of HIV after stopping antiretrovirals.
Keywords: HIV, APOBEC3, mTOR, inflammation, cullin-RING ubiquitin ligases

Stephanie Eisenbarth, MD, PhD

Stephanie Eisenbarth is a professor of Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, where she is chief of Allergy and Immunology and director of the Center for Human Immunology. Dr. Eisenbarth’s research focuses on how dendritic cells, B cells, and T cells interact to induce protective or pathogenic antibody responses. In particular, her group works to understand how the immune system handles allergens in the gut and lung using models of food allergy and asthma along with analysis of human samples. Dr. Eisenbarth is a member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation (view profile); chair of the education committee of the Federation of Clinical Immunology Societies; and member of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, Academy of Clinical Laboratory Physicians and Scientists, and Association for the Advancement of Blood & Biotherapies.
Keywords: Food allergy, IgE, IgA, red blood cell alloimmunization, dendritic cell biology

Alfred L. George Jr., MD

Alfred George is professor and chair, Department of Pharmacology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Dr. George investigates the structure, function, and molecular genetics of ion channels. He has elucidated the genetics and pathogenesis of channelopathies, with a focus on genetic disorders caused by voltage-gated ion channel mutations associated with membrane excitability, including congenital cardiac arrhythmia syndromes and genetic epilepsy. Dr. George is a member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation (view profile) and Association of American Physicians and is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Keywords: Ion channels, channelopathy, congenital arrhythmia, genetic epilepsy, electrophysiology, pharmacology, pharmacogenomics

Amy B. Heimberger, MD

Amy B. Heimberger is the Jean Malnati Miller Professor of Neurological Surgery, vice chair for research in the Department of Neurological Surgery at Northwestern University, and scientific director of the Lou and Jean Malnati Brain Tumor Institute at the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center. Dr. Heimberger’s research program focuses on immune-therapeutic strategies for patients with CNS malignancies, and she studies tumor-mediated mechanisms of immune suppression. She is a member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation (view profile) and has been named by US News and World Report as a Top Doctor.
Keywords: CNS tumors, immunotherapy, microglia, macrophages, tumor microenvironment

Maha Hussain, MD

Maha Hussain is the Genevieve Teuton Professor of Medicine, Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Medicine, and deputy director of the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Dr. Hussain is a researcher in genitourinary oncology and has contributed to significantly impacting the standards of care for patients with metastatic hormone–sensitive and castration-resistant prostate cancer. Dr. Hussain is a member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology and American College of Physicians.
Keywords: Clinical research, novel therapeutics, translational research, prostate cancer, bladder/urothelial cancers

M. Luisa Iruela-Arispe, PhD

Luisa Iruela-Arispe is professor and chair of the Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Dr. Iruela-Arispe’s research interests center on understanding the molecular mechanisms that regulate vascular morphogenesis during development and disease. Her laboratory has elucidated the contributions of VEGF and Notch signaling during development and in hereditary conditions such as Alagille syndrome and cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL). Dr. Iruela-Arispe is a member of the North American Vascular Biology Organization, American Heart Association, American Association for Cancer Research, and American Society for Cell Biology. She is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Keywords: Vascular biology, endothelial cells, smooth muscle cells, macrophage, VEGF, Notch, metastasis, junctional complexes, vascular malformations, microtubules, vimentin, Ras signaling, mechanotransduction

Peng Ji, MD

Peng Ji is an associate professor of Pathology and director of the Pathology Physician Scientist Training Program at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Dr. Ji’s research focuses on mechanistic studies of terminal erythropoiesis and how defects in signaling pathways involved in normal hematopoiesis contribute to the pathogenesis of myeloid neoplasms. Dr. Ji is a member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation (view profile). He has served on the editorial board of Blood.
Keywords: Erythropoiesis, hematopoiesis, myeloid neoplasms, myelodysplastic syndromes, myeloproliferative neoplasms, formin proteins

Igor J. Koralnik, MD

Igor Koralnik is Archibald Church Professor of Neurology; chief, Division of Neuro-Infectious Diseases & Global Neurology, Ken & Ruth Davee Department of Neurology; and director Global Neurology Program, Robert J. Havey, MD, Institute for Global Health, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Dr. Koralnik is interested in clinical, translational, and basic neurovirology and neuroimmunology research, including the neurologic manifestations of SARS-CoV-2 on the nervous system in patients with COVID-19. Dr. Koralnik is a member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation (view profile), American Neurological Association, American Academy of Neurology, International Society for NeuroVirology, American Society for Microbiology, and American Association of Immunologists.
Keywords: COVID-19, post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC), progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy, neurovirology

Dimitri Krainc, MD, PhD

Dimitri Krainc is chair and Aaron Montgomery Ward Professor, Department of Neurology, and director of the Simpson Querrey Center for Neurogenetics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Dr. Krainc’s laboratory has made important contributions to the understanding of Huntington’s and Parkinson’s disease pathogenesis that have paved the way for development of novel therapeutic strategies. Their discovery of direct contacts between mitochondria and lysosomes has fundamental implications for elucidating the role of organelle dynamics in physiological and pathological cellular functions. Dr. Krainc is a member of Association of American Physicians and the National Academy of Medicine.
Keywords: Mitochondria, lysosomes, neurodegeneration, glucocerebrosidase, α-synuclein, organelle contacts, neurogenetics, targeted therapies, precision medicine

Maciej S. Lesniak, MD

Maciej Lesniak is professor and chair, Department of Neurological Surgery and program leader, Neuro-Oncology, Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine; and neurosurgeon-in-chief, Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Dr. Lesniak’s research focuses on the treatment of primary and metastatic brain cancer. In work spanning preclinical, regulatory, and clinical domains, his laboratory utilizes approaches involving stem cells, viruses, nanotechnology, and immunotherapy to develop translational therapeutics for patients with brain cancer. Dr. Lesniak is a member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation (view profile), Society of Neurological Surgeons, Society for Translational Medicine, Society for Neuroscience, American Society of Cell and Gene Therapy, and Society of Neuro-Oncology.
Keywords: Glioma, glioblastoma, metastases, breast cancer, stem cells, oncolytic viruses, nanotechnology, immunotherapy, immunology

Elizabeth M. McNally, MD, PhD

Elizabeth McNally is the Elizabeth J. Ward Professor of Genetic Medicine at Northwestern University, where she leads the Center for Genetic Medicine. Dr. McNally studies genetic mechanisms responsible for cardiomyopathies, arrhythmias, and neuromuscular diseases, with an interest in mapping and identifying genetic modifiers and developing genetic correction strategies. She is past President of the American Society for Clinical Investigation (view profile) and Association of American Physicians. Dr. McNally is a member of the National Academy of Medicine and American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Keywords: Muscular dystrophies, sarcoglycans, cardiomyopathies, dystrophin, mutation, dysferlin, limb-girdle muscular dystrophies, skeletal muscle, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, lamin type A, sulfonylurea receptors, myocardium, dilated cardiomyopathy, cardiac myocytes, nuclear envelope, myoblasts, heart, myosin, TGF-β, fibrosis, genetic testing, myostatin, heart failure, KATP channels, dystrophin-associated proteins, sarcomeres, SARS-CoV-2 virus, cardiac arrhythmias, annexin A6, modifier genes, neuromuscular diseases, cardiac conduction system disease, coronary vasospasm

Hidayatullah G. Munshi, MD

Hidayatullah Munshi is the Robert I. Lurie, MD, and Lora S. Lurie Professor of Medicine in the Division of Hematology/Oncology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, and leader of the Tumor Environment and Metastasis (TEAM) Basic Research Program in the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University. Dr. Munshi is interested in understanding the mechanisms regulating pancreatic cancer growth and metastasis and developing new treatments for pancreatic cancer. His laboratory has expertise in orthotopic and transgenic mouse models and employs ex vivo acinar-to-ductal metaplasia, organoid, and slice cultures of human pancreatic tumors. Dr. Munshi is a member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation (view profile).
Keywords: Pancreatic cancer, mouse models, fibrosis, TGF-β, immunotherapy, PD-1, tumor-associated macrophages, BET inhibitors, MNK kinases, MNK inhibitors, mRNA translation, ex vivo cultures, Galpha13, cell polarity, Par3

Marcelo A. Nóbrega, MD, PhD

Marcelo Nóbrega is a professor in the Department of Human Genetics, University of Chicago. Dr. Nóbrega’s work involves functionally characterizing the impact of noncoding genetic variants in susceptibility to human diseases and traits. Dr. Nóbrega is a member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation (view profile) and a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Keywords: Gene regulation, genomics, epigenomics, GWAS, enhancers, 3D genome organization

Guillermo Oliver, PhD

Guillermo Oliver is the Thomas D. Spies Professor of Lymphatic Metabolism and director of the Center for Vascular and Developmental Biology, Feinberg Cardiovascular and Renal Research Institute, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Dr. Oliver’s laboratory focuses on understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms controlling organogenesis in mammals. In particular, the group addresses key aspects of the development and functional roles of the lymphatic vasculature in health and disease, including organ growth, regeneration, and repair. Dr. Oliver is a member of the North American Vascular Biology Organization and Society for Developmental Biology.
Keywords: Developmental biology, organogenesis, lymphatics, Prox1, endothelial cells, vascular development, heart, lymphoangiocrine factors

Puneet Opal, MD, PhD

Puneet Opal is a professor of Neurology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and a director of the Northwestern University Physician Scientist Training Program. Dr. Opal’s research efforts are dedicated to elucidating the cellular and molecular basis of genetic movement disorders. Dr. Opal runs the Northwestern Ataxia Clinic and serves on the medical and research advisory board of the National Ataxia Foundation. He is a member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation (view profile) and American Neurological Association.
Keywords: Neurodegeneration, ataxia, cerebellar disorders, neurofilaments, giant axonal neuropathy

John Pandolfino, MD

John Pandolfino is the Hans Popper Professor of Medicine and chief, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Dr. Pandolfino’s research focuses primarily on the biomechanics of bolus transport and gastrointestinal motility as it pertains to gastroesophageal reflux and swallowing disorders. Dr. Pandolfino is a member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation (view profile) and is 2019–2022 president of the American Neurogastroenterology and Motility Society.
Keywords: Esophagus, motility, brain-gut interaction

Sachin Patel, MD, PhD

Sachin Patel is the Lizzie Gilman Professor and Chair, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Dr. Patel’s research focuses on elucidating the synaptic, biochemical, and behavioral consequences of stress and identifying molecular targets for the treatment of stress-related neuropsychiatric disorders. His laboratory utilizes electrophysiology, calcium imaging, behavioral pharmacology, and genetics to understand the brain’s response to stress, with a particular interest in elucidating the therapeutic potential of the endogenous cannabinoid signaling system. Dr. Patel is a member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation (view profile), American College of Neuropsychopharmacology, and Society for Neuroscience.
Keywords: Anxiety, plasticity, synaptic, fear, PTSD, depression, amygdala, prefrontal cortex, behavior, learning, memory, cannabinoid, neuromodulation

Harris Perlman, PhD

Harris Perlman is professor and chief of Rheumatology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Dr. Perlman’s research centers on the development of precision medicine algorithms for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and systemic sclerosis. He is a member of the American College of Rheumatology.
Keywords: Precision medicine, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic sclerosis, monocyte/macrophage, autoimmune, apoptosis, functional genomics

Susan E. Quaggin, MD

Susan E. Quaggin is the Charles Horace Mayo Professor of Medicine at Northwestern University, where she serves as chief of Nephrology and Hypertension and director of the Feinberg Cardiovascular and Renal Research Institute. Dr. Quaggin’s research focuses on fundamental processes needed to establish and maintain the integrity of the specialized vascular beds in the kidney and eye. Her group’s findings have revealed pathogenic mechanisms and therapeutic targets for diseases including diabetic kidney and eye disease, nephrotic syndrome, and glaucoma. Dr. Quaggin is a member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation (view profile), the Association of American Physicians, the National Academy of Medicine, and the National Academy of Inventors and currently serves as president of the American Society of Nephrology.
Keywords: Angiopoietin, vascular signaling, angiogenesis, lymphatics, kidney, ophthalmology

Laura J. Rasmussen-Torvik, PhD, MPH

Laura Rasmussen-Torvik is an associate professor and chief of the Division of Epidemiology, Department of Preventive Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Dr. Rasmussen-Torvik is a genetic epidemiologist interested in the discovery of genetic risk factors for common diseases and the application of knowledge of common genetic variation into clinical care for disease prevention and treatment. She is also interested in utilization of electronic health records in clinical and epidemiologic research and in genomics education for health care providers.
Keywords: Epidemiology, genetics, electronic health records, pharmacology, cardiovascular diseases, genetic testing

Patrick C. Seed, MD, PhD

Patrick Seed is president and chief research officer, Stanley Manne Children’s Research Institute, Children’s Research Fund Chair in Basic Science, and professor of Pediatrics, Microbiology, and Immunology, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Dr. Seed studies the interactions of mammals and microbes to understand how microbial communities alter health and disease and how pathogenic microbes emerge from those communities to cause specific infections of the urinary tract, blood, and central nervous system. He combines clinical human studies, conventional and germ-free animal models, molecular genetics, immunology, biochemistry, structural biology, high-dimensional data computational analysis, and a number of complementary omics technologies to understand complex systems and design new diagnostics and therapeutics. Dr. Seed is a member of the American Society for Microbiology, Infectious Diseases Society of America, Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society, Society for Pediatric Research, and American Pediatric Society.
Keywords: Infectious diseases, microbiology, bacterial pathogenesis, microbiota, microbiome, urinary tract infection, obesity, asthma, pneumonia, immunocompromised

Ali Shilatifard, PhD

Ali Shilatifard is the Robert Francis Furchgott Professor Biochemistry and Pediatrics; chair, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics; and director, Simpson Querrey Institute for Epigenetics, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Dr. Shilatifard’s laboratory linked transcriptional elongation control and leukemia, and discovered the molecular machinery and role of the super elongation complex in this process. The group has provided mechanistic insight into transcriptional elongation control, the epigenetic machinery involved in the regulation of gene expression, and how these pathways can be targeted for therapeutic approaches for the treatment of childhood leukemia, brain tumors, and other cancers. Dr. Shilatifard is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Sciences.
Keywords: Chromatin biology, epigenetics, transcription, leukemia, cancer biology

Benjamin D. Singer, MD

Benjamin Singer is the Lawrence Hicks Professor of Pulmonary Medicine and associate professor of Medicine and Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Dr. Singer’s laboratory focuses on DNA methylation and gene expression as features that determine T lymphocyte immunoregulatory phenotype and pro-repair function in the context of acute lung inflammation and injury. They have demonstrated that these epigenetic phenomena can potentiate resolution of acute lung inflammation and repair of lung damage, and applied their findings and tools to the study of aging, metabolism, autoimmunity, immunodeficiency, and cancer.
Keywords: Regulatory T cells, immunology, DNA methylation, epigenetics, pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, acute lung injury, influenza, COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, critical illness, mechanical ventilation

Douglas E. Vaughan, MD

Douglas Vaughan is the Irving S. Cutter Professor and chair, Department of Medicine, and director, Potocsnak Longevity Institute, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Dr. Vaughan’s research interest focuses on the role of the plasminogen activator system in vascular biology, cardiovascular disease, and aging. His basic, translational, and clinical investigation concentrates on the serine protease inhibitor (SERPIN) plasminogen activator inhibitorv1 (PAI-1) and its role in senescence, aging-related multimorbidity, and aging itself. Dr. Vaughan is a member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation (view profile) and Association of American Physicians.
Keywords: Vascular biology, fibrinolysis, aging, senescence, longevity, metabolism, cardiovascular disease, fibrosis